Oil Rig for ArmA

[abs 2]

I didn't find the model anywhere, I built it, based on google image searches. Thanks for the feedback guys, will be posting new pictures soon.

I'm also grateful to those who provided some assistance with getting the geometry sorted, I wasn't creating the objects right, and it now works like a charm. Most appreciated.

Cool....when did you get started on this project?

Abs

[rocket 9]

Cool....when did you get started on this project?

Abs

Casually suggesting that an artist has plagerised work associated with you, and then interrogating them publically about it, all without producing any evidence at all has to be one of the most insulting things I can think of.

If I have a problem with someones work, I deal with it in a mature and professional fashion.  I would appreciate the same courtesy.

Perhaps one might follow your own rather explict advice, listed in your signature

[rocket 9]

Okay, based on some great feedback and some really good reference material that i've received, a number of changes have been made.  I am now focusing on uprezing most of the rig so that it is more detailed and the textures more appropriate.

I still need to do alot of work with the shadow geo, at present I'm just using the same geo for this as for the 0 LOD.  I believe that it should be slightly smaller than the main geo?

Based on a great idea (thanks Ray! I have made some of the crates open, so that you can run through them.  I now have the geometery all working fantastically, only in one or two places (with alot of trying) am I able to run through walls or barriers.  I am concerned tho that my scale is currently wrong.  I think I may increase the size of everything by 1/4.

Thoughts, feedback, and constructive criticism most welcome.

[[aps]gnat 28]

Looks awesome as is.

Q: How many ways are there to get from a boat onto the platform and vice versa ?

I'd recommend at least 2

1) A ladder going up a leg (or maybe all legs) to the first available level/deck

2) A "pontoon" onto which you can get out of a boat and stand on, with stairs and gangways to the main deck.

Be nice if there was a small "U" shaped pen you could drive a small boat into. The U only needs to be 1 person wide platforms/gangways.

Warning; the tide changes (doesn't it? Just like OFP) so the level you set the pontoon at will need to cater for changing water.

[abs 2]

Well, far be it from me not to produce evidence. Here is an image that looks awfully familiar.

Anyway, I thought I was pretty civil about it. All I did was ask where you had gotten the model from and when you started working on it. My question about when you started work on it still stands, as I'm pretty curious.

Abs

[rocket 9]

Thats just the stock model from www.turbosquid.com, mate.  Nothing exceptional about it at all - and its about 3 years old.  Reference link is below.

http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/284497

I didn't want to pay $169.00 for the model, so I just used the photos as a reference

I've been working on the rig for about four weeks.

[[aps]gnat 28]

I gotta say Abs, flippin between the two sets of pictures, theres enough significant differences visible for this Rig to be a different model.

So much so I would that I would suggest the differences would be too much modeling trouble to go to to, just hide the fact that the model may have been a "copy".

It does very much look like the turbo squid photos were used as inspiration.

Nice work.

edit: typo

[abs 2]

Thats just the stock model from www.turbosquid.com, mate. Nothing exceptional about it at all - and its about 3 years old. Reference link is below.

http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/284497

I didn't want to pay $169.00 for the model, so I just used the photos as a reference

I've been working on the rig for about four weeks.

See? All it took was a simple answer to my questions. No need to create any drama like you had.

Keep it up, mate.

Abs

[VXR 9]

maybe also an idea to have a torch on the side, one of the things that really belong on an oil rig Gives it a nice look.

[naash 0]

you did an awesome work !

congratulations

[rocket 9]

maybe also an idea to have a torch on the side

Would love too!  Although, from my scripting experience it could be very difficult to script in fire coming off the model... unless someone has some ideas?

How many ways are there to get from a boat onto the platform and vice versa ?

Can't quite see it from my screenshots, alas, but there is currently one ladder that reaches down to the water (and below depending on tide).  The pontoon idea is great!  I will see what I can do in the next update, as I planned on redoing the base next.

Seen as your already splitting some objects. You could always model other parts of the rigg as seperate objects to.

Just experiemented with that over the weekend, appears to work great! Thanks for the tip  Will be a bit of work but should at least be able to get *some* things blowing up.

UPDATE: 1 OCT 07

Many thanks to those who have contacted me with ideas.  I spent most of this weekend changing the textures thanks to the reference and feedback I have been given... initially I was skeptical that I could texture it with hi-vis colours, but I am happy with the result.

I am totally stumped on windows, is there any tutorials anywhere on how to set transperancy in O2/Material editor?  I tried the material editor tutorial, but alas I don't think I entirely understand what I am doing.  Any advice on the subject of windows/transperancy would be very much appreciated!

Anyway, enough of me blabbing... here is the progress over the weekend... (thanks to copious quantities of Coke Zero® for keeping me going!

Scale:  This has been done using the "mark one eyeball" method, so please let me know what you think of the scale.  I think the drums are probably too big, and the containers are probably still a little too small.

[Inkompetent 0]

Seeing how the oil cisterns are placed I'd say they are too big, since the platform they are halfway out on would probably break under their weight during really bad weather. The most simple way to solve that I suppose is to add supports connecting to the wall below the the platform.

As for the containers. A standard 20' container is 6,2m long, 2,44m wide and 2,59m high, so just increase their size marginally and I think you've got it right.

Grand job with the platform though! I really, really like its looks!

[Stewy 1]

GREAT stuff icemotoboy - looks great - best of luck with the project and hopefully releasing it to plebs like me!    

[rocket 9]

...they are halfway out on would probably break under their weight during really bad weather...

As for the containers.... just increase their size marginally

So true! I didn't even realise it, but its pretty obvious when you look at it. I will try placing some supports to see if they look believable. If not, I may have to do a shuffle around a bit too see whats possible. I thought the containers might have been a bit small, I'll see if I can nudge them up a bit

[Inkompetent 0]

Oh, and just if you'd like to size up the cisterns, that looks to hold about 100m3 each at the moment, which isn't very much since a tanker of moderate size can hold like 30,000m3 of oil.

A cistern with a 10m diameter and 15m height would hold about 1200m3, so if you could squeeze in two of those big thingys (more than twice as big as the current ones) then we would be talking some real sizes.

But the platform is maybe designed to have underwater pipelines to land rather than getting the oil fetched by tankers? I guess it makes sense since we don't have any incredible distances out to sea in ArmA :P

[rocket 9]

You calculations are about bang on! Yeah, they wouldn't hold much at all. Basically I thought the top looked a bit bland, so I wanted to put something there. The "backstory" I was going to go with was storing the oil in the "supports", but then - the supports aren't that tall!

What i could do, is create a pipeline object that goes back to land (underwater) and say those tanks are for holding additional oil should there be problems with the pipes? Or something like that... I could make them taller I suppose, and like you said cut them down to two or extend that level out further with more supports. Hmmmm....

[Inkompetent 0]

Or you could just make a pipeline go down into the water and let it be at that. And if you want to be really ambitious, create a refinery or large quantity storage harbour where the tankers can fetch the oil.

Oh, and another thing I came to think of, looking at those three tanks. Where are the pipes to them, since they are connected to the floor, but the floor too thin for a proper pipe?

Yes, I know I'm good at throwing work on people, but I just want the most awesomenessest oil rig in ze world!

[[aps]gnat 28]

Do you know how to make transparent textures ?

http://members.iinet.net.au/~nrspence/ArmA/glass.zip

[rocket 9]

Ah yes! I need some pipes going out from the bottom of those tanks. Please do feel free to throw problems/suggestions at me... I often find I get far too close to my work and miss the obvious detail/problems. I've been making great time and would like to have an initial version out in the next few weeks.

RE: Pipeline/Refinery. That would make a really nice stage two, with some sabotage missions etc... going well with that theme. For the moment I will just add some pipes to make it obvious that the oil is heading off the platform.

And ... YEY! Gnat you are are my personal hero Thanks for that. *Sigh* sometimes its the most obvious things in life I seem to miss...

[ZIKAN 0]

This really looks great, im looking forward to it. I have a few ideas/suggestions:

Have you considered adding some sounds to it? like perhaps machinery in operation, pipe work knocking against each other, generators running in the back ground, that kind of thing? It would add alot of atmosphere i think.

Also have you come up with any ideas about the lighting? I would assume it would be lit up like a christmas tree at night.  Maybe even have the option to turn the lights on or off would be a nice touch too.

And it would be useful if there was an option to repair/refuel helos and boats from it.

Well keep up the good work  

[abs 2]

I believe those containers are about the size of a trailer (like on an 18 wheeler). I really like how this is coming along. Keep it up.

Abs

[Casimir 0]

Man this looks SWEET! Cant wait! I hope somebody makes a tanker or a helecopter or somthing that could go with this!

[xxbbcc 6]

The word cool doesn't even begin to describe your oil rig.

One suggestion (which was partly mentioned before): add more pipes, but not only to the tanks on top, but on the lower parts, too.

If I were you, I wouldn't increase the size of those containers, because they present significant weight to the supports. Most oil rigs probably wouldn't have huge containers on the top, but in the base, so that all the weight of the stored oil doesn't have to be supported.

Also, you can try adding ladders that lead on top of those containers.

[4 IN 1 0]

i still think that helipad is a little bit too close to the platfrom itself(which might or might not be realistic), and with all the stuff around it, i dont think any of these rig is being designed as such, would'nt it be better to have atless half of it stick out of the main structure?

[Inkompetent 0]

Well, now there is a 90 degree arc to fly into, rather than the corridor before. Now there is a great "escape" surface is something would go wrong with the landing, so I think it's pretty good. Pilots usually do very careful approaches anyway