As an exercise in low-poly construction, I decided to make a model of the Orion III spaceplane from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the 1968 film this ship is operated by Pan Am and carries 32 passengers to Space Station V in a docking sequence set to the Blue Danube waltz. (Video games Elite and Elite Dangerous pay tribute to this scene whenever the docking computer is activated.)
Designed with an attention to technological credibility by Harry Lange (who had previously worked at NASA on projects with Wernher von Braun), the original physical model was 44″ long and based on a 1:48 scale. Background details include a rail-launching system, piggyback booster and a detachable tail engine section.
After gathering a number of reference images from various sources (including Simon Atkinson‘s profile drawings and replica model shots from Space.com), I set about fashioning a 3D mesh — aiming to keep the poly count as low as possible while retaining the distinctive curved shaped of the fuselage and engines.
The basic shape came together quite quickly. Boolean cuts were used to slice the cockpit window and engine outlets. Large ‘stick-out’ surface detail was added as discrete elements flush to the main mesh. (Small details such as vents, passenger windows and riveting will be achieved by normal mapping; aztec panelling by subtle diffuse & specular mapping.)
The end result? A nice, clean mesh consisting of only 540 tris.
UV mapping presented something of a challenge. The curved body could introduce angled pixels and ugly seams, so mapping stretches with the body (rather than maintaining a constant pixel size). Also, most of the plane is symmetrical but the central section of the main body includes lettering and logos that cannot be flipped. A chequered texture shows the flow of the mapping, which allows me to get away with a 512 x 512 texture.
I’m very pleased with this so far. Next step is normal mapping; for this, it probably would have been smarter to start with a high-poly model and retopologise, but I’m happy to do this one the old-fashioned way. After all, this is a 50 year-old spaceplane!