Time flies

 I've failed to post anything this week. It's a minor failure because I have been getting some work done.

There's the development of the terrain for the Halo project. Slow progress, to be sure, but a few more foothills here and there should help make the service road area look more realistic. Can't show it. NDA!

Personal stuff

I find myself going out with a camera and actually taking photographs, which I then actually process and show off. "Looks like photography is back on the menu, boys!"

PHM

I walked away from this little effort because I wasn't quite getting the engine-root. Then I noticed that the official reference was, in fact, an early concept sketch, which is inconsistent with the production version anyway. All the brilliant models I've referenced go their own way. So, I'm not going to sweat the accuracy, I'll stay true to the design but have some fun with the details.

Too much detail, too soon? You have to start somewhere. Plus, BMS is a bit less important when you already have the design roadmap.

A quick play before bed

Boolean some spaces within a cube. Create some holes and doors. Spend time proving that your concrete material doesn't work here. Fall back on the brilliant Materialiq material set.

This is a test. I wanted to render into a 2-second animation, but I was heading to bed, so I thought I'd hold off until I'm out or at work, later today.

The point is made! I can create a cool modular environment with blocks you place together. to match up doorways. These could be dressed up and textured differently, resulting in an endless, varied 3D environment.

Today's Lesson

Cableator or something. 

Back to work - part 1

 It's time to return to my Halo: Raptor chores. This didn't stop me from doing the initial rough measurements of the Project: Hail Mary ship. 

Overall Length: 136m

Instead of my infection getting better, I feel worse today. My head isn't right. Back to my part-time job, tomorrow morning. It's going to hit me like a ton of bricks unless I'm really well rested, so I might have an early, early night.

Under the weather #1 2026 edition

 I officially have a mild case of the dreaded lurgi. My throat burns with a mysterious fire, and my head is full of cotton wool. I feel like I need my batteries changing. The gum pain is present, but is currently only contributing to the chorus line of my momentary lived experience. Meh!

Today will not see any profound contributions in any field. Yesterday I spent three hours mopping a staircase and wiping grime off the walls of a corridor. That was worthy, that felt like a worthy contribution. I came home and then did an hour of housework. That also felt worthy, but I also felt proper-tired. By dinner, I was at a very low ebb, and it was then that I realised that I was actually poorly.

So about today...

Detailed References are limited. When, see Rocky streaming, question!

The wild idea of creating a highly detailed replica of Project: Hail Mary was, on reflection, peak ADHD. This is an incredibly detailed thing, and while it has a basic overall form, there are thousands of elements that need to be carefully measured and made. Now, this is something that I want to do, but I may tackle it very slowly. I must break the cycle of jumping excitedly into a new shiny thing, then abandoning the effort when a new shiny thing pops into my view.

Easter-break begins

 Firstly, Project: Hail Mary is an absolute triumph of an adaptation. It manages to fly along with just the right amount of exposition -- enough to tell you exactly what is going on without the deep-diving of the book. I loved all those deep dives, but in the cinematic world of show-don't-tell, it has to go.  I understand that the first cut of the film was about four hours long, so it seems like the heavy lifting of adaptation was all done in the editing suite. Bravo!

I am trying to dissuade myself from starting a highly detailed build of Mary, herself. I did a build after finishing the book, based on the schematic the author created. Master SF concept artist Paul Chadeisson took the broad idea and changed the very simple but scientifically plausible layout into a fascinating visual character that has maybe 85% of the book version's plausibility but is 400% more interesting.

I love the design, and I love that it's not too difficult to build. I might see what I get out of two hours. If I nail the big forms, it might happen. I can't find any decent blueprints, so far.

Halo: Raptor

I must progress the terrain and catch up. I've proven that a tile-based approach will work for creating large, detailed terrain. I need the right tiles and the right arrangement. I have a big lake section for the centre. Next, I need a range of mountains for the back, then foothills and canyons at the front.

Lower-level foothill tiles

Hail Mary!

 I just finished Andy Weir's Project: Hail Mary on Audible. I absolutely loved it! 

It made me want to build a quick model of the starship featured in the book. So here we are:

It's not a super-quality build, but it was a fun diversion from the other jobs I should have been doing. It is a clever design with a centrifuge to simulate gravity using cables to reverse and extend the habitat pod, then have the ship spin on its own centre of mass. A lot simpler than hamster cages and rings..