Las Gun

Concept artwork for models and maps.
kenanJ
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by kenanJ »

velociostrich wrote:

Okay, sorry this took so long, but here it is:

Top image:

  • Between the slot for a charging handle (even with a position seemingly to lock it in place, as a safety) on the middle of the receiver and the flash suppressor, I see this concept as much more of a projectile-based rifle than an energy-based weapon (though to be a conventional weapon you'd have to add a magazine well somewhere, most likely at the rear of the stock to complete the bullpup style). This could be fixed by altering the muzzle (a larger diameter or even none at all, perhaps?) and by removing the charging handle, but it just looks too darn cool. I think I could see us using this for a new rifle model.

  • I do not care for the bumps on the comb of the stock, as I can't imagine that being comfortable for the shooter when they cant their head to see through the optics. I think it would make sense to either just remove them or add some kind of (adjustable?) pad like you see on the combs of some rifles.

  • The trigger guard isn't enclosed! I think it would make sense to put a bar going across below the trigger to fully enclose it.

  • I love the geometry of the foregrip with the exception of the bump at the bottom towards the middle. I think it should be moved forward and reduced in length, or just removed.

Overall, I really like this concept, but like I say above, I think it fits a rifle better than an energy weapon. (Again, we may very well end up using it in this state or similar, however!)

Bottom image:

  • Ditch the ejection port! Again, energy based weapon and all that. (On the other hand, I feel like it might look a little too bland with nothing on the side of the receiver. Maybe a window into the internals or something? E.g., glowing bits inside?)

  • Same as above, having things projecting from the comb of the stock (where the shooter would rest their head) doesn't make sense. I think those little cylindrical bits (which are shown in the detail image) should be removed.

  • I think the shapes towards the bottom of the stock should be smoothed. Remember that this is something that is being manufactured, so a mix of sharp edges and arbitrary curves doesn't really make sense.

  • I think the grip is not tall enough, and should have some height added into it somehow, perhaps by shifting the bottom of the stock down or slimming it some.

  • I would move the selector switch to where the shooter's thumb can access it—that is, ahead of the grip, not behind it.

Overall, I think this is another really solid concept. Despite not having a muzzle break or anything like that on the fore end of the gun, the fore end just looks right, like it is meant to be, and implies that it's energy based. I could see the little circles by the stock being some kind of indication of how much energy is left in the tank, so to speak, as well (even if in reality that'd be kinda bad placement visibility wise). I.e., they'd glow blue (or whatever color) and as energy is depleted by shooting the thing, the lights would successively go out.

Keep up the awesome work! And again, apologizes for taking so long to respond!

is this any better?

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velociostrich
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by velociostrich »

Apologies for not responding sooner!

Yes, that is much better. For this iteration:

  • The little finger-y bits around the muzzle remind me of the same on the Gravity Gun from the Half Life universe, which make it appear to be firing some kind of large projectile. The las gun is supposed to fire a small, more concentrated stream of energy particles or what-have-you, so perhaps remove those and the muzzle can just be a barrel that just projects a short distance (like what you have now, an 1/4" or so).

  • I would change the buttstock to be taller--perhaps make it the full height of the stock itself, so it's flush top and bottom.

  • The redundant slot on the stock for what appears to be a charging handle should be removed, as there's no reason to have two charging handles (and like I've mentioned before, because the weapon is energy-based, it may not make sense to have a charging handle at all.)

Keep it up, you're doing great! If there's anything I have not mentioned about the design, that's because I'm probably in love with it ;)

kenanJ
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by kenanJ »

can you go into more detail for dots 3 & 4? make the back of the gun taller than the rest of the gun? & what do you mean charging handle?

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velociostrich
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by velociostrich »

Here's a slightly modified / annotated version: http://i.imgur.com/fkA97ZA.jpg (We which of the two of us is not the photoshop master ;))

I've circled what I am referring to as the "charging handles" in the image. That's basically the same as the "cocking handle" -- the thing that you would pull on a real firearm that would eject the round from the chamber when pulled back, then (by spring force) strip a new round off and push it into the chamber on the way forward when released. That's why I was saying that I don't think the one on towards the back makes sense visually as I can't really see a justification for it, and it seems like it's in kind of a bad place.

You can see how I made the buttstock taller so that it is flush with the comb (the top of the stock, where the shooter would rest their head); the same should perhaps be done to the bottom of the buttstock (and a better job done to the top, too.) I'll leave the bottom part up to you, but I think the top definitely has to be flush for ergonomic reasons.

EDIT: I should note that I think if you do that, this should be the last iteration and you can begin drawing other views of it so the modelers can do their thing.

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janev
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by janev »

Looks good. Yeah the charging handle does not make much sense on an energy weapon. From an ergonomic point of view, the butt should fit against the shoulder with no rough edges. For true ergonomic comfort there should be some length adjustments for different length arms and the cheek piece should go up and down for a good cheek weld.

kenanJ
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by kenanJ »

Alright, let me see what I can do.

kenanJ
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by kenanJ »

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janev
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by janev »

Works for me.

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kharnov
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by kharnov »

Yep. Looks great.

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velociostrich
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Re: LAS GUN WIP

Post by velociostrich »

Apologies for not replying sooner; I've been busy with finals.

Anyway, that's perfect! If you could provide a front profile (and optionally / less importantly, an isometric profile), that's all we need to begin modeling. If you would like to begin working on another human weapon model, you can work on the chaingun. Do keep in mind, however, that although the chaingun is currently, well, more or less a chaingun (meaning "has multiple barrels that spin", technically meaning "has multiple barrels that spin and are powered by a chain-drive", although we don't care about technicalities like that), what is important are the following:

  • It shoots bullets; it's not energy based.

  • It holds a lotta bullets. We're talking a lot. Like, 200-a-lot. In one magazine. Or drum, or whatever you think is appropriate.

  • Those bullets don't really do a whole lot of damage per individual shot, but the thing shoots fast, which more than makes up for this.

  • It's not real accurate.

  • It's big and heavy.

The idea that the chaingun is only for battlesuit-equipped humans has been tossed around, and I think in light of the large size of the weapon (presuming that it'll be large in size, which I think only makes sense) and the very large ammo capacity (decent-sized cartridges are pretty heavy, after all) this would make a lot of sense—which would open us up to the idea of the chaingun being really big and heavy (think the Heavy's minigun from Team Fortress 2 kind of size). So if you want to pursue that route, go ahead. If you want to pursue drawing something not so big and heavy (such that it would seem reasonable that a non-biomechanically-augmented human would be capable of carrying it), also go ahead.

My point in iterating all of those points is that there are weapons that can carry and shoot lots of bullets that are man-portable. Here's some real-world examples:

So yeah, if you're interested, you're welcome to come up with new ideas on that front. And again, thanks for your work on the las gun concept! (And for putting up with my ceaseless demands! I will try to ask for less revisions in future.)

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