Props ventrue's MA37 Assault Rifle (WIP)

[Finelargeaxe]

Haha, I'm always very skeptical when I hear the words "real" or "HUD" ;-)
But yeah, realism (acording to the game) is my goal

My bad. The HUD was directed only at the GUNGNIR helmet (which can hide the screen)...unless you can reliably display the graphics on a transparent surface without it looking on the outside like the helmet-camera shots from Iron Man.

 

[ventrue]

Quick Update: Here are the (by now slightly reworked) bitmaps for the numbers and direction indicators I didn't post last time. I would appreciate any input on how to improve them. Something about the numbers still seems wrong...

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My bad. The HUD was directed only at the GUNGNIR helmet (which can hide the screen)...unless you can reliably display the graphics on a transparent surface without it looking on the outside like the helmet-camera shots from Iron Man.

Even if you put a display like this into a helmet, you still wouldn't be able to focus on the image with your eye, let alone have the means to actually project it into your field of view.

Let's not go into this here any further. The topic has been discussed in several other threads already.

 

[SPRTNBD50]

Great progress! I can't wait to see the Ammo Counter finished and installed!

P.S: WOW! You have an Abundant amount of UHU Glue!

 

[active84u]

I think the nubers are fine, its more of they are black in a white box?
Had a quick play, they look fine, what do you think ventrue?

[/IMG]

 

[ventrue]

Great progress! I can't wait to see the Ammo Counter finished and installed!

P.S: WOW! You have an Abundant amount of UHU Glue!

They're all empty, except the one that's standing upright

I kept them mostly for sentimental purposes, because that's how much it took to develop an allergy against the stuff. (Anybody ever wonder why I celebrate the usage of respirators so much? That's part of it.)

I think the nubers are fine, its more of they are black in a white box?
Had a quick play, they look fine, what do you think ventrue?

Yeah, the colours are black and white because this is what the display likes. A black pixel means "1", which is "on", and since the display is white-on-black, every black pixel in the bitmap results in a white pixel on screen and vice versa. Weird, I know

I think when I started, I thought the font was very regular and based on some sort of pattern, similar maybe to a seven-segment display, just with a lot more segments. But there are just so many details that don't fit a pattern and that I can't really see very well on a Youtube video either. For example, is the uppermost horizontal part of the 5 really less wide than the rest of the number? Stuff like that.

 

[active84u]

They're all empty, except the one that's standing upright

I kept them mostly for sentimental purposes, because that's how much it took to develop an allergy against the stuff. (Anybody ever wonder why I celebrate the usage of respirators so much? That's part of it.)



Yeah, the colours are black and white because this is what the display likes. A black pixel means "1", which is "on", and since the display is white-on-black, every black pixel in the bitmap results in a white pixel on screen and vice versa. Weird, I know

I think when I started, I thought the font was very regular and based on some sort of pattern, similar maybe to a seven-segment display, just with a lot more segments. But there are just so many details that don't fit a pattern and that I can't really see very well on a Youtube video either. For example, is the uppermost horizontal part of the 5 really less wide than the rest of the number? Stuff like that.

Hmm, I guess the designer was just putting an image on a 3d render without the constraints imposed on the real world, Fiddled some more, dont like the 4 though and not sure on the 2 so just changed the top right one further.

[/IMG]

 

[ventrue]

Hmm, I guess the designer was just putting an image on a 3d render without the constraints imposed on the real world, Fiddled some more, dont like the 4 though and not sure on the 2 so just changed the top right one further.

Are you sure the "open ends" of the numbers are rounded? That's one thing I can never decide on, sometimes it looks like it's just the blurryness of the video, sometimes it looks like the really are round..

 

[active84u]

No, Im not sure at all and thats where the problem lays. Sure there must be a degree of low resoloution/blurring in game but without hi res screen shots of all the numbers its down to personal preference.

You are right in saying they dont hold to a structured pattern and at a guess they were made at random to suit the game.

 

[ventrue]

Ah well, I'll just see what looks better then and wait for someone to complain :-D

 

[Shadow Of Intent]

Wait..... those numbers are an actual font aren't they? When I made my AR I though they looked familiar, and sure enough, a quick scroll through M$ Word told me that the AR ammo counter is using the "Agency FB" font.
Here's a LINK to a picture of the font.

Sorry if this is too late to help or allready been mentioned... I though it may help if you don't allready know!

 

[ventrue]

Wait..... those numbers are an actual font aren't they? When I made my AR I though they looked familiar, and sure enough, a quick scroll through M$ Word told me that the AR ammo counter is using the "Agency FB" font.
Here's a LINK to a picture of the font.

Sorry if this is too late to help or allready been mentioned... I though it may help if you don't allready know!

I'll be damned... I had given up the search after a couple of hours, but that one seems to actually be the right one, thanks a lot!

 

[Sgt Freezer]

This has to be the first time I've seen the skeleton method used for something other than R/C Aircraft. Definitly going to keep my eye on this on! Excelent job Venture.

 

[Shadow Of Intent]

Sorry I didn't think to mention it earlier... I guess it would have saved some time, although you'd still need to convert the font files to "bitmaps" in effect, so not too much lost there. Hope the build goes well, it's looking excellent so far, I'll be watching this one!

 

[Fudz073]

Sweet build. I like the frame idea. Quick tangent: your build is a very nice demonstration of how similar the assualt rifle is in shape compared to the UNSC frigate. I thought it was neat...

ANYway, keep it up. Love the work.

 

[Thundertotum]

I have been working on a different (and secret) project, that's why I haven't posted anything here. The definitive deadline for it is next week, and after that I hope I'll have a bit more time for the rifle again. But...

Progress: ...I did get something done. Namely, I decided to go with an Arduino instead of a PIC, because my PC doesn't have the serial port neccesary to program the latter.
Using the Arduino, I've put together part the rifle's electronics and it's actually working, which is definitely a first. So far, the thing can read inputs from three buttons (for trigger, bolt and magazine) and keep track of the rounds that are currently in the weapon. It differentiates between rounds in the magazine and the chamber, so firing with an empty chamber is impossible and the user has to manually operate the bolt whenever it would be neccessary on a real rifle as well. As far as I know, they didn't implement it like this in the game, but I'm willing to deviate from the reference here, because I think that makes it a more realistic and thus better prop.

Picture: Breadboard and Arduino with a lot of crazy wiring. I'd love to do a video of this in action, but the video quality of my phone camera is too bad, I'm afraid.

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It's not Balsa, it's Lime and Pine. Lime by choice, and Pine because the shop didn't have enough of it...

Balsa is the third type of wood they carry for making models, but it's really flimsy. You'd probably need a lot of braces to prevent a large model like this from deforming (with these 3 mm square slats, anyways). Since I don't need the model to be light (on the contrary), which is where Balsa would excel, Lime seems to be the best compromise here.

OK stamp me a nerd but finally there is a arduino used.