Doctor Who - The New Series New Daleks Mesh
- Updated
In
mid-2006 I created some Dalek renders for the season 2 DVDs which is detailed
elsewhere on the site. In order to provide a good standard of work my
original mesh which I'd started back in 2004 needed a massive overhaul.
Virtually everything about the Dalek was in need of improvement. Everything
from the width of the neck widgets, to the inaccurate shoulder slats needed
correcting, plus my biggest annoyance (which I nearly didn't change because
I didn't know how noticable it would be) was that the bases for my skirt
domes were a solid cylinder, like a thick coaster, but they needed to
have a lip like an upturned jamjar lid. I also worked very hard on the
textures as you'll see on my 2005 second version they were super-shiny
as if they'd just come off the production line. I worked hard in 2006
to make my Dalek look dirty and stained like the TV prop, and I tried
hard to get the reflectivity as close as possibly, which is no easy task.
High levels of reflectivity always make rendered 3D objects look more
realistic so its always a temptation to go overboard with the mirror effect.
I know that Doctor Who fans are a tough audience but I hope that this
model passes muster for the DVD vanilla volume 5 artwork and the inside
spread of the DVD box set.
The 2005 Version 2
How
it all began
When images were leaked in November 2004 of the new Daleks from the new
series of Doctor Who I soon decided it would be a good idea to build a
3D model. It took 15 hours of modelling time and it was the first Dalek
shape I attempted but it was finished 27th November. Following the broadcast
of the final episode of Doctor Who, The
Parting of the Ways, I finally got round to correcting lots of
the innaccuracies in my original model. Almost everything about it was
wrong, or lacking in detail. Since July 2005 I have switched to rendering
in Cinema 4D due to its HDRI and radiosity which produce very nice renders.
New
Doctor Who Series New Dalek Model
This new
Dalek first appears in the episode called "Dalek"
written by Robert Shearman, and subsequently re-appeared in the episodes "Bad
Wolf" and "The
Parting of the Ways". It represents a a bulkier, more heavy-duty
style of Dalek. Despite the updated and quite different appearance of the Dalek
in episode 6 of the new series, it represents the old breed of Daleks which we
are already familiar with, and the Doctor clearly recognises his foe and makes
no comment on its appearance. This is the style of Dalek which is represented
in my 3DS MAX mesh.
Episode 6 was originally to have been called "The
Museum Piece" and then "The Creature Within" but its eventual title
was the far more straight-forward "Dalek". Rumours that the season finale
would boast totally redesigned version of the Daleks turned out thankfully not
to be true.
The images below currently only feature my original model and
not yet the updated version. New images to be rendered soon!
The
Original 2004 Version 1
Details
on the new Daleks
The new Daleks from the new series of Doctor Who at first glance most resemble
the Peter Cushing Daleks of the 1960s movies. The reasons for this are firstly
the new Daleks have the large bases that were only ever seen in the TV series
once (The Dalek Invasion of Earth) and secondly the very large lights (only ever
seen on TV on the supreme Dalek in Planet of the Daleks which was a borrowed stage
prop). New to the design are the cyclindrical bases which each of the domes is
set upon. There is intricate detail around the gun and arm joint with beveled
triangle and diamond patterns and also a cut shape between the limbs. The mid-section
of the new Dalek has chunky blocks which are bolted on and an inclined channel
down the centre of each block which gets deeper towards the top. The neck section's
vertical divides are thicker and the intersections with each neck ring have bolt
fixtures. Finally the eye-piece of the new Dalek has a rectiliniar housing to
hide the point where the eye pivots on the head. This housing has a channel cut
in the top to allow the eye stalk complete vertical freedom.
Beyond these
surface details these new Daleks are very true to their original form, however
the whole body is wider than previous Daleks. When I built this 3D model I used
the dimensions of an original 60s Dalek and the finished renders on comparison
to the leaked production photos show that my model isn't broad enough. But for
now this is verion 1.0 of the new series Dalek and when there are more photos
to work from I will begin a more accurate model.
If
you are planning to email me,
please take a moment to read the FAQ here.
Keep
this website out of direct sunlight. This website may contain nuts. Your nuts
are at risk if you do not keep up repayments.
In
mid-2006 I created some Dalek renders for the season 2 DVDs which is detailed
elsewhere on the site. In order to provide a good standard of work my
original mesh which I'd started back in 2004 needed a massive overhaul.
Virtually everything about the Dalek was in need of improvement. Everything
from the width of the neck widgets, to the inaccurate shoulder slats needed
correcting, plus my biggest annoyance (which I nearly didn't change because
I didn't know how noticable it would be) was that the bases for my skirt
domes were a solid cylinder, like a thick coaster, but they needed to
have a lip like an upturned jamjar lid. I also worked very hard on the
textures as you'll see on my 2005 second version they were super-shiny
as if they'd just come off the production line. I worked hard in 2006
to make my Dalek look dirty and stained like the TV prop, and I tried
hard to get the reflectivity as close as possibly, which is no easy task.
High levels of reflectivity always make rendered 3D objects look more
realistic so its always a temptation to go overboard with the mirror effect.
I know that Doctor Who fans are a tough audience but I hope that this
model passes muster for the DVD vanilla volume 5 artwork and the inside
spread of the DVD box set.
