4 ms·

> And then there’s Babylon 5. Those effects looked a little crude, then really crude, and now… kind of weirdly cool and artistic and ahead of their time. (The s

> And then there’s Babylon 5. Those effects looked a little crude, then really crude, and now… kind of weirdly cool and artistic and ahead of their time. (The show’s approach to real-physics spacecraft maneuvers and modeling came to influence later TV like the 2000s reboot of Battlestar Galactica, which also used LightWave 3D. There is even a Babylon 5 station model tucked into an early scene in the escaping fleet.) There is one of the original 3d artists of Babylon 5 that re-rendered some of the original assets and scenes at high res... Simply looks awesome TODAY. The 3d art of Babylon 5 was limited by the output medium.

harrid 3y ago
Not sure if I would agree on the awesome, but here's the link for everyone to judge: https://youtu.be/rf0ka2xJF94 https://youtu.be/rf0ka2xJF94
- codetrotter 3y ago
  Reminds me of an old book I had about 3d modelling, that was showing some pictures of various things like an underwater scene, a space satellite or rocket and more. I think the author of the book I have in mind was using form·Z Tried to find the book online, but I don’t have the book here so it’s difficult to remember exactly. Here are some books with similar level of detail in their cover art to the detail of that video and to the book I am thinking of. It’s neat in its own way. https://www.amazon.com/Into-3D-form-Z-Lachmi-Khemlani/dp/0070349339 https://www.amazon.com/Into-3D-form-Z-Lachmi-Khemlani/dp/007... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Form-Z-Eden-Muir/dp/1566901898 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Form-Z-Eden-Muir/dp/15669018... http://ftp.formz.com/support/books/Kenth_Agurell_4_0.html http://ftp.formz.com/support/books/Kenth_Agurell_4_0.html
- twic 3y ago
  It's the textures that really let it down, i think. The solar panel (?) texture in the very first shot is a perfect example. Looked fine at SDTV resolution, but in high-res, you can see it's just flat blocks of colour, and it loses all realism. Most of the geometry is pretty good. A bit too regular and pristine, could use some tiny variation and some light greebling.
jahnu 3y ago
I recently tried to re-watch B5. I was a huge fan when it came out. I managed to get to early season 2 before I couldn't take the cringe any more. Sometimes it's best to leave things in the past. That being said, a complete re-boot like they did for BG could work.
- mysterydip 3y ago
  "Babluon 5: The Road Home" just premiered at San Diego Comic Con. Trailer shows off the animation and style pretty well: https://youtu.be/Z54XNJivHOs https://youtu.be/Z54XNJivHOs
- mixmastamyk 3y ago
  Zero-content dig at a great show, thanks. I do remember the graphics being poor until they fixed the lighting in S2, however.
- vidarh 3y ago
  I've rewatched it twice, and season two is where it seriously picks up. You do need to be able to look past very dated effects and decor and some dated storytelling devices, but to me that adds to the charm. Incidentally some of that dated story telling is what makes season 1 slow - there's a lot of set-up going on, both in terms of setting and characters while they'd have benefit from just jumping straight in and filling those bits in along the way. In terms of telling a coherent story throughout multiple seasons, it was remarkable at the time, and so compared with most series of the era it stands up far better despite the dated effects. If they do a reboot, I hope they really does it justice and changes the stories enough that it can stand on its own. A straight remake would be a waste.
  - yardie 3y ago
    To me, The Expanse was the equivalent of a reboot of B5. Interstellar politics, realistic physics, and multi-season plot arches made it a really dramatic, yet geeky show in the same vein as B5. If there is to be a reboot of B5 I feel it would take off from where The Expanse finished rather than where B5 ended over 25 years ago.

harrid 3y ago

Not sure if I would agree on the awesome, but here's the link for everyone to judge: https://youtu.be/rf0ka2xJF94 https://youtu.be/rf0ka2xJF94

codetrotter 3y ago
Reminds me of an old book I had about 3d modelling, that was showing some pictures of various things like an underwater scene, a space satellite or rocket and more. I think the author of the book I have in mind was using form·Z Tried to find the book online, but I don’t have the book here so it’s difficult to remember exactly. Here are some books with similar level of detail in their cover art to the detail of that video and to the book I am thinking of. It’s neat in its own way. https://www.amazon.com/Into-3D-form-Z-Lachmi-Khemlani/dp/0070349339 https://www.amazon.com/Into-3D-form-Z-Lachmi-Khemlani/dp/007... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Form-Z-Eden-Muir/dp/1566901898 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Form-Z-Eden-Muir/dp/15669018... http://ftp.formz.com/support/books/Kenth_Agurell_4_0.html http://ftp.formz.com/support/books/Kenth_Agurell_4_0.html
twic 3y ago
It's the textures that really let it down, i think. The solar panel (?) texture in the very first shot is a perfect example. Looked fine at SDTV resolution, but in high-res, you can see it's just flat blocks of colour, and it loses all realism. Most of the geometry is pretty good. A bit too regular and pristine, could use some tiny variation and some light greebling.

jahnu 3y ago

I recently tried to re-watch B5. I was a huge fan when it came out. I managed to get to early season 2 before I couldn't take the cringe any more. Sometimes it's best to leave things in the past. That being said, a complete re-boot like they did for BG could work.

mysterydip 3y ago
"Babluon 5: The Road Home" just premiered at San Diego Comic Con. Trailer shows off the animation and style pretty well: https://youtu.be/Z54XNJivHOs https://youtu.be/Z54XNJivHOs
mixmastamyk 3y ago
Zero-content dig at a great show, thanks. I do remember the graphics being poor until they fixed the lighting in S2, however.
vidarh 3y ago
I've rewatched it twice, and season two is where it seriously picks up. You do need to be able to look past very dated effects and decor and some dated storytelling devices, but to me that adds to the charm. Incidentally some of that dated story telling is what makes season 1 slow - there's a lot of set-up going on, both in terms of setting and characters while they'd have benefit from just jumping straight in and filling those bits in along the way. In terms of telling a coherent story throughout multiple seasons, it was remarkable at the time, and so compared with most series of the era it stands up far better despite the dated effects. If they do a reboot, I hope they really does it justice and changes the stories enough that it can stand on its own. A straight remake would be a waste.
- yardie 3y ago
  To me, The Expanse was the equivalent of a reboot of B5. Interstellar politics, realistic physics, and multi-season plot arches made it a really dramatic, yet geeky show in the same vein as B5. If there is to be a reboot of B5 I feel it would take off from where The Expanse finished rather than where B5 ended over 25 years ago.