Design Spaceship for Star Citizen and win 30 000 USD

There was more than 1 reason why I backed up Star Citizen. I will cover that in some future post, but one of the reasons was the possibility to design my own spaceship, make it in 3D program and have it in the game. May be even sell it to other Star Citizens for ingame money. I was expecting such opportunity to be available after the game is released, but I was surprised to see that one year after the announcement of Star Citizen and 18 to 24 months before the release of the game there is modding competition to design, model and rig a spaceship. Registration opens October 31st and ends on December 31st 2013. I will try to find some time to try to enter the competition.

ABOUT THE CONTEST

Creating ultra-detailed spaceships is the heart of Star Citizen’s development.

From concept to final texturing, a ship can take teams of expert designers months to create
the level of graphical fidelity and detail that have become hallmarks of the Star Citizen universe. Now Chris Roberts and his team of visual designers are looking to the community for the next great team of ship designs.

16 Finalist teams exit one by one until there is one Grand Prize winner honored with the addition of their spaceship into Chris Roberts’ new space epic, Star Citizen. Not to mention a $30,000 cash prize, a swag of other goodies and the first winning ships off the production press for each team members’ Hangar!

Whether or not you participate, subscribe to RSI’s YouTube channel to watch the drama unfold and see who can build Star Citizen’s Next Great Starship.

The weekly webcast show will kick off with sixteen finalist teams at 11am PST on January 31st 2014, which is when the specs will be released to each team for the main challenge; The Next Great Spaceship!

These sixteen teams of finalists will have to conceptualize, design, model, animate and rig their model while submitting their progress for weekly review by a panel of science fiction’s leading concept artists, designers and celebrities, along with the man himself, Chris Roberts.

Each successful challenge, takes you one step closer to the grand prize. Failure means you go ‘home’. In the end, the last two teams will be flown to Los Angeles to compete live in front of the judges and the community on June 8 2014, for the grand prize: $30,000, their ship incorporated into the Star Citizen universe, cool swag, and the title of...

The Next Great Starship.



DETAILS

To join the contest you will need A team of up to 3 citizens including yourself. You will be tested on Concept, Design, 3D realization and Game integration. For that you will need to master CryEngine 3 which you can download for free at CryTek.

Teams will be allowed to register from October 31st to December 31st 2013, and will need to attach a 3-4 minute video to their application before registrations close.

Your video must include about 1 minute of introduction of your team name, team mates names, cities you live in, roles in the team/creation of the weapon and your excitement for this competition. This should then be followed by 30-45 seconds of your modeled weapon of choice (See Specifications below).

WEAPON OF CHOICE

The UEE is looking for a few good weapon designers! The Sakura Sun Corporation is preparing to unveil their new line of wave particle cannons and we want you to decide what they look like!

Read the design specifications below and choose a weapon from the Sakura Sun lineup to prototype. In addition, you should design a logo for the corporation to give us a feel for its place in the Star Citizen universe. Artists should design both the weapon and the ammunition effect. Submit a video showing your workflow (how you went from concept to final design) and be sure to include the finished design as part of your video.

Applicants will be judged for both creativity and the ability to adhere to the required specifications (ie, don’t build a missile instead of a cannon!)

DESIGN SPECIFICATION

Sakura Sun Corporation

Sakura Sun is an Earth-based corporation. Sakura is a recently incorporated organization with a drive to build weapons that are visually distinct from the more utilitarian fare created by companies like Klaus & Werner and Behring. Sakura has a high-level technology trading agreement with the Xi’an, and incorporates Xi’an technology into their weapons when possible. Sakura Sun weapons have a crafted, elegant quality that counters their destructive nature.

Multi-Particle Wave Cannon (MPWC)

The Multi-Particle Wave Cannon is a Gatling cannon which fires energy bolts from a miniaturized multi-particle accelerator ray. It fires a barrage of bosons at the target in the form of a wave of particles occupying the same quantum state. They collapse into particles on impact with energy shielding to cause significant damage, but are largely ineffective against solid armor. The MPWC is based on alien technology, and the Xi’an influence should be visible! Construction should reflect the high-science nature and multiple accelerator aspect of the weapon.

Size: Available in size 1-5

Hardpoints: Class 1 and 2

Inspiration: the A-10 Warthog’s GAU-8/A Avenger
Weapon options

Breezefire EX: A small (size 1) MPWC; think the “budget” model.

Breezefire DX: A larger size 1 weapon with higher quality components.

Windfire EX: The larger model of MWPC (size 2.) This is the most advance version on the market.

TEAM FINALIST SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process begins after midnight PST December 31st, 2013 (once all the preliminary submissions are in) and ends with the announcement of the 16 team finalists noon PST on January 31st 2014. 15 teams will be selected by the judges and then from 8 pre-vetted teams the backers of the Star Citizen community will be able to vote on the 16th finalist team. (Please note: only backers of Star Citizen can vote although everyone can watch). This will be the ‘Wild Card’ vote and voting for this will begin at noon PST January 24th, 2014. The selection will be based on the video submission from each team including their fully designed ‘Weapon of Choice’. Before the announcement of the 16 finalist teams, extra filming maybe need to be done to polish your video submission. This will be up to one half day requirement in your own city. We will contact your team in which case via the email you provide with your video submission.

ELIMINATION PROCESS AND SELECTION OF THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Finalists will be required to submit WIP on a weekly basis for airing on the weekly show (airing each Friday 11am PST, barring the Grand Final on Sunday evening June 8 2014). Finalists will need to be comfortable on camera to work with the judges and mentors. Filming will be done at a convenient time for camera crew and competition finalists. There will be 19 episodes total with the live Grand Final held on Sunday June 8 2014 in Los Angeles California. The two finalist teams will be flown into Los Angeles for this event.

2014 Dates for the show to air at 11am PST will be;

January 31

Feb 7 14 21 28

Mar 7 14 21 28

Apr 4 11 18 25

May 2 9 16 23 30

Jun 8

PRIZES

GRAND PRIZE:

$30,000 in cash for the team members. Your Great Starship is included in Star Citizen and each member of your team receives the first production models off the press! As well as; Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite, Maya Premium and one high-end AMD based system with Radeon R9 290X (for each team member).

SECOND PLACE:

$10,000 in cash for the team members. Alienware laptop, Autodesk Maya 2014, AMD Radeon R9 290X (for each team member).

THIRD PLACE:

$5,000 in cash for the team members. Autodesk Maya LT, AMD Radeon R9 290X (for each team member).

SPECIALTY PRIZE :

(to the most valuable player out of the remaining contestants among the final three teams voted on by the judging panel): One Cintiq Companion, the new Windows 8 “Make the World your Studio” tablet from Wacom.

FINALIST TEAMS 4 THROUGH 16

$250 in RSI Credits (non-transferable/non-refundable)

WHO CAN ENTER

To be able to enter the competition, you need to :

- Be at least 18 years of age ;

- Have your own Roberts Space Industries account (although you don't need to be a backer) ;

- Not be an employee or direct parent of an employee of Cloud Imperium Games or one of the competition's sponsors : YouTube, AlienWare, CryTek, Autodesk, Wacom, Cologne Game Lab or AMD.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

A TEAM OF UP TO THREE CITIZENS

Choose your friends, choose your enemies, or choose strangers, it’s up to you, but choose wisely as your team will need to excel at a variety of disciplines to excel at the various challenges you will face. Entries can be submitted as soon as noon PST October 31st 2013, so get your team together now!

The following skills will be tested:

1.CONCEPT & DESIGN

The foundation of an idea. By traditional or digital methods, you need to put the vision in your head into a form for your team and the judges to discuss.

2.3D REALIZATION

You will need to build that concept into a working 3D model, complete with animations, rigging and textures.

3.GAME INTEGRATION

You need to export your weapon into the game engine, review and tweak materials, and complete the animation to prepare it for use.

THE CRYENGINE SDK

You’ll need mastery over CryEngine 3 to complete all the tasks that will be required of your team. Get it for free from Crytek

DOWNLOAD THE SDK

AUTODESK MAYA LT

Download a 15-day trial of Autodesk Maya LT to model and animate your assets. Download a trial of Maya LT at http://www.autodesk.com/products/maya-lt/free-trial.

COMPLETE THE PRELIMINARY CHALLENGE

In your 3-4 minute YouTube Video Submission each team will need to include a fully designed weapon. This will help to show off your skills and enable our judges and community to select the final 16 teams. See ‘Weapon of Choice’ details below.

SUBMIT YOUR YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR TEAM FINALS AND SHOW SELECTION

Submit a 3-4 minute video with the following details:

~1 minute introduction of your name, city you live in, role in the team/creation of the weapon and your excitement for this competition.

30-45 second video of your modeled weapon of choice.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I enter the competition?

The details will be made clear when registrations open on October 31st, but you will need to provide information for each member of your team. Click on the Details button on this page to get the specifications for the Weapon to be built and submitted as the first challenge. This submission will also need to be submitted in the form of a video so ‘Get Ready for your Close up!’.

Do I need to be a Star Citizen backer to enter the competition?

No, but you will need to have an RSI account , so you can agree to our Terms and Services as well as provide contact information to enter.

I’m not interested in competing but I’m still interested in the show, is there any way to participate?

If you are currently a backer of Star Citizen, you will able to vote for the wild card entrant into the competition along with special polls during the competition itself.

Am I allowed to use people outside of my team members for my submission?

No, part of the challenge is putting together a team that can handle the variety of tasks needed to produce a well-designed space ship. Teams who utilize anyone outside of listed team members will be disqualified.

What deliverables are required for my submission package?

You will need to provide a final model as well as WIP’s (Work-In-Progress) that include descriptions of the methods and techniques you used to prove that the work is indeed your own.

What programs am I allowed to use?

You are allowed to use any program that allows delivery in the specified requirements. Please consult the Entry Page for information regarding trial software deals.

Can I have multiple entries?

Sure. You can enter multiple times, but, in our experience, one polished well-thought-out entry is better than a handful of half-realized ones. Keep in mind that in the end, you can only be part of one and only one of the 16 finalist teams.

Are we allowed to use web downloaded textures?

Yes, but you must credit everything you use and it must be in the public domain and freely usable for commercial use. Anyone caught not crediting material, contributors or inspirational works will be disqualified.

How can I get out of this competition?

If you decide to withdraw your entry into the competition, please send an email immediately to support@cloudimperiumgames.com

Can I upload my WIP (Work-In-Progress) images to my own server? Is that counted?

No. Please use the RSI site facility to upload your WIP. It allows us to track the entries properly, and guarantee continued hosting of all images.

Can I get trial or educational versions of the 3D software required for the challenge?

Yes. Compliments of Autodesk you can download a free 15-day trial of Maya LT to submit using FPS.

How do you organize the shooting schedule for me to be filmed with the judges?

Depending on location some teams will be filmed by local crew. Depending on your set-up you may also be able to video-conference your WIP with the judges. A mentor will also be assigned to the final 8 teams. The series will air every Friday from January 31st 2014 to June 8th 2014 with no show on June 6th 2014.

I still have questions. Who can I talk to?

If you have additional questions or comments, please email support.