1/27/14

AMA Unclassified: Z-Suit

A few weeks ago I lost my office to my ten-month old son.  As such, my 3D free time at home is pretty limited.  But on the upswing, we don't have to worry about the kids waking each other up in the middle of the night!

I have been working on a rigged model of the Z-suit for work.  This is the next generation suit that NASA will use to replace the EMU.  There are currently two designs, the Z1, which is a soft-torso EVA suit, and the Z2 that incorporates hard-surface elements into a surface suit.  Both can be configured to be used in conjunction with the suitport.  

The rig I created has a wide variety of controls, including some sliders to increase the amount of dirt and weathering on the model.  I did a few test renders today to get the hang of how easy it was to work the rig:

On the surface of the moon 

Surface of Mars

More fun stuff I have worked on.  I hope to animate one of these guys here soon.