Render 1.1

Some updates to the render.



I got some great suggestions from Ond on BYOAC; whose amazing Retro-futuristic arcade cabinet (check it out if you haven't seen it) is being done in a style very similar to what I'm going for. He's one of many builders on those forums whom I truly respect for their talent and efforts, so I was grateful for his advice.

I'm really torn on the "spring antenna." I agree with a couple of people who have said it doesn't seem to fit. Although it's definitely part of the era's "decor" when it comes to these things, it's really part of a more distinct style that my design doesn't embody. However, I thought it would make a cool handle. And I still think it does, but probably not for this case.

The problem is, I definitely want a handle on top. Anyone have an idea for something more fitting? I'm kind of at a loss; guess I have to look at more pictures.

As for the other mods, Ond had suggested rounding the edges (which I had originally wanted, but only today thought of some methods for building it that way), moving the fan to the center, and replacing my "glowing orb" with a plasma ball.

The front edges will be rounded as well as the top (assuming my ideas work out), it's just really difficult for someone at my skill level to model in Blender after the base cube has already been modified. My "orb" was going to be a sound-activated thing, which I still think is a cool idea, but I think the plasma ball would be equally cool so I thought I'd stick it in the model to have a look. My model of it looks like shit, but you get the idea. I wonder if one of those lumin discs would be just as cool; I'm a little apprehensive over putting glass components into my case. Either way, I just need to find one about 3" in diameter.

Moving the fan wasn't an option before, since it wouldn't have cleared the DVD drive. Moving the drive down and finding a slim fan would have just made it, but the airflow would still be blocked. I had previously considered going with a slim drive; I revisited this idea and decided on getting a USB case to convert my old laptop's drive.

Any other thoughts/questions?

EDIT: I know the DVD drive image is squashed; I tried cropping the UV map in blender to just the drive tray bezel so it would look like a slim drive, but it didn't work. Also, note that I plan to paint that bezel to match the case. That will be in a future render.