Will be like for other models... not a problem but taking a lot of time... Since you have a powerful computer, if you have a powerful GPU, there is maybe a way to speed-up and improve your AO backing... there is a little free software called xnormal ( http://www.xnormal.net/1.aspx )... in place of using CPU, it use GPU... look the AO backing time at http://www.xnormal.net/Images/OptixBench_AO.png ... Optix is nothing more that nvidia optix/cuda system... look at the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-hoCUjn1wA too... specially at the end about mixing AO map with convexity map for improve final result... don't thing that there is a plug-in for Cinema4D but you can use the application like a stand-alone ( mean more load/save )...

As melody, it is a good tool but not anymore developed... not enough power for big work... but like you see, with thing like xnormal, we have already newer, more complex and more powerful tool...

Well, i have discover the difficulty with rotating part in my last model... was more lazy that you... tangent on 0,0,0 , U1 on 0 and V1 on 1 ( right handiness )... GPU making all the work on the fly...

Anyway, it is very possible that everything will change soon with Rebellion... they move from shader 2.0 to shader 3.0 ... Sins devs have already post that ship will cast shadow on nearby ship, so it mean that maybe we will have a more real and complex light/shadow system...

Well, in my last model, there was between 230 and 240 hardpoint... since the .mesh was filled with error related to hardpoint, i have take my wings3d data ( picture below, the reference point is the coordinate of the selected hardpoint )...

copy these data, calculate the orientation matrix and edit the .mesh with notepad for each hardpoint... this was really a mammoth work... and it is only the prelude to a bigger project who will be maybe finish in a few year... a wings3d pluggin who allow import/export to the sins .mesh format ( bye-bye XSI who hate me)....

Anyway, if you have problem with hardpoint, i can edit the .mesh with notepad and add them without problem... by example, if Rebellion allow more abilities to capitalship and that you wish add a hardpoint for these new ability, i need the original .obj, the .mesh in text mode and a screenshot who show where you wish the new ability hardpoint and i will be able to edit the .mesh...

As for weapons hardpoint, it is a max of 3 weapons type... for each weapons type, 4 bank ( left-right-front-back ) with max 20 weapons hardpoint by bank... 3x4x20 = 240 ... in case of my last model, weapon0 and weapons1 are identical ( 2 barrel turret ), weapons2 are the missile/torpedo tube...

As for the B5 station, final version will be around 80k tri, without weapons... as today, the sketch have already increase from 3k to 12k... use the same method that for the sharlin... work in stage ( sketch and stage 1 : http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EpX6GUNLABE/SrbZuvscp0I/AAAAAAAAAME/pnOM-Of7G8g/s1600/sharlin.jpg )... since the B5 station will have 3 stage like the sharlin, i can approximate the final poly count of the B5...

The problem will not be the amount of weapons point but the amount of weapons type... Sins is limited to 3 weapons type and the defense grid from the babylon 5 station have 4 weapons type :

- twin particle array : http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090704012817/babylon5/images/7/77/DefenseGrid1.png

- plasma canon : http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090704013445/babylon5/images/d/dd/DefenseGrid2.png

- pulse canon : http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090704013539/babylon5/images/e/eb/DefenseGrid3.png

- interceptor : http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090704014537/babylon5/images/e/e3/DefenseGrid4.png

A hard choice is needed... one of them need to be removed from the usual weapons, maybe move to a ability... maybe the biggest one, the plasma canon become a ability using some AM... or a light one like the pulse canon becoming a "flak" ability... using a ability will be the only way to somehow keep the 4 weapons type of the real B5 station... well, it is a choice for the mod leader, for Tobi...

As for the fan, i will need their help too... i have no idea of how much of each weapons type there is on the station and where they are located...

@Tobi... for modeling the B5 station, i will not use for reference the ugly Mongoose model that you like ( http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l104/urobach81/Babylon%205%20Minis/Earth%20Alliance/Babylon5.jpg ) but the one sell by SPACEart from Germany ( http://spaceart.de/videos/Babylon-5-Raumstation.mp4 ) 

You can keep the Defense Grid by re purposing the shield mechanics of Sins. Make the shield invisible and when it is impacted you instead have 'explosions'. Beam weapons should be configured to bypass this shield.

Well, therein lies the problem, I have an ATI/AMD card.

Yes, read that too, wonderful! Heres hoping they allow custom shaders as well. If they revise the engine to the point as to support SSAO we will have to adapt the textures to only bake the normalmap AO into it.

40k/40k for particle and mesh each? Sounds acceptable for such an important model.

Yes, the Mongoose model is awful!

Agreed! But perhaps Rebellion will allow more than 3 weapons per ship/module/starbase

No problem if you have a ATI HD 2xxx or superior... optix use opencl who is a generic GPCPU system who work with AMD/ATI/NVidia... First opencl version was for MAC only but as 2009, it have become a accepted standart for graphic card...

Well, you will not have 125 starbase in a single gravity wheel like in the video from one of my previous post...

Have alreadt split the rotating and fixed part... was becoming heavy for wings3d... as today, the rotating section is already 17k tri when triangulated...

Model will have enough poly details for make suffer your computer when backing AO... modeling of the rotating section will be done for next week... since rotating section will have his own texture map, maybe i will segment it/UV optimize it and texture it before finishing the fixed part...

Hope that now, it is enough "round" for your taste...

Well, like i wrote before, i am able to add directly hardpoint in the .mesh by using notepad... So, if Rebellion or Sins II allow new features, it is not a problem for make modification...

Yes, you simply need to create your own import/export plug-in for XSI

Well, there is always a way for everything but sometime, you need to build your own tools... my own goal is to get rid of XSI and convertxsi because XSI hate me ( mean that i need somebody else for make the XSI step ).

Hacking the convertxsi.exe for create a software who make the reverse task is one way but i choice to try understand the undocumented .mesh format used by sins...

As for your "fear" of manually add a lot of hardpoint, take a look at http://soase.weebly.com/xsi-add-ons.html ... there is a XSI script for them who can help you a lot ( script check for the sins hardcoded hardpoint limit too )...

Yeah there is only so far that scripts can take yo in any platform, no game engine is designed for one 3d modelling software, ya have to do some work youself, fortify yourself with wine and vodka and assail that slope mates, good luck!

Dude thats an amazing model! I don't think that it is a very big problem where the fighters launch. Its still a minor detail in the big picture. And the picture is sweet! Damn thats a real space station!

Shiny!!! There! I said it!

When the fighters get close they 'dock' so I don't think it's a big issue.

I don't suppose and 'auto-docking' feature for strike-craft could be included in this mod? I know one was written for a few other mods previously. It worked nicely and did seem to cut down on a big of lag.

Work on the station looks beautiful guys.

Am I right in thinking the in-game graphics are at least on a par with the CGI from the series itself?

Yes and no... last release from B5 was in 2007 ( the lost tales : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1emoP8Xh1k )... a lot of model was remake by the modeler "Kalel71JP" who have work for ZOIC ... a lot of effect was made by "Atmosphere VFX", guys who have work for the new "Battlestar Galactica" serie...

Recent model are made of several million poly... and have a better quality that what sins can made... older version use less poly, by example the B5 station was 200k poly with 3 detail layer mesh ( more poly ) who was enable in case of zoom... these method is only possible in game who use LOD method for mesh ( sins use only LOD method for texture )...

Few people know the 2007 "Babylon 5 TLT"... HD version was only released for the "Xbox live video marketplace"... if you are curious, simply go to youtube and search for "Babylon 5 TLT"... you will find the video in 8 part...

Well, i have a screenshot from when the station was build and there is already 7 bays... as the upgrade, it simply add two section to the dorsal fixed part... one forward and one back... these two weapons pod are the B5 upgrade...

Tobi, here is the link from the TSOP mod. http://soase.weebly.com/tsop-downloads.html#Addons Scroll down about half way and there is the Squadron Automation link. 

Due to Advent Homing mines they have an ability on Carriers to manually control fighters. (Maybe this could be an upgrade in the tech tree to unlock an ability, 'Extended Patrols' which allow the player to place their fighters in an ambush formation if they wanted ... kind of like 'Extra Fuel Tanks' or 'Patrol Endurance' or something).

Ultimately it would be nice if you could right click on the 'Dock All / Undock All' button to have it be automated, not sure how to do this though.

See if this works for you!!!

Done...

Main body is almost done, will be around 20k tri without the solar/communication panel and the weapons...

On the next picture, the section in the red circle are the weapons upgrade pod installed in 2259 ( i think )...

Need to know if you plan to implement in the starbase research tree the upgrade... if yes, i will need to make 2 models, one before and one after upgrade...

Other location for the weapons are on the center section of the solar/communication panel...

With the upgrade version, each pod have a energy mines launcher ( not yet found a picture of it )... they are mobile mines launched in the path of attacking fleet and who explode with proximity making some area damage... not sure if it can be implemented like a station ability !!!

Have found in my archive all the needed data about weapons ( before and after refit ) and their location... will make a 3D sketch of them once the model is almost done...

Due to the huge amount of light projector on the station and my limited texturing skill, i will maybe use a third mesh with a very small map ( 256x256 ) for create real light via shader, so i don't need to texture area where light is projected... something almost impossible when light is located on the fixed part and the lighted area is on the mobile part... will make some test the weekend.