Another update has been posted to the Shroud of the Avatar Kickstarter page, in which the creation of both the Darkstarr Moondial and Darkstarr Metronome take the spotlight. Those of you who read up on those particular exclusive backer rewards here will find a lot of familiar content in the update, but some new material is also present, most of which concerns the Moondial.

For example, a new video showcasing the 3D model of the Moondial in action has been posted:

As well, some additional 3D stills of the Moondial were added to the thread at the Shroud of the Avatar forums that concept artists Stephen Daniele set up to show it off:

Bob [Cooksey, environmental artist] has been busily building out the Darkstarr Moondial in 3ds Max working closely with Richard. Bob determined that 8 rings with planets and moons would cause collision problems as the planets rotate in their orbits. He presented an option to Richard with 3 planets. This is Bob’s latest Work in Progress.

Three planets, many polys.

Bob continues building out the Darkstarr Moondial in 3ds Max and creating materials in Photoshop. This is Bob’s latest Work in Progress with brass and marble for the hand and base. Community what do you think about the marble? Should it be something different, perhaps granite? I would like to know what you think about our material choices! Please share your thoughts with us! Please ignore the floor it is just a generic metal texture.

Shiny!

Several backers also helped out once the model had been imported into Unity and previewed in-game, suggesting a succession of colour changes that vastly improved the Moondial’s look:

What say we animate that?

Animated transition!

Additionally, Portalarium rolled out their add-on store today, in which extant backers can add additional items to their cache of Shroud of the Avatar-related rewards. Up for grabs are Tracy Hickman’s forthcoming Shroud of the Avatar novel, the Moondial and Metronome, and a small selection (just 20!) of hand-made Silver Serpent ornaments that Richard Garriott recently found in his archives. Expect those to sell out fast, if they haven’t sold out already…even at the steep price of $250!