"The little steamer was already flapping her way eastward of the big crescent of shipping, and the low Essex coast was growing blue and hazy, when a Martian appeared, advancing along the muddy coast from the direction of Foulness.
Then, far away beyond the Crouch, came another, striding over some stunted trees, and then yet another, still farther off, wading deeply through a shiny mudflat that seemed to hang halfway up between sea and sky. They were all stalking seaward, as if to intercept the escape of the multitudinous vessels that were crowded between Foulness and the Naze. In spite of the throbbing exertions of the engines of the little paddle-boat, and the pouring foam that her wheels flung behind her, she receded with terrifying slowness from this ominous advance.
A vast iron bulk like the blade of a plough tore through the water, tossing it on either side in huge waves of foam leaped towards the steamer. Big iron upperworks rose out of this headlong structure, and from that twin funnels projected and spat a smoking blast shot with fire. It was the torpedo ram, "Thunder Child", steaming headlong, coming to the rescue of the threatened shipping. The "Thunder Child" fired no gun, but simply drove full speed towards them. It was probably her not firing that enabled her to get so near the enemy as she did. Martians did not know what to make of her. One shell, and they would have sent her to the bottom forthwith with the Heat-Ray.
Suddenly the foremost Martian lowered his tube and discharged a canister of the black gas at the ironclad. It hit her larboard side and glanced off in an inky jet that rolled away to seaward, an unfolding torrent of Black Smoke, from which the ironclad drove clear.
Another Martian raised the camera-like generator of the Heat-Ray. He held it pointing obliquely downward, and a bank of steam sprang from the water at its touch. It must have driven through the iron of the ship's side like a white-hot iron rod through paper.
A flicker of flame went up through the rising steam, and then the Martian reeled and staggered. In another moment he was cut down, and a great body of water and steam shot high in the air. The guns of the "Thunder Child" sounded through the reek, going off one after the other..."
H.G Wells (1898)
About the scene :
I modeled Martians and Thunder Child in Cinema 4D. The scene was assembled in Vue 5 Infinite. Sky is a bitmap made from several photos, water is a procedural terrain with "open ocean" function applied, smoke was made using numerous spheres with fuzzy material. Distant paddle boat is taken from 500 3D Objets Encyclopedia by De Espona/Taschen. Radiosity lighting was used in this scene.
My apologies to all my supporters for not posting scenes since march! Modeling of Martian War Machines and ship took quite a long time. But now I can use my own Martian Walkers for new War of the Worlds scenes - I hope you'll like this series!
You can check Hi-Res version of the scene in my gallery on Renderosity.
Take care & be prepared! They are coming!
With compliments to British Royal Navy!
>> Hi resolution image <<