Blue Sun Room GRAPHICS - IMAGES
Xin Chai Class Express Boat - Schematic
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Here’s another of my ship designs for the Serenity roleplaying game. This one is influenced by the classic pony express of the old west. I wanted something slightly smaller than a Firefly but somewhat faster, used mainly as a courier or light transport. After designing several more functional, industrial-type ships I wanted to make something that a group of player characters might be flying around in.
CATEGORY: GRAPHICS TIMES READ: 5750 RATING: 8.0 (G) SERIES: FIREFLY
Comments
Saturday, 25 February 2006 18:39
Good work as always, on these. The scematic section is always my favorite to look at... I like seeing inside the space. :-)
I have a few questions for you. How do you make these? Is there a design you follow, or do you just invent them yourself?
I'm curious because I'm writing a scifi story currently, and I'm having such problems imagine the space the charactes live in. On one hand, this is annoying. On the other, it gives me something to sketch repeatedly during philosephy when I'm zoning out.
I have a few questions for you. How do you make these? Is there a design you follow, or do you just invent them yourself?
I'm curious because I'm writing a scifi story currently, and I'm having such problems imagine the space the charactes live in. On one hand, this is annoying. On the other, it gives me something to sketch repeatedly during philosephy when I'm zoning out.
Monday, 27 February 2006 20:47
Thanks for the comments!
Arcadia: I usually design my ships from the outside-in. I've been inspired recently to make more assymetrical designs. I usually start with a few doodles, then go into a simple program like paint and do some sihlouettes using various primary shapes to get a better idea of layout. Then I use a 3D program to assemble the ship. I've been using Poser, which is designed more for rendering 3D people and is not the best for complex shapes, but it works. I use Photoshop to create the various textures, transparency maps, and bump maps. After it's rendered in Poser I import the image back into photoshop for post-work (image grain, etc).
It's hard coming up with original designs that don't look wonky. It's fun to take everyday objects you see in life and play around with them, or to take simple shapes and see how they interact.
I usually only have a rough idea of the internal layout at first. Usually before I sit down and do the 3D model I'll try to get a pretty good concept of the layout in my head. Actually making the final floorplans is one of the last things I do. It's fairly straightforward in Photoshop and Paint, but can be very timeconsuming. If I'm lucky (like with this ship) the internal layout comes together and it looks functional.
When I get the time I want to make some 3D images of the ship interiors. After all, for a roleplaying game (or fanfic, or whatever) the characters are going to spend more time looking at the interior of the ship than the exterior.
I like the idea of trying a ship design by working from the inside-out, by imagining the space the characters live in, as you out it. It could make for some interesting designs.
Arcadia: I usually design my ships from the outside-in. I've been inspired recently to make more assymetrical designs. I usually start with a few doodles, then go into a simple program like paint and do some sihlouettes using various primary shapes to get a better idea of layout. Then I use a 3D program to assemble the ship. I've been using Poser, which is designed more for rendering 3D people and is not the best for complex shapes, but it works. I use Photoshop to create the various textures, transparency maps, and bump maps. After it's rendered in Poser I import the image back into photoshop for post-work (image grain, etc).
It's hard coming up with original designs that don't look wonky. It's fun to take everyday objects you see in life and play around with them, or to take simple shapes and see how they interact.
I usually only have a rough idea of the internal layout at first. Usually before I sit down and do the 3D model I'll try to get a pretty good concept of the layout in my head. Actually making the final floorplans is one of the last things I do. It's fairly straightforward in Photoshop and Paint, but can be very timeconsuming. If I'm lucky (like with this ship) the internal layout comes together and it looks functional.
When I get the time I want to make some 3D images of the ship interiors. After all, for a roleplaying game (or fanfic, or whatever) the characters are going to spend more time looking at the interior of the ship than the exterior.
I like the idea of trying a ship design by working from the inside-out, by imagining the space the characters live in, as you out it. It could make for some interesting designs.
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