Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: HeX on July 18, 2004, 01:21:27 am
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Okay, I'm trying to come up with some ideas for designs for space fighters and bombers. Problem is all I can think of is the standard aircraft design.
Truth is I kninda wanna steer away from the air-craft in space look if I can, or at least diversify.
So my question is this: Anyone know of some good places to look for some design inspiration. Doesn't have to be spacecraft, just anyplace I could look for a design thought.
I've persued one avenue, looking at helicopter designs and working on that variation, but it's rather limited.
No worries about what I'm looking for, I've not figured that out. I just want some inspiration.
So....any ideas anyone?
(NOTE: If you must know I'm working on designs from Nyxfall, thinking of working on a mod in the future but need to make some ideas in 3D Studio).
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The Apollo always reminded me of a battlestar. Maybe by looking at some classic sci fi cap ships you could get an inspiration for a fighter or bomber.....if that fails. try cloud watching, you can get some interesting shapes from the clouds. i get inspired all the time.....but since i can't draw or model....inspiration is the only thing i ever get.
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also, try having a look at modern aircraft, specifically ww2, and modern day fighter craft..
also, have a look at naval vessels, too.
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Random objects are always good if you're really hard up- just find a shape that'd be cool and build on it. Basically anything would work. Go back to that inner eight-year-old who could take a funny-shaped stick and start swinging it around going "FWOOSH pew pew pew!".
This works better for capships, which are traditionally kinda amorphous, but then if you're avoiding the bilateral fightery thing then it should do fine.
This might highlight or totally disprove my point, but a quickie of what, were I master of the Universe, pen caps would probably look like. I'd post a prettier example, but all of those are still in an obsolete format, aren't really common items, or have metamorphosed to the point where they're totally unrecognizable.
(http://www.swooh.com/peon/Stryke/pencap4000.jpg)
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I get repeted inspireation for stuff at work, all the big industrial equipment and all, unfortunately I usualy forget by the time I go home. and then a day or so later I'll get the exact same inspireation and go damnit why didn't I remember to do something about that,
I'm remembering a blade gaurd from a ban saw at the moment, would make an exelent Orion replacement, and I've tryed a few times to do it, but it never looks quite as good as I had hoped it would in my head.
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Try 'split' designs. Most designs tend to focus on a single (usually spherical) hull shape, with engines and weapons bolted onto the sides. Including mine, now i think of it.
Also, cockpits which are set quite far back, or even which do not exist - i.e. the pilot uses cameras & a special hud. Or, ships built more on a vertical axis - b-wing is the best example, I guess.
Or go nuts and make the ship as being a single unified block - i.e. barely a cube - and use up the polys adding the fine detail.
Design inspiration..... I'd say look at natural shapes (very roughly), machinery as bob said, um.... well, not sure. Maybe more esoteric stuff like gargoyles & gothic art. another way is to actually think of movie-like sequences, very roughly. I.e. an attack run on some big ship - if you spend enough time, then your subconcious should pick up the effort and start 'adding' details that'll just pop into your head.
Trick then, is to have somewhere handy to jot it down.
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One tip: spaceships don't have to be symmetric in shape.
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Fantastic ideas guys. Thanks alot! Keep 'em comming I'm already looking for stuff in places I never thought to.
Lynx: I love non-symmetric. Gotta have the occasional symmetric, just for balance, but non-symmetry rules. :D
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Originally posted by Lynx
One tip: spaceships don't have to be symmetric in shape.
Good point. Very good point :nod:
I should do more non-symettic stuff - only reason not to is laziness (i.e. can;t mirror map).
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That's what a lot of capital ships need... lots of models are symmetric, it's nice to have a change (and there's no good reason not to a lot of the time).
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Though this doesn't help you much, Star Wars owned at this. The X wing was a little aircraftish, but stuff like the BWing, A Wing, Y Wing etc all seem like ligitimate Space fighter designs.
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This is great. I think I've got a good idea of what direction to persue for what species. Thanks much all. :)
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A change of scenery can sometimes be very helpful. :D
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One other thing occurred to me - one of the areas I often would start looking at as a baisis was the engine arrangement - because that's often the part of a fighter that you spend most time looking at. So if you can get a really neat rear-engine arrangement, then it makes that particular fighter much easier to identify ingame, and hence more memorable.
I wish I had a scanner, actually....I've got about 2 a4 books worth of concept art, some of which is actually decent. Ish.
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Try vertical ships ;7