Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => Arts & Talents => Topic started by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 18, 2011, 09:14:05 am

Title: Cover design
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 18, 2011, 09:14:05 am
While doing the bachelor's end thesis, students of my faculty (Aerospace) each year get the opportunity to show off their design on the cover of the aerospace student society's magazine. Since I'm currently doing the end thesis (designing an airport), I can submit a cover visual as well. Here's a mock-up of what it'd look like. I won't do textures (no time), and of course the final design will get rendered at higher quality - but apart from that I'd like to hear your comments, opinions and suggestions for improvement :)

(http://i.imgur.com/ozwBk.jpg)

(No lvlshot since it stretches the image)
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: Snail on June 18, 2011, 09:29:14 am
A lens flare or two couldn't hurt.
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: Thaeris on June 18, 2011, 01:17:08 pm
Get a non-stretchy tree texture. Where are you getting your aircraft models from, by the way?
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: General Battuta on June 18, 2011, 02:55:45 pm
Good, non-****ty font and a fairly clean design. I approve.
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: JGZinv on June 18, 2011, 08:43:21 pm
Cars, traffic? No airport is ever that clean....

You don't actually have a terminal... just a warehouse dock of sorts with planes attached.

It's fine as a base design, just seems very sterile and sort of Sims Airport like is my point.
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: Shivan Hunter on June 18, 2011, 09:00:12 pm
A lens flare or two couldn't hurt.
No.
Cars, traffic? No airport is ever that clean....
No.
It's fine as a base design, just seems very sterile and sort of Sims Airport like is my point.
No.

Ignore these comments; it's a mock-up of an airport design, it's not supposed to look like a Crysis map. I like the clean look, it brings out the actual design rather than focusing on the trivial stuff.
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: General Battuta on June 18, 2011, 11:17:26 pm
I agree with S. Hunter
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 19, 2011, 01:49:22 am
Lens flare - they require a light source in or just next to the image frame, which would be about where the title goes (the title location is fixed). I had one at some point, but removed it.
Tree texture - good one, I'll tile it up some more.
Aircraft models - mostly from here (http://thefree3dmodels.com/stuff/aircraft/15), though the one in the foreground I made myself.
Cars, traffic - there's little time, this's got to be in by the 22nd at the latest. And yeah, what Shivan Hunter said, it's not supposed to look like an actual picture, but rather showing off the design.
Terminal - it's actually underneath the piers (yes, underground), which is why you're not seeing it.
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: Veers on June 19, 2011, 06:46:54 am
Was about to say it has to be underground.

I would love to see this as a functioning airport. :)
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: Snail on June 19, 2011, 07:36:32 am
Just to be clear I was being facetious about the lens flare. :P
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: AtomicClucker on June 19, 2011, 08:18:48 pm
Personally, I don't like the font - it just doesn't fit the idea of an airport. If you've any time left, look at some sans fonts like Gill Sans or even Trade Gothic (though I'd not recommend Light weights, those are oo thin. Regular and slight Bolding are a better fit and easier to see).
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: Thaeris on June 19, 2011, 08:51:50 pm
I personally do like the font. It's very professional looking. I would, however, suggest that you increase the opacity of the band that the text goes on, enabling the viewer to see a greater amount of the transition between the low horizon line and the upper atmosphere. It will also potentially make the band just a tad bit lighter, making the white font "pop" a bit more.

As far as the model goes, make sure your treeline isn't too close to the taxiway - the reasons for such are obvious. Also make sure that the treeline just doesn't stop without reason at the far corner of the model. You'll also need to figure out what to do at the very bottom of the image - it's kind of naked there.

As a technical question, where are your terminal support facilities to be located, such as fuel, service, and airport fire department to be located? What about aircraft storage and maintenance? I realize you're probably designing the field such that the storage facilities are away from the main terminal, but how easily/efficiently does the design allow aircraft to get to boarding facilities, etc?
Title: Re: Cover design
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 20, 2011, 01:22:18 pm
Ehh, just for clarity -- I'm only doing the picture, the rest of it is standard. I only put the title in 'cause else the composition is screwy.
Ah well, sent it in today, hoping it gets chosen now :)

Fuel, fire department, MRO and cargo are located out of the picture, away from the passenger section. There's service roads under the piers (look closely and you can see they're T-shaped).
Since one picture is wirth a thousand words: here (http://i.imgur.com/gy98n.png)'s an overview of the entire airport. The big building in the front is cargo, the small one in the back is MRO. And yes, we have a lot of runways. That's because we have a lot of traffic :P