Ok. Last week there was huge number of new ships. Some were ok, some were not. But i have noticed one thing in particular.
Current stuff modelers "pay attention to":
Freelancerishness eg, does it fit in universe
Design eg, is it nice ship
Faction eg, what faction design influence is it using.
Usefullness in use
Now, that is all good and needed, but there are some thing modelers seem to forget and not think about. And that part is somewhat important in pure shipmaking. There is lack of inside thinking. Think yourself in that ship, how many decks does it have, what is layout, what does it need, where would it hold cargo, how big cargo place should be, how much crew it needs and alike.
For instance.
Take starflea:
no decks
one pilot
cockpit fused with cargo space
engines selfstanding on rear
wing stabilizators for planetary navigation(dont forget, you fly that ship on planet too)
Now take patriot:
one deck
one pilot
cockpit in front part
cargo space in middle
engine on rear
wings from middle to end.
Behemot
2 decked command "head"
around 5-10 crew
Cabin and living quaters in front, its freestanding
Cargo space
Engines in rear, also freestanding
Royal liner
4 decked, 2 compartments, one deck is whole length(possibly maintrance and command deck)
crew around 10-15
no visible cabin
Windows on hull, meaning cabins are on sides, and rest of cargo space in middle
engine freestanding of hull
Now take some designs you see now. Do you see cargo space? Is there actual deck there? How big is cockpit. Why is it so big? Where should guns be placed so they are of optimal use for pilot, etc.
Those are things one needs to think about before making random ship, it helps making ship more believable and realistic.
' Wrote:Those are steps taken into account during the designing process, which I usually do on paper.
These points can obviously - in fact, most probably, will be forgotten by anyone doing a ship from absolutely no concept plan.
like me :laugh:
I usually open 3ds max and just start 'doodling' until I get something that looks cool, then I figure out what it looks like it should be a part of and go from there.
Well that is the problem Tenacity. Without concept of what one want to make, you get half finished ideas that cannot progress because most thing that are needed for them arent taken into account.
For example you have done what, 6-8 models in a week. Some were on good path, but you drop idea too fast. Try to actually imagine what you wanna make, then make it, bump it until all is set. After it take away everything it is ok without(important step in creation)
Maybe then we will get some quality and useful models for Discovery.
I cannot draw. I cannot think on paper. A pen trying to configure a 3D shape and put it on paper, scares me.
Give me a box...and an extrusion tool. And I can develop anything you had your heart set on. And do things from a symmetrical point of view at the start, save time by using the Control + Z function when things get hairy, and I save many a tree;)
"Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do."