Post by Dave on Jun 8, 2013 6:04:53 GMT -9
One of my sci-fi projects is a sort of squat bunker-looking thing with pipes and doodads coming off it, which I'm calling a Refinery Station. It'll have brackets on which to place a cargo pod (you've seen those already) into which it can deposit its refined stuff. I've done a couple of drafts of this model in SketchUp, but now I'm laying out the lines in Photoshop by dead reckoning (more or less -- I'll use SketchUp+Pepakura to help with the tricky parts). Nothing to show yet, but I'm hoping to have a test model in the next few days.
But I may not release this one for a while, and it might join the Colony Barracks and Spaceport Tower in test model limbo.
The reason for that is because I'm trying create a cohesive look to my new sci-fi stuff, which is something I never tried to do with my fantasy stuff and I kind of regret. By creating several models that more-or-less work together, I can create ground tile sets and walls and other features that will work cleanly with each one. Kind of a radical concept for me, since I'm so used to creating one-offs.
Some of what I'm doing now comes from a thought experiment about creating a "Pathfinder town." Jerry Jensen and I batted around the idea of creating a modular terrain system in the Pathfinder setting, but I couldn't get any momentum for it because I've already done so many fantasy/medieval models. I would be repeating myself in many cases in order to achieve what we were thinking of doing.
But I think the most useful result of that brainstorming was that 6"x6" tiles can only do so much. For a really cool modular system, you could (and I plan to) create little "vignettes" that fit on tile sizes of 3x3, 3x6, 3x9, 6x6 and 6x9. These could be arranged in lots of ways, obviously. I'm aiming to create all of my new sci-fi stuff to sit on ground pieces matching those dimensions (and expanding to 12x9 or 12x18 as required, by using two tiles each). Modularity ftw, right?
One of the tricky parts about sci-fi terrain is... what do you make? Everything I've made so far is some kind of bunker (unless you count the cargo pods). I'm not terribly interested in sci-fi battlefields, frankly. Nor am I that interested in underhives. But I am interested in sci-fi settlements, colonies and stuff like that. So I'm making a list of structures that would be personally enjoyable to design and would also fit that theme. The Spaceport Tiles (already released) should fit in nicely with the Spaceport Tower. The Colony Barracks will make a nice biggish structure. The Refinery Station will add some interesting geometry to the landscape. Those are all in development and very likely to be completed this summer.
Beyond that, I'm thinking of things like a Fusion Generator, Train Station (and Train), Colony Walls, Security Kiosk and Relay Tower (something's gotta sit on those 3x3 tiles), Storage Depot (the ubiquitous warehouse of the future), Colony Greenhouse, Spaceport Bar... all pretty much smallish or medium-sized models that I can release at my usual prices and something like a reasonable schedule. Being able to whip out a list like that is a good thing. I didn't have many ideas for sci-fi structures two or three years ago. That list I just wrote could keep me busy for the rest of the year, probably.
I don't want to make simple boxes anymore, and I'm finding that tapered boxes are sufficiently sci-fi looking that they'll work fine for what I want to achieve and still be very easy to construct. (I don't want to increase the complexity of my models.) So that's one thing I'm not worrying about anymore, one less roadblock to realizing this sort of terrain.
Another thing that has fallen into place is how to texture this stuff. I don't think the texturing on my early sci-fi stuff is entirely successful, and I may revisit the Outpost and Observation Tower (for a third time!) with updated geometry and textures. WIth my fantasy/medieval stuff, the textures have to be so varied -- wood, stucco, half-timbered beams, bricks, stonework -- and it's labor-intensive and megabyte-intensive. It's cool to be able to achieve so many distinct looks for each model, but the options can be overwhelming from a design standpoint. With sci-fi stuff, I'm pretty happy with the look of a few base metal colors (pretty easy to do) and then lots of panelization, markings and weathering options on top. I sort of killed myself with all of the layer options in my fantasy range, and I need to be more clever about how I do things from now on.
I'll still be doing fantasy stuff -- in fact, I'll probably get burned out on sci-fi once in a while and turn to fantasy models to recharge my batteries. I'm not going to think very seriously about dipping into other genres, so don't hold your breath for western* or modern or Roman or post-apocalyptic terrain from me any time soon.
*Except where it overlaps with fantasy stuff, which does happen occasionally.
Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about doing. Seems do-able.
But I may not release this one for a while, and it might join the Colony Barracks and Spaceport Tower in test model limbo.
The reason for that is because I'm trying create a cohesive look to my new sci-fi stuff, which is something I never tried to do with my fantasy stuff and I kind of regret. By creating several models that more-or-less work together, I can create ground tile sets and walls and other features that will work cleanly with each one. Kind of a radical concept for me, since I'm so used to creating one-offs.
Some of what I'm doing now comes from a thought experiment about creating a "Pathfinder town." Jerry Jensen and I batted around the idea of creating a modular terrain system in the Pathfinder setting, but I couldn't get any momentum for it because I've already done so many fantasy/medieval models. I would be repeating myself in many cases in order to achieve what we were thinking of doing.
But I think the most useful result of that brainstorming was that 6"x6" tiles can only do so much. For a really cool modular system, you could (and I plan to) create little "vignettes" that fit on tile sizes of 3x3, 3x6, 3x9, 6x6 and 6x9. These could be arranged in lots of ways, obviously. I'm aiming to create all of my new sci-fi stuff to sit on ground pieces matching those dimensions (and expanding to 12x9 or 12x18 as required, by using two tiles each). Modularity ftw, right?
One of the tricky parts about sci-fi terrain is... what do you make? Everything I've made so far is some kind of bunker (unless you count the cargo pods). I'm not terribly interested in sci-fi battlefields, frankly. Nor am I that interested in underhives. But I am interested in sci-fi settlements, colonies and stuff like that. So I'm making a list of structures that would be personally enjoyable to design and would also fit that theme. The Spaceport Tiles (already released) should fit in nicely with the Spaceport Tower. The Colony Barracks will make a nice biggish structure. The Refinery Station will add some interesting geometry to the landscape. Those are all in development and very likely to be completed this summer.
Beyond that, I'm thinking of things like a Fusion Generator, Train Station (and Train), Colony Walls, Security Kiosk and Relay Tower (something's gotta sit on those 3x3 tiles), Storage Depot (the ubiquitous warehouse of the future), Colony Greenhouse, Spaceport Bar... all pretty much smallish or medium-sized models that I can release at my usual prices and something like a reasonable schedule. Being able to whip out a list like that is a good thing. I didn't have many ideas for sci-fi structures two or three years ago. That list I just wrote could keep me busy for the rest of the year, probably.
I don't want to make simple boxes anymore, and I'm finding that tapered boxes are sufficiently sci-fi looking that they'll work fine for what I want to achieve and still be very easy to construct. (I don't want to increase the complexity of my models.) So that's one thing I'm not worrying about anymore, one less roadblock to realizing this sort of terrain.
Another thing that has fallen into place is how to texture this stuff. I don't think the texturing on my early sci-fi stuff is entirely successful, and I may revisit the Outpost and Observation Tower (for a third time!) with updated geometry and textures. WIth my fantasy/medieval stuff, the textures have to be so varied -- wood, stucco, half-timbered beams, bricks, stonework -- and it's labor-intensive and megabyte-intensive. It's cool to be able to achieve so many distinct looks for each model, but the options can be overwhelming from a design standpoint. With sci-fi stuff, I'm pretty happy with the look of a few base metal colors (pretty easy to do) and then lots of panelization, markings and weathering options on top. I sort of killed myself with all of the layer options in my fantasy range, and I need to be more clever about how I do things from now on.
I'll still be doing fantasy stuff -- in fact, I'll probably get burned out on sci-fi once in a while and turn to fantasy models to recharge my batteries. I'm not going to think very seriously about dipping into other genres, so don't hold your breath for western* or modern or Roman or post-apocalyptic terrain from me any time soon.
*Except where it overlaps with fantasy stuff, which does happen occasionally.
Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about doing. Seems do-able.