Space Station, Exterior

[Sam]

This links you to my wiki page, where I will keep you up to date on the development of the space station:

https://dev.orxonox.net/wiki/SpaceStationExterior

If you've got ideas about what I could change or add to the space station to make it better, please tell me on this forum, and I'll think about it. Generally, I'll announce major changes in the form of a developer's journal on this page, but I'll also ask for help (creative and functional), so I'd appreciate it if you visited this forum every now and then.

[Sam]

So far, I've done nothing... well, not quite nothing.
Since the scanner at the ETL doesn't work, I'll put up some of my first sketches of the space station tonight. I'll also add some descriptions. I'm hoping that a lot of people will look at the work so far, and give me their ideas as to how I could improve it. It's always easiest to make changes in the beginning, not the end...

[beni]

I liked what I've seen so far, but I really look forward to hear some more precise ideas from you.
The rough design of the station is really cool and gives enough room for changes yet. Thumbs up.

[lieni]

Cool sketches!
I'm looking forward to seeing it more detailed.

[hofzge]

I like the slanted top of the station.
I read your description about the funtionality of the station but I still want to ask you: Why is it S-shaped?

Anyways: Good concept work. I like it if someone thinks before he does

[beni]

I like the slanted top of the station.
I read your description about the funtionality of the station but I still want to ask you: Why is it S-shaped?

Anyways: Good concept work. I like it if someone thinks before he does

If the shape is not describable by functionality there is always the story. Let's say the owner of the station is a company with the letter S as the company logo or something like that.

[x3n]

there are two reasons:
1) the docks are inside the bows, so they are protected
2) there are some similarities to the look of galaxies

maybe sam can tell you some other reasons

[Sam]

Actually, I originally just thought it looked cool... The swirl and so on. I also noticed that it looked a bit like a galaxy and so I'll use that as the official reason.
Here's the practical reason:
The original idea was just as a ring, but that was a bit too boring. I was also trying to fit in a docking station for ships that are too large for the main hangars, a commercial station wouldn't want to waste the necessary amount of space and money to build a huge dock. It was originally like an airplane dock inside the ring, for protection, but I also wanted the central tower. The whole thing felt sort of cramped when I put all that in, so I broke the circle in two places. The docking is now at the end of the tips of the SS. I actually plan to take a larger ship from one of the other groups, or design one myself, if there is time, and dock it at the SS. Otherwise the SS looks a bit empty. Lights and all that are cool, but there is nothing like another space ship to make a station seam busy. A larger ship is easily seen from a distance, in case we use it for the menu background or during a level. It would be nice if we could put in a couple of smaller ships on a track around the SS during the docking scenes, but that'll probably depend on how much extra calculating capacity we have...
So anyway, it wasn't really an S at the beginning. I like the idea with the Stations owner. Also, I sorta like the S because my name starts with it

[Sam]

I posted some new pics on the website, https://dev.orxonox.net/wiki/SpaceStationExterior

As you can see from the pics, I started modeling the SS. I still have to do a lot on the tower, the top looks too much like a pencil, if you ask me, so that'll definitely change. Also, it's too simple, even for a low detail model.

By the way, if you're wondering how I rendered in Blender and saved the picture, I didn't. I made a screenshot of the render and cut-copy-pasted that. Still working on how to do it right...

[x3n]

I still have to do a lot on the tower, the top looks too much like a pencil, if you ask me, so that'll definitely change.

I really like the way you drawed the tower on the sketches. the station looks bigger when you add small details. the top of the tower could look like the top af a skyscraper with antennas, platforms, maybe an additionally VIP dock and weapon systems. and different levels.

[patrick]

the SS looks realy great, I'm looking forward to the final version of your station

[beni]

Super, you just uploaded your stuff. I'm going to check out your model:
Beautiful from the outside. I had a look inside and I've seen a few vertics/faces inside of the model. Inside the tower on the upper and lower side where the arms are built on. Also check out the outside there: There are faces with no height. you can delete them as well by merging the vertics there.

Another small mistake: There is a strange face at the bottom of the tower (NOT where the antenna is). I don't know exactly how you managed that one, but I'd suggest you tranform the quad into a triangle to fix the two faces which lie so close together.

I hope you can find those spots and correct them. Beside that, the model is great.

EDIT: Okay, I have to correct myself, there isn't just one face with no height, but about 3 faces at the same spot. Just merge all the vertices there.

[Sam]

Thanks for the tip, I think I found all the mistakes.
I updated the tower as well, and added some pictures.

[beni]

Thanks for the tip, I think I found all the mistakes.
I updated the tower as well, and added some pictures.

Parfaitement, I like it when people react that fast.
But there is still this strange quad overlaping another face at the bottom of the tower check this out.

I made a screenshot of it:

[Sam]

K, I think I got it now.
I've got no idea how that happened. I've seen it before though. When making rendered pictures, it stands out better , at least on big surfaces. If you see one again, please tell me, they are hard to find, and I don't feel like rendering all the surfaces individually...