Air Vehicles

Here is a selection of different air vehicles including jets and helicopters. The different roles the vehicles take on have a direct effect on the vehicles design. This was something to keep in mind when designing the vast airships that hover above the mine. I was particularly interested in key elements within the jets as well as their function. Nearly all the air vehicles had air intakes which supply air to the engines which not only helps the combustion process but also funnel the air into a much smaller space which propels the said aircraft through the air. When designing the aircraft it was crucial to understand this as well as the importance of aerodynamics and the way in which air moves over the surface of a wing generating lift. These could be applied to my aircraft which would ultimately give it an aesthetic look. However, it was also my job to break the laws of science and technology to generate an entirely new vehicle which looked and felt futuristic.

Here are some images which I used as reference when constructing the airships. I also referenced some vehicles from films to help the design process.

 

When designing the vehicles I had to consider the fact that the mine in our environment was under military control. I had to assume that the vehicles had military qualities as well. Looking at fighter jets and attack helicopters helped me design a vehicle which would fit the time period as well as its role and function as the vehicles could also be used for combat duties. The images themselves would also help me when it came to modeling and texturing the vehicle. Would it have bright vibrant colours or dull greys or greens to help suggest a military presence.

Vehicles

When researching various types of mines around the world I realized how vehicle heavy the mining industry is. Present day mines use some sort of machinery for transportation or extracting the raw materials from the ground. The group agreed that in order to realistically achieve our goal (producing a mine in 3d) we needed to have all the elements that constitute a mine. By incorporating vehicles within the scene it would give the surrounding are a sense of scale but also movement. It would also help explain the structure itself and its usage. Vehicles would give the impression that the site is used and operational and would give us something to animate.

I researched a variety of land and ground vehicles from past and present. This included vehicles from the Second World War as well as jets and tanks from the Vietnam and Gulf wars. Again we wanted the vehicles to be realistic based on present day technologies. The machinery had to be used and industrial and had to be in keeping with the designs of the mine itself. Clashing styles would raise questions about the validity of the project as well as the research we had done. I saw it necessary to base the vehicles on existing ones, taking elements we could use and amalgamating them to produce a fully functional vehicle with practicality in mind. 

The group agreed there needed to be some sort of air vehicle which would serve as the transportation unit of the Intronium resource. The planet is a hostile environment with rugged mountains and rocks as well as ever moving sand dunes as far as the eye can see. For effective transport to be possible vast airships were built for  easy transportation to take place far above the hostile surface. 

The group also wanted some sort of land vehicle which extracted the raw Intronium and transported it to the ships waiting on the landing pads outside the mine. Again the vehicle had to be believable and appear used. I looked at various images ranging from tanks and mining vehicles. I was mainly interested in certain elements that constituted the vehicles like caterpillar tracks and mechanical arms.

Film Reference

I looked at various films such as 2001 A Space Odyssey, Star Wars and Blade Runner to help with idea development and design. In all these films the architecture is futuristic but at the same time realistic and believable. The buildings and vehicles look like they have been made with human technologies. 2001 has some really interesting symmetrical designs. There is an amalgamation of curves and hard rigid edges. Star Wars  is much the same with both its vehicles and architecture. The vehicle designs within the original Star Wars are truly the work of genius. The vehicles look aesthetic and believable although they are part of an alien universe. They also look used and dated which infuses some practicality to the machinery and its usage.

Whilst looking at the films I observed key elements within them especially vehicle designs and structural designs. I could use these elements and add to them to create a unique structure that would not only look pragmatic but also give it function. I was also interested in the interior of the mine as well. Although some of the film material does not relate to a mine directly it had a huge impact on the design of the mine the group wanted to create. Would the mine consist of curves or hard edges or both? I researched these films to get an idea of the time period as well as the design of the exterior and interior.

Halo

When designing the mine itself I also had a look at the game Halo. The game itself has no mining facilities as such but does have some awesome, futuristic architecture that I could reference when drawing up the mine. I looked at the work of Eddy Smith as he did a lot of the structural designs in halo. His work inspired me to create concepts using symmetrical and asymmetrical designs. It It was important to keep a consistent style within the mine itself. The structure or installation itself had to look like it was made from humans. The game Halo was highly influential when making various decisions and structural concepts. 

The game itself not only has some amazing level and environment designs but boasts some interesting technical achievements as well concerning lighting as well as texturing. The objects within the game appear to have vast amounts of detail within them, however this is due to very clever texturing and lighting. In order for this project to work we will need to replicate realistic lighting as well as believable textures that will ultimately decide whether our environment succeeds or fails. 

Here are a few images drawn by Eddy Smith showing structures that integrate with the surrounding environment. I have also included some screenshots of the actual game that show off the lighting and texture mapping skills.

I also looked at the artwork of Sparth who is a conceptual artist and illustrator for films and games. His work inspired me early on in the project. His designs are futuristic but maintain the aesthetic element which is key to implying realism to ones drawings whilst set in a futuristic environment. His saturated environments inspired me to create my own images whilst looking at present day structure and vehicles.