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One of the few unpleasant remarks I get occasionally about my work is that it doesn't look 'space-y' or 'futuristic' enough. People completely reject anachronism from space warship design, without realising that it is precisely because much of mainstream sci-fi gives us blocky or half-melted hunks of metal, with no personality, no style and no individuality, that I model the anachronisms in the first place.
So one of the people who had complained and told me to 'please stop', had his own exhibition, of his formless 40, 000-ton 'futuristic' designs, which all were at weird angles against the background of a nebula. So I decided to take the piss and render HMS Lion at an odd angle, against a nebula. See, I can do 'space-y' too!
So one of the people who had complained and told me to 'please stop', had his own exhibition, of his formless 40, 000-ton 'futuristic' designs, which all were at weird angles against the background of a nebula. So I decided to take the piss and render HMS Lion at an odd angle, against a nebula. See, I can do 'space-y' too!
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1280 x 703px
File Size 117.8 kB
Well, form does follow function.
That said, there is something to be said about too little fantasy in science-fiction.
I've worked up a little universe, were the most modern ships are wither sphere- or cigarshaped.
Of course due the technology used, the earlier ships looked very different.
The first generatin was a sphere with an engine pod and an engine ring attached to the pod (the ring had to be larger than the sphere in diameter.
The second generation has two spheres connected by an engine tube with the engine ring around it.
The third generation was cigar-shaped with a ring around he middle. These are still the most used type.
The fourth generation had the engine ring directly attached to the hull while the quickly following fifth generation had the ring integrated into the hull.
Now, the reason for this develpopment, aside from the avaible technology, are the system gates, alien constructs that allow instant travel between two star systems. The maximum size for a ship to go through it a diameter of about one kilometer.
Of course this is only the design history of the Commonwealth of Sentient Species, and then mostly for the fleet. Civillians have to work with cheaper or older ships. Transports for example are ring-shaped that allows them to carry one rather large (100 meter diameter or more) cargo modules. Other species went different ways with different technologies.
What I'm trying to say is this, give your technology some limitations that allow for a little variation. Form does follow function, true. But from a certain point on function becomes secondary to form. There would be greater differences, if people thought about designing a space cruise liner instead of endless military designs. For example how about that ship in Fifth Element?
Since I've seen flying ships (take a normal ship hull) with sails filled with a gas somewhat like helium, that (if you tuck in the sails) could even dive) in the comic Neotopia from Antarctic Press I'm very open to such designs.
To finish this. People, leave some space for anachronisms. Ok? It's fiction. Even if it is science fiction.
That said, there is something to be said about too little fantasy in science-fiction.
I've worked up a little universe, were the most modern ships are wither sphere- or cigarshaped.
Of course due the technology used, the earlier ships looked very different.
The first generatin was a sphere with an engine pod and an engine ring attached to the pod (the ring had to be larger than the sphere in diameter.
The second generation has two spheres connected by an engine tube with the engine ring around it.
The third generation was cigar-shaped with a ring around he middle. These are still the most used type.
The fourth generation had the engine ring directly attached to the hull while the quickly following fifth generation had the ring integrated into the hull.
Now, the reason for this develpopment, aside from the avaible technology, are the system gates, alien constructs that allow instant travel between two star systems. The maximum size for a ship to go through it a diameter of about one kilometer.
Of course this is only the design history of the Commonwealth of Sentient Species, and then mostly for the fleet. Civillians have to work with cheaper or older ships. Transports for example are ring-shaped that allows them to carry one rather large (100 meter diameter or more) cargo modules. Other species went different ways with different technologies.
What I'm trying to say is this, give your technology some limitations that allow for a little variation. Form does follow function, true. But from a certain point on function becomes secondary to form. There would be greater differences, if people thought about designing a space cruise liner instead of endless military designs. For example how about that ship in Fifth Element?
Since I've seen flying ships (take a normal ship hull) with sails filled with a gas somewhat like helium, that (if you tuck in the sails) could even dive) in the comic Neotopia from Antarctic Press I'm very open to such designs.
To finish this. People, leave some space for anachronisms. Ok? It's fiction. Even if it is science fiction.
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