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Author Topic: Steampunk World  (Read 176967 times)

ENSONIQ5

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #45 on: October 28, 2010, 10:17:29 pm »

I have started constructing the bodywork for the limousine thing, so I am happy for that to go on the list of contributions.  After that I plan to build a sort of radial (or rotary) steam engine, the sort of thing that might power a Zeppelin. I figure that steam engines would have advanced beyond the sort of thing we know if internal combustion had never been invented, with far greater power and efficiency from smaller, lighter mechanisms (though the weight of the boiler and water would make heavier-than-air flight impossible, balloons and dirigibles would definitely be the go).  The engine might be installed in an actual flying machine model or maybe partially stripped-down in a corner of the workshop.
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3D Joe Wiltshire

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #46 on: October 28, 2010, 10:34:21 pm »

even more awesome ideas coming through! really liking the interest in this project. :D
Untill a proper plan of develpment can be sketched out i'll start 3-Doodling some steampunkian gadgetry to fill some world space hopefully at one point :P

And on the name along the same lines as previous Posts how about something along the lines of "New eden" <-- not that though, too cheesy. something along the lines of it was meant to be the birth of a golden age but got corrupted along the way...

And on another note is there a general area / part of the world where this will be set? Hard to explain what I mean but the name would most likely change depending on which culture mainly developed the city. (or it could be just in the middle of an ocean? where else has more water available)

So much to think about!!
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Arik_the_Red

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #47 on: October 28, 2010, 11:46:40 pm »

Well, I've made a list on the first message of this thread, containing "modeling commitments" to date.

A lot of ideas are out for contemplation, and I personally think there's enough to work on without going much further into things.

For the purpose of overall city work, I'm personally not concerned about its exact location in the world... And I think it likely that where ever this city is, it would draw people from many places due to its technological and economic recovery from the "Long Winter." Therefore, it would show possible variety in building styles throughout.

The Language of the People:
I suppose the only immediate concern is that anything with writing be portrayed in English since, like this forum, English seems to be the common language we all share.  As to the proper form of English, though I am American, I would suggest using "Queen's English" because, at the time of the "Meteor Catastrophe," Queen's/British English was much more dominant than "American English," so that it would be more likely to have held a strong influence. American English, after all, did not really set as a strong literary force until well into the 1900s. 

Rough Calendar Time of the City Scene:
I originally visualized the timeframe of the city being somewhere in the 1930sa-40s, with the technology being somewhat reminiscent of anything from the late 1800s through the 1920s... but in the alternate, Steampunk sense. That would allow for the "Long Winter" to take place sometime around 1900-1910, lasting a few years, and then a time of rebuilding with the discovery of the mountainous meteor and the subsequent rebuilding of society and technology.  It could well be that, during the "Long Winter" that entire nations/governments fell, and that completely new ones rose from the ashes, so that we would have alternate nations as opposed to those that really did develop.

Clarification of "Points" for Measurement:
As for measurements in points/pts as I originally referred, if you create an object in anim8or it's dimensions are what I mean... When I use anim8or and create a cylinder, as seen in my character (incomplete) render, I made a cylinder that is:

- Diameter:
----Start = 10 (1 feet)
----End = 10 (1 feet)
- Divisions:
----Lon = 8
----Lat = 6
Length = 60 (6 feet)

Thus, the cylinder would display as 6 feet long (approx 2 meters),  1 ft. diameter, and be divided into 6 evenly distributed 1 foot sections...

I like to make an object like this when designing to serve as a measurement in terms of average human height for comparison.

Anyway, I'm stepping back a bit, so that I can try and finish some of my modeling, and be able to move forward from there.

I'm not putting a damper on the brainstorming, just a bit of a damper on my own... because I have a habit of wasting a lot of time that way when I should be working on my models. I am not an extremely fast model-maker, so need to better focus on that or I will never get anything finished (yes yes, I know... Arik and his infamously unfinished projects... The joke does not go unthought... I am very good at laughing at my own sillinesses).
« Last Edit: October 29, 2010, 12:03:59 am by Arik_the_Red »
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$imon

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #48 on: October 29, 2010, 03:50:53 am »

3Dgeek:
The original idea was to have a bit of a European-style layout of the city, which means houses packed together close on the street! (see this picture from my town: http://www.nlstreets.nl/images/SHARED/3ximage/street/img_7_2.jpg ) A century ago the streets were probably even more intimite.
Also, having things on a small scale makes it easier to get great pictures with everything in the render :)

3DJoe:
Anything you can come up with would be awesome & welcome, gadgets is what its all about. Everything will have to be steam-powered (street lights, bridges, doors?, as far as we want to take it.. so anything steam powered is great :)

Good luck Arik with your modeling.. and everyone else! I'll get some done as well..
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floyd86

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #49 on: October 29, 2010, 07:24:02 am »

@simon: Groningen de gekste!  :P

This is a nice project coming along. I can't wait to see some first renders. good luck! ;)

$imon

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #50 on: October 29, 2010, 10:16:34 am »

Grunn!  ;D

Anyway, here is a start on .. something..
its the sign thats going to hang outside either the workshop or some store, basically a steampunk store-sign! yay

materials etc. still have to be done of course, but I'm not sure what style the whole thing will be in so we'll leave that open for now
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Raxx

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #51 on: October 29, 2010, 12:21:34 pm »

Looks good, just some crits...

Pipe systems need valves to control the direction and pressure of the contents of the pipes. So you should place two valves at the locations marked in the image below. The one on the left would be closed, so that the steam will pass through the pressure meter without most of the pressure being re-routed through the bottom pipe. The one on the right would be open to allow the steam to escape after going through the meter.

In reality you would also have a valve right before the meter so that if the meter breaks, you can isolate it and re-route the pressure through the bottom pipe.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2010, 12:23:34 pm by Raxx »
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Arik_the_Red

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #52 on: October 29, 2010, 10:25:50 pm »

Getting clothes lined up for the guy... Yes, he needs a shirt :P

I think I'll be making one of those leather aviator hoods and goggles for him...

Kind of a skinny geek, I guess... need to work on that...
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 12:04:13 pm by Arik_the_Red »
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ENSONIQ5

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #53 on: October 30, 2010, 08:03:30 am »

Have made a start on the limo, bodywork pretty much sorted, working on the chassis and running gear next.  More details to come, like pipework junctions, lights, bumpers, various steam-based greebles, but keeping an eye on the poly count.
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$imon

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #54 on: October 30, 2010, 08:35:17 am »

Thanks raxx, even though its a decorative item (no actual steam would go through it) its always nice to add some details so I'll get on that!
I'm thinking maybe you don't see these type of signs in america too much nowadays so heres what I'm after in a steampunk style: http://www.kruiter-wilzing.nl/files/uithangbord%20groot%20recht.jpg
Maybe you can help me a bit with a little character sketch on the girl with the bike; what kindof workshop is she running (size, what products does she make, what equipment would be in it, is she clean or does she never clean up); just to get a sense of what her house would be like!

Good progress on the character Arik - just curious, does he have a name?
The skinnyness actually suits him I think, but that all depends on his character I guess.

Ensoniq; great start on the car there, I do feel a lot of lines coulds be accentuated a bit more though, refined corners really make the shape of a car; it looks a bit 'organic' at the moment.
I also feel the windows on the side could be arranged a bit differently (maybe elongate them a bit?)
There are a few smoothing issues you might want to address as well; under the side of the front windows and the nose grill  look like problem areas.
The hood seems a bit wider in the reference image you posted, maybe you can move the steam barrels to the outside a bit and widen up the whole top part of the nose?
Sorry to be a bit picky but I just love the concept and style of car so it would be awesome to see it at its full potential, and I know you can do that ;)

Its a good start everyone lets keep that up xD
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 08:38:10 am by $imon »
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Raxx

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #55 on: October 30, 2010, 09:27:05 am »

Arik_the_Red: Looks pretty good so far. The hands perhaps might need a bit of extra work to them. I think the skinny geek thing might work out since it could supplement the design of my steampunk girl (details below). He could be a genius-type that's far smarter than the rest of the bunch, but too lazy and carefree to show it, most times.

Ensoniq5: I agree with $imon regarding the addition of more hard lines in the body. Otherwise it's a good start and I can imagine it being used by some high-and-mighty corporation executive.

$imon: Ok, here's what I figure would be a good sidekick to the main character...

The main character seems to be a very carefree unresponsible person. So naturally he needs someone to keep him in line.

Liddy is a very tall, overly serious mechanic girl in her mid-20s. She's so serious and takes things so literally that it's comical, and often checks up on the main character to make sure he's not dead in a ditch somewhere. I'd say she's about 8' tall. In contrast her garage and home is slightly below average in size, so she has to stoop everywhere. Considering her height she's also got a bit of brute strength and often saves the main character from different scrapes and tough situations. Smarts-wise she's average, and therefore refers to the main character when tough tasks come up; she's also one of the only ones that realizes the main character's true potential. She's a bit clumsy in that she acts like she's the size of a regular girl, so she knocks into things or tries to get into impossibly small places (for her).

There'd need to be drums of lubricant grease, an indoor crane/pulley system to lift heavy objects, and the tools need to be organized on pegs on the walls. The tools would be an assortment of wrenches, hammers, screwdrivers, bolt cutters, crowbars, clamps, a big steam-powered hand drill, etc. She'd probably have an assortment of pipes in a barrel and other valves and doodads on shelves. She's so big that she'd knock into any desks laying around, so there's only one tiny workdesk in the back with a stool. Add in steam technology and that's about it.

Cleanliness-wise she keeps things organized and clean all the time (attributed to her serious personality), but since she knocks things down and around she has to keep rearranging and cleaning up messes. So the garage needs to be made clean from the start.

Not sure if there's any action scenes that we'd be doing, but she carries a massive wrench with her almost all the time and can swing it around like it was a twig. Something like this:


If you want to make the wrench like that, feel free to ;)

Attached is a quick sketch of what she might look like in the end. Definitely will have the long braided ponytail, short-sleeve shirt, work pants, and boots. Blonde hair, green eyes. Other accessories like a back harness for the huge wrench are possible.
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 09:28:37 am by Raxx »
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Arik_the_Red

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #56 on: October 30, 2010, 11:07:37 am »

$imon: The steam-pipe sign hanger is pretty cool, and I could actually see piping like that on business fronts, and some proprietor saying, "Hey, that's a great place to hang my sign!" So I don't see why the sign-pipes wouldn't run somewhere and serve some unknown purpose... As for saying "you don't see these type of signs in america too much nowadays," the only thing my brain says to me is, "This isn't a city of 'nowadays America,' so it doesn't matter." Signs of that nature were quite common well into the 20th century, and can still be found in many places in the USA.

Ensoniq5: You always do produce stunning, top-notch ideas for your projects... That car is definitely no exception!

Raxx: EIGHT FEET TALL???? yeegawds man, I would think that SEVEN would be quite enough to make her awkwardly overbearing in altitude ;)  If she's eight feet tall, those gloves make her all the more ... well, can't even bring a word to mind... But I love the look! The sketch is great! I sorta like the idea of how she's a neat-organization freak... and the whole "checking on the other guy" thing... because what you describe fits well with my character's persona... living in the attic of a shop and not having a place of his own, per se... and being something less than "detail oriented"  ;)  Oh, and was that "green EYES?" I only see "one" eye... unless she does that thing where you keep one eye under a patch for quick "in the dark" vision needs... ;) like Mythbusters' theory about why pirates really wore an eye-patch.
 
As for my character, yes, he needs a name (which gives me a headache to think on right now... though I might call him "Stanley"... because he's such a tool! http://www.stanleytools.com) and  the hands need work... Once I get his gear more in order, I'll be re-working that.  As is, the renders I show are of how he looks when changed over from a rather low-poly figure via variable face-subdivides... Mainly by setting the body and clothing to 0.00, and the boots to 0.5 or thereabouts. In fact, yes, I think I WILL call him Stanley from now on :P
« Last Edit: October 30, 2010, 12:06:40 pm by Arik_the_Red »
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kreator

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #57 on: October 31, 2010, 04:57:44 am »

bit of progress with the factory..



Working on the textures etc


update:



« Last Edit: September 14, 2012, 05:18:16 am by kreator »
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davdud101

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #58 on: October 31, 2010, 07:34:50 pm »

So, what should/ could I do??? how bout i make a pair of goggles or some flight apparel or something like that?
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$imon

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Re: Steampunk World
« Reply #59 on: October 31, 2010, 07:47:57 pm »

Raxx: 8 feet , wow haha, thats going to be very funny looking! Especially in combination with the humongous wrench she'll make quite the character..
Your description gives a lot to work with at least thats good :) I am thinking to hint a bit towards hobbit-style windows on a european style house, since it made me think of gandalf in the hobbit house.

Arik: yea thanks, i was only referring to america as in: i'm not sure if you guys even knew what I was modeling since you probably don't see those kindof signs too often. Its a good idea to actually attach the pipes to something though but I'll have to think about that (what sortof elaborate piping would there be on a store facade?)

kreator: great stuff man! I like your factory a lot better than the one that was for sale ! :) Can't wait to see the finished project.

davdud: you can make whatever you want! Just think of a steampunk-street and what you would see in such a sort of environment. Depending on if you want to make something organic or inorganic you can make a character, steampunk-pets?, or vehicles, houses, bridges, factories.. whatever you fancy, as long as it is in steampunk (or era-related) style!
IF you really can't decide; we will need streetlights at some point, should be interesting to make them steam-powered!



Ive been working on the garage a bit and its starting to take a general shape, maybe ill post a pic when the whole 'body' of the house is done!

I was watching Howl's moving castle for some inspiration, and I saw they had a steampowered tram driving through the shopping street! maybe an idea if we Ever get bored (or a trollybus)
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