I've been going around as a writer, but started getting drawn into Concept Art and 3D modeling. I'm currently finishing my studies as a 3D artist and will then be let loose on the world. Beware!
The equation for artificial gravity may be highschool level, designing a space station that doesn't kill you while on the way to said aritficial gravity, proves to be more a challenge.
Please give me some ideas on how I could improve the concept/blockout.
You could have an additional ring on the outside that is separate from the rest of the station with docking ports spacecraft. It would spin up along with the rest of the station when the ship is properly docked or when craft are no longer attached, allowing for people to walk between the two rings.
Not sure I can imagine how that would look. The thing is, the small round piece on top of the left crew module already is an airlock and the station can have another one on its main body. For the story (this is for an adventure game) the station doesn't need to be larger; this is in fact a re-design from a much larger station blockout, I had made before.
I redesigned it completely, because I wasn't happy with square tiles and artificial gravity that is somehow magically generated. I want this to really work and be fun for the player. Even though there are only a couple of rooms for him to explore.
What I'm thinking is more: how to make it visually more interesting. I'm more about cosmetic improvements at this time. Thanks for commenting!
Is that game going to have gravity shifts? If not, I would imagine this kind of station would be pretty hard to make in a game-engine.
That being said though, if it will have a dynamic gravity system based on centrifugal force then that would indeed be quite interesting to see.
As for cosmetics. I dunno, it feels like the solar panels are a tad small and also (possibly depending on how the station moves) in a wrong, maybe partially shaded place.
You could also make the ring very monotone (white) on the outside but the inwards-facing half of the ring much more detailed with windows and maybe some pipes and panels.
I always liked this design: Daviddarling.info
Of course we are going to fake the gravity transitions. Basically, you will never see the inside of these connecting pipes, they will take you from the zero-g to the 1g sections through a cutscene; it's an adventure game, after all.
It's the same with the rotation of the station, while you are in the center, the ring revolves around the station, but while you are in the ring, the station center and skybox rotate. This way the player is always in a static level.
Yeah, the 2001 Space station was about the first on my list, but this one is much, much smaller, as it is a small research station. I'm looking at ISS images for the interiors, but I guess I will compromise between realism and computer game realism. I just don't want things to look too sci-fi and futuristic.