3D illustration of a sci-fi Japanese capital

[Gamerprinter]

3D design is a different kind of animal entirely compared to 2D graphics/mapping. The first time I started using 3D (20 years ago), it took me a week to grasp the basics - working in 3D space, in today takes a little to wrap your mind around. I use a relatively simple, FREE, subdivisional surface modeler to create my objects, because it's based on Nichimen Nendo, which I used for 10 years, so I'm familiar/comfortable with using it. It does not apply textures, lighting or renders, I require another program to accomplish that. Although I use Vue Creator now ($20/mo. subscription), I ought to use Blender 2.8 which is free, but uber-complex, so a bit intimidated now, but I should use it. Believe it or not, but all my objects in this thread (except the land which is done using Vue), began as a cube, cylinder or sphere, more rarely using octoids, icosahedron and geodome, but I begin using primitive shapes and through extrusions, insets, rescales and subdivides, I can create whatever is in my imagination and skill to accomplish it. Like anything else, it takes some practice to get the hang of it, 3D is not always intuitive, but once you get it, you can do a lot - even useful for creating complex objects for a map.

I wouldn't use 3D with fantasy, but sci-fi seems a good fit for using it, and why I am.

[Tiana]

3D design is a different kind of animal entirely compared to 2D graphics/mapping. The first time I started using 3D (20 years ago), it took me a week to grasp the basics - working in 3D space, in today takes a little to wrap your mind around. I use a relatively simple, FREE, subdivisional surface modeler to create my objects, because it's based on Nichimen Nendo, which I used for 10 years, so I'm familiar/comfortable with using it. It does not apply textures, lighting or renders, I require another program to accomplish that. Although I use Vue Creator now ($20/mo. subscription), I ought to use Blender 2.8 which is free, but uber-complex, so a bit intimidated now, but I should use it. Believe it or not, but all my objects in this thread (except the land which is done using Vue), began as a cube, cylinder or sphere, more rarely using octoids, icosahedron and geodome, but I begin using primitive shapes and through extrusions, insets, rescales and subdivides, I can create whatever is in my imagination and skill to accomplish it. Like anything else, it takes some practice to get the hang of it, 3D is not always intuitive, but once you get it, you can do a lot - even useful for creating complex objects for a map.

I wouldn't use 3D with fantasy, but sci-fi seems a good fit for using it, and why I am.

I've just started working with Blender 2.8 and yeah, it is crazy how complex it it is. It's not intuitive at all in most places, and I haven't got a bloody clue how to perform most tasks, or even how to phrase a question to Google, making it take literally multiple days to figure out how to progress past one step. With that said, I actually haven't figured out how to do anything that's remotely sci-fi right now... I've been exclusively doing fantasy monster sculpts starting from a sphere. I don't know how to get them out of the program or even how to get a nice screenshot of them, or how to make textures do anything at all. Everyone keeps being like "it's soooo powerful" but I'm convinced that's code for "it's overly convoluted and extremely challenging to learn". The only part that's intuitive to me is sculpting. It sculpts real nice. I don't use Vue so I can't compare, but it only took me a few days to get the hang of doing basic monster sculpts, so I assume eventually I'll figure out how to make fantasy terrain items (main goal).

Anyway, I love your sci fi art and I now have an idea of how ridiculously complicated it is to make. I already love sculpting in Blender, I just have no freakin' idea how to get it from there to a finished piece of art, and the process is nightmarish to learn. Yeah, Blender's "powerful" but if you like Vue and it's something you can charge as a business expense, screw it, man, just use Vue.

And having sculpted a bit now I do believe all your stuff started as simple shapes. Kinda seems like that's the easiest way to build something in 3D.

[Falconius]

@Tiana I can't recommend Blender Guru's beginner series enough. I know it's only making a donut, but it will provide a foundation in almost every aspect of Blender to help move forward on your own. He's made one for Blender 2.8 now. If you just go through each lesson with him as he does it, you'll get it.

I don't know if that tutorial series is feasible for you though Gamerprinter, it might just be mindnumbingly frustrating since you are already familiar with other 3D programs.

[Gamerprinter]

Jax - here's a very rough "tutorial" I made for creating clown fish, I did several years ago, which might give you an idea how to create organic shapes like fish, starting with a cube.

1. Start with a cube
2. Double it's length up and down
3. Cut the faces on two side, push the lines outward, then bevel all the lines.
4. Extrude one flat face to double it's length, then reduce the scale
5. Extrude and repeat
6. Reduce the scale
7. Scale side to side
8. Repeat to the narrowest point then extrude, while scaling vertically outward then inward to create the round tail
9. Select the line loops along the shape, and pull to one side, then select the next line loop and pull to the other side to simulate the body moving to swim
10. Grap the opposing flat face and extrude and scale to create the head of the fist
11. Eventually squish the scale up and down inward to create the mouth, then extrude into the head to create the inner mouth.
12. Grap the points behind the line line up from center, bevel the points to create a diamond shape, select the points of the diamond and bevel again to create round eyes, then extrude out scaling down
13. Grab the faces on top of the fist, inset then extrude to create the fins, bevel the corners to make rounded shape
14. Do the same to bottom faces to create the lower fins
15. Determine the gill area behind the eyes and behind that inset/extrude/bevel to create the lateral fins.
16. Subdivide or smooth, which cuts every face into four pieces with center pulled slightly away to round the shape. You can subdivide a couple times to get a more smooth shape, but adds to file size. Done.

Take model and export to your favorite full 3D program to texture, light and render the image - as the final top down of the clown shown.

GP

[Jaxilon]

Nice tutorial and who doesn't love clown fish?

[Gamerprinter]

Thanks, Jax.

Completed the first 10 3D map objects and printables set for Sick Bay... enjoy!

GP

[Gamerprinter]

An illustration for inspiration, modeled in Wings 3D, then textured, lit and rendered in Vue Creator. This is Juno Asteroid Station. The spherical asteroid is the main habitat, with a micro singularity at it's center to create 1g of gravity just below the surface area. The two smaller asteroids were towed here. The one of the left is a metallic rich asteroid being mined for ores, with the smelting factory beneath it. On the right is a large ice asteroid mined also, for water, and the separation of hydrogen for maneuver drive fuel and oxygen for breathing. This is a very permanent asteroid base with over 50,000 residents. Perfect for the Diaspora (asteroid belt)... enjoy!

GP

[Francissimo]

beautifull work with those stone textures, and the domes on the asteroid are really well integrated!

[rredmond]

Wow. Yes, that's incredible. At first I thought the structures too big to be possible, then realized this is an asteroid, and thus smaller than a planet... also that it's science-fiction so...
Really neat looking, thanks for sharing Gamerprinter!
--Ron--

[Gamerprinter]

Thanks, guys!

Took two renders to do this, but the second one was quicker. I will need an image of a sky elevator, accessing an orbiting ring in low orbit (still inside the ionosphere protected from micrometeorites). The orbiting ring sports a Mach 10 dual mag-lev train tracks that can take passengers, or separately cargo containers in 15 minute trips to the opposite side of the planet, or to other sky elevators enroute. The elevators continue upward to reach the starport torus station at the top in higher orbit. Using this for my Kaidan System Empire project... enjoy!

GP