Well, when I was working on Galaxy's Edge, I started with some ships I'd made previously, and during the process of creating the plug-in I modelled about 25 new ships. I had a lot of fun making it, so I've decided to make a plug-in for EVN. I had a great idea for a plot and setting, and I think I can make it work. I know I can't actually make the plug-in itself yet, but what I can do it model all the ships and outfits and plan for all the races and missions and planets, etc.

The problem is that after working on Galaxy's Edge, I'm running out of ideas for new ships! I've only made a couple new ones so far and I'm having a hard time trying to think of interesting shapes for spaceships. How do you other people get inspired? Any advice?

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Download Galaxy's Edge for EVO at (url="http://"http://www.galaxys-edge.f2s.com")http://www.galaxys-edge.f2s.com(/url)

I usually try to think of a theme for a race, are there ships flat, starshaped, boxy, airplanes style, long and thin, some them from earth (fishlike, birds), or some other style. Then I give them a primary color(s) and secondary color(s) so that they can easily idenified.

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Silent Night will be converted to Nova! Should be done in 2 years!
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If you look far enough on the horizon, there will always be a cloud.

i usually go off of the "personality" of the race for which i'm making ships. for a logic-based government, make ships which optimize functionality (use dark colors for warships, bright for merchant craft, and try to add little devices which are supposed to do something or other, it doesn't matter what, to the outside). for a government which uses organic technology, use fractals and complex round edges (perhaps overlapping spheres, for example); for one which is more mechanical, use sharper edges, or at least less complex ones (cubes or cylinders, w/ simple joins instead of overlapping). just start with primitives which fit the culture for which you're building the ship, then start adding and modifying (even at random, if you have absolutely no inspiration) until you've got something whih vaguely resembles a starship. if this doesn't give you the ideas you need to come up w/ a viable model, try hiring elves (not gnomes, they're not good at this kind of stuff, even if they do ask for less money) to come up with material for you

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if tin whistles are made of tin, what's a fog horn made of?

Go to a bookstore, check the Science Fiction section, see what is on the book covers. Not original, but it works.

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I often get my inspiration by looking at car engine parts. Interesting

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Time is the best teacher, yet it kills all of it's students.

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Originally posted by Slug:
**I often get my inspiration by looking at car engine parts. Interesting:)

**

:blink, blink:

I've done that, if only by accident, and it was bits of an engine for a plastic model of a car that my roommate was building...

Dreams and clouds and what things look like when it's too dark to really see them can also provide interesting inspirations.

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(Insert Signature Here)

Me? I just load up on psychadelic drugs, any and all that I can get my hands on.

-improvdude-

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Originally posted by improvdude:
Me? I just load up on psychadelic drugs, any and all that I can get my hands on.

Indeed, I get the best ideas for ship models when I'm seriously drunk, after a hard night on some party - like now oh man, my head

Quote

Originally posted by Giule:
**I know I can't actually make the plug-in itself yet...
**

What do you mean? Going off the EVN bible, you can construct the templates. I've already made some of 'em.

I draw my inspiration from different places. Clouds are the big one, and rocks are a close second. Looking at piles of stuff, I can often draw inspiration from the strangest of places. Just the other day, I thought of a cool design based on a bicycle helmet...

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(/mindless babble)

I'm not the best person to talk about inspiration but I think you should look where the others said but also on nature and some of it's shapes and patterns.

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Captain Orne
AIM:CaptnG3
ICQ:31162561
Yahoo!:BOrnelasPT

Quote

Originally posted by Deepwood:
Going off the EVN bible, you can construct the templates.

Matt Burch says otherwise.

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David Arthur
(url="http://"http://members.aol.com/darthur1/talon-ev/")Talon Plugin for the original Escape Velocity(/url)

(This message has been edited by David Arthur (edited 07-22-2001).)

Running out of ship ideas, eh? That can be very irritating... My only means for coming up with good ship designs is long periods of thought or heavilly-altering other ship models.

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~Captain Skyblade

CEO of the Corsair Development Team
(url="http://"http://tmgmedia.net/jpayne")Corsair Homepage(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub57.ezboard.com/bcorsairdevelopers")Corsair Web Board(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub101.ezboard.com/bstarbasedelta")Starbase Delta(/url)

Personally, I get a lot of influence from everyday (and not-so-everyday) objects. Open things, twist things, turn things, and imagine things flying through space. It really works. Another good one is Legos. The (url="http://"http://meowx.com/shipyard/singles.html")E6 Stargazer(/url) was based on the (url="http://"http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6982")Explorien Starship(/url) and after rendering it once, I decided to flip the engine and the bridge so the front was now back and vice versa. Happy modeling!
-david-

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(url="http://"http://www.meowx.com")Meowx Design Studios(/url)
Graphics. Games. And more...

Very True. Look at anything and see how it could be used. Then try to sketch it (small is fine, just the general concept, your imagination can fill in the rest). Sometimes if you screw up you can get more designs! Drawing is a good way too.

-david- you like LEGO? LEGO is cool. I work for LEGO. hehehe

- Squinky

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Quote

Originally posted by Squinky:
**Very True. Look at anything and see how it could be used. Then try to sketch it (small is fine, just the general concept, your imagination can fill in the rest). Sometimes if you screw up you can get more designs! Drawing is a good way too.

-david- you like LEGO? LEGO is cool. I work for LEGO. hehehe

- Squinky

**

You work for LEGO? I hope you're kidding.

I design many of my ships using LEGO...It works perfectly, so long as you have the proper pieces in quantity.

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~Captain Skyblade

CEO of the Corsair Development Team
(url="http://"http://tmgmedia.net/jpayne")Corsair Homepage(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub57.ezboard.com/bcorsairdevelopers")Corsair Web Board(/url) | (url="http://"http://pub101.ezboard.com/bstarbasedelta")Starbase Delta(/url)

Looking at a car's engine bay is really good inspiration but gets dull after sometimes. One of the best sources for inspiration for designs is Japanese anime. If you have money, go out and rent some Anime movies. There is a HUGE variety to choose from just in the sci-fi section. Also if there are any anime shops in you area, go visit them. These shops sell models, both ships and mech to godzilla and monster types characters. They almost always have a huge selection of premade ship models on display of all kinds and also stacks of unmade models in boxes. Great place for inspiration!!!

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just open your 3D program and click around making shapes. It works sometimes. I tend to look at sci-fi programmes and books and modify what I see to fit my needs...

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--sitharus
(url="http://"http://www.oxy-web.com/sitharus/")Carracho Help - New and Updated!(/url)
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Check around in the EV photo gallery. I've modeled many ships from starring at other peoples designs (just don't make them look exactly the same! :)) BTW, Galaxy's Edge was tight.

Meowx flipped the ship around?
I downloaded the E6 and decided it was the wrong way round,so I had to labouriously rotate every single sprite and mask individually 180 degrees,so the wing bits were at the back.

Anyway,what I tried to get new ship models:
I tried modelling the Sauridian Escort Carrier from E2 for EV in mechanisto.
Then I looked at Caernarvor Station's Atinoda page,and say a "Kestrel-class carrier"-a double-hulled Kestrel.
Inspired by it,I added a second hull alongside the first of my Assault Carrier,then added extra cargo/weapons pods,bridge nodes,and stuff.
Made a fighter for it by trying to copy the Protoss Interceptor from Starcraft.