I want to make a good ship graphic, I know how, but I have no ideas. What makes a good graphic?
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"Whoopsy, I think I killed it..."-Me
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One of the key pieces to making a good ship is concept.
To make a cruiser just to make a cruiser, is (or is near) pointless. But if you are designing a cruiser as a mid-grade ship that falls between frigate and carrier, it has more meaning. So I guess I am saying, design a storyline behind it before you even design it, and build from there.
Remember, a good graphic is one that appeals to the eye, and catches the attention of the viewer.
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1: its type: make a freighter look really like it can carry cargo, if its a fighter, make it look small with minimal weapons, if its a large warship, show the large weapon ports. Though, don't be too obtrusive about it.
2: right texture: make the texture fit the craft, the texture shouldn't be glaringly different then the model, rather, make it blend with the edges and flow of the ship.
3: realism: it should look "believable". some tips: don't add wings and tails, they are not needed in the vacuum of space. Also, if you are very skilled, you may want to try to add an antenna array somewhere. (again, this must be done right, or not at all.)
show the weapon ports, yet don't make them obtrusive.
4: study others artwork, you may learn something.
I always think up the ship in my imagination, then draw it out on paper to get an idea of how it should look. Then i make the model based on the drawing.
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It's hard to define this exactly. I've found myself looking at everyday objects and then frantically scribbling on post-it notes to try to get down some of the information. Another good idea is to use not only a common set of textures between ships in a set, but also common components, even if they are resized, or a common theme. I have a government called the Xanth I'm doing ships for right now, and everything is hexagonal. Quite a different look, but it becomes distinct, and the player will associate that pattern with that government, so they can see a ship they've never seen before and automatically tell whose it is.
Also, don't be afraid to use lighting effects such as point lights where needed, and effectively.
Figure out your form. Do you want to go for an organic, alien look, or a more boxy terran feel?
Try making your initial model out of entirely one type of geometric figure. Render it a few times, and then add new figures, or replace some others with different figures. This can lead to entirely new ideas.
Don't be afraid to capitalize on a mistake. If you make a mistake, but you like the results, don't be scared to change the rest of the ship to fit that piece.
Usually each ship will have a geometric figure or series of figures that cahracterize it (i.e. the confed frigate and cruiser, in EV, it was the curved style wings. The rebels, it was the triangular wing close to the hull, and the triangle in general).
Don't be afraid to experiment. One of my most successful ships came with the use of random numbers. I jotted down a series of 10 or 12 numbers between 1 and 20, and created an object based on them. I chose the fifth geometric shape out of the menu, then added the thirteenth transform, and added values into the fields starting from the top, off of my list. The next number was the next transform I added, and so on.
Try thinking of someone you know well, and design a ship that you think they'd fly, that matches their personality. Then add some more in the same style and make a series.
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What makes a good graphic? Hmmm well, in any case, always paper and pencil first no matter what unless you're really really really good. As for 3D design, make sure your ship design looks like a real ship instead of having it look like basic shapes slapped on together. Quality is important too, don't forget that. As for me, I do paper and pencil most of the time, on rare times I start from scratch right on my comp, but that's just me. If you are serious in wanting someone to design a ship for you, I may take an interest in making one for you,other than that, you can follow these advice to design a ship by yourself.
If you do have any comments, question, or requests, my email is: prefectural@yahoo.com
Our positions are diametrically opposed. I have many ship ideas in my head, but I haven't the foggiest idea how to render them on a computer. Perhaps we can share information, yes? 
As Captain Z suggests, I usually design it with the exact purpose in mind. Do I want it to be a fast, lightly armed and armored fighter? A medium speed gunboat for engaging capital ships? A slow but resilient freighter?
With that in mind, I just let shapes and images float through my head, picking the ones that I like and trying them in combinations until I think it looks good.
I disagree with Skyfox about wings. The tips of wings/stabilizers make ideal locations for small maneuvering thrusters, and most small ships are going to go in the atmosphere anyway.
So how do you render an image once you know what you want it to look like?
From the humblest renderers (Mechanisto) to the most powerful programs
that you can get for free (gmax), what you do after you have your designs is to
find yourself a 3d modelling/rendering program that you are comfortable with.
Most programs work by creating a basic shape, manipulating the shape to
get it the way you want it, and repeating the process untill you have what
looks like your origional design.
Render it with lighting, or if it's a ship, assign it a spin and have it render
the ship in incremental time units, so you have a bunch of pictures of your ship at
the different angles used by the engine.
There are others here who can explain the details better than I, so I will
stand aside...
(edit)my god, the typos!(/edit)
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tru7h
(This message has been edited by Mr. S'pht (edited 03-25-2002).)
