Monday 5 May 2014

SPHERICAL PRESSURE VESSELS

Ok, I've managed to squeeze in some VERY late nights here, and eventually finished the new structures I've been working on at last. 
These are medium sized Spherical Pressure Vessels, and there's two variations of them- one is the basic one and the other is linked to the "underground" (Don't get your hopes up yet!) by an inlet pipe and has a raised platform accessible by stairs.



I've always loved the strange look of these containers when I see images of them or in real life- they look like they might just start walking towards you or something..! 
I have chosen to make some for NOVA ZONA as they are such a weird and alien sight on the landscape and lend a feeling of other worldliness to the island. From a distance they really help to break up the horizon line with simple spherical geometry that looks very out of place- this is going to be a continuing theme in my development; creating large big bold basic geometrical shapes that will turn the skyline of NOVA ZONA into a very uneasy place to be. 
I've changed them a bit from how they'd look in real life so as to fit better into this environment- things like making the base supports that horrible industrial tiling you used to get and rusting the hell out of them with drab colours.

I mentioned that these are medium sized vessels (Being 12 meters high from ground to top of sphere). I also plan to make really small ones about the height of a man and huge ones 2-3 times larger than these ones here- so you can imagine how freaky they'll look as they loom all around you in some dark Industrial Area of the map. I have in mind to create some areas that have nothing but these structures, so in effect you're surrounded by these strange spheres everywhere you look- it'd make for a unique environment I think! :)
Again, variations on all of these will play a large part in removing repetitiveness- I have some sketches down for how to chop and change these up and increase the alien feeling of them. ;)
Anyway, I hope you guys like them and here's a shot of them in game, just sitting there and waiting for the next unfortunate soul:



Also, as I am currently bogged down with RL work, I can't bite off another large structure right now so made a couple of VERY quick wallpapers of the NOVA ZONA logo with a few captions to capture the islands atmosphere:




The captions refer to the islands Industrial and Experimental background that went so horribly wrong- there is a back story to NOVA ZONA and I've fleshed it out quite a bit more, but you'll have to wait until release to find out for yourselves. Suffice to say it's not pretty and the island itself will tell the story if you can piece it all together...

As a final treat and because it's been so long since the last update I decided to make my first EVER Youtube video (Yahhh!) showing some of the structures I've already got in game and working. There is a lot you'll have to excuse about this video though- firstly I haven't the foggiest idea about best settings when recording (FRAPS) or uploading, so I don't think it's the best quality but maybe someone can PM me with some advice for future ref?
Also, as mentioned in the description this is a VERY BASIC setup that took me 1 minute to create in the Editor. I just picked a random place, then threw in these NOVA ZONA assets and placed OPFOR and BLUFOR on a collision course. If you look closely you'll notice the large Cinder Warehouses are "floating" slightly too- this is a very easy fix. Little things like oil drum/fences/sign posts are ALL still to come... 



Ok guys, I hope you liked this update and I'd love to hear any feedback you might have. 
It's probably going to be a LONG time again before I get the chance to work on this, but I'll try to find time when I can. 

3 comments:

  1. Those pressurized fluid storage buildings... I like the spheres, the stairs (from what I can see), the texturing...

    I suggest you revisit the ground connection parts though. It currently looks a lot like the spheres are on stilts, the brick foundations need some major love.

    For one, geometric perfection on something that looks like it was built 30-40 years ago?

    For another, sloped triangular bricks? The poor stonemason who had to lay those. When I look for photos of pressure spheres, they all seem to use flat concrete foundations to give the whole building some stability.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Janus0104..!
      Thanks for your feedback man, very much appreciated..! :)
      Aye, I took the design almost directly from an old photo by the renowned photographer Bernhard Becher.
      The vessels do indeed look geometrically perfect (Unless you meant weathering, and knock a few tiles out..?) and do have sloped top edges to the supporting bases. Granted there are no bricks to the bases- but I decided to place "clinical" looking tiles over them as a nod to the STALKER aesthetic.
      I wanted them to read like suspended spheres..!
      It's a look I'm very happy with as it is, even though you probably wouldn't get those tiles on a structure like this in the real world, but that's the point of this project- to make a place quite otherworldly without going over the top.

      http://likeellebelle.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/bernd-hilla-becher-gas-tanks_1983-92.jpg

      Again, thank you for your input man, it all helps keep me on the path..!

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  2. Lookin forward to this, big STALKER and ArmA fan here.

    I was working on a recreation of the old church in the marshes from Clear Sky, if you're interested in using it let me know, altho I'm a ways off finishing and I dunno if Blender plays well with other 3D software...

    http://imgur.com/hzv95Z8
    http://imgur.com/1sPdoXT

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