IIIIIIIT'S ALIIIIIIVE!!

Hey there and welcome to update #2 for our Desert Research Station!

I once again want to plug that I've been working on a majority of this environment over on Twitch. Come say hi and see things progressing!

Since the last update, I think the composition and the way forward have become so much clearer! We also have foliage which adds a lot of depth and sense of scale to the scene.

Where we were just throwing things at the wall to see what stuck before, NOW is the time to take all that leftover gunk plastered to the wall and begin crafting it into our final pièce de résistance! Maybe not the most appealing of images but that's not gonna stop our way forward ;)

I believe that a big part of an exciting environment is to have multiple points of interest that all cohesively fit together to tell a story. It's definitely fantastic to have your establishing shots that are compositionally sound, as pictured above, but beyond that it's important to zoom in and give your scene vitality by setting up slice-of-life dioramas around the scene that peel back the layers and give it purpose and history.

Here are some of such dioramas I've started to cultivate!

POWER GRID

I've added an array of solar panels and accompanying power lines that start to create a self-contained power grid for the electrical needs of the entire outpost. I can add more panels later and I also wanted to play with potential wind turbine designs that could add some movement to the otherwise static scene (except for some subtle wind in the foliage.) The use of power lines to carry electricity around will allow me to add lots of fine detail to the scene with lots of cables strewn about and different circuit boxes and detail bits on the powerline poles. Cables and pipes are a quick way to add some complexity and depth to a pretty flat and boxy base!

MOTOR POOL / MECHANIC GARAGE

I want to create a motor pool that will be available for storing and fixing up vehicles (the current blockout model for the vehicle is rough, I know. That will be updated in time!) Eventually the garage door pictured here will be swung open and I can start fleshing out a small interior scene with tools, jerry cans and mechanical parts.

COURTYARD

I want the 'courtyard' of the outpost to be reserved as a sort of unofficial loading dock. I haven't yet fleshed out some parts of the story like how resources/materials are arriving at this base or how many people are working/being stationed here but I am toying with the idea of making a main thoroughfare that passes by the base that a hypothetical truck could haul in supplies by. Maybe there is also some kind of crane vehicle that can move bigger shipping containers around the loading bay?

Eventually I will need to create some foundation for this station because I imagine it would not be realistic for this much weight to just be sitting atop some loose sand.. Some big slabs of concrete would allow for some cool details including wear/tear and cracks, extra grass/foliage growing in those cracks to give some age to this outpost and show that maybe its been here a while and decals that be used to denote loading bays and other important information.

HYDROPONICS DOME

I'm super excited about this particular part of the scene because it will be a chance to add some really rich, green colors that are otherwise mostly absent in our arid desert scene! The idea here is that the dome acts as a greenhouse that allows the scientists to cultivate plants and crops for food, and to generate and collect oxygen and store it in O2 tanks for breathing. This idea came when the scene was meant to be more alien, other-worldly and remote. I was operating under the story that there wouldn't be a breathable atmosphere but It's possible the landscape now feels too familiar to a sort of Colorado/Arizona which might not sell that impression in the way I want it to. Work in progress :)

This part of the scene in particular will also be extra challenging for me and a huge chance to level up my foliage skills so Im very excited!

NEXT STEPS!

Now that the composition is starting to come along nicely, it will be time to start messing with the nitty gritty details like doing secondary and tertiary passes on models, FINALLY start slapping some materials on them (including creating a POM decal material and trim sheet to add some extra depth and detail to the flatter areas) adding particle effects like dust clouds to give the scene movement and adding some REAL skysphere elements to replace our current, shoddy stand-ins! There is a lot to be done, still and the only way forward is to take it one step at a time!

Thanks for sticking with me :)
-Bray

Twitch.tv/braybeard for livestream project sessions