Dragon Submarine - First post here

That0neGuy

Heya peeps, somewhat of a lurker. Decided to post around here and better myself in my 3D works, so I'm starting off with a submarine vehicle I want to do. I'm trying to make this after the style of Castlevania LoS2. I Have a concept down and testing/blocking it out in Maya and Zbrush. Any feedback/suggestions is welcome. I am struggling a bit with the dragon hull however, though. : S

Caiterade

The silhouette on your concept page is awesome! Love the shapes and edges you've started playing with.

What stands out to me, though, is that i don't know how this boat is being propelled forward. All of your concepts have HUGE propellers and stuff. I can't clearly see what mechanism your submarine has for movement. I can't tell off first read what this submarine's function is either, if it is a transport or war vessel. I know you're in the super early stages, but it's something to think about. 

alex1111

Hey, Thatoneguy, I really like the silhouette and design of this. If you don't have more reference, I recommend you gather a lot more and of closer shots of other hulls and ships too, that will help you move smoother and figure out some of the more difficult and intricate parts easily. What exactly with the hull are you struggling with? Are you keeping it as close to your concept, is it a modeling issue with some of the shapes, or figuring out some of the design of it? Also, by listening to what Caiterade said, by having an understanding of what its function is, you will be able to hone in on the reference you are really looking for and be able to pick out shapes and designs that help indicate that function without needing to explain it to people.

Caiterade

alex1111 said:

Hey, Thatoneguy, I really like the silhouette and design of this. If you don't have more reference, I recommend you gather a lot more and of closer shots of other hulls and ships too, that will help you move smoother and figure out some of the more difficult and intricate parts easily. What exactly with the hull are you struggling with? Are you keeping it as close to your concept, is it a modeling issue with some of the shapes, or figuring out some of the design of it? Also, by listening to what Caiterade said, by having an understanding of what its function is, you will be able to hone in on the reference you are really looking for and be able to pick out shapes and designs that help indicate that function without needing to explain it to people.

/flex

That0neGuy

Caiterade said:

The silhouette on your concept page is awesome! Love the shapes and edges you've started playing with.

What stands out to me, though, is that i don't know how this boat is being propelled forward. All of your concepts have HUGE propellers and stuff. I can't clearly see what mechanism your submarine has for movement. I can't tell off first read what this submarine's function is either, if it is a transport or war vessel. I know you're in the super early stages, but it's something to think about. 

I'm figuring how I'd pull off the propeller. One person did suggest to also include fins, which I think could help with the functionality of the vehicle as well as the overall silhouette. I'm looking to make this of a war vehicle. Do you have any particular war vessels in mind?

alex1111 said:

Hey, Thatoneguy, I really like the silhouette and design of this. If you don't have more reference, I recommend you gather a lot more and of closer shots of other hulls and ships too, that will help you move smoother and figure out some of the more difficult and intricate parts easily. What exactly with the hull are you struggling with? Are you keeping it as close to your concept, is it a modeling issue with some of the shapes, or figuring out some of the design of it? Also, by listening to what Caiterade said, by having an understanding of what its function is, you will be able to hone in on the reference you are really looking for and be able to pick out shapes and designs that help indicate that function without needing to explain it to people.

As far as the dragon head goes, I've been struggling a tad with the 2D-to-3D, but then again, I suppose it has more to do that the concept is more of a blockout of larger shapes rather than the finer details to explore, so that's something for me to experiment some more as I go back and forth between my modeling and any paintovers.

Nabes

Awesome design! But something you'll want to consider is the form following its function as a submarine. Submarines have very specific designs in order to maximize movement underwater. Check out here for more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_hull

I can see you put consideration into it moving forward, but think about how quickly it'll move underwater as well. Those horizontal protrusions will increase the drag. Water pressure will come into play in regards to how sturdy it is too.

Keep at it!