Concept Art: Part 1 (Initial Sketches)

Design progression:

Though it is not overtly linked to the design of my "engineering chamber" i thought it would be useful to first develop the look of the environment in which it is set. by re-establishing the context of my design i can design an assets that feel as though they are well considered  and designed to compliment the surroundings that the player would encounter them in. i tried to build my design of the concept art  that was created for Ba4 by my team mates Nathan and David. 

This is a concept sketch that i created to roughly show my vision for the layout and structure of the game world setting (the facility) i loosely based it of David's external mood painting (figure 1) and Nathan's 3D map example (figure 2).

(Figure 1) is the only concept art i fad to go off for the outside of the building. in a way this is a blessing as gives me more freedom to experiment with my own design ideas while sticking too the design document.

(Figure 2) is a 3D version of the map (as showed earlier). in our design document it states that this design is based off a snowflake, and that this gives it structural strength. However, upon reflection i think that it makes the layout of the building (as a game world) is too rigid to and too symmetrical. though this is structurally strong, i don't think it looks interesting because of the lack of variation. i also believe that this would make it hard to navigate as each of the 8 areas have the same layout and structure because it has a layout that has 8 planes of symmetry.

I created this concept to show a single area of the facility. I did this sketch in profile because i thought it would be the clearest way to show the structure an layout of each level of the building. I have tried to improve upon the design ideas that were discussed in Ba4 to create a more interesting and well considered design. The basic shape of the structure is symmetrical, this theoretically would provide strength to the structure. However i changed the shape of the individual layers to hexagons because of their structural efficiency and shape.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/hexagons-in-the-natural-world/13090.html

I find the use of hexagons within structural design quite interesting, as the shape has mixed connotations  in one sense it is a geometric shape, and as such has a very un-natural feel. However it is found extensively in the natural world due to its before mentioned properties.

Some of this design is also based off my new research into lunar engineering (the use of circular, modular connecting tunnels)

This piece of the building is one of the rooms that will contain the containment chamber in the game. 

From the close up of my original concept i sketched a more detailed 3d view of the building to better illustrate the shapes and components of the building.

This piece of conceptual modeling for a lunar habitation served as useful extra reference for me for both my two previous pieces. I like the rounded edges of the plates that form the structure, and the way the building appears to be produced in sections, in the modular way i described earlier. 

These are my primary concepts for the actual tank (engineering chamber) i just wanted to throw down some ideas of form, i was however unsatisfied with the result. i think i put this down to my not using my mood boards and other images for reference.

Using my mood boards as reference for form i worked on these further sketches. I tried to give an indication of functionality of the design as well as a suggestion of shape. I am taking into consideration the ergonomic needs of my design by looking back at the silhouettes of the creatures i created last year. These give me examples of the spacial use of the asset, and how the creatures fit in and interact with it.