|
|
|
Space / design | |
| Design Commentary There are many design philosophies in LUGNet.space. Here we will explore them as well as offer perspectives from different builders in the community. If you have ideas or suggestions for future topics, please contact one of the Space Curators. How To Make Space Engines Without Using Wheels A lot of spaceships made out of Lego use wheels as engine nozzles. This is all fine and well, but often the end result is that you have what looks like a bunch of wheels on the back of your spaceship! In any case, it’s a design that’s somewhat overused and has become something of a cliché. Depending on what parts are at your disposal, you might like to consider an alternative design for your engines that doesn’t use wheels. The following designs are some examples of spaceship engines that utilise a variety of alternative design techniques. Utility: Round Bricks and Cones Round bricks and cones are fairly common, and although they may not be as versatile as some other solutions, they are a good base for bundling other elements together to create a more interesting engine design. More often than not, it’s the context the engine elements are placed into that makes them look good.
Versatility: Slopes, Wedges and bricks with studs on sides If you are making your engines bigger than about six studs in diameter, or if you are making sleek retro-styled engines, then slopes are a good way to make an interesting curved shape. Using bricks with studs on sides is a great way to do this. The sheer variety of slope and wedge elements available makes for a great multitude of designs.
Possibility: Hinge Elements Cylindrical and radial arrangements of hinges can be difficult to keep stable, but if you do, you can do some cool and interesting things with it. There are a lot of unexplored possibilities with this particular design.
Specialty: Octagonal Plates and other unusual parts The octagonal rod-frame plate, although uncommon, makes for cool engine designs when used with the various plates with clips on them. There are some even stranger parts that can often work as engines!
Finally, just to show that I don’t actually have anything personally against using wheels in engines, here’s one I made using wheels:
Some day I might actually put it in a spaceship! Design commentary by Paul Baulch GREEBLES  photo from Voodoo Child by Soren Roberts What’s a “greeble?” “Greeble” (also “greeblie” or “greeb”) is the popular term to describe groupings of mechanical-looking detail elements on MOCs. Here is one of the earliest mentions of the word in LUGNet.space, although the term is common in the popular sci-fi world and is been rumored to have been present on blueprints for Star Wars models used in the films. One of the earliest known space MOCs to use greebles was Bob Hayes’ Civilian Freighter 2, which used a row of greebles along its midsection. Later greebles began showing up on MOCs like Mark Sandlin’s Gazelle and were even taken to incredible extremes like Paul Hanson’s Planetoid Prospector. Greebles are not necessary on a MOC, but they hint at unseen machinery lurking just below the surface of the spaceship. The usage and extent of the greebles are limited only by the builder. Comments from LUGNet.space builders Mark Sandlin As was mentioned in the article, I was turned on to using greebles by Bob’s Freighter 2. I really liked the way he created the detail along the edges of the ship. I tend to use greebles in small amounts, and usually grouped in little hollows or engine areas of a spaceship. Sometimes I will cluster them along with the weaponry as well. I usually prefer to use gray or dark gray elements, with an occasional splash of yellow or red to add visual interest. I think the Rock Raiders tool sprues were one of the best things to happen to greebles. Gil Shaw When I see effective greebling, it serves 2 purposes: it breaks up the texture of an area/joins two segments, or gives a part of the model purpose. For instance, Paul Hanson’s Planetoid Prospector is often recognized as a high form of greebling. The jumble of pipes and items hanging off the edge and over the top of the ship may at first appear to be a random sprinkling, but if you look closely, you can see that they all are generally connected and have a certain flow. Visually it breaks up the boxiness of the ship, and ‘functionally’ it looks as if they are a complex system of connectors that supply the instruments on the prow. Excellent greebling enhances the effect of the model tenfold. ‘Stuck on’ greebling detracts in equal measure. Take your time..have fun with it! |
|
All text, images, or trademarks in this document are the intellectual property of their respective owners. |
| |
©2005 LUGNET. All rights reserved. - hosted by steinbruch.info GbR |
