May 2016 - Felipe Rio Branco

#1

Hi

Here is my first rough concept. I wanted to focus on the size and scale of the space elevator, so I thought of doing an aerial view.

Again, emphasis on the sheer size and what it would take to anchor this structure to the ground. I will expand the complex surrounding the elevator with more buildings and populate the entire scene with taller buildings and add a more futuristic feel to the city

I will be posting other concepts soon

#2

I really struggle to attach photos in here, they have to be so small

#3

Nice start man, love the angle and placement of the shot!

And yeah I have the same problem, it really sucks as I liked the previous image uploading they had before the site upgraded.

#4


WIP_v02

Working with a few shapes, trying to get perspective and scale right. The shot is pretty high up so I will have to give up a lot of detail

#5

Nice! I like your “aerial” approach.
When i look at it I think it could look cool if you would build some crazy twisted intersection of highways whirling around the elevator. Just a thought :).

Regards
Jonatan

#6

Thanks man. Yeah I need to modify the city a bit so it looks more futuristic. Too bad about the tilt shift effect in the photo, I’m going to have to crop it slightly to get rid of some the blurring

#7

Looking good.

#8

This is how far I am now, working on the area surrounding the elevator but it still needs a lot of work.

Entertaining the idea of adding a second elevator to the background, if I have time. I think it will bring the whole piece together.


WIP_v03

#9

Worked on the second elevator. Cropped the image slightly at the bottom and left side to get rid of some of the blurring

Decided to do one that’s under construction… maybe a nation that is rising and becoming powerful enough to also build a second elevator…?


WIP_V04

#10

The elevator progress is good. What are you planning to do in order to get the environment to the same level of design? I think you should create a balanced visual language across your frame.

#11

Thanks Milan

That’s the challenge with such a wide shot like this I guess, there is a lot of detail to add and take care of. I was thinking of adding larger apartment blocks (similar to the ones from the movie Dredd) and/or industrial buildings

#12

Worked a bit on the city, filling it in so it seems more dense in certain parts.

Added some modern buildings (reference to the buildings in the new Dredd). Since war is the new sport, each city district has one of these buildings, kind of the local training grounds and the soldiers live and train there.

Want to add one or two more of these buildings and have some grading to do to blend them in a bit better.


WIP_05

#13

Looks good so far Felipe, I like the buildings you have added, i think keeping the new smaller buildings a lighter value and maybe darkening the large buildings even more will play the values against each other and make them pop out.

#14

Nice progress with adding those buildings.

#15

Yes! Nice progress indeed :slight_smile: I like your idea about the second elevator in the construction. Design of the elevator itself also pleases my eyes :).

As for room for improvements… looks like in some areas light direction is a bit inconsistent - in most of the field it comes from the left but on the trees close to the elevatror - from the right. Also elevator seems to be a bit too dark in comparison to the rest of the scene. But overall I really like your vision :). Keep it up!

Regards
Jonatan

#16

Thanks guys. Still some way to go.

You are right Jonathan, I was leaving the trees for last and did them quickly just to see if they would work. Been too busy with other details. I guess it’s time to re address them.

Less then a week to go. Final push!

#17

Ok here is my final DMP


May2016_Final_DMP

I decided to push the tall buildings to the background and replace them with new dome shaped buildings instead. I think they work better with the shapes of the elevator domes.

#18

I have a few notes for final:

  1. The perspective of the structure seems to be leaning towards the left too much. Tilt it back to the right a bit and also un-distort the plate to help you with the perspective.
  2. The textural quality of your space elevator needs that digital noise imperfection. Use the healing brush or something to add some of that pixel variation to it and make it sit more harmoniously
  3. The image still feels a bit unspectacular but requires only a bit of sci-fi upgrades to make it more interesting, I think. Just noodling around for like an hour, changing buildings here and there would make it feel more futuristic, I’m sure.
#19

Thanks for the feedback Milan. I hope I have time to make the changes you suggested.

The distortion on the plate has been the biggest drawback I think. But I have to make it work.

#20


May2016_Final_Revised

I made use of all the time I had. I tilted the main elevator to the right, added some density to the city and a few extra tall buildings. Also added subtle noise to the elevator to bring everything together.

The city does not look as futuristic as I hoped but I am happy with the overall result.

Hope you guys like it and good luck to all!

Here is the HiRes Link