Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

[or 'How I learnt to stop worrying and love crazy mahoosive space hulks']


"The silent leviathan drifted inexorably through the cold harshness of the void; its massive, scabrous hull pitted and scarred from millennia of meteoritic bombardment. The aeons spent lost in this sea of darkness had been cruel. Now it was nothing but an eroded, lifeless carcass; its husk a tomb for a hundred thousand piteous souls..."


+++ INQUISITION HEALTH WARNING: THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT IS COMPLETELY BONKERS AND QUITE POSSIBLY WARP-SPAWNED. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED... +++

The basic goal of this project is to design and produce a massive, modular 3D space hulk gaming board for an upcoming narrative campaign weekend in 2014. The hulk needs to be large enough for up to 16 players to participate simultaneously in a game. The design of the hulk needs to be original, eye-catching and finished to a professional standard. It should also incorporate many unique components not currently available elsewhere within the industry.

You have probably noticed that this sounds like an incredibly challenging project, with highly ambitious targets. The reasons for this are two-fold: Firstly, we want to produce a truly amazing gaming experience. Secondly, we are quite possibly a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Whether or not we have bitten off more than we can chew; only time will tell!

Within this basic – if somewhat punishing – overall project objective are several vital sub-objectives, and these include:

High level of detail – Where possible, components will feature ‘realistic’ detailing (control terminals, power conduits, rivets etc)

Professional quality – All models will be finished to a professional standard

Original components – Including seldom-seen or even unique elements

Total modularity – This means a fully customisable gaming board offering many different layout options

Taking the aim even further, there is a definite requirement to design and produce components that are at least the equal of, if not superior to, existing space hulk terrain pieces on the market, as well as those individual scratch-built projects to be found on the internet. We have lots of ideas on how to achieve this, and we are very excited by some of them, too. You will find out about these in due course, as the project unfolds…

To begin with, we need to start small. It would be all too easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the project build before us – after all, this is a space hulk, and these badboys are kinda big! So, with that in mind, it would be sensible to begin with small parts such as:

Doors

Corridors

Deck plating

These are the fundamental components of the hulk, since you need a floor to walk on, corridors to walk through and doors to open (or, indeed, to keep things out). Once these sections are sorted out, we’ll move on to grander elements such as rooms, intersections, embarkation decks and so forth.

Keep checking back for updates and progress reports! You can also follow this build on the D R E A D H U L K blog: http://www.dreadhulk.blog.com or click on the signature banner below each post.

Peace!

Sounds cool! I look forward to some progress pics.

Needs pictures! Great concept though.

Sounds very cool! Maybe Philip SIbbering's Ecopolis might give you some more ideas!

Thanks guys - initial concept images on the way!

Cheers for the Ecopolis link, Malika2. I'd actually come across Mr Sibbering's work a while back, but had forgotten about it (along with many other things) when my old computer died and took all of my cool links with it... I'll be reading through his blog again now - thanks!

I'll be posting an update shortly...


Automatically Appended Next Post:

D E C K P L A T E S


I’ve been working on various CG concepts of the surprisingly variform deck plate iterations, and here is one of them: the humble grid plate or grill. One of the advantages of using grills in floor tiles is that you can model underfloor details such as piping and cabling; these would remain visible through the many square holes in the plate. However, one obvious downside to this design, from a modelling perspective, is that you need to cut out hundreds of square holes even for a very short corridor. This would be extremely time-consuming (not to mention infuriating!) to do by hand, but there are always ways and means, whether it be purchasing wire mesh or even going down the laser-cutting or CAD tooling and injection moulding route (the latter of which is currently beyond the budget of this project, although further down the line… you never know)!





Here’s another variation on the deck plate theme, although this time I’ve gone for a style that will expose anything beneath. This could be used for an aerial walkway or as a simple corridor section, where you can see pipework, tubes and cables through the slits. The plan is to have something like you’d see in the movies (Aliens etc). It’s fairly straightforward to make these deck plates and exposed pipes, and then cast them up to create a labyrinthine space hulk with corridors running for several metres.





In an ideal world, I’d get these tooled up for injection moulding, but the costs associated are currently prohibitive. Maybe something for Kickstarter further down the line, once I have a load of models made, details sculpted and even some CG maps/texture files with which to lure backers in to parting with their hard-earned ca$h money…

Best not get too ahead of myself though, eh?

Whilst working on some different deck plating designs for the space hulk, I had an idea for a machine tower when messing around with shapes. This could be anything from a simple pillar to a fully functioning component in the enginorium… haven’t decided yet. These bwadboys are stackable, too (always a bonus)! Will add some pipework, rivets, vents and suchlike and post version 2.0 soon.

Still working on deck plating in between other projects for work (you know – the one’s that pay the bills)…



I took the machine tower concept and started messing around with it to create a series of simple generators or cooling pump towers for the enginorium sector of the space hulk (I'm imagining a vast hall full of these towering machine coloumns). I will probably add more pipes and vents, plus some valves and obligatory rivets. In case anyone was wondering, these designs are all put together in SketchUp prior to rendering.

Next, I need to get back on track with the deck plating, before moving on to another fundamental component: doors.

I like what I see awesome

concepts look good ..
have you considered getting the deckplating laser cut from either aluminum or MDF ?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
the machine towers would laser cut from MDF well ..then add in other bits as required

Cheers happygolucky and morfydd!

@morfydd - Funnily enough, yes I had considered the laser cutting route, although at this stage I'm purely throwing out concepts. It's a good idea, mind (if it's covered by the budget)!

Thanks again. More updates soon...

This project looks very exciting, I'll be keeping my eye on this thread.

Just wondering, why did you go for this design when making generators?

This project sounds fantastically ambitious, i love it.
I've always been a big fan of 3D Space hulk / Ship interior Boards, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

GiraffeX wrote:This project looks very exciting, I'll be keeping my eye on this thread.

Cheers GiraffeX! I'm hoping to keep the updates regular!

Malika2 wrote:Just wondering, why did you go for this design when making generators?

I'll be honest, Malika2, I was just messing around with shapes really, and didn't have a particular piece of machinery in mind. These could be any number of things in the enginorium, including simple columns holding up a suitably vaulted ceiling. Nothing here is set in stone, however - I'm purely at the concept design stage, so it's all about mucking about with shapes and styles. I'll refine the ones I like further down the line (it's a long line stretching into 2014!) by adding gothic details (and plenty of rivets, no doubt)!

Keep watching this thread (or my blog http://www.dreadhulk.blog.com) and you'll hopefully get a pretty good idea as to my work process.

hk1x1 wrote:This project sounds fantastically ambitious, i love it.
I've always been a big fan of 3D Space hulk / Ship interior Boards, so I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Thanks hk1x1. Hope you continue liking this thread as the designs progress!

Another deck plate concept with a few rivets for good measure. I have quite a few other designs for floor panels, including flat metal panels (moving away from the grid/grill/vent designs).







They're very simple ideas and, to be honest, it's in everyone's interests to keep something that will be repeated MANY hundreds of times as simple as possible!

I’ve also been working on corridor sections, including a range of components and details such as pipes, cables, air vents, girders, buttresses… I could go on!

Oh yeah – and some small- and medium-sized doors…


+++ MESSAGE ENDS +++

DOOR CONCEPT 1.0


This is a quick sketch model just testing some shapes for a door. At the moment it isn't particularly inspiring, and definitely doesn't fulfil the brief regarding the Gothic Industrial styling, but it is what it is - a test piece. I'm gonna change some bits, add some pipes, rivets, buttress-type shapes and an industrial control panel to tart it up a bit. But that's for another post...




Here's a quick maintenance hatch test, too (this can be set in the floor or wall - or possibly even ceiling, if I feel the need to make any!):




+++ MESSAGE ENDS +++

This is an early attempt at some pipework that could be used in corridors, under floor panels, in vast enginoriums and pretty much anywhere else in the hulk. The top image shows pipework as it might appear in a corridor, with a combination of floor grills and solid metal plate panelling for the deck. In the centre of the second image is a closeup of the check valve.

One of my ideas for an area of the vast enginorium sector includes a lot of horizontal and vertical pipework formations, with raised gantries, walkways, platforms and so on, arranged into a 3D gaming space that caters not only for the standard forward-backwards-left-right movement, but also up and down.

Don't know if these links will help but here you go...

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?218330-Nedius-3D-Space-Hulk-Anphelion-Base

http://www.ironhands.com/hulk2.htm

http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/145743/3d-wargaming-terrain-building-terrain-ideas-need

Maybe this discussion will also help out:

http://trollsforge.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sciror&action=display&thread=1348

Cheers Rickfactor - there's some pretty cool stuff on there! I've seen a lot of existing Space Hulk type projects on da web, but it's always interesting to see more - if only to see what I'm up against...

I'm building pretty much everything from scratch (lots of plasticard!) plus any random bits that will fit in from numerous visits to scrapyards and DIY stores.

I won't be using anything produced by other wargaming companies; so no GW/FW parts.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Malika2 wrote:
Maybe this discussion will also help out:

http://trollsforge.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sciror&action=display&thread=1348

Thanks Malika2 - I'll have a read of that later! I've seen Phil's Ecorium stuff before, and he's certainly put a lot of thought into it

Yeah, Philip has the Ecorium stuff on his own site, but in this discussion we've delved a bit deeper into it, it might give you some additional ideas.

I'm now thinking about combining deck plating with other components, namely pipework and girders. The images above show several views of a short stretch of corridor, although equally this could be used as a bridge or walkway. As you can see, the pipework remains visible through the slits in the floor panels, giving an extra layer and exposing some of the inner workings of the ship.

Since I am going for a gothic/industrial architectural style, I plan on leaving a lot of pipework, cabling and machinery exposed, to give specific areas of the Space Hulk (namely the enginorium) a mechanical - and slightly harder - sci-fi feel. Whilst the aesthetic feel of the architecture is my main concern, I also want to achieve at least an element of 'believability' (assisting with the suspension of disbelief that is so important in story telling).

Hmm, you might want to make the gothic elements more subtle then, try to go for a very technical feel/look. Kind of look into art deco (or dieselpunk) for some influences.

That is an EPIC project! The generator/cooling tower design would also look rather good as a datastack or serverhub (lost STC info as an objective?).

Best of luck- you clearly have ambition, I hope you can realise it!

I like the walkways, the fact that you can see through them and veiw the detail beneath is a great feature. Plus it'll lend itself well to underfloor lighting, seeing some erie green or red light showing through the grates would give such an atmospheric feel.

Malika2 wrote:Hmm, you might want to make the gothic elements more subtle then, try to go for a very technical feel/look. Kind of look into art deco (or dieselpunk) for some influences.

Funny you should mention Art Deco. I''ve been considering mixing Art Deco with gothic styling for some time now - the working name's Art Gotho

Mr P's Space-Mini's wrote:That is an EPIC project! The generator/cooling tower design would also look rather good as a datastack or serverhub (lost STC info as an objective?).

Cheers Mr P! I certainly could use the machine towers as datastacks/terminals. And lost STC is certainly on the cards objective wise...

CadianXV wrote:Best of luck- you clearly have ambition, I hope you can realise it!

Thanks CadianXV. My ambition knows no bounds! Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

hk1x1 wrote:I like the walkways, the fact that you can see through them and veiw the detail beneath is a great feature. Plus it'll lend itself well to underfloor lighting, seeing some erie green or red light showing through the grates would give such an atmospheric feel.

Cheers hk1x1! Underfloor lighting would certainly help to set the mood...


More coming soon folks!


Automatically Appended Next Post:




Just a quick concept for a possible lumen strip globe design. I had an idea that I might include rows of these along some of the corridors.

Nice work, Have you considered looking into 3d printing some of the more intricate parts, you already have the models done so it would just be a matter of scaling.

I've been thinking of doing a similar thing then using the printed version as a master to cast copies of.

Also you mind if I pinch the generator design as inspiration for something?

What a cool project, I wish it was going on at the local hobby shop so I could participate.

Center of the lights look like they could be a ships coms speaker. Would be good or public address announcements. Or you might want a small disk under the lamps in the middle to be the emergency light.

OneManNoodles wrote:Nice work, Have you considered looking into 3d printing some of the more intricate parts, you already have the models done so it would just be a matter of scaling.

I've been thinking of doing a similar thing then using the printed version as a master to cast copies of.

Also you mind if I pinch the generator design as inspiration for something?

Thanks OneManNoodles! I have considered 3D printing (and CNC tooling/injection moulding at some point) as I'm still in touch with a rapid prototyping and manufacturing company I used to work for (mates rates!), but at this stage I'll be making everything the good ole fashioned way: by hand. I have however recently spoken with the old boss to get a quote for various services...

Feel free to 'pinch' my generator design as inspiration. What are you making?

jabbakahut wrote:What a cool project, I wish it was going on at the local hobby shop so I could participate.

Cheers Jabba! I've seen your Warhound titan-build instructions; they're most informative! I don't have a FW Warhound, but your closeup shots of the foot components will come in handy when I start my own plasticard version...

Theophony wrote:Center of the lights look like they could be a ships coms speaker. Would be good or public address announcements. Or you might want a small disk under the lamps in the middle to be the emergency light.

Two great ideas, Theophony - thanks! You're right; they do look like speakers so will come in handy when the denizens of the hulk want to taunt intrepid astartes as they delve deeper inside its labyrinthine depths... And having emergency lighting adds another dimension of realism which I love! Cheers