Star Ship Polaris

[Psion]

I think it's "realistic" but if you think the depth cues aren't playing out, maybe it isn't "cinematic".

How about more haze so the back wall is desaturated and harder to see and even the central column becomes a hulking something that lurks in engineering? I don't expect a starship's engine room to look dirty and hazy, but those qualities would give the set more character.

[sojourner]

The red and blue reflections on the floor just to the right of Maurice look wrong somehow.

[TheSeeker]

Maybe if the reflections followed the lines of the floor panel it might look more natural?

[Vektor]

Floor reflections are still temporary.

[rtsurfer]

Vektor, your work is always beautiful and this piece is as well. The Polaris is amazing and I can't wait to see her fly.

My skill is no where near yours, but I hope these suggestions might help in some way. Maybe try slightly blurring the center console area and noticably blurring the background to provide a depth cue much as audiences have come to expect from television and motion pictures. Additional duplicate objects visible in both foreground and background, in addition to the columns and hand rail, such as crewmen, chairs, recognizable consoles, etc might aid the illusion of depth. The colored reflections do seem a bit concentrated and probably do need to be in line with the deck plates and perpendicular to the monitors.
The control console forward, center frame is to at least my eyes distracting. I realize it is there to hide Maurice but IMO it's prominent position, colors and shape draw the eye and distract from the illusion of the scene. Perhaps move it closer to the larger control panel to the left, or even make it the back side of that panel, and change it's orientation and shape as it's level with a brighter surface while the other control areas seem more sloped and darker.
I have a question concerning the perspective of the scene. When I look at it the columns with the ladders and the previously referenced console seem to make the room appear slightly twisted. Is that how it would appear in real life or some kind of optical illusion? Also the rail, Maurice and the long console make it appear there is almost no walking space between them and the column, is that intentional or another optical illusion?

Hope none of my comments or questions have come across as insulting. I have and continue to enjoy watching the Polaris and this set develop. Thank you and please keep up the excellent work.

[dayxday1000]

Overall, I think it looks great. My suggestion to make it look less like things are running together is to change the lighting of the room. To my eye, the entire room should be darker with certain sections lit up as if by small lights or spotlights. The foreground console and crewmen should be brighter and the areas that are further from the camera (to the left and to the right of the central engineering shaft and controls/displays) should be darker. The increased contrast would add a better sense of depth to the room.

Examples of what I'm talking about can be seen here and here in these stills from the film "Das Boot" and here, in this image from a video game.

[Maurice]

Circular rooms often confound perspective. The radial lines on the ceiling are maybe contributing to that.

Lay in a few figures farther back in the room and see if that helps.

I'm not worried about atmosphere and all that if we're going to be using a 3D model rather than a matte painting.

One nitpick: lose the green on the dials. There's no green on this ship.

EDIT:

Two other things. The viewer's eye is going to be drawn to movement, i.e. the actors, or—in a busy environment like this—into anything that reads as negative (empty) space.

I'd suggest dimming the light on the ceiling beams and to let the foreground gizmo the console is hooked to either fall into shadow or put darker colors on it.

[Maurice]

P.S. I edited the message above instead of writing a follow-up, which might've been a mistake if Vektor had already read it.

[B.J.]

Maurice wrote:

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One nitpick: lose the green on the dials. There's no green on this ship.

You keep mentioning this. Any particular reason that I maybe missed?

[Psion]

B.J. wrote:

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You keep mentioning this. Any particular reason that I maybe missed?

I'm guessing it was some kind of set-design and costuming mantra intended to avoid green-screen problems. And, being oft-repeated, it took on a life of its own.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Could have been something like that, yeah.

[Maurice]

Not. Telling.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The conversion to Lightwave format is finished and the texturing is coming along.

[GalacticWierdo]

I can't help but feel like the ship seems to be glowing in a way -- like the light is hitting it in places where it should be able to reach. Otherwise it's absolutely stunning.

[Maurice]

Ambient light I suspect.