Rigel Stardin
SOC-13
(This is not an advertisement, it is an explaination).
The program that I have been using for over ten years now is called Neopaint by Neosoft. Last time I checked it was going for about fifty dollars US. It's really nothing more than an over blow MS Paint program. It has several features which make it more robust than Paint but you can do what I do, if you are famliar with MS Paint.
Now here are a few tips on making your own starships designs. (I've explain these things is bits and pieces across several threads.)
1: Set your scale. I use 15 by 15 Pixel scale for all my drawing. I also have 3 Standard room sizes which I can fill with bits and pieces to make it look like something you can find on a starship. You don't want to go to small or too big, you lose detail and most of them won't print out. Or the user will have to cut and paste in sections to maintain the aspect ratio of the drawning.
2. Keep everything you draw. You don't know what piece or concept you started maybe used or inspire your next drawing. I've been tinkering around with designs for 10 years now I have over 1500 files in 27 different folders. Some are pictures of starships I've downloaded off the internet for inspiration, the majority however are drawing I've created. I've got maps, pictures (none on the par of those I've seen here, my brother was the artist, I'm just a mechanical drawer.), symbols, languages and other misc.
3. Standardize (to an extent). Make sure that your drawing reflect what you're trying to depict. If you draw a stateroom, then make sure the bed looks like a bed. Save these standardize room to a file (or in the case of Neopaint a stamp for later use.) I have 3 file devoted to Noses, engine rooms and engines. I also have stamps which cover equipment, reactors, rooms, furniture, and for floorplans. If you haven't notice, most of my designs are cylindical in nature. This is due to the fact I mave have over done the standardization of my rooms, and equipment.
4. Don't be afraid to experiment or copy. I say this because, if you like a design and you make an attempt to match someone elses design you can learn alot from your mistakes or achiements. I have a Gazelle drawing that is simular to the Seeker 25mm plans of said vessel. I've used my own stamps to fill out the vessel according to their design. It taught me about the perspective I need to make a ship look almost real. It also made me standardize my rooms so they would fit together properly.
5. Look to the real world for solutions. I alway show the bridge seperate from the avionics bay. Why, because commerical craft in the real world do this. But I don't alway show the landing gear. The simple reason behind this is, is it a space where the players may go during repairs or hide during boarding? Deckplans are used for action during a game. Player 3 has to repair the starboard toliet before it leaks on the electrical equipment on the lower deck. Why rack your brain for hours when there is hundreds years of man knowledge on the Internet? Look how they put things together and then apply it to your drawing.
These are just a few points I'd like to make about my style of drawing. If you want to get into design deckplans just remember, it takes time and some effort to get where you want to be. And once you get there make each deckplan your own...
The program that I have been using for over ten years now is called Neopaint by Neosoft. Last time I checked it was going for about fifty dollars US. It's really nothing more than an over blow MS Paint program. It has several features which make it more robust than Paint but you can do what I do, if you are famliar with MS Paint.
Now here are a few tips on making your own starships designs. (I've explain these things is bits and pieces across several threads.)
1: Set your scale. I use 15 by 15 Pixel scale for all my drawing. I also have 3 Standard room sizes which I can fill with bits and pieces to make it look like something you can find on a starship. You don't want to go to small or too big, you lose detail and most of them won't print out. Or the user will have to cut and paste in sections to maintain the aspect ratio of the drawning.
2. Keep everything you draw. You don't know what piece or concept you started maybe used or inspire your next drawing. I've been tinkering around with designs for 10 years now I have over 1500 files in 27 different folders. Some are pictures of starships I've downloaded off the internet for inspiration, the majority however are drawing I've created. I've got maps, pictures (none on the par of those I've seen here, my brother was the artist, I'm just a mechanical drawer.), symbols, languages and other misc.
3. Standardize (to an extent). Make sure that your drawing reflect what you're trying to depict. If you draw a stateroom, then make sure the bed looks like a bed. Save these standardize room to a file (or in the case of Neopaint a stamp for later use.) I have 3 file devoted to Noses, engine rooms and engines. I also have stamps which cover equipment, reactors, rooms, furniture, and for floorplans. If you haven't notice, most of my designs are cylindical in nature. This is due to the fact I mave have over done the standardization of my rooms, and equipment.
4. Don't be afraid to experiment or copy. I say this because, if you like a design and you make an attempt to match someone elses design you can learn alot from your mistakes or achiements. I have a Gazelle drawing that is simular to the Seeker 25mm plans of said vessel. I've used my own stamps to fill out the vessel according to their design. It taught me about the perspective I need to make a ship look almost real. It also made me standardize my rooms so they would fit together properly.
5. Look to the real world for solutions. I alway show the bridge seperate from the avionics bay. Why, because commerical craft in the real world do this. But I don't alway show the landing gear. The simple reason behind this is, is it a space where the players may go during repairs or hide during boarding? Deckplans are used for action during a game. Player 3 has to repair the starboard toliet before it leaks on the electrical equipment on the lower deck. Why rack your brain for hours when there is hundreds years of man knowledge on the Internet? Look how they put things together and then apply it to your drawing.
These are just a few points I'd like to make about my style of drawing. If you want to get into design deckplans just remember, it takes time and some effort to get where you want to be. And once you get there make each deckplan your own...
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