Dwarf Fort - Geometry Cleanup

  Things have been quiet on the front of the fortress as I have mostly been polishing model UVs ready for textures. Although I have made significant progress, I must have done something I probably shouldn't as Maya has gotten into the habit of crashing. This was fixed with a driver update for my graphics card and so far it all looks good, more progress can be made now things are more stable.

  Although the plan is for a uniform arrangement, the inclusion of the ramp means that in order for the rest of the decoration to fit, the structure needs to flow, so the skirting will likely follow the ramp. Redoing the wall als ogave me a chance to even up the geometry of the walls and floor.

   For the ceiling of this room, I'm thinking of building it so the ramp is ceilingless, the ceiling will connect to the rest of the structure by the columns which support the ramp..

Crest Design Experiments

  Taking a minor break from writing I was sorely tempted to go back into logo design. What I had in mind was a bit more elaborate than a typical brand logo and more of a crest or insignia for a nation. You have to start with the basics, which in this case was the core element. For this insignia the core would be the arms of a galaxy, representing the nation's dominance or an assertion of supremacy.

  I went though a few revisions, settling on something less angular and blocky. The other core were the four great vassals of the nation, which would be represented by how they are bound to the galaxy in the centre - the core and the home realm. The gem at the top felt less cliche than two heads looking in opposite directions, and helped to congeal some of the other elements.

  This was all based on a drawing I had worked on ages ago that was supposed to be a coat of arms. I never really went back to it. This insignia could perhaps be depicted everywhere - against starships, on offical forms and declarations, letters, tanks, aircraft, pretty much something that could be stenciled or easily applied.