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Star Wars Design Philosophy Study
Current Iteration
How it started
My goal was to be able to make a spaceship design that followed the design philosophy of Star Wars. But beyond that, it was so I could see what I can learn from it too.
How were they made?
I researched how exactly the original designs that cemented the franchise were made. a lot of them were made using model kits from military planes and tanks, using a method called "kitbashing."
How I employed it
although I don't have access to all of the model kits they may have used. I did have access to the internet. So I made some tests with some pictures
What I learned
I took apart the pictures to try and assemble them differently. And although the results weren't bad, but there was something missing about them. So I dug deeper
Observation.
I drew as many ships as I could remember on one screen. and I noticed that they all have a silhouette that is easy to recognize.
Research
It turns out that one of the things that gives Star Wars ships such an iconic and recognizable style isn't only their shape but also what went into making them.
Since they were mostly made with model parts, they couldn't be sleek and smooth due to the nature of kitbashing, so instead they leaned into it, giving their ships that rugged industrial look.
More Research
As it turns out, a lot of the designs were more directly inspired by specific vehicles or concepts.
Conceptualization
Taking all of these things in mind, I set out to make some new designs, this time prioritizing a strong silhouette and a more industrial design.
Winning design
I ended up settling for this design, which I coined as "Ring Ship"
Interestingly enough. it was inspired by a roll of electrical tape, and the thought that it could be split in half.
Additionally, I thought it would be fitting of the universe given how, in Star Wars, there is this company called the "Corellian Engineering Corporation." which was responsible for making ships like these
Given the circular motif that the Corellian ships generally have, I thought it would be a nice place for mine to fit into.
Early model
Doing the blockout of this model was fairly easy. but something about it didnt feel quite right just yet.
Early model 2
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the design of the thruster. i liked the idea of having it cut through the ship, so i looked at similar thruster designs that worked. the Ghost has a multi-engine design where they change in scale.
Taking inspiration from The Ghost, I borrowed the concept of a more bold design as opposed to something less noticeable like the millennium falcon
Additionally, I added those thicker areas around it since a lot of these Corellian ships have those attributes to enable for realistic looking sizes to allow for interior. then on top I added those octagonal "Docking ports" you see on a lot of Star Wars ships.
something that was bugging me was that somehow the scale didnt seem right. this ship looked like it was much smaller than it actually was.
this can be chalked up to many things but I think the main culprit was the cockpit/window. it was the only thing that gives you a hint at what the human scale is. another thing that gives you a better sense of scale is the detail along the ship
model 3
After a bit of fine tuning i added more details of reinforcement in the cockpit to really drive home that sense of scale. additionaly i added antenna and what's supposed to be a turret hatch to make the design in part more asymmetrical
I also made the engines more detailed. I added a sort of fin to each of the smaller ones for a more recognizable silhouette
i gave the engines more space in the back so they could be closer to the body of the ship, and made the back more irregular to give it that paneled feel that Star Wars ships have
I am pretty satisfied with the way the body turned out. i like the distribution of weight across the ship and i think it is a solid base for going into texturing
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