Steampunk Airship

Project Overview

This project was an exploration into Blender, aimed at realizing a personal creative concept of steampunk dirigibles and airships I had envisioned during high school. It was an opportunity to learn Blender’s advanced workflows and bring a piece of my imaginative world to life. The project involved detailed modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, and particularly focused on cloth simulation and non-destructive modeling techniques using Blender’s Eevee render engine.

airship deck concept

Tools Used

  • Blender: Modeling, Texturing, Animation, Lighting, Cloth Simulation
  • Eevee: Rendering Engine

Project Details

Concept Art

All of this concept was created in Krita with a drawing tablet.

airship deck concept airship deck concept airship color concept airship concept airship sail concept airship sail concept airship rigging concept airship rigging concept airship balloon concept

Learning Blender’s Workflows

  • Description: Mastered Blender’s modal-style editing, which allowed for rapid and efficient manipulation of 3D objects using hotkey chains, eliminating the need for traditional gizmo interactions.
  • Skills Learned: Proficiency in Blender’s unique interface and workflow, enhancing speed and precision in 3D modeling and scene composition.

Modeling and Texturing

  • Description: Designed intricate steampunk dirigibles and airships, paying close attention to the interior and exterior details, including pipes, rivets, and other steampunk elements. Employed non-destructive modeling techniques with modifiers like radial arrays for creating repetitive features such as rivets and explored texture painting directly in Blender to add nuanced details.
  • Skills Learned: Advanced 3D modeling techniques, texturing, and the application of non-destructive workflows to create complex and detailed models efficiently.

Sketchfab Model:

Airship Untextured by Skye Sparks on Sketchfab

Cloth Simulation and Constraints

  • Description: Utilized Blender’s cloth simulation to create realistic sails, implementing constraints to differentiate the behavior of stitch marks from the rest of the cloth. Employed pinning to secure the sails to the airship structures accurately.
  • Skills Learned: Understanding of cloth simulation principles in Blender, applying constraints for varied simulation effects, and integrating simulated elements with static structures.

Lighting and Rendering with Eevee

  • Description: Leveraged the Eevee rendering engine to light and render the scene, creating a compelling visual narrative. An HDRI background, featuring a sky over mountains, was chosen to complement the steampunk theme and add depth to the final render.
  • Skills Learned: Proficient use of Eevee for rendering complex scenes, understanding of lighting techniques, and effective application of HDRI for environmental realism.

Airship Exterior:

airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept

Airship Deck:

airship deck concept airship deck concept

Airship Balloon:

airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept

Airship Sails:

airship deck concept

Airship Rigging:

airship deck concept airship deck concept

Airship Hull:

airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept

Airship Interior:

airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept airship deck concept

Challenges

  • Navigating Blender’s learning curve, especially the modal editing and hotkey-centric workflow, which was initially daunting but ultimately led to a more efficient modeling process.
  • Managing the detailed interior and exterior modeling of the airships, ensuring that the cloth simulation interacted realistically with the structures, and optimizing the scene for rendering with Eevee.

Outcome

The creation of a detailed and animated scene of steampunk airships served as a significant milestone in my 3D modeling journey, demonstrating my ability to learn and leverage Blender’s powerful features. This project was instrumental in my acceptance into the game and animation program at UVU, marking a pivotal step in my career in digital art and animation.