Sea Dragon Palace, Kaidan

[Gamerprinter]

More undersea stuff.

The Building Roof, and the already mentioned brain coral balls, as well as the reddish tree like coral and the weird objects in the top left are all 3D objects I modeled in Nendo, then textured and rendered in Raydream. Oh the rocks, the kelp in the lower center and the swirl of grass at the bottom are 3D objects too (ones I created a long time ago.)

The new anemone-like coral objects in the top center (red, blue, yellow and green patch) were created on an old program I had that I hadn't used much... Zbrush 1.13 - it was a really early version, but still could do cool stuff. Even that green scaly like thing.

Then everything else was created in PD Particles, a program I dabble with sometimes. Except for a few things like tree leaves, pine/spruce needle tree/bushes and sea plants, I don't think its realistic enough for my style. However, undersea animals like anemone, corals, sea slugs, worms, crinoidish creatures, PD Particles can make some alien looking stuff and seem very appropriate in this case.

I started the ground layout a couple times and scratched them all, they weren't "flowing" for me. I finally started to make one then Xara crashed. So I have to start again, but I'm starting to get some ideas. To save me from future hassles, that first lichen-like coral I converted to a transparent PNG file, rather than a set of stacked bevels that was causing the crash problem. Problem resolved I think.

Anyway next update.

GP

[msa]

Those are some nice design elements for the map. I can't wait to see how they play out in execution. My one thought, with no idea what you are going to do, is that the vivid colors contrast in my mind with an underwater scene. Although its certainly accurate once you take the water out of the equation, the map might be more evocative to a surface-dweller if you washed over everything with a murky blue and dulled down some of the colors.

[Gamerprinter]

@MSA - when I do underwater map design, especially in this more realistic style, between layers of higher and lower elevation ground, I place full page sheets of transparent blue with 50 - 80% transparency. As they stack the "color" objects located towards the bottom begin to gain bluish monochrome effect, expecially under several layers of transparent blue layers. They start to become more difficult to see, but that adds to the feeling of depth. Thus the objects located at higher elevations maintain their color more distinctly.

Its part of the plan, so I try to emulate the vibrancy of the colors as would be seen above water, then work the map to emulate depth, and so the bright colors work in my favor, and can be more easily seen way at the bottom.

[Gamerprinter]

@MSA - when I do underwater map design, especially in this more realistic style, between layers of higher and lower elevation ground, I place full page sheets of transparent blue with 50 - 80% transparency. As they stack the "color" objects located towards the bottom begin to gain bluish monochrome effect, expecially under several layers of transparent blue layers. They start to become more difficult to see, but that adds to the feeling of depth. Thus the objects located at higher elevations maintain their color more distinctly.

Its part of the plan, so I try to emulate the vibrancy of the colors as would be seen above water, then work the map to emulate depth, and so the bright colors work in my favor, and can be more easily seen way at the bottom.

Currently I am 3D modeling rocky structures with ledges and caves pitted all over, to simulate "homes" for various undersea denizens of the Sea Dragon City in various districts. I'm thinking four distinct styles of habitations.

1. Cave and ledges cut from verticle formations - shark people maybe.

2. Organic tube like structures at the base of the verticle formations sticking out at 45% angles from verticle. The open holes are entrances to undersilt lairs for wormlike beings, or other not-yet-determined monster race.

3. Unmortared stone dome houses, like bronze age homes in parts of the world on Earth, for the merfolk (Ningyo) more like ape mermaids.

4. Either a submerged fortress/temple/city of human make, or an undersea creature made version that emulates Kaidan architecture for official buildings.

I'll use coral thickets, sea grass lawns, kelp groves, and implied road like areas cleared of bottom debris.

Anyway, lots to do, and I have to go back to work now...

GP

[msa]

@MSA - when I do underwater map design, especially in this more realistic style, between layers of higher and lower elevation ground, I place full page sheets of transparent blue with 50 - 80% transparency. As they stack the "color" objects located towards the bottom begin to gain bluish monochrome effect, expecially under several layers of transparent blue layers. They start to become more difficult to see, but that adds to the feeling of depth. Thus the objects located at higher elevations maintain their color more distinctly.

OMG! I love it!

Also, I <3 Sahuagin.

The only other seapeople I ever consider are Kuo-toa because they remind me of lovecraftian deep ones.

[Gamerprinter]

In this update, I've created 3D merfolk hovels in bronze age dome structure style, I also used a sand texture with bump, that I might use a texture elsewhere to fill between the merfolk homes. The larger one with the blue light inside, is the merfolk leader, temple or other major merfolk structure.

Same model I just rotated it for multiple versions for layout in a precinct of merfolk.

Enjoy!

GP