PROCESS
The design of the space station started with deciding the style. Would it be "retro", "now" or "sci-fi"? I landed on designing something in-between "now" and "sci-fi".
I gathered references on the International Space Station (ISS) to gain a better understanding of the look, materials and its functions. I looked for inspiration from movies, television, nature and shapes to inform the overall form of the station. Images were organized in PureRef.
The solar panels are essential in providing the space station with power so I wanted to make them the main focus; give them the ability to move position and adjust their angle as needed to efficiently absorb energy from the sun.
Refined concepts:
After the overall shape of the space station was chosen, I broke down, into detail, the individual modules based on what I brainstormed earlier. Modularity was very important to me in this design:
1. Organizes the space station so that the modules' shape can communicate their function.
2. Enables more modules to be added to the space station over time as it expanded.
3. It helps me build the station in Blender faster
I sketched out all the modules and parts needed:
