Stargate universe: Valhalla Station

[Phaser]

I have to tell you, StangCody, this thing is incredible. The scale is just mind-boggling. If I may, I have a couple suggestions. First, try making the arc on the bottom of the station a bit more curvy, as seen in the image below. I feel that would make the station feel a bit more Asguard-like.

Also, I'd make the power conduits on the gondolas smaller; a LOT smaller. To me, having them that large makes the station feel much smaller than it actually is. When you look at the buildings and then at the conduits, they seem almost comically large. Again, I'd drastically scale them down, and maybe add more buildings coming out along the gondola, next to the conduit.

Just some suggestions. Again, great job!

[StangCody]

Thx for the feedback. Good ideas. I'll keep that in mind. I actually had the bottom panel with much more curved styling when I first started modeling it, and I started feeling it was a bit to Star Trek feeling and alternately a little to new. I have tried to limit the newer Asgard styling to help keep it more in tone with the fleet workhorse Beliskner class. It would actually make the bottom of the gondola look more cohesive if it spread farther out down the hull, I just don't want it to start looking like a ventral shot of the Excelsior class. In the end I will probably do that though.

As for the umbilicals, I actually agree with you. I'm not entirely happy with them yet so they will probably be reworked several times yet. I really don't want to make them much smaller for various reasons (Some I consider a bit of an easter egg ) but opening them up to look more spindley will help some. If I can find a way to make the whole assembly more open and in scale, keep a fairly large power conduit, and keep a mostly solid feel, I'd happily rework them. In fact if you or anyone else has an idea please let me know. I'm not even really fixed on having two piers per side. The design just sort of follows a general duality in it's symmetry so that's how it ended up.

I may play with some ideas once I can turn my work comp back on. Lovely thunderstorms down here right now so it's out for a while. (at least that's one good use of owning a laptop. lol).

[boberth2o]

Originally Posted by StangCody

I've tried. Tried to download the one here 4 times and couldn't get it to download properly. I did figure out that Atlantis would fit quite snugly inside the circles of the two main towers though, so that should give you some idea.

wow dude this is huge

[StangCody]

here is a sort of update. Working on different versions of the umbilical piers. The left most one is the current, and the right most what I'm sort of working toward.

[Grzesiek]

Somehow i have a feeling that the Asgard would use less of a construction for building the ships. From what I recall when they showed the O'Nell for the first time on the planet, their docks are more ... well actually less of a full construction.

Beyond that, i have to say, this is one huge base, probably larger then the Gua'uld station

[-Raynor-]

Well, Valhalla is not a shipyard, it's more like a storage and fleet HQ. Since it's deep in space, I doubt that ships were to built in it.

Cody: Don't know how others, but I like the first set, second and third both looks too much ISS to me.

[Grzesiek]

I agree.

Had to look back at the original design to realize that. hihi

Based on that small oversight, then i to have to agree again with what -Raynor- said. The first set looks more solid.

[StangCody]

ok guys. I think I have somewhat of a compromise. I have an update of the right most one that I kept working on last night, and an update of the original will follow shortly. I still have the old one if you don't like it, but there were elements I created with the new one that I really like. Especially the central Panels. To me this looks more like it was meant to be there than just having them floating about the outside. We'll see what you guys think.

here are some shots of the updated spindly version with and without some flooring to give them visual weight, and the side by side with the new one is rendering now. I'll update in 10 minutes or so when it finishes as well as a bottom view when it renders.





I have even thought about using something more like the above, but making a skin for it. something that is either half finished, half blown away, or just designed to only cover certain bits. It's another idea I can play with anyway.

[-Raynor-]

I more like the lower one.
A little bit on unrelated idea, not sure if it's a good idea, but anyway:

The first concept of Valhalla (mine, in story) was that it is a planetary Halo-like ring with trees, water and such. Now, looking on this bridge-like construction - you might ressurect that trees idea and put in some parks or something. Asgards had to breathe, right? Yes, this was a military instalation, but with huge city in it.
Plants even might be death now, since Asgards are only in computers, so just an idea.

I think more helpfull would be determining a purpose of this 'bridge'. If it just holds two parts of station together, just make it like two simple tubes. But if it's also, I don't know, a bay for drones, a docking base for visitors, that huge chip I was writing about a few pages ago...

[StangCody]

my only concern with doing an arboretum is that the Asgard as a race are so artificial. They reproduce through cloning, they isolate themselves. Doesn't seem to me that they would choose to install a forest in their structure. But then again it could be the opposite. They could be so artificial that they cherish nature and installed one for that reason.

It's something I can play with. At this scale a rain forest wouldn't be more than a green floor anyway.

Basically they are just the connecting structures, and the power conduits running from the core/gondola out to the storage bays. The reason I don't just make them tubes, is that like Phaser said, you need a sense of scale. I don't see the Asgard spending the extra expense on skinning the umbilicals which don't house any critical systems. It would just be a waste of materials. Think of this area as a peep at what the structure of the other sections looks like.

This is your horse and pony show, so if you want me to rework it then it happens. No problem. I'm just lending my creative opinion.

anyway, here are the pics I mentioned.