kungfucactus’s submission — APOCALYPTIC WEAPONS: 3D PROP CHALLENGE

As the deadline draws near, it appears I won't be able to finish in time, unfortunately. However, I intend to continue my work on this asset and post it at a later date. I think my concept is interesting, so I want to do it justice by not rushing it to completion.

There are ways I could have improved the process that might have enabled me to complete the asset in time, such as having more consistent working hours, or researching more efficiently. I don't regret how this turned out, though; I had an idea and followed my curiosity about the systems required to build it, and I now know much more than when I started. The knowledge gained from this exercise will continue to benefit me on my future projects.

If I make more progress in the time left, I will make a short post.

Quick update on how things are progressing. I've been doing a mixture of design, block-in, and high-poly work on the sceptre since the last update. I think it's progressing okay, but finishing it within the deadline will be pretty tight. To finish the high-poly, I anticipate it will be another couple days; to enhance the wear on the elements, I had intended to sculpt chipped and battered edges, but I'm not certain if that's still feasible. Creating the low poly might take another day, and I'll spend all the time I have left on texturing and presentation.

During this phase, I made some changes to the design, mostly adding elements I couldn't figure out in 2D, such as the mounting elements for the capacitor bank and transformer.

The battery and circuit enclosure were refined here as well, with completely different designs from the concept.

In the concept, the handle was wrapped in leather, which I thought gave it a more post-apocalyptic appearance; however, when I tried to make it, it was both difficult and not appealing. Instead, I decided to change it to a cord wrap, a material I imagine is still relatively easy to find.

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Finished a basic design now. Using photobashing to create this concept helped generate ideas about the objects to include, materials, and composition. There are a few details missing in this concept that I plan to include on the model, such as the four-bar linkage mechanism, telescopic cylinder, some protective plates, and some specifics about the cable management. Designing them here would have been more difficult.

From here, I'll begin modelling. There isn't that long to go, so hopefully I'll progress quickly through modelling to texturing.

Created a block-in for the sceptre. Mostly, this was to help establish the overall size and functions of the weapon. I was planning to do most of the designing in 3D during the block-in stage; however, I've had a lot of difficulty creating an interesting design this way. Instead, I'll try photobashing something together.

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Before I got to the block-in, I thought it would be a good idea to work out some of the basic functions of the sceptre. I've always liked having lots of visible function in designs, and I enjoy figuring out how to make them work.

NOTE:

• Illustration not to scale
• Flange design not final
• There will be six to eight flanges

The design I came up with relies on pneumatic pressure in the shaft of the staff. Pistons are driven by this pressure, causing the sceptre to expand. In the design, this can be driven by a compressed air canister mounted somewhere on the shaft. The pressure can be manually relieved by twisting a valve, at which point springs will cause the sceptre to collapse into its mace form.

On the top, a type of four-bar linkage mechanism driven by the pneumatic pressure causes the flanges to move upwards and inwards, converging to a single point, like a spear. So, this weapon has two forms: spear and mace.

Currently, it looks quite clean and not very post-apocalyptic, so I'll have to figure out how to make this look scrappier and more cobbled together.

I've gathered some references to begin working on the specifics of the concept. When gathering the references initially, my goal was to explore the general principles of post-apocalyptic design, focusing on the types of materials used in other's work. The prevailing theme amongst the examples I found was to make weaponry from common items, although there were frequent exceptions to this theme, such as bespoke metal and wooden parts being included; however, the designs of those parts were typically simple, such that it could be plausibly made by a novice.

Following that determination, I gathered references of some common items that might be applicable to my design, which will include electrical components, such as wiring and pneumatics. The references also include things like mechanisms, surface coatings for metal, and general construction components like rebar, pipes, fasteners, leather straps.

With my initial references for mood and aesthetics along with functional elements gathered, I'll now move on to blocking something in, perhaps creating some sketches along the way.

SETTING

The nature of the apocalypse doesn't matter, many are dead, society as it was, has adapted to something more suitable, more feudal perhaps, certainly more brutal. Among the chaos of the apocalypse, old human vices are on the rise: violence, superstition, fear, and a will to impose a certain type of order. Much of our knowledge has been lost, some has been secreted away, kept by a select few, used sparingly to keep the "peace". It is one of these few, the Wizard of the Plains, as they came to be known, with whom we will be dealing. It has been dozens of seasons, but the legend of their rise grows each generation; as it goes: the wizard came to this place and built a great tower of steel and a watch atop to keep an eye on all their subjects. At the time, bandits roamed freely, looting and brutalising the meek and the lost. Without mercy, the wizard eradicated all that opposed them, transmuting flesh to ash, and bringing others under his protection and expanding his territory, until it all as far as could be seen from the wizard's tower was theirs.

BACKSTORY

As the world began to settle in the wake of the apocalypse, a man settled near a radio tower that was still powered and transmitting. Believing it to be his best option for contacting others and finding his loved ones, he decided to make his home here and, using his knowledge of electrical engineering, began to broadcast his message. No one came, but he still held out hope. After decades of waiting, his hope turned to delusion, and in turn madness. Over the years, he had seen the bandits from nearby camps attack travellers many times. Dark thoughts accumulated in his mind, along with rage and frustration. If only he were in charge, there would be peace. So, he made it so. He crafted a sceptre, capable of storing immense power, killing enemies with a single swing, and flinging lightning itself. It took some time, but eventually, the whole area was under his rule. With "peace" achieved, he wanted to return to the tower to watch for his loved ones, but if he left, things would quickly spiral into chaos again. To maintain order, he formed peace keeping forces that would punish those deemed "chaotic", he would demonstrate what happened to those chaotic influences personally. With order installed, he returned to his tower waiting. It has been 40 years since anyone has seen the wizard except his apprentice, the masses aren't even sure he still lives, but no one dares to find out.

I have read the Terms and Conditions of this challenge and am eligible for entry and receipt of prizes.