Tower descending into darkness

Kinoko · Sun 09/10/2005 08:28:04

I normally don't come here because I like to do the best I can on my own but in this case, I -need- some help!

I have a very simple mock-up of what I'm after here, but I don't know how to execute it. This is basically gonna be a kind of tube-like "tower" suspended in an endless space, with a triangular "entrance" that, instead of being cut into the "tube", appears to be floating over it. It's supposed to look weird, simply put, and not quite right, like an Escher drawing but on a milder scale.

Three main things I'm having trouble getting right.

1) The tube descending into the darkness. I can't figure out how to give it that look of disappearing towards the bottom.

2) The entrance... I made it a straight line trangle rather than wrapping it around the tube for the effect I was after but I'm not sure if it works.

3) The lighting inside the triangle entrance. It's supposed to be like a 3D triangle space inside there, if you get me. Just room enough to enter and... sit, you know. I'm not sure what should be light and what should be dark or how to properly convey this.

Keep in mind this is for my RPG which has standard sort of SNES-ish, cel-shaded-ish colouring so no airbrushing.

Check out this pic for a look at a screenshot of a room that this will be very similar to, style-wise:

I appreciate any help!! Thanks

Nikolas · Sun 09/10/2005 08:29:58

Try fixxing the link [ i m g ] http:/dsfdsfdsfdsfdsfdsf [ i m g ] , cause no one will sit and copy that in the explorer... And actually I don't think I can help you. Call for loominous!!!!!!

Never mind! I'm stupid!

Kinoko · Sun 09/10/2005 08:31:34

Yes, that was fixed 2 seconds after the original post. Thankyou for your invaluable input ^_-

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Sun 09/10/2005 09:01:47

the description is rather confusing so I did not spend alot of time on an example...Is this sort of what you are talking about:

Kinoko · Sun 09/10/2005 09:26:10

Sorry about that, my description was confusing. Not quite, the triangle is kinda like a hole cut into the side of the tower, only is also has that feel of being disjointed from it, hence the straight lines rather than it looking exactly like a chunk cut out from the tower.

esper · Sun 09/10/2005 09:40:39

What exactly IS it? Is it some kind of energy field that draws you into the tube and then ascends or descends? You have it looking 3D, which makes it not at all look like a hole cut into the side of the tower like you say. Is there something like it in one of the old SNES RPG's, or anywhere, for that matter, that we can use as a frame of reference? I totally don't understand the pic you drew, whereas although progz's isn't something you would see in they style RPG you are making, it makes sense. Maybe if you drew a sketch of it from several different angles rather than trying to get the RPG look right off the bat, it would help us know how to convert it into that type of format.

Kinoko · Sun 09/10/2005 09:44:07

It's supposed to look just how I drew it, but just tweaked a bit... better. That's all.

It's a tube, just imagine a tube and it has a hole cut into the side of it the shape of a triangle.

The only difference is that instead of looking like the hole should (ie. with the edges curving around the match the shape of the tube) the lines should be straight to give it the appearance of being a seperate entity floating just in front of the tube.

It's not supposed to make sense, as such.

Andail · Sun 09/10/2005 13:51:34

Can you draw a simple blueprint from different views (like from above and from side) for us to work with?
Right now I can't tell what the heck I'm looking at....

Kinoko · Sun 09/10/2005 14:21:07

Erm, not really because... it's not really supposed to exist from any other view than what you're looking at. It's not supposed to make sense.

This is the best I can do. It's a big tube shape, going vertically. This is the way it would look conventionally, with the triangular shaped hole cut into the side of it.

esper · Sun 09/10/2005 14:50:34

Soooo, that seems to be exactly what you've done. What's the problem? Now that I look at what you've got and finally think I understand what you're trying to say, it looks like you've portrayed it perfectly... Even though the "not-quite-rightness" of it makes it look wrong. I think rather than getting a "whoah, that's weird" reaction it's going to be more along the lines of "hmmm, why is this drawn out of perspective?"

As for the getting darker as it goes toward the bottom, do it the way progZmax did it, only at the angle you want it to be. And, to get a much "deeper" feel, like it's descending further into the distance, use 3-point perspective, kinda like he did.

Theme · Sun 09/10/2005 15:48:48

o/

Babar · Sun 09/10/2005 16:15:58

+ Progz's stepping shades into darkness

Evil · Sun 09/10/2005 17:03:27

You cant cut a perfect triangle out of a cylinder so that the base is flat with the bottom. Using a perfect triangle gives it a slanted base, giving the preception you might slide out.

Not perfect, but it's not as confusing.

Darth Mandarb · Sun 09/10/2005 17:31:17

Quote from: Evil on Sun 09/10/2005 17:03:27You cant cut a perfect triangle out of a cylinder so that the base is flat with the bottom. Using a perfect triangle gives it a slanted base, giving the preception you might slide out.

Well she did say it wasn't really a part of the tower ... (after the first post that is!)

I more envisioned it as a "portal" type thing. More mystical than architectural. Sorry if I mis-unda-stood ya!

Here's a VERY sloppy mockup of what I was thinking:

I didn't take the time to make the "tube" transparent (if that's what you wanted) and I added a walk-way (which you didn't mention) but anyway ...

Your style doesn't allow for a vanishing point ... so I faded it out in a way that would work in your style.

Hope it helps!

Andail · Sun 09/10/2005 17:32:49

Darth, whatever crazy stuff Kinoko's trying to achieve, that seems to be pretty perfect

Kinoko · Sun 09/10/2005 17:50:42

I concur, that's pretty cool Darth. Well... I'm gonna go to sleep now (damn Howl's Moving Castle... had to watch it tonight), but tomorrow I'm gonna see what I can do with the ideas you guys gave me.

Thanks so much! Sorry my idea was a little hard to understand ^_-

Exorph · Sun 09/10/2005 23:39:59

I suppose you still have a problem with how you're gonna make it look like it continues forever?
In that case, I say either take a departure from the traditional RPG style of that particular room and just tilt the camera a bit, or just have a character comment on how the darkness seems bottomless or something?

Kinoko · Mon 10/10/2005 10:06:52

Well, after many back breaking hours at the laptop today, I came up with this:

or this, I still haven't decided:

I'm pretty happy with this and big thanks to all you guys for giving me the ideas for this part and that part... I think it works but... that could be my sore back talking, dying to be finished with this. ^_^