Windmill Sails

As one of my deadlines is too finish the sails on the windmill prop. I have collect some reference material too use when I do build the sails. I am thinking about adjusting the amount of sails I have from 5 to 4. As most windmills have with 4 or 8 sails.

In the first and second pictures there are wooden supports that come out of the mill and then back into the roof. I like what this looks like and may add it too the look of the wind mill. The small pin wheel on the back of roof is a nice element, which I may also add too.

I am still unsure what type of sails too use. Choices are either the wooden ones shown in the above examples. Or I can use metal sails or even cloth sails, as shown in pervious posts. I am thinking maybe using metal sail as it goes with our steam punk theme a bit more. Cloth sails may take a while too do it we are too make the sails out of nCloth. Will have a talk with my team and ask their opinions.

Deadlines - Windmill Outside

I have started work more on the base now as I feel the prop is done for now. I have a deadline of finishing the outside of the windmill by the 29th of this month, will upload screenshots over the next few days of the work I have done.

So by the 29th I need the following too be done too an acceptable degree:

The outside shaft, plus the Wind Mill Props Blades.

The Base
- The Tent
- Doorway and Door
- Sign outside

The Tower
- The rooms (with windows)
- Random Metal Parts

The Top
- Hold in the building for the shaft too go into
- The roof

After finishing theses, I will then be working on the inside with other members from my team and be doing work else where.

Screen Shots - Prop Shaft

Going from the bottom to the top, these are progress shots of the Prop shaft of the windmill.


This is a shot of the current "Final" design and postion of the Windmill, which is still subject too change. Took me a few days too model this and sort out a few problems with hidden faces inside the model. I have only the sails too add now, but first need too come up with a final design idea.


Close up shot of the Windmill Prop. The design for the will mill is based off the more metal windmill blades I have been looking at, with a cone shape in the middle, but I have also added a wooden style element too it. With the parts that look slotted in.


A close-up shot of the gear that will connect inside the windmill too the other gears, I may need too change this too fit in with the gears inside, but for now I have added a basic gear just too show where it does connect.


This was the first draft of the prop shaft, but it did have a few problems. Such as hidden faces inside the polygon and vertexs that didn't need too be there. I have yet too flesh it out mainly and add a lot of small details.

Windmill Research - 1

Research on windmills;

The 8 blade windmill design is the standard design when thinking about windmills. This image is gonna be the base of the image of a windmill in my head.

The inters of a windmill is mainly wooden beams and wheels. Larger gears going on too smaller gears. For our windmill we are thinking more metal gears and instead of going down to grinding stones, we will have motors that are kinetic power and these motors will charge the batteries in the windmill. We want to have loads of these batteries charging one main battery and all the windmill propeller connecting together.

This shot is showing what rustic, steam punk ess, windmills would look like. The metal stand here looks really appealing too me and I like the crudeness of the design.

Reference image of the working of a wind mill, I wouldn't mind have a camera go around all the gears here, so we really can get a sense of the effort that is needed to turn these cogs and wheels.

Howl's Moving Castle




Howl's moving castle does have a large influence on the design of the windmill. Cause our Windmill design it meant to be a basic windmill shape, but it will be like the castle in the above pictures. It will have rooms build on too the size, at weird angles, parts made from different materials all crudely bolted on and pieces of debris hanging from the mill.

The texturing of the castle is some else I will be referring when it comes too the UV texturing of this model. The rust, the stone and the metal textures they have used looks beautiful.

Steam Punk Research - 2

Photos of Steam Punk Structures






Steam punk building all have a few taints in common. First being that you all are made from used or scrap metal, giving each building a old rustic look. Second, that each are crudely designed. In today's society builds, cars, computers and most modern interventions are designed to be smooth, silk and sheik.

Interiors





The interiors of steam punk builds are either Factory like setting with gears, mech devices or an Victoria-theme house with gear themes laced within.

Steam Punk Research - 1

"Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.

((Taken from Wikipedia. Source from Clute, John; Grant, John, eds (February 1999) [First published 1997]. "Steampunk". The Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Contributing editors: Mike Ashley, Roz Kaveney, David Langford, Ron Tiner (Rev. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 895–896. ISBN 978-0-312-19869-8.))

Copy and Paste, whilst checking with the source materials linked on Wikipedia. Just so I have a quick reference of Steam Punk too read over.
Basically Steam Punk is a different time line to the world we live in. In this alter reality the power of steam was utilize and made into a more effective power source. Computers and modern technologically have not been made, but simliar machines made of been made, just with a more gear type theme. The design of steam punk is a old take on the future as seen by the Victorians. Steam Punk normally is a take on Gears, Machine parts mixed with Victorian fashion. (Corsets, Top Hats, Big Lace Dress, Suits, Blazers etc)

Photo Fashion Examples:



Goggles are a main fashion object.


A wide display of fashion found in steam punk or Neo Victorian as it closely bordered with.

Idea Setting

Team Name: Fat Hamsters Production

Our idea is based on the idea of the Pixar film 'up'. In the film an old man house is being threaten by having his house knocked down and he being put in a home. He remembers a promise made with his deceased wife, about going on an adventure and living else where. So he attached balloons to his house and flys off to avoid his home being destroyed and a fate in a old people's home.

This time with Windmills instead of balloons as the key focus. A large windmill with multiple windmills attached.
There is a small story line with a guy that wants to fly away with the wind. The windmill by the end of the story will be changed into a helicopter that looks a windmill still.

The insides of the windmill will contain a lot of different sizes generators. With gears and wires everywhere. Each small windmill will link too a generator, with all these generators connecting to one large windmill.

For research we will need too look at the effects of the wind on different objects and surfaces. Gears and wires, motors. Steam punk will be a small theme within the product. Studio Gibly will be a good source too look at, as they use a lot of steam punk type machines. Howl's Moving Castle is a prime example of their work.