A Question of Scale

[Godfrey]

Try as I might, I couldn't find a way to convey the scale of the model from one of my image contest entries.

 

I tried several different camera angles, but none of them really said "this thing is freaking huge". Any suggestions?

 

(For reference, here's a streaming QuickTime movie which shows how big it is relative to a human-sized object.)

[jon]

i think the basic problem is that people are hardwired to expect atmosphereic haze to give distance clues... not really an option for a realistic space pic.

 

otherwise, i'd suggest more nurnies, and or some other escort vessel that's more easy to visually scale with a human, or other recognizable object.

 

its still a great image!

 

-jon

[Paul Forwood]

Yes, nice image! I like the other ones too.

 

Maybe a tiny space shuttle or space walkers in front of this, umm ...laser cannon?

 

Anything recognisable that can be used as a reference of scale.

[zacktaich]

Hmm... an object in space does pose an interesting problem. Normally I would suggest placing your camera lower to convey size, but in a place without a horizon that's not very helpful.

 

You may want to move the camera closer and reframe the shot so the effects of perspective are more visible. The only way to convey the size in a wide shot like this is comparison, and none of the objects in the scene are helping:

1) The laser doesn't help much, the size can change, and we actually expect it to be small

2) And the earth, which really doesn't help.

 

Also, it looks very much like a common satellite, which we are trained to view as only a few feet across.

 

Possibly having more of the sat. off screen would help.

 

Zack

[thingGO]

Compare it to some building? This one eg:

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

[robcat2075]

If the lower solar cell wing were actually obscured by the edge of the earth... now that would have to be a HUGE satellite. Bigger than you intend, i suppose.

[ZachBG]

I think Jeff linked to the wrong image. The one he was talking about is this one.

[Godfrey]

otherwise, i'd suggest more nurnies, and or some other escort vessel that's more easy to visually scale with a human, or other recognizable object.

Maybe a tiny space shuttle or space walkers in front of this, umm ...laser cannon? Anything recognisable that can be used as a reference of scale.

Well, I might could do, but it's from a story I was writing set in the far future (the ship itself is several hundred years into its journey), so any support spacecraft on board probably wouldn't give the viewer a good feeling for how big it was (unless shuttles look the same in the future as they do today).

 

At any rate, here it is with a Saturn V rocket sitting on one of the clamps for the (not yet modeled) supply section (which sits between the engines and the habitat section):

 

 

You may want to move the camera closer and reframe the shot so the effects of perspective are more visible. The only way to convey the size in a wide shot like this is comparison, and none of the objects in the scene are helping:

1) The laser doesn't help much, the size can change, and we actually expect it to be small

Laser?

Unfortunately, because of the way the model is designed, it doesn't really lend itself well to perspective:

 

 

Since the forward asteroid shield overhangs the rest of the engine section, it doesn't look much smaller when viewed from behind the ship -- and when viewed from the front, the shield obscures the rest of the section!

 

Compare it to some building? This one eg:

Mr. MM? Is that you?

 

If the lower solar cell wing were actually obscured by the edge of the earth... now that would have to be a HUGE satellite.  Bigger than you intend, i suppose.

Just a touch. But I like the way you think...

[Godfrey]

I think Jeff linked to the wrong image.  The one he was talking about is this one.

Weird... when I click on the link, it takes me to the image I intended to link to. I've edited the link to point directly to the image, rather than its gallery page.