The shape of the ring is a simple cylinder with three cut-outs, allowing for radial symmetry. These cut-outs serve as a place for a drive module which propels the ships when in space. These modules are fully modular – able to manoeuvre and orient themselves to suit any configuration. The outer part of the ring has a hydroponics section ensuring sustainability and docking space for ships that enter a planet’s atmosphere and go around, while the inside is where the flight duration habitats are. The centre part is what connects these rings together, provides transport corridors and ensures spin gravity. It is connected to the ring with six elevator arms, each with a length of about 747 metres. Most of the modelling work is done in Autodesk Maya.
Ground plane detailing
The ground plane was exported to zBrush for detailing. I deformed the surface to mimic small hills and add some variation.
UV Mapping
I unwrapped most of the ring in Autodesk Maya, while the elevator shafts were unwrapped in SideFX Houdini later. I used a cylindrical projection for most of the parts to keep the UVs consistent. I split the main geometry of the ring into three pieces, as it was modelled that way, and scaled them up to take four UDIM tiles per part. I have then roughly laid out the UVs so that they line up along the seams where possible.
