Biospace Omega

This is the last of the Bio-vironment buildings for now. After this, I'm going to start designing other types of structures. However, this one has a lot more detail than any previous attempts, including elevators, ground floor entrances for vehicles, well defined growing spaces, and even a dining area with chair/table sets I uploaded from Sketchup.

I think I've realized why I like Sketchup so much. I have always considered myself an artistic person, I'm creative, and I can picture very pretty things in my head. Alas, putting them down on paper has always been all but impossible for me. Therefore, sketchup offers me a unique opporunity to take something I envision in my mind and bring it to life. I don't need to struggle with a ruler and pencil to draw a 13 foot horizontal line for a building, I can just bust out the line tool, make it turn red and then type 13' and I will have the line I need.
This has allowed me to take on some of the artistic portions of this project, if everything goes well, I can produce models for all the architecture in Oort Cloud, and take that burden off of Meaghan. I also want to start trying to storyboard, but I think I will stick with Sketchup until I can produce wonderful, wonderful things.

I start back at school in just a few weeks, and I've begun to think a lot about my future. I think when people start to take a tally of their lives so far, one of the best things they can do is quantify what they've done well in their life, They can then use that information to sculpt out where they are, and where they think they can go. At the forefront are my skills as a writer, I have always had it in my capacity to craft a clever and unique story, and I've always had a talent for creating a wider world to set that story into.

Just after this however, in my list of things I have done successfully, has been my success in building a network of talented peers. I am fascinated by the talent of my generation. I don't think I have lost track of a single adept person I met during my years in school. I feel like the 18-25 year olds of today are destined to leave their on mark on the world, and I have always felt that I owe it to my peers to leave an impact as well.

In my last post, I mentioned that Oort Cloud is a piece of 'hard'(ish) science fiction. I have decided to answer a few questions that should clarify what I'm talking about when I use that term, and while I do, I can show you some more screens from models I have made while trying to develop a architectual flavor for bioshelters on Cydonia.

Q: What is 'soft' science fiction?
A: Well mysterious stranger, there are poles of science fiction, 'soft' and 'hard'. Soft science fiction shares a lot of characteristics with fantasy, most of the technology isn't explained, or violates the known laws of physics. Super advanced technology may just serve as a plot device to facilitate good immersive story telling. There is nothing wrong with soft science fiction, much of it is extremely enjoyable, Star Wars and Firefly are examples of soft science fiction.

Q: Then what is 'hard' science fiction?
A: Listen, I was getting to that, Christ. Anyway, firm science fiction is more meticulously planned, the technology involved is researched to ensure that it is viable. The story revolves around the science, and not the other way around. The Foundation series by Asimov, and Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C Clarke fall into this category.

Q: That sounds boring.
A: That's not even a question! Granted, since science fiction is well.. fiction, it would follow that the science should facilitate the story, and not vice versa. Then why write "hard" (or atleast "firm") science fiction? Simple, by writing a story that leaves the reader believing it could actually occur, it will inspire a sense of wonder towards science and the natural world. Carl Sagan wrote extensively about his desire to increase the public's interest in science. His legacy is continued by the likes of Michio Kaku, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. These people are called "science popularizers" I hope some day to be called the same.

Blues for a Red Planet

I decided to start this blog to put up 3D modeling pictures I have been working on for a project with graphic artist extaordinaire Meaghan Glynn a. The project is titled Oort Cloud, and is a hard(ish) science fiction drama that follows the structure of a three act play, and is set on a colony in the Cydonia region of Mars.

I promise (myself, mostly) to update this blog twice a week, if I don't have any new pictures to share, I will simply post a political rant about whatever happens to be making me mad.


These pictures are of a one of the small biological environmental (biovironmental?) facilities that will be scattered across Cydonia. Normally the dome is considered to be the best shape for this sort of enclosure, but I decided to try out pyramids for aesthetic reasons, in an attempt to give Cydonia its own architectural flavor. Enclosing each pyramid is an advanced glass like material I would love to call Duraglass, except that is apparently the registered trademark of no less than 4 companies worldwide (oh well). So I'll probably call it Obdurate.

Inside of each pyramid a different biomass is produced. Due to the low gravity, most earth plants would have difficulties growing on Mars, but this could readily be overcome by using custom growing facilities, and genetically modifying plants to adapt to the changes. With careful genetic alterations, many varieties of plants could very well flourish on the red sands of Mars.




In the world of Oort Cloud, Obdurate was the first great scientific breakthrough discovered on Mars. It can be readily fabricated by materials common in Martian soil, and is actually much less expensive to produce in low gravity. It filters out the dangerous parts of the light spectrum, and is more than strong enough to stand the wind and seismic forces of Mars. It quickly became not only an architectural staple of the colonies, but also a financial boon, as corporations scrambled for licensing rights to produce it on Earth. Obdurate requires no steel reinforcement, and pyramid shaped structures are easy to fabricate and construct, even if Martian sand is quite often caught in the sharp angles.