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A greeble is a way to add a sense of scale or visual complexity to an image, physical model or computer model of an object, such as a spacecraft. It has been used extensively in science fiction for these purposes, and 'greebles' can probably be found on impressions of most sci-fi machinery and architecture.
A greeble is best described as a detail that looks good but doesn't really do anything. To this extent, a greeble could be anything really- physical miniatures often incorperated pieces kit-bashed off of model kits, or even the plastic sprues from those kits. Greebles can also take the form of nondescript blocky protrusions or texturing on an object, like this;
Plugins for 3D applications exist that can 'greeble-ify' a mesh.
Recently, I've been working on a modelling project, and I've been wondering about what amount of detailing I should perform- and what sort of detailing I should perform. For my purposes I am not particularly keen on the usual 'blocks covering things' approach, and want a look that is based more on real-world spacecraft. Real-world machines are 'greebled', in the sense that they have visible components and construction that add to their visual complexity (though unlike most greebles in graphics work, these are there for reasons other than to look good). I can already think of some of the small features on spacecraft that increase visual complexity, such as handrails. Since O-F is full of enthusiasts who often look at pictures of space hardware, and also study the technical aspects of such hardware, I figured here would be the best place to ask for help regarding 'real-life greebles' on spacecraft. What sort of features on things like the ISS or space shuttle contribute to visual complexity?
Furthermore, what sort of surface materials and textures are common on spacecraft? Reflective coverings seem to be pretty logical from a thermal control standpoint, but there seems to be a fair amount of variation; from the stereotypical 'tinfoil' MLI, which comes in silvery, gold-y or copper-y colours, to the brushed metal of the USOS module exteriors, to white-painted surfaces and surfaces seemingly covered in white spacesuit-like material. Of course, there are also exceptions, like the black-coloured PMAs...
A greeble is best described as a detail that looks good but doesn't really do anything. To this extent, a greeble could be anything really- physical miniatures often incorperated pieces kit-bashed off of model kits, or even the plastic sprues from those kits. Greebles can also take the form of nondescript blocky protrusions or texturing on an object, like this;
Plugins for 3D applications exist that can 'greeble-ify' a mesh.
Recently, I've been working on a modelling project, and I've been wondering about what amount of detailing I should perform- and what sort of detailing I should perform. For my purposes I am not particularly keen on the usual 'blocks covering things' approach, and want a look that is based more on real-world spacecraft. Real-world machines are 'greebled', in the sense that they have visible components and construction that add to their visual complexity (though unlike most greebles in graphics work, these are there for reasons other than to look good). I can already think of some of the small features on spacecraft that increase visual complexity, such as handrails. Since O-F is full of enthusiasts who often look at pictures of space hardware, and also study the technical aspects of such hardware, I figured here would be the best place to ask for help regarding 'real-life greebles' on spacecraft. What sort of features on things like the ISS or space shuttle contribute to visual complexity?
Furthermore, what sort of surface materials and textures are common on spacecraft? Reflective coverings seem to be pretty logical from a thermal control standpoint, but there seems to be a fair amount of variation; from the stereotypical 'tinfoil' MLI, which comes in silvery, gold-y or copper-y colours, to the brushed metal of the USOS module exteriors, to white-painted surfaces and surfaces seemingly covered in white spacesuit-like material. Of course, there are also exceptions, like the black-coloured PMAs...