Emma Field Inspiration

I’ve been so wrapped up in finishing Tongass Fjords lately that I haven’t taken the time to post on Emma Field’s progress. Here’s a little taste of what’s going on… One of the interesting challenges of creating a fictional airfield is that there’s no one reference to draw from. When re-creating a real airport, I just document it as best I can photographically, then use those pics to translate the real thing into a simulated version. It’s not simple, but it is fairly straightforward. When creating a place entirely from scratch, I’ve got latitude to follow my imagination, adding whatever buildings and details I think should be there.

Rather than just haunting my local airfields and “stealing” key buildings for re-use in Emma, I’m taking a more organic approach. Like the other day—I was taking a morning walk through my local park, when I spotted a picnic shelter. The first thing that came to mind was “that thing is huge, I’ll bet you could actually fit a Cessna 172 easily inside it”. Bingo! My 3D modeler brain started racing, imagining ways I could string several of these together to form a long covered “hangar” that is rustic and gives that Pacific Northwest feel.

So don’t be surprised if you see screenshots of Emma soon with a long bay of covered GA parking just off the taxiway. This is the sort of look I’m going for with the new Emma; rough and rustic, a little “homemade”, without all those fancy pre-fab buildings that make modern airports look so dull.