Building for the Future, what makes it futuristic?

I know it can't be all square builds. The way I view futuristic builds is rounded, but the problem I face: working with limited prims, most builidng structures turn out looking boxy.

I've been here a long time, but yet to find a way around this dilemma.

Ideas, suggestions?

Off the top of my head? Particle veils and use of negative space.

It is the nature of buildings to be boxy though. Do you have any examples of the kinds of effects you're trying to achieve?

An example of something I had in mind, it isn't exactly like this but something similar:

http://www.oshatz.com/text/brighttower.htm

I know SL can't handle that, but thats part of the dilemma is getting around SL's limitations.

I'm currently wrestling with something very much like this. I can find solutions, just they're extremely prim heavy and wedgey looking solutions.
*sighs* wedges are ok... I guess...
Having said that... what makes something look futuristic? I guess one thing, is what it appears to be made of. The shapes might not be ideal, but textures certainly help. I wish I was able to make my own textures... what I'd really like to see in texture shops are more gleaming metals, glossy plastics etc... less of the kind of texture that does everything for you, but rather textures of the basic elements, so could go anywhere you want with them.

Seifert Surface has built amazing curvey futuristic buildings in The Future (that's the name of the sim).

I just went and explored The Future. Stunning. Absolutely my favourite sim.

It doesn't look that bad to me. Not as bad as, say, the Sydney Opera House. The Bright Tower looks like a problem only in needing to build large circles, and that can be done with Cadroe Murphy's tools, or possibly Jeffrey Gomez's obj importer. Either scripting or more patience than I have are pretty much necessary for large curved objects.

On a smaller scale, rounding off corners with cylinders, tori and spheres works.

The Ivory Tower Library of Primatives (i think thats what its called) looks similar to that picture.

Also maybe check out Cubey Terra's aeorodrome.Thats looks futuristic to me,with curved boxes.Very cool place.

I was going to point out the Ivory Tower, but you beat me too it.

Also look up Thili Playfair's prefabs for a non-boxy look that's organic rather than futuristic.

this is what i want to see ... someday
http://www.rbcorner.com/desktops/roeboot/mainframe-city_1024.jpg
-LW

I'm just curious, if you're limited to a plot size less than a sim, do these object importers keep the prim levels on an extremely low level?

The one I was able to come across, used a severely high number of prims to get the look I wanted and prims, I do not have.

No. Jeffrey's object importer is only a prim efficient tool if the individual prims one is creating are reasonably large (close to the 10m limit) and therefore there's no disadvantage in using a prim per triangle. However, with smaller stuff you might be able to use the cylinder/torus/sphere instead?

If you can come up with a design that doesn't use that many triangles but still does what you want, then of course it will do what you want, but there's no magic prim-reducing-simplifying going on.

Technically possible, though not easy and you'd probably need 4 sims to get the scale feeling right. There used to be a Parisian style mall (doesn't seem to be around any more) which had a circular design covering an entire sim - the link reminded me of it. It was made with Cadroe's tools.

thank you Kim. the Grail up high is just fantastic.. among other great things there

Absolutely - good texturing is very often the key to low-prim building. As far as making something look futuristic, there are various options. To name just 3.

The '60s cover-artist approach
Make everything curved and "flowy". Use spires - lots of them. Add sky walkways between buildings (remember to make them cureved and flowy - they can be really thin, like a meter wide - 'cuz apparently ppl in the future have perfect balance and no wind. Sprinkle with "I, Robot - The Movie" style cars.

Unless an evil emperor runs the city; then make it all with cylinders and blocks - all cramped together - looming over the dark, tight streets, with a big-ass wall around it, and a humungous "Bladerunner" pyramid in the middle.

(My cycnicism aside, this approach does have it place at times.)

Cyberpunk
If you don't know it, don't rely on my quick explanation (Hi-tech meets poverty - with lotsa neon), rather pick up a copy of William Gibson's "Nueromancer" - And go visit "Gibson" in Bonaficio (IIRC).

Mid to far future SF author style
Consider technology and social changes to come. Architecture is aesthetic, yes, but it is also based on available technology, its requirements and its limitations. Choose some assumptions of where technology and society will go and derive your build look from that.
examples:

Tech: We continue developing material science - giving us stronger, but lighter building materials.
Result: Many structural elements of building fall away - less columns - no cores - glass as a loadbearing member - oh, yes, and sky walkways

Tech: Flying cars
Result: No (or few) roads - but buildings have vehicle entrances every 5 floors, or landing pads all along the sides, etc.

Society: Overpopulation
Result: Tall buildings, no open space, residence and business taking place in the same building (you live on 37th floor and work on the 52nd) - read an arcology novel or see "The Island" for some ideas

and so on and so on - and remember that any tech/social change you think of will probably domino onto other changes that you can incorporate. As buildings climb higher due to overpopulation, for example, wind and earthquakes become more of a problem, forcing us to develop weather-control systems that in turn have an effect on buildings (less need for roofs and shelter against rain)

This is pretty futuristic!

Aye, that's Seifert's "The?) Grail".