Description
BACKSTORY:
The droid I designed is named JTR - 4, also known as “Jot”. Jot was manufactured under the New Republic Engineering Corporation, who also developed N5 Sentry Droids found in the Mandalorian series, during the New Republic era. Due to the shortage of soldiers in the evolving government, this droid was programmed to be a bodyguard and loyal companion. This specific class of droid served high officials: senators, emissaries, chancellors, and leaders such as Leia Organa or Mon Mothma. Jot was a marvel of engineering as it became favored by citizens for its defensive capabilities and companionship in times of uncertainty against the impending threat of the First Order.
DESIGN PROCESS:
I was initially inspired by 70’s science fiction films, 50’s pulp magazine covers, and retro futuristic robots that shaped the imaginations of the past generations. I did research by looking into the Star Wars concept art books to help me sketch up early iterations and finalize my droid design.
The concept for my droid was based on a turtle imitating its functional features. My droid has a head that can move up and down, and can choose to hide its head in the body for safety. My droid is equipped with a Beskar metal shell on its back to protect itself and others from blaster shots or lightsaber swings. Jot also includes a mini shield generator that can project in extreme conditions to protect itself and multiple life forms. These droids work the most efficiently in a group, so they can create a tortoise formation, similar to the Romans of the ancient world.
My droid is about 4 ft tall and 3 ft wide, and made out of simple geometric shapes. The color pallette of Jot includes white, which is similar to many astromech droids and green accents to reflect the color of many turtles in our world. In addition, for textures I incorporated dull metals and shiny metals to reflect the different components and parts it is composed of.
Additionally, I incorporated other multifunctional tools that pop out of the body such as: grabbing claws, scomp link, circular saw, mechanical repair device, and hologram projector. Jot has the ability to hover, so It can travel across many different landscapes, especially rugged terrain.
Lastly, my droid is unique because of its facial features. Unlike traditional one eyed photoreceptor droids like R2-D2, the yellow light screen acts as its mouth and eyes to give a wider range of emotion and acts as a thermal scanner for potential threats. Jot’s personality can vary from shy to very friendly depending on how its programming is adjusted.
The design of JTR - 4 is inspired by the functional qualities of a turtle in our world and applied into a mechanical function in the Star Wars universe.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
As a Star Wars fan, I have been especially fascinated with the design process of the films in the franchise. Some of the most interesting elements were the craft of the creatures and effects and how they were brought to life. I found this competition to be a great opportunity to bring some of my own Star Wars ideas to fruition.
I also found this experience to be an insightful advantage to learn the 3ds Max software. I use many adjacent Autodesk 3d modeling softwares for my major in college. Through creating my droid, I learned how to 3d-model, to add textures for my renders, and to animate a droid. I look forward to applying these skills in the future.
I am thrilled to participate in this Autodesk droid competition. Thank you for considering my project.