How long does this [concept process] take?
TL;DRConcept time varies, since Chris sometimes rejects designs repeatedly, and the team handles blocks by stepping in or running a concept jam, while a new ship's function can push the shape in different directions.
Yeah, that's the tough one. Especially when you think you've nailed it and then Chris is like, no, I don't like this one, which is fine because it's artistic choice, right? I might like something, he might not like it, but we have had it in the past where things have crashed and burned three times in a row and it's just about how you deal with it basically. Sometimes an artist will basically hit a brick wall and then it's really about me stepping in, or sometimes we'll just do a bit of a concept jam and everyone will just sort of dive in and have a crack at it just to break through the block and come up with some alternative theories. Sometimes the functionality can often define the shape of the ship and, when it's a new ship, something we haven't dealt with before, you can go in multiple different directions, and that can lead to quite different configurations.