What's the component of (what I assume machine) engineering education that makes one machine-savvy? I'm an upstart 3D artist and I view the huge popularity of organic and fantasy-themed work among amateurs as a result of people in general lacking technical education. We just don't know shit about how anything works, we don't recognize, interpret or memorize individual mechanisms etc. Picrelated is a good example, I have just the foggiest idea why that hatch looks the way it does and I'd never reproduce most of the detail it has (I'd do a mostly featureless "Apple" casing). If I had to flesh out the innards of some factory ruins I'd have to spend a day googling stuff before even getting an idea on how it's supposed to appear, let alone withstand any scrutiny. Even mainstream fiction's partially dominated by fantasy (when you throw out all the non-fictitious settings), you can get away with shit, man made environment is hardly ever the focus (unless were talk glowing magical gems or swords). Sure it gets botched as well, but it's easier to brush off, since it's not supposed to be historically accurate and muh magic (boy, I sure wish Vikings had that excuse). Sci-fi on the other hand... it's pretty easy to ruin the enjoyment of something through sheer ignorance the author displays. So, how do I educate myself (on the internet, for free)? I obviously don't need to learn much about materials or the math as I'll never attempt to build anything, but I want to make believable looking machines. Even for people who know their shit. I want to be confident I can deliver something nobody will cringe painfully at.
