DOOM: The Dark Ages | Plasma Rifle Cycler
The first weapon I designed for the Plasma Class, the Cycler channels plasma from a core reactor through twin barrels. The gun was intended to have a slower but heavier shot than the Accelerator. I drew inspiration from crude early energy tech and arc reactor designs. The process went from early sketches and 3D blockouts through to the final concept.
Early designs focused on how to represent twin barrels being powered by an unstable energy core. I wanted to show the visibility of the core and visibility of the barrels. This led to the energy sphere as the energy source for both guns.
Further exploration on twin barrels and a core.
This shows how the Accelerator and Cycler share the same reactor core, but with different silhouettes/function.