thanks for the scale test! must be the parallax or something.. Looking great!
... .. always bothered me that the Enterprise is crashing into the Excellsior's Naccelles in that scene.... where's the 5mph bumpers when you need them!
yeah.. i got his akyazi model.. ( still havent finished it!.. resin, wasn't the best of quality, but good) that and his vacuform kits.. still wish i got his oberth.. owell guess we have R2 and amt... .... .... well atleast they are. ... .. there..
Thanks for ref pics Valkyrie013. I've got some of them and I've seen most of them at one time or another. However, I don't recall seeing those kit bash saucer torpedo launchers before; I've seen other variations, but never that particular set. Granted it would be uber overkill applied to the Abbe, but it is a really cool implementation for another ship.
Agreed. Here is something to consider. Lower the saucer of the 1701-A refit and relocate to photon torpedos to the saucer as per the cut-out above. Have the refit saucer like the Abbe's with that very wide impulse deck, but in the refits case, have an aft torpedo deck between the impulse's widely separated exhaust--where the Abbe's main spar attaches. This way you have a better armed refit, saucer only torpedoes, and a more agressive stance from lowering the saucer.
Hey guys. Been a while. ST-One reminded me on my blog. I actually didn't realize it had been since December that I'd posted any of my stuff here. I guess I was waiting until I got something more substantial accomplished, but that isn't going to happen soon. In fact, I had a little dry spell away from computers through Jan and Feb, so I figured I'd go ahead and post some of my slow progress.
I started detailing to exterior pier walls, and the fuel tanks down below the station.
I gave in and constructed physical columns instead of UV mapped versions. I"ll probably keep the UV versions for distance shots though (some trees are bare for rendering speed).
Increased the greeble detail on my docking arm and created a low level interior for it.
Finally, I started spreading the concourse interiors around the pier's perimeter, and the docking rings all around the station are getting sprinkles of detailing added (though it's hard to see at any distance).
Very nice work Basil! I'd say you need some subtle specular plating maps on the hull, to help give a sense of scane, and those round windows might be a bit TOO big, the smaller ones work better. The trick with structures this large is keeping them detailed, and looking like a huge structure, and not just a model. When I figure it out myself, I'll let you know!
Here is my loud loud exclamation. OH HELL YES!!!!!! Now i'm waiting for people to be walking around doing there thing before a starship arrives. Waiting for more here Basil. :thumb:
Thanks guys! Got a little something done this weekend, working on more gangway greebles and beginning detailing on the large shuttlebay, specifically around the door frames. I also had fun modeling some large mooring/tractor emitters based on some common household doohickies.
ooh liking the details! like the tractor/mooring beams!!
Question.. just thinking while looking at her.. where do you store the stores?? where are the cargo bays full of stuff for resupplying ships?? just asking and trying to see what your thinking on her! Looking great, can't wait for another update!
Valkyrie: There will be storage all over the station, but most of it will be concentrated in that level with the bays doors surrounding the piers I've begun working on. That entire level of bays is interconnected and essentially the level with least impediment to the largest number of starship bay openings when docked. Also, cargo storage will be near the large singular large bays towards the interior of each pier. Those bays are a little larger and can incorporate small freighters and individual trader vessels. there will also be more storage, especially for fuel purposes, in the lowest ring near the large spherical slush tanks. I've actually considered making that area a dedicated refueling station, as a last step before departure. Since most Starfleet style ships appear they could have some form of fueling nature to their underbellies (that's how I've always interpreted the yellow spot underneath a number of canon and fan designs), I've thought that might be the best place to swing a ship right before it leaves for deep space. There will be more bays in the lower ring, but the open spaces on top could employ some towering plug-in method to satisfy a slushy deuterium thirst, and perhaps some conveyor method for delivering contained antimatter pods.
I just haven't yet figured out another way to incorporate refueling while docked at the piers for so many docking ports and so many distinct ship styles, at least not without overwhelming the stations design aesthetic. I will keep thinking about it though. There is so much that can go under the pier areas themselves, but then there is overkill.
I've decided that a ship could undergo minor to medium repairs at this station, but that major repairs and overhauls would have to be carried out at more dedicated facilities. So, there won't be any drydock structures incorporated into this station. Since I have built those already, it seems reasonable to send ships there for such rigors.
i've always thought the neck and spine were areas for refueling since it leads directly to the deuterium tanks (usually in the upper eng section, then sent down the M/A RA .. ) Guessin a dedicated Tanker thats moored to the lower slush tanks, then mosys on to the ship to fill her up while docked, or just left just incase of any.. well Booms... (just keep thinking of the Refueling scene in armagadeon!! he he)
always pictured a swarm of small ships converge on a ship when it comes to the station for repairs/resupply.. well I guess that would be true for smaller stations... owell..
TNG ships certainly had fuel areas in their upper engineering sections, at least the Ent-D certainly had her deuterium slush tanks there, though her antimatter pods were said to be stored in the lower decks. I think the matter/antimatter reaction for TMP era warp engines was intended to be somewhat different from TNG design though. Most of the cutaways and reference materials I've seen of the movie era ships (either licensed or fan derived) have always put those features lower in the ship. The Refit Enterprise seems to have its actual engineering section as high up in the secondary hull as was possible along her dorsal spine, and her fuel storage seems to be beneath the entirety of the intermix shaft in cylindrical canisters loaded along the inner circumference of the secondary hull's underbelly. I am not certain if this is all assumed to be antimatter containment however, or selections of the two fuels given their equal necessity. Still, I donAât know exactly where else matter could be permanently stored, but I suspect it is also somewhere in the underbelly given the seeming lack of bulk space for it in the higher levels, especially noting the large areas reserved for those interiors fully visualized in the films (engineering complex, cargo/shuttle bay, botanical garden, etcAâ¦).
Granted from these descriptive plan images I've seen of the movie design, storage of the antimatter has been more spotlighted than the placement of matter tanks. I would have to look into my "archives" to see exactly where the matter fuel placement has been theorized, but I suspect most TMP era ships would follow a similar pattern.
As for fueling ships with moseying tankers, I have seriously considered that, since I've actually seen that method utilized on a number of my ocean crossings.
As for fueling underbelly, some refit Enterprise versions, and the Phobos have the bright yellow circle with the red outline in that area (which I think may have originated with the TOS Enterprise) and I intend to put something similar on all of my finished (whenever that is) models since I think it is the perfect venue for that.
as so well evidenced in TWOK with the M/A RA along the spine.. first thought was to space the deuterium and antimater as far apart as posible, then thought that... if anti mater came in contact with ANY matter it's bad times all around! so storing both it in the belly wouldn't matter..
and if i think correctly, the M/A Reactor is called a swirl reactor (as seen with the swirling lights in the tube) so maybe the both are ejected at the same deck/height then swirl up to the engineering level and hit the Dilithium .. the warp plasma is created and feed to the nacelles..(who knows just throwing stuff out) since we don't see a reactor assembly in engineering, just a T for the plasma.. (looks cool thou!!) thou the Dilithium chamber to the side doesn't make sense either.. (tech head talking!) he he
As always, your work is amazing! It's a rare to have such attention devoted to the TMP Era (which is far and away my favorite design era), and a delight indeed to have such skill and care lavished on it. Your blog and posts here are a constant stopping off point for me!
Would you be planning to do Senior officer quarters one of these days? That's an interior one almost never sees in renders.
I've actually considered doing officers quarters for some time now. I actually set aside a host of screen shots and reference materials of the movie set and its TNG re-use as a starting point, but I have never started the project beyond that. The set actually has a few complex organic shapes (my nemesis ) that tend to keep me putting off a serious dive, but I will have to tackle it someday. The sleeping berth looks especially interesting with it's curved molded shapes and thus, my poison/sustenance. Like a moth to the bug zapper, I won't be able to stop once I start.
Posts
thanks for the scale test! must be the parallax or something.. Looking great!
... .. always bothered me that the Enterprise is crashing into the Excellsior's Naccelles in that scene.... where's the 5mph bumpers when you need them!
Found the Abbe class refs that i mentioned.. Long time ago.. There ya go!!
I started detailing to exterior pier walls, and the fuel tanks down below the station.
I gave in and constructed physical columns instead of UV mapped versions. I"ll probably keep the UV versions for distance shots though (some trees are bare for rendering speed).
Increased the greeble detail on my docking arm and created a low level interior for it.
Finally, I started spreading the concourse interiors around the pier's perimeter, and the docking rings all around the station are getting sprinkles of detailing added (though it's hard to see at any distance).
That's where I am.
and this update is no different man... Bloody awesome
Nicely done!!! Can't wait to see the bridge or an M.S.D. for this beauty!! (Or both.)
Question.. just thinking while looking at her.. where do you store the stores?? where are the cargo bays full of stuff for resupplying ships?? just asking and trying to see what your thinking on her! Looking great, can't wait for another update!
Valkyrie: There will be storage all over the station, but most of it will be concentrated in that level with the bays doors surrounding the piers I've begun working on. That entire level of bays is interconnected and essentially the level with least impediment to the largest number of starship bay openings when docked. Also, cargo storage will be near the large singular large bays towards the interior of each pier. Those bays are a little larger and can incorporate small freighters and individual trader vessels. there will also be more storage, especially for fuel purposes, in the lowest ring near the large spherical slush tanks. I've actually considered making that area a dedicated refueling station, as a last step before departure. Since most Starfleet style ships appear they could have some form of fueling nature to their underbellies (that's how I've always interpreted the yellow spot underneath a number of canon and fan designs), I've thought that might be the best place to swing a ship right before it leaves for deep space. There will be more bays in the lower ring, but the open spaces on top could employ some towering plug-in method to satisfy a slushy deuterium thirst, and perhaps some conveyor method for delivering contained antimatter pods.
I just haven't yet figured out another way to incorporate refueling while docked at the piers for so many docking ports and so many distinct ship styles, at least not without overwhelming the stations design aesthetic. I will keep thinking about it though. There is so much that can go under the pier areas themselves, but then there is overkill.
I've decided that a ship could undergo minor to medium repairs at this station, but that major repairs and overhauls would have to be carried out at more dedicated facilities. So, there won't be any drydock structures incorporated into this station. Since I have built those already, it seems reasonable to send ships there for such rigors.
i've always thought the neck and spine were areas for refueling since it leads directly to the deuterium tanks (usually in the upper eng section, then sent down the M/A RA .. ) Guessin a dedicated Tanker thats moored to the lower slush tanks, then mosys on to the ship to fill her up while docked, or just left just incase of any.. well Booms... (just keep thinking of the Refueling scene in armagadeon!! he he)
always pictured a swarm of small ships converge on a ship when it comes to the station for repairs/resupply.. well I guess that would be true for smaller stations... owell..
Yay!!
Granted from these descriptive plan images I've seen of the movie design, storage of the antimatter has been more spotlighted than the placement of matter tanks. I would have to look into my "archives" to see exactly where the matter fuel placement has been theorized, but I suspect most TMP era ships would follow a similar pattern.
As for fueling ships with moseying tankers, I have seriously considered that, since I've actually seen that method utilized on a number of my ocean crossings.
As for fueling underbelly, some refit Enterprise versions, and the Phobos have the bright yellow circle with the red outline in that area (which I think may have originated with the TOS Enterprise) and I intend to put something similar on all of my finished (whenever that is) models since I think it is the perfect venue for that.
and if i think correctly, the M/A Reactor is called a swirl reactor (as seen with the swirling lights in the tube) so maybe the both are ejected at the same deck/height then swirl up to the engineering level and hit the Dilithium .. the warp plasma is created and feed to the nacelles..(who knows just throwing stuff out) since we don't see a reactor assembly in engineering, just a T for the plasma.. (looks cool thou!!) thou the Dilithium chamber to the side doesn't make sense either.. (tech head talking!) he he
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/uss-hornet-ncc-9700.php
Fuel shuttle near the bottom of the page!
As for that Hornet... I've been looking over that ship for years and I still can't figure out if I love it or hate it.
Would you be planning to do Senior officer quarters one of these days? That's an interior one almost never sees in renders.
Thanks again for the amazing work!
I've actually considered doing officers quarters for some time now. I actually set aside a host of screen shots and reference materials of the movie set and its TNG re-use as a starting point, but I have never started the project beyond that. The set actually has a few complex organic shapes (my nemesis
Early shot looking out toward the exterior door.
Exterior shot looking inward. I've added more details and included some shuttles and workbee equipment for scale. Much more to come.