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3DUSS Yamaguci, NCC 26517

2

Posts

  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    Modeling is pretty much done now, unless I want to get flashy with a detailed interior. :P

    ambmodl17.jpg
    ambmodl18.jpg
    ambmodl19.jpg
  • StarshipStarship464 São Paulo - BrasilPosts: 1,976Member
    Looks good. One niptick: isnA’t the deflector a bit oversized? ;)
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    It possibly is...

    Also I'd like to make another error known:
    Her registry confused me, at first on looking at the studio model here, one can quite clearly see NCC-26517 on the saucer, so I went with that. However, the numbers on her nacelles read NCC-26510, something I didn't notice until very close inspection. It turns out, NCC-26517 belongs to U.S.S. Excalibur (TNG: 'Redemption, Pt2' and VOY: 'Survival Instinct'). The Yamaguchi (actual reg - NCC-26510) studio model was, in fact, a recycled Excalibur and since it's only on screen moment shows it flying away from camera, the studio crew didn't bother replacing the saucer's registry number. I will be correcting this on my texture
  • AresiusAresius359 Posts: 4,171Member
    very sweet details...

    :thumb:
  • SchimpfySchimpfy396 Posts: 1,632Member
    This looks great! I've always been partial to the Ambassador-class and you've done her justice. :)
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    Test firing the Phaser effects.

    (animation, DivX ~4mb. in rar package.)

    All done in max so can be used and adjusted for my animation sequence ideas later. No external video post processing programs used.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    YouTube - Phaser effect test.

    Final phaser effect.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    This has been on hold for a while due to commissioned work, but I found time for a play :)

    (Background image by ESO)
    ambmodl20.jpg

    ambmodl21.jpg
  • TrekMDTrekMD192 Posts: 639Member
    Nicely done!
  • Polaris 004Polaris 004199 Posts: 752Member
    Congratulations on this model. I have been trying to do an Old Style Ambassador (like Enterprise C) with Blender, and am having a Very hard time with the Secondary Hull.

    The studio and Ertl models have two torpedo tube type thingys (they look like they are supposed to be Torpedo Tubes, anyway) right where the secondary hull and the Neck meet. They are really small. Did you do anything with that, or did you leave them out? I think they look sorta doofy, and was thinking of forgetting about them.

    Anyway, this looks really good to me, except for the larger boxes under the Nacelles, connecting the Nacelles the pylons. Yours seem just a little too big. and the edges just a little too sharp. On the other hand, the bend of the pylons have a little "swell" at the turn. maybe you were just copying an orthograph, or something, but I think it looks really good. Great phaser effect.

    If you get any animations done with this model, I would really like to see them...
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    The connectors between the nacelles and pylons are changing, have a close look at the planet render. ;)

    As for the torpedo tubes, looking at the studio models again I can't see any, so I took full artistic license on them. The LCARS diagram shows the forward tubes as half way up the neck, which is where I put them. The detail is very small and you can just about see it in previous renders. I haven't put in the aft tubes yet but I don't really think they would go well on the back of the neck. I was thinking instead putting them in the end of the spine just above the main shuttlebay, similar location to the Galaxy class.

    I haven't got any other animation bits rendered yet, I do have a storyboard scribbled on my notepad. If anyone would like to speed up the animation by donating a Klingon ship (Bird of Prey or K'T'Inga please!) it would be greatly appreciated (if a little destroyed), with full credit of course.
  • Polaris 004Polaris 004199 Posts: 752Member
    killakanz wrote: »
    The connectors between the nacelles and pylons are changing, have a close look at the planet render. ;)

    As for the torpedo tubes, looking at the studio models again I can't see any, so I took full artistic license on them. The LCARS diagram shows the forward tubes as half way up the neck, which is where I put them. The detail is very small and you can just about see it in previous renders. I haven't put in the aft tubes yet but I don't really think they would go well on the back of the neck. I was thinking instead putting them in the end of the spine just above the main shuttlebay, similar location to the Galaxy class.

    I haven't got any other animation bits rendered yet, I do have a storyboard scribbled on my notepad. If anyone would like to speed up the animation by donating a Klingon ship (Bird of Prey or K'T'Inga please!) it would be greatly appreciated (if a little destroyed), with full credit of course.

    LOL right, the planet render has those boxes looking great... I was just not looking at the right shot. Great job.

    Yeah, that torpedo bay placement is a tough one. There's no really good answer. If you put the aft torpedo launcher at the end of the spine, well, there's clearly not one there in any of the footage. Put it on the back of the neck, and the change is less noticable, but I just don't think it would look too good there. I'll be interested to see where you put it, and how obvious you make it.
  • One of my very favorite classes. This is looking so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your talents with us here.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    ok, digging my old thread up :D

    I've been teaching myself mental ray, picking up little tricks here and there and struggling with the lighting and effects and things.
    The best model I have on the drive to test on is the Yamaguchi, it also gives me the chance to work on the little details and adjustments I hadn't got round to doing yet.
    Lots of little changes everywhere, including different coloured lights in the windows, started blocking a few windows too to make it look like the lights are off in some but got a lot still to go.
    Added some more escape pods, various other little bits. Overhauled deflector dish.
    Main change so far is the Nacelles have come down a bit. Following my post in Polaris 004's thread here, I took them all the way down to the height shown in the photo, but it just didn't seem to look right, so I settled for a point half way between and I think it looks alright.

    Mainly though just playing about with lighting and effects like engine glow and the blinker light. After a couple of days of fiddling I might have to ask just how do you folks do it? Some amazing lighting effects like on Deg3D's work. How is that done? Rendered or photoshopped?

    Picture follows:
    75489.jpg
  • Bmused55Bmused55177 Posts: 487Member
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    Bmused55, I've been looking at your MSD again.
    I haven't placed my aft torpedo launchers yet, because I'm not really sure where to put them. I can't see any torpedo launchers at all on studio model photos, not even forward ones. I got some sources saying the aft launcher would be on the neck, others saying it's at the end of the spine above the shuttlebay doors. Your MSD is the first I've seen suggesting they'd be under the secondary hull is the curve. It's definitely given me something to think about.

    Also, one point on your MSD, it shows the turbolift to the bridge going to the back of it. Ambassador's bridges... well, the Enterprise C's at least, went to the sides, more towards the front.
    Ex Astris Scientia - Galleries - Starfleet Bridge Illustrations
  • Bmused55Bmused55177 Posts: 487Member
    I decided to give the MSD an updated bridge as it has been long established that bridge modules can be changed. Look at the differences on all the 1701 and 1701-A bridges. Also, there are completely different bridges on the Reliant and Saratoga, both Miranda class. Then there are the different bridges we saw on the Constellation classes, Nebula classes and Galaxy classes on screen.

    In short... just because one ship has its turbolifts at the front of the bridge, it doesn't mean they all do.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    fair enough :P
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    YouTube - USS Yamaguchi flypast test

    Running lights and lens effect test. Took 15 hours to render. I compressed it a bit then youtube compressed it further mucking the quality up a bit. Apart from some a lack of sharpness and a bit of added flickering you're not missing much from the original uncompressed.
  • Polaris 004Polaris 004199 Posts: 752Member
    Cool. Nice flyby.

    Fifteen hours seems like a LONG time to produce such a little clip. Do you have a really slow computer? Maybe you could play with the render settings some and knock the time way down. I don't see anything about the scene that should require so much time. I don't know much to help you, especially since you use 3d max and not Blender. But when I turn off the ambient occlusion that helps me out a great deal. I also turn off ray tracing, unless I want it on for a specific reason.


    You might want to go to the forums and ask around a bit. There might be a tutorial or something that can help.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    It's to do with the Mental ray settings, I guess since it was animated and not a still I could have turned the AA down a bit, also lower the FG settings.

    I'll be doing a slower flyby animation, longer and more graceful, once I get rendering times down to a minute per frame or less.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    Been having a play again. A little image I threw together instead of... um... doing my job. Oops.
    Not 100% happy with the effects yet, especially the shield splash, but I have to do other things for now.
    (Bird of Prey by William Birningham, courtesy of trekmeshes.ch.)
    79903.png
  • publiusrpubliusr550 Posts: 1,746Member
    You could have excelsior type tubes in the secondary hull, but have fairings that cover them--as opposed to having them exposed. The aft tubes could then be placed between the aft shuttlebays, also faired over flush with the fantail perhaps.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    An early warp effect test. I'm working on making the end flash a bit brighter, and maybe a little slower.
    But I'm happy with the nacelle flash and the stretching effect on the ship. What do you guys think?

    Warptest.gif
  • JennyJenny2 Posts: 0Member
    Looks right to me.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    Ok, I think I got the weapon sets sorted out. As you can see, I can fire the phasers as often as I like, the targets can be anywhere around it, even moving! As stated earlier for this animation project, all effects are done in 3DS Max, no outside programs used.
    Please ignore shaky camera and ship movement... it seems I'm a rubbish film director.

    weapontest.gif
  • Polaris 004Polaris 004199 Posts: 752Member
    Both clips look good to me. I think you have the warp flash pretty spot on, and the weapons firing looks really dramatic. Cool stuff.
  • AresiusAresius359 Posts: 4,171Member
    I agree, it all looks very good and adequate.
    But also a bit too fast, IMHO.
  • NevetsNevets201 EarthPosts: 134Member
    NICE animations. I haven't seen anyone use the GIF format for animation in years. Again NICELY done.
  • killakanzkillakanz176 Posts: 112Member
    Well now. Due to certain people making their own Ambassadors and doing an amazingly awesome job and making me feel totally inferior... [censored]!!... I've dug up mine to see if I can bring it up to the level of the other ones floating around.

    So today I have:
    -Corrected some minor mesh errors.
    -Lined up some wandering UVs.
    -Smoothed off some edges.
    -Changed materials and deleted lights to move away from Mental Ray for now.
    -Added some details to some textures.
    -Added new texture for Bussards.
    -Added slight bevelling to underside of the saucer rim.
    -Removed the rather tacky grill pieces from the neck and moved the torpedo launcher to the base of the neck.

    Here's a couple of renders of just the model. No fancy lights, effects off.
    ambmodl24.jpg
    ambmodl25.jpg

    Still to do:
    -Correct more minor mesh errors.
    -Line up some more wandering UVs.
    -Smooth off some more edges.
    -Add more details to more textures.
    -Add a very discrete serration to the neck.
    -Perfect the Bussards' texture, then fix the Nacelles. They've been bugging me, there's some edges especially at the back that are wonky. Also I don't think I have their overall shape quite right, maybe a bit more square...
    -Re-build phaser strips. Make them properly this time and a texture would be nice. While I'm at it with weapons I should finally decide where the aft torpedo launcher is going to be and put it there.
    -Create non-mr lights and fix the window lighting on the bridge module. Also more windows need to be "turned off", apart from the bridge module there are only 4 dark windows on the entire ship at the moment...
    -Re-make effects.


    I wonder why I ever considered this as finished?
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