3DConstitution Class WIP

Lancswolf

Thought I might as well make a WIP on my little Connie project, this is my first Star Trek model so I thought go with the Connie as it looks the easiest to start off with, been working on it for a week and a half on and off, have hit a snag though currently stumped on how to cut the grill section into the nacelle and the block bits on the engineering section (can't figure out what they're called but you'll see on the pictures.) if anyone has any tips they'd be really appreciated.









Click to enlarge.

Lizzy777

Looks like you got all of the shapes and curves right on that one. Don't know what program you're using (not that'd I'd be much help anyway) to assist with your engine work. Do you plan to do the regulation Constitution or will you modify it with your own modeling touches?

Lancswolf

Ah knew I'd forgotten something, I'm using 3DS Max, I'm just doing a regulation Connie for the time being, depending on how this project turns out I might add my own bits to it.

scifieric

Lancswolf wrote: »

Thought I might as well make a WIP on my little Connie project, this is my first Star Trek model so I thought go with the Connie as it looks the easiest to start off with, been working on it for a week and a half on and off, have hit a snag though currently stumped on how to cut the grill section into the nacelle and the block bits on the engineering section (can't figure out what they're called but you'll see on the pictures.) if anyone has any tips they'd be really appreciated.

You're doing very well, but looks (as far as ease on this ship) are always misleading. I have always thought that if you wanted to do easy, you go with the blocky, modular looks of TNG. With this classic design, when you get a line out of place, it simply looks wrong.

You're doing a great job! Keep it up. She's my favorite of ships.

Lancswolf

Maybe I'll do TNG ship next, who knows, but yeah with detail I've been agonising over photographs of the model they used on the show, trying to get it as close as possible.

Lancswolf

Update time (sorry to double post), added the stubs to the Engineering section, couple of little bits to the senor dome, cut windows into the neck of the ship and finally cut the groove into the warp nacelles with some help from Melak also added the grill to it.

Lancswolf

Been pretty lazy with the updates as of late, I've pretty much finished the modeling phase just stuck on texturing, I'm not particularly good at it so bare with me since it's going to be the slow slow slow stage.

BrianSzep

Hi,

Looking very good. So what was the technic that you used to put the grill and grooves on the rear of the nacelles?

Brian

Buckaroohawk

Damn! You got her looking fine! I'm very impressed because, as scifieric said, the Big E may look simple but that's very deceiving. There are subtle details, curves, and tapers in her design that often go unnoticed, then you find yourself banging your head against a wall because you can't figure out why it looks wrong. You've done right by her, though. Congratulations!

When it comes to the material maps, if you feel that isn't a strong suit for you I suggest you do what you did before: Reach out to the other members. There are modelers here who do some killer material maps. I, unfortunately, am not one of them. Keep going and good luck!

BolianAdmiral

Very nice work so far!

Lancswolf

BrianSzep wrote: »

Hi,

Looking very good. So what was the technic that you used to put the grill and grooves on the rear of the nacelles?

Brian

Well basically the rear grill is just a box with extruded faces it sits inside the nacelles that's all really, was the easiest way of doing it. As for the grooves what I did was deleted the cap off the cylinder then selected all the lines within the cylinder and chamfered them so it added more faces then I had to select the faces individually and then extruded them, this is probably a pretty crappy explanation but if you want something better I might do a picture tutorial to show you.

Buckaroohawk wrote: »

Damn! You got her looking fine! I'm very impressed because, as scifieric said, the Big E may look simple but that's very deceiving. There are subtle details, curves, and tapers in her design that often go unnoticed, then you find yourself banging your head against a wall because you can't figure out why it looks wrong. You've done right by her, though. Congratulations!

When it comes to the material maps, if you feel that isn't a strong suit for you I suggest you do what you did before: Reach out to the other members. There are modelers here who do some killer material maps. I, unfortunately, am not one of them. Keep going and good luck!

Thank you, it was hard at parts but I had fun doing it. As for the material maps I might do that, the only real problem is unwrapping the ship, once it's been unwrapped properly I'd have no problem.

BolianAdmiral wrote: »

Very nice work so far!

Thank you

Melak

Nice work on the connie!

..damn, you confuse me! I used to have that same avatar a while back

Lancswolf

Haha thanks I had to use it, I giggle every time i see that expression.

Lancswolf

Just a tiny tiny update, I was told I should use window boxes to make the ship look better, I was just wondering what you guys thought, should I do every window like this or just have self illuminating material?.

Schimpfy

I'd say either tone down the contrast or do self illumination. That red is way too strong right now.

Tallguy

I originally did mine with an illuminated material (much like the original model). I've since added rooms behind my windows. I'm still on the fence as to which looks more "real" to me.

madman1701a

I guess it depends on if you're going to animate it, or do still shots. Windows boxes look better when it's in motion, but if it's going to be all still shots, you can save alot of time just using an illuminated material, like Tallguy said.

Buckaroohawk

I'm currently in the process of adding rooms to Dennis Bailey's TMP Enterprise. Some are just simple window boxes while others are more detailed interiors. It's been maddening work at times, but I think they do look better than simple self-illuminated material. It all comes down to what you like best. Before CGI most models just used fiber optics to light windows; there was no interior detailing and sci-fi fans never complained. Do what you think will make the ship look the way you want it to look.

Tallguy

I spend a lot of time these days looking at office buildings (or houses or cars or whatever) and figuring out what I can see and what I can't. Essentially, I think there's a reason that those old fiber optic windows worked. You can't really see that much detail at night. Certainly not during the day (which if your ship is getting light from a nearby star it is day).

Lancswolf

I've decided just to have self illuminated windows this time around, started doing some texturing this afternoon on the engineering section, oh the mesh errors, its making me think about redoing that entire section from scratch.

Buckaroohawk

Tallguy wrote: »

I spend a lot of time these days looking at office buildings (or houses or cars or whatever) and figuring out what I can see and what I can't. Essentially, I think there's a reason that those old fiber optic windows worked. You can't really see that much detail at night. Certainly not during the day (which if your ship is getting light from a nearby star it is day).

I've been doing exactly the same thing to try and get an impression of what looks realistic. Lately I've been using window boxes with strategically placed iluumination maps that can be turned down (or off) when my models are well-lighted and turned up when the scene lighting is darker. Still on the fence as to whether or not it's a viable solution, but I'm giving it a go just the same.