Scaling... Since Si started me, I may as well compare against his other ship.
Did some more detailing on the utility section
I hate Voyagers long sticky legs, but then this bulkier set of shorter legs also seems quite bluegh
So I decided to add some independantly powered repulsor generators, 6 in total, two at the back of the super structure, 2 at the front of the superstructure and two on the pylons. They effectively become the reverse of artificial gravity, enabling the drive section to stay up. Of course, the drive section only has a quarter of the nacelle mass when she is connected and the command section far too big so the specs of this will confirm only the back section can land, if she lands complete, it's a crash landing and they must endeavour to find a lake or very big field, and not deploy the gears!
I also added torpedo launchers to all the launcher holes and some detailing on the cargo bay floors and am currently waiting for your first flyby animation to render.
You should do those clay renders. Otherwise it looks like you're trying to create a scene while it's still a WIP. It would make the details stand out a bit more.
Your right to an opinion does not make your opinion valid.
I agree about the impulse grilles. It looks like there's also light in the hull right above and before the engine ports. As if the light was emanating through the hull.
Yeah I didn't really police the light much before I did that render. There will appear to be -some- reflections where you wouldn't have expected them, but only because the lower pylons, which arc the opposite direction also have impulse engines.
Im glad you added the windows, i dunno why but with this design i really couldnt place the size or scale of the ship until you added them. She looks a lot bigger now thanks to them.
And that side-view! Darn she has a nice underside that i wasnt expecting. I must've missed a couple pages! I was expecting a sort of akira-esque pot-belly saucer. But you pulled it back and made it look like a proper secondary hull to go with its top view. I cant wait to see more of its belly....
Decided to add some phaser strips. I have always thought it would be better to have separate smaller strips, rather than one all over that could be damaged. The Ent D always seemed to collect energy along the whole length of the ring. To be honest, since phaser beams always looked like they could be directed in a pretty much half sphere, I don't know why they use strips anyway!
Then added some more detail and windows to the front bit. Have a new method of doing this now, whereby I have a solid(ish) core model, then clone some of the surface and cut windows into that.
There has been an intense discussion about the length of te phaser strip (and thus of the maximum charge-up) possibly corresponding to the maximum output of the beam. However, if we look at the Dominion War footage of any ship firing phaser bursts at Dominion/Cardassian ships, short bursts seem to do a lot more damage or be at least equal to one fully charged beam. So in a way, several shorter strips in one direction are more beneficial when it comes to fighting, than one big.
Its not the size of the phaser, it's how you set it to stun... Sorry, Rivers' size obsession must be rubbing off.
I don't know about power output, but I just take the opinion I'd rather have 3 separate bits of kit, each of which operate independantly and would have to go wrong before I lost firepower in that arc, rather than one. We can always use rule-of-cool and say the 25th century phaser needs much less 'charge' collection to deliver equivalent power. I don't see any reason to make the F's phasers -two hundred thousand- times more powerful than the Sovereign.
I just realized something. The primary hull on this, when not attached to the secondary hull, kinda looks like the Zahje-Class I designed (Conquistador). I remember you said you liked that design alot. Cool
I was talking about ship phasers. They have no stun setting...
Think I'll count my joke as "exclusive to British humour".
Just looked at how the contest is going, both highest rated and most vote ships both look fantastic. If Chriss Madden or Shawn Weixelman are lurking out there, good job guys, they look superb!
*Cough* well, now you've done it. You've used a crude word in one of my WIP threads, my mother is going to have me shot!
Talking of rubbishness though, as I started cutting windows into the second hull today I realised it was actually a bit of a stupid move putting all the panelling in first. After much thinking, chewing my top lip and tasche, and hammering of fists on the computer table, I decided that some time this week, I would scrap the model.
I like the design though and I don't really want to lose it totally, so I think I'll just start again from scratch. I had no idea when I was first making her, that I'd want to get into much detail, so I used less polys than I could have done. Guess the new version will be drastically more polygonal... Won't -look- any better mind...
I scrapped two Maggie's before i got to the stage im on now, Dann. So dont feel bad. Her hull tapered away so oddly at the back that whenever i came to update it it just looked nothing like the incline of the old one.
Granted i wasnt as far along as you are with this one, but either way - your gut tells you when its better to chuck it in the bin and start over. I left it for a couple of weeks at the time and came back to it again with a fresh approach. That was the one im currently on and feels "right" Feelings and intuition are sometimes every bit as important in making a design as technical ability and creativity are.
If anyone's interested, I'll also be on Oprah later discussing my feelings about humanity, and why we all need to start sharing together and loving one another.
Posts
Did some more detailing on the utility section
I hate Voyagers long sticky legs, but then this bulkier set of shorter legs also seems quite bluegh
So I decided to add some independantly powered repulsor generators, 6 in total, two at the back of the super structure, 2 at the front of the superstructure and two on the pylons. They effectively become the reverse of artificial gravity, enabling the drive section to stay up. Of course, the drive section only has a quarter of the nacelle mass when she is connected and the command section far too big so the specs of this will confirm only the back section can land, if she lands complete, it's a crash landing and they must endeavour to find a lake or very big field, and not deploy the gears!
I also added torpedo launchers to all the launcher holes and some detailing on the cargo bay floors and am currently waiting for your first flyby animation to render.
First Fly By
Jen, sure disisintegrating oneself would mean reintegration of some sort.
Did some side views. This is because I'm thinking of trying my hand at an MSD. Never done one before, but will be giving it a go this week or next...
Added some impulse grilles at last
And let's ditch the second section for a second and go for an ortho.
Im glad you added the windows, i dunno why but with this design i really couldnt place the size or scale of the ship until you added them. She looks a lot bigger now thanks to them.
And that side-view! Darn she has a nice underside that i wasnt expecting. I must've missed a couple pages! I was expecting a sort of akira-esque pot-belly saucer. But you pulled it back and made it look like a proper secondary hull to go with its top view. I cant wait to see more of its belly....
...detail faster! hehe j/k
Then added some more detail and windows to the front bit. Have a new method of doing this now, whereby I have a solid(ish) core model, then clone some of the surface and cut windows into that.
I don't know about power output, but I just take the opinion I'd rather have 3 separate bits of kit, each of which operate independantly and would have to go wrong before I lost firepower in that arc, rather than one. We can always use rule-of-cool and say the 25th century phaser needs much less 'charge' collection to deliver equivalent power. I don't see any reason to make the F's phasers -two hundred thousand- times more powerful than the Sovereign.
Think I'll count my joke as "exclusive to British humour".
Just looked at how the contest is going, both highest rated and most vote ships both look fantastic. If Chriss Madden or Shawn Weixelman are lurking out there, good job guys, they look superb!
I got it......... Oh wait, ... I'm british too. I don't count.
D'oh.
British humour = toilet humour. One and the same
Talking of rubbishness though, as I started cutting windows into the second hull today I realised it was actually a bit of a stupid move putting all the panelling in first. After much thinking, chewing my top lip and tasche, and hammering of fists on the computer table, I decided that some time this week, I would scrap the model.
I like the design though and I don't really want to lose it totally, so I think I'll just start again from scratch. I had no idea when I was first making her, that I'd want to get into much detail, so I used less polys than I could have done. Guess the new version will be drastically more polygonal... Won't -look- any better mind...
ho hum.
It's always a pain having to restart a model...but who doesn't like their model to be better than ever
Granted i wasnt as far along as you are with this one, but either way - your gut tells you when its better to chuck it in the bin and start over. I left it for a couple of weeks at the time and came back to it again with a fresh approach. That was the one im currently on and feels "right"
If anyone's interested, I'll also be on Oprah later discussing my feelings about humanity, and why we all need to start sharing together and loving one another.
Gut feelings 4tw!