Hmm seemed to have missed this. not one of my ships, not really a fan of the single nacell fed ships, though after seeing the Klevin, that changed. LOL!
Anyway looks like your doing a great job, nice work on the windows. Glad I could help you with that.
I am still cutting them into the Cat's, but once that done, no more windows yeah!
My textuering has been quite bad in Blender, so I would be intrested to know how you did it.
I haven't decided what I'm going to do. I really may leave it where it is, because the impulse engines on these Starships are so apparently small compared to the mass of the ships anyway, that it seems to me quite clear that they must work on some super-advanced principals of physics never touched on.
The STTNG Tech Manual Gods Sternbach & Okuda have you covered there : they saw the problem with the E-D's enormous mass, so, officially, impulse engines for those ships include sort of small fractional warp field generators to lower their apparent mass to manageable levels.
Glad I could help you with that.
I am still cutting them into the Cat's, but once that done, no more windows yeah!
My textuering has been quite bad in Blender, so I would be intrested to know how you did it.
Cutting windows is the hind-end of space. Now that I know I can do it if I want to, I may just go back to my previous method. It's SO much faster and from any reasonable distance looks 94% as good. Still, I'm glad I went back and worked on my skills in that area, and I notated the procedure I used in a doc format, so if ever I want to make a highly-detailed mesh, I will will remember what I learned this time around.
My texturing method is something I devised on my own. I wrote a tutorial on it, called "Hard Texturing in Blender: Because there's more than one way to Skin a Starship." It's in the tutorial section. But basically I sub divided all my surfaces into panel-sized rectangular polys, then manually applied the texture variation to those polys. No maps at all. I use uv mapping for the windows and the bussard collectors, and sometimes my deflector dishes, but that's it. I don't know if the method will be useful to you or not. It can require you to model your meshes in certain ways in order to look right.
I have textured ships both ways, and I find that for me my way is easier to control and faster to apply. Be warned though... as I explain in the tutorial, it is not a technique for slow computers, as it will dramatically increase your poly count.
Yeah, I thought I remembered something or other about that. What's interesting is that impulse engines actually seem to allow ships to travel at low warp speeds, like warp 2 or 3. And that they are seemingly unfettered by the "Twin Nacelle" constraints. Probably because their efficiency does not have to be as finely tuned as the larger warp coils, in order to do their job.
But if they move the ships by warping space, then probably any number of positions would serve as proper impulse placement. It really makes their position more a matter of artistic design than functional placement.
Along with what juanxer said about the tech manual, the structural integrity field along with the subspace driver coils of the impulse engines are what adjust the mass of the ship. Although, if I recall, it should still be located as close to center mass as possible in case the primary SIF and its multitude of backups with the impulse driver coils were to fail. The lowers the chance the ship will be stranded in such a case.
Along with what juanxer said about the tech manual, the structural integrity field along with the subspace driver coils of the impulse engines are what adjust the mass of the ship. Although, if I recall, it should still be located as close to center mass as possible in case the primary SIF and its multitude of backups with the impulse driver coils were to fail. The lowers the chance the ship will be stranded in such a case.
So, the impulse drives also provide something like conventional thrust as well as a space warping system?
Yes. I don't remember where I was reading it, but the impulse drives are basically an atomic rocket, propelling vectored thrust out the back while subspace induction coils reduce the apparent mass of the craft.
Me, I prefer the idea of reactionless drives, but hey... y'gotta work within the milieu, right?
If you remember the TNG episode "Relics" where Geordi said that impulse drives haven't changed much in 200 years it lends credence to the basic construction and operation as an atomic rocket. The only real change based on technical background throughout all the series is the addition of the driver coils.
Leading edge of the saucer works well for me, for the deflector. If it is a short range craft, remove the bussards, replace with the deflector dish. Long range vessels would seem to depend on the bussard collector for extra fuel
Leading edge of the saucer works well for me, for the deflector. If it is a short range craft, remove the bussards, replace with the deflector dish. Long range vessels would seem to depend on the bussard collector for extra fuel
Sorry. You are about a week too late to suggest basic design changes. That was all frozen back then, and now this project is just about 100% complete. Also, existing shots of the studio model show this class has a bussard collector in the usual spot, so I don't feel free to deviate on that point. That would have been a clever solution as to where to put the deflector, though.
I envison this class as a scout-type vessel, so she would still have to be a long-range ship.
You might have posted something about this already, but I do seem to remember some small spur--a tiny structure underneath the nacelle that might be intepreted as megaphaser or deflector spires on the original model...
I'd like to see that saucer in other designs, with a tiny secondary hull and voyager nacelles perhaps.
You might have posted something about this already, but I do seem to remember some small spur--a tiny structure underneath the nacelle that might be intepreted as megaphaser or deflector spires on the original model...
I'd like to see that saucer in other designs, with a tiny secondary hull and voyager nacelles perhaps.
No, you are the first one to notice that ommission. I just sorta whistled and kicked that little bit under the table, so to speak. It wasn't clear in any of the orths or pictures just what that spurr was supposed to be. And it looked doofy to me, like an appendix or some sort of vestigal organ that no longer served any purpose. In most orths it was just a little hangy-downy block with a few windows in it. I thought maybe it was the residential quarters for visiting mothers-in-law. I mean what the heck?
I guess I could have made that spurr into the deflector housing, come to think of it, but it seems really far from the saucer and the main computer and such. In any case, I just skipped it. It ruined the lines of the hull and to me just seemed superfulous.
That saucer idea is a really good design suggestion. I just might do that. I agree that could really look sharp. That might be my next project.
Okay, I think she's about done. I cut a few more windows for the saucer, added regs and banners, cleaned up a few odds and ends...
I'm pretty satisfied.
And, because some fruit is just too low-hanging not to pick, here's a kit bash of a kit bash:
This is the Freedom class "E Variant," or "Escort Variant." While the Freedom Class is a scout, the E variant is deployed for defense and escort duty. They also tend to be attached to star bases and shipyards where their superior interception capabilities are at their most useful.
Thanks to everyone who provided input for this mesh. She's much better for all the suggestions and help. I had a blast as always.
I will have some orths up in the gallery one day soon.
I really, really, really like that variant. :thumb: If you cleaned it up a little bit, i.e. split the shuttlebay into to separate doors, it could work very well.
The only thing I'm not a fan of on this model is the dorsal phaser setup. I believe it would look better, and match the underside, if it was one continuous strip. I know it's too late for you to want to change it and I was willing to give it a chance initially, but with the textures applied it makes it look a little...bland.
the Starcraft kit of the chyenne class had a split bay.. looked good!
I like the ship, and the variant! problem is all the windows in the neck.. there is no pupose for them, even going to bac to the tos enterprise.. its to small a space.. but thats just my opinion, and ur going off the ref.. but just saying
ever think of doin a 2 naccellle similar to I - I setup?? or a stargazer pylon with 2 nacelles? just thoughts.. looking great!
Okay, I think she's about done. I cut a few more windows for the saucer, added regs and banners, cleaned up a few odds and ends...
I'm pretty satisfied.
And, because some fruit is just too low-hanging not to pick, here's a kit bash of a kit bash:
This is the Freedom class "E Variant," or "Escort Variant." While the Freedom Class is a scout, the E variant is deployed for defense and escort duty. They also tend to be attached to star bases and shipyards where their superior interception capabilities are at their most useful.
Thanks to everyone who provided input for this mesh. She's much better for all the suggestions and help. I had a blast as always.
I will have some orths up in the gallery one day soon.
You should release both ships together. I love what you have done here.
I really, really, really like that variant. If you cleaned it up a little bit, i.e. split the shuttlebay into to separate doors, it could work very well.
The only thing I'm not a fan of on this model is the dorsal phaser setup. I believe it would look better, and match the underside, if it was one continuous strip. I know it's too late for you to want to change it and I was willing to give it a chance initially, but with the textures applied it makes it look a little...bland.
The shuttlebay IS already divided into two seperate doors. If That's noT coming across then I shall have to bring that fact out a bit more. Or I may just remodel that deck, maybe putting the doors on the sides or in the front. See, right now I made the variant by just adding bits to the original model, so that I could pack both types into one file. But now I think it's time to give the E Variant a little more distinction... just a little.
I like the phaser arrangements both ways, so I think I will make the dorsal phaser a single strip on the Escourt variant, and leave it as it is on the other mesh.
I like the Akula-style variant... it's hot.
I thought putting another nacelle on her would make her more popular....:p
I like the ship, and the variant! problem is all the windows in the neck.. there is no pupose for them, even going to bac to the tos enterprise.. its to small a space.. but thats just my opinion, and ur going off the ref.. but just saying
Actually, the neck is a good 30 feet wide at her widest, though it tapers in considerably at the leading edge. I think these spaces would be ideal for quarters. The officers could have rooms toward the front of the neck, with windows on both sides. I don't know about you, but that's where I would put my bed, at the leading edge of the neck...
That does seem to make the residences somewhat vulnerable, though. The neck seems to be the most fragile part of the whole ship. On the other hand, would there be a lot of people in their quarters during a general alert? Maybe I should take some of the windows out, like half of them or three quarters of them for the escort variant? That would be a sensible way to further distinguish between the two variants.
I like how this came out and i really like the kitbash looks like a TNG Akula Class i hope to see an orthographic view
I have a few things to finish up on both meshes, and then I will be posting an orth. I have an animation to do first, so it won't be until after the 16th...
Well, if everyone is quite through making really good suggestions I just can't ignore, then this SHOULD be the final version of the Freedom Class E Variant.
I just tweaked a few things to distinguish her a little from the regular Freedom Class:
I "reinforced" her hull by removing about half her windows on the pylons and on the saucer rim.
I gave her a single continuous phaser strip on her upper saucer.
I reworked deck three so that the shuttle bay doors face front and to the sides, instead of out the back, where the upper pylon now gets in the way.
That's about it. If there's nothing else from you guys, then look for an orth in a day or two th the 3D gallery. :cool:
Sorry, but I'm not a fan of the shuttlebays. Might I make a suggestion that "shouldn't" require much work?
Okay...
Elevators for access to a shuttlebay on either side of the superstructure, just outside of where they are now on the top of the saucer. That way you'd only need to change the color of a couple groups of polygons and add a map with markings. I'm thinking of something like the runabout bays on DS9.
Of course, this is just a suggestion. I love the model otherwise! :thumb:
Edit - Just realized the way you have the shuttlebays now there would be no possible way to get into the bays because of the lifeboats.
I love the new shuttle bay, and the look of this ship overall. But yeah... Juvat's right. The escape pods have to move... maybe to deck 4, just outboard of the shuttle bay?
Eghads. Those lifeboats ARE a problem. Trouble is, I really would like some Lifeboats on that decki... seems like there should be some...
What If I took the windows out aft of the shuttlebay deck... the big ones that look aft, at the pylon? I could put two rows of lifeboats back there maybe?
I wasn't a huge fan of those windows anyway.
I actually like the doors, Juvat, but I like your elevator idea as well. I am going to put two elevators in anyway.
(Dang, I really thought I was done that time.... It's a good thing I showed it here before I made the orths though!)
I know I'm being difficult, but if there are two rows of lifeboats like that, isn't it going to be hard for people to access the aft ones? Maybe move the most outboard one further outboard, to line up with the lone side boat, and then get rid of the others?
Posts
Anyway looks like your doing a great job, nice work on the windows. Glad I could help you with that.
I am still cutting them into the Cat's, but once that done, no more windows yeah!
My textuering has been quite bad in Blender, so I would be intrested to know how you did it.
Cutting windows is the hind-end of space. Now that I know I can do it if I want to, I may just go back to my previous method. It's SO much faster and from any reasonable distance looks 94% as good. Still, I'm glad I went back and worked on my skills in that area, and I notated the procedure I used in a doc format, so if ever I want to make a highly-detailed mesh, I will will remember what I learned this time around.
My texturing method is something I devised on my own. I wrote a tutorial on it, called "Hard Texturing in Blender: Because there's more than one way to Skin a Starship." It's in the tutorial section. But basically I sub divided all my surfaces into panel-sized rectangular polys, then manually applied the texture variation to those polys. No maps at all. I use uv mapping for the windows and the bussard collectors, and sometimes my deflector dishes, but that's it. I don't know if the method will be useful to you or not. It can require you to model your meshes in certain ways in order to look right.
I have textured ships both ways, and I find that for me my way is easier to control and faster to apply. Be warned though... as I explain in the tutorial, it is not a technique for slow computers, as it will dramatically increase your poly count.
But if they move the ships by warping space, then probably any number of positions would serve as proper impulse placement. It really makes their position more a matter of artistic design than functional placement.
So, the impulse drives also provide something like conventional thrust as well as a space warping system?
Me, I prefer the idea of reactionless drives, but hey... y'gotta work within the milieu, right?
If you remember the TNG episode "Relics" where Geordi said that impulse drives haven't changed much in 200 years it lends credence to the basic construction and operation as an atomic rocket. The only real change based on technical background throughout all the series is the addition of the driver coils.
Yep. But on the upside, at least we get to say "milieu."
Sorry. You are about a week too late to suggest basic design changes. That was all frozen back then, and now this project is just about 100% complete. Also, existing shots of the studio model show this class has a bussard collector in the usual spot, so I don't feel free to deviate on that point. That would have been a clever solution as to where to put the deflector, though.
I envison this class as a scout-type vessel, so she would still have to be a long-range ship.
I'd like to see that saucer in other designs, with a tiny secondary hull and voyager nacelles perhaps.
No, you are the first one to notice that ommission. I just sorta whistled and kicked that little bit under the table, so to speak. It wasn't clear in any of the orths or pictures just what that spurr was supposed to be. And it looked doofy to me, like an appendix or some sort of vestigal organ that no longer served any purpose. In most orths it was just a little hangy-downy block with a few windows in it. I thought maybe it was the residential quarters for visiting mothers-in-law. I mean what the heck?
I guess I could have made that spurr into the deflector housing, come to think of it, but it seems really far from the saucer and the main computer and such. In any case, I just skipped it. It ruined the lines of the hull and to me just seemed superfulous.
That saucer idea is a really good design suggestion. I just might do that. I agree that could really look sharp. That might be my next project.
I'm pretty satisfied.
And, because some fruit is just too low-hanging not to pick, here's a kit bash of a kit bash:
This is the Freedom class "E Variant," or "Escort Variant." While the Freedom Class is a scout, the E variant is deployed for defense and escort duty. They also tend to be attached to star bases and shipyards where their superior interception capabilities are at their most useful.
Thanks to everyone who provided input for this mesh. She's much better for all the suggestions and help. I had a blast as always.
I will have some orths up in the gallery one day soon.
The only thing I'm not a fan of on this model is the dorsal phaser setup. I believe it would look better, and match the underside, if it was one continuous strip. I know it's too late for you to want to change it and I was willing to give it a chance initially, but with the textures applied it makes it look a little...bland.
I agree with the surggestion about the shuttle bay.
I like the ship, and the variant! problem is all the windows in the neck.. there is no pupose for them, even going to bac to the tos enterprise.. its to small a space.. but thats just my opinion, and ur going off the ref.. but just saying
ever think of doin a 2 naccellle similar to I - I setup?? or a stargazer pylon with 2 nacelles? just thoughts.. looking great!
You should release both ships together. I love what you have done here.
The shuttlebay IS already divided into two seperate doors. If That's noT coming across then I shall have to bring that fact out a bit more. Or I may just remodel that deck, maybe putting the doors on the sides or in the front. See, right now I made the variant by just adding bits to the original model, so that I could pack both types into one file. But now I think it's time to give the E Variant a little more distinction... just a little.
I like the phaser arrangements both ways, so I think I will make the dorsal phaser a single strip on the Escourt variant, and leave it as it is on the other mesh.
I thought putting another nacelle on her would make her more popular....:p
Actually, the neck is a good 30 feet wide at her widest, though it tapers in considerably at the leading edge. I think these spaces would be ideal for quarters. The officers could have rooms toward the front of the neck, with windows on both sides. I don't know about you, but that's where I would put my bed, at the leading edge of the neck...
That does seem to make the residences somewhat vulnerable, though. The neck seems to be the most fragile part of the whole ship. On the other hand, would there be a lot of people in their quarters during a general alert? Maybe I should take some of the windows out, like half of them or three quarters of them for the escort variant? That would be a sensible way to further distinguish between the two variants.
I have a few things to finish up on both meshes, and then I will be posting an orth. I have an animation to do first, so it won't be until after the 16th...
I just tweaked a few things to distinguish her a little from the regular Freedom Class:
I "reinforced" her hull by removing about half her windows on the pylons and on the saucer rim.
I gave her a single continuous phaser strip on her upper saucer.
I reworked deck three so that the shuttle bay doors face front and to the sides, instead of out the back, where the upper pylon now gets in the way.
That's about it. If there's nothing else from you guys, then look for an orth in a day or two th the 3D gallery. :cool:
Okay...
Elevators for access to a shuttlebay on either side of the superstructure, just outside of where they are now on the top of the saucer. That way you'd only need to change the color of a couple groups of polygons and add a map with markings. I'm thinking of something like the runabout bays on DS9.
Of course, this is just a suggestion.
Edit - Just realized the way you have the shuttlebays now there would be no possible way to get into the bays because of the lifeboats.
What If I took the windows out aft of the shuttlebay deck... the big ones that look aft, at the pylon? I could put two rows of lifeboats back there maybe?
I wasn't a huge fan of those windows anyway.
I actually like the doors, Juvat, but I like your elevator idea as well. I am going to put two elevators in anyway.
(Dang, I really thought I was done that time.... It's a good thing I showed it here before I made the orths though!)