3DCook Class Science Explorer (Trek)

Robert Harrison

Right so, i love STO and i have watched the ships being designed here and i also enjoy making things... So i started a new ship project... kinda got away from me and after checking a few days ago i noticed that it looks alot like the 25th C ship in this topic
http://www.scifi-meshes.com/forums/showthread.php?76992-25th-cen-starship

While i had seen this before i did try and copy it, for a start my ship is 2385 and not 25th but i must say that looking back it was clear the idea for the 'hole' must have come from that ship *shruggs* can't think whee else i got the idea from...

Anyway SHe is designed as a large deep space long range explorer, 5 year mission kinda thing... Below are a few of the specs i have so far...

Length: 1070.3 Meters
Width: 520 Meters
Height: 201.338 Meters (but only 37 Decks)
Crew: 1500
Families: 500
Marines: 120 (1 company only and assigned to the Sec department as a joint force)
Speed:
- Standard: WF 7
- Max Cruise: WF 9
- Emergency max: 9.999
Weapons/Defenses:
Offensive: Type XII Phaser arrays, 3 Pulse Torpedo Tubes (500 rounds)
Defensive: Point Defense Phaser turrets (anti-fighter/torpedo), High Power shields and back up shields (about twice that of a Sovvie class, Hull Armour.

I am looking for help with the details such as what sensors look like and where the impulse engines should look like and where the two small back up shuttle bays should be.

Edit: Changed the thumbnail picture to the newest version of the ship

Jenny

There were some concept sketches for STO which included the doughnut saucer, so don't worry about where the idea came from. Develop it, make it your idea.

What should the sensors look like? I prefer to see slick-sided ships in Trek, because I believe that everything should be accessible from the interior, not requiring an EVA to maintain. But if you really want to add sensor pallets, take a look at images of Voyager's saucer (Google Image search: "USS Voyager sensors" or poke through threads like the Wolf class explorer on here, look at what other people are doing.

Think about where things are inside the ship, and why you have secondary shuttle bays. Are they connected to the cargo spaces? Then you'll need a place that's big enough for both. Play with the volumes, listen to the story your ship tells you, and it will all come together.

(I do about an hour's worth of research for every hour I spend modeling. Google image search is your friend, as are any treknological publications you can lay your hands on).

Robert Harrison

Thank you for that, i think that's the most anyone has every replied to one of my ships...

The picture is of one idea for the Impulse Engine, i am thinking 3 in total, two of these and a larger main engine.

The main shuttle bay is going to be on the inside edge of the doughnut, (At the front of the hull). I am also having large bay windows and the corridor for a good sized promenade. For this ship i wanted to get away from the military turn that many people have taken...

She is a rule of cool ship and i agree with the smooth edged ships... not only coz it looks better but my skills are still rather limited. Took me a while to work out how to do the hexagonal grid on the impulse engine... and i am still not that happy with it...

Jenny

Don't worry about the comments. If you're persistent, and post, and continue working and improving, the comments will come. Remember to keep updating the first entry in the thread with your best, most eye-catching WIP images, so that people browsing the forum will see the best of what you've got to show; that's what'll hook 'em in. In my WIP thread, I have over seven thousand page views, and only about 250 responses... probably half of which are by me. It's a slow road to get attention.

I like the idea you've got there on the impulse engine as a tube. Think about beveling the outside edge back, so that you've got a slope. That calls back to previous versions of the impulse engine, on ships like the Galaxy class or Intrepid class.

Robert Harrison

Most of that tube will be removed once i put it on the ship, i am putting it on that back module... but a slight bevel could be managed...

And thank you for the support...

James Midsen

I'm intrigued by this design. It seems a little on the large side for a science vessel, but that's your choice. I like the idea of the shuttle bay being on the inside edge of the saucer. I look forward to how this goes. My only critiwue is that with the tube, the impulse exhaust ports should be pushed back a little further into the tube to manage a steeper bevel. It'd look good.

Capt Dave

Looks like the warp capable donut is popular this season... three of them in live whips. Each is interesting in its own way, even if i don't get it.

Robert Harrison

Well the engines have changed a little... mostly due to the stupidness that i am for not saving the work i had done... late nights, coffee and unable to sleep don't make good bed fellows with 3Ds Max...
Anyway, this is what i got so far... the lighting is a little... hum... crap i think and i am still not happy with the hexagons...

oldmangreg

Almost looked like the Doomsday Machine.

Capt Dave

Needs more cow bell to be a a doomsday machine.

VALKYRIE013

yeah.. kind of gave up here awhile back from lack of comments.. I mean.. why post when your not getting any feedback.. But, as you get better, people will come and follow what you do, and do feel free to ask all kind of questions to everybody.. especially those that use the same programe.. tis Alot of help!. this site is here to help out those of us that are just starting/restarting this hobby

never got the doughnut ships myself, but those that are doing something with them are doing great jobs! With urs it seams ur going with almost a saucer only design with a barely there eng section. interesting idea, kinda like the flying wing design..

keep it up!

Jenny

I like the new impulse engines! I might make the inside distance shorter... that is, bring the hex face closer to the surface... but you're definitely on the right track!

Aresius

Hey there, just found it.
Nice work. Reminds me a bit to FahreS' Monygham class.
Amongst others that is, with the latest one from John Eaves. I like those ships. MKF's design is going the same way, though he keeps a spearhead shape. Still cool. Looking forward on that.

Robert Harrison

Aresius wrote: »

Hey there, just found it.
Nice work. Reminds me a bit to FahreS' Monygham class.
Amongst others that is, with the latest one from John Eaves. I like those ships. MKF's design is going the same way, though he keeps a spearhead shape. Still cool. Looking forward on that.

Thats a nice ship, not seen that one before...

Remember how i said i couldn't find the other engine i did cos it didn't save... well i managed to save it over the ship file i am bloody lucky i had an older version still saved so the over all design is a little bit diff...

Thank you for all the comments...

Stevie_D

Walkyrje wrote: »

Don't worry about the comments. If you're persistent, and post, and continue working and improving, the comments will come. Remember to keep updating the first entry in the thread with your best, most eye-catching WIP images, so that people browsing the forum will see the best of what you've got to show; that's what'll hook 'em in.

Yeah, Jen speaks the truth. Plus, its easy to forget that people dont see the finished product picture you have in your head, so sometimes it takes a good few pages of update screenies for folks to really understand whats in your head and where you're going.

I know i feel incredibly frustrated by that at times, because i can *see* in my mind the bridge of my ship and how it'll eventually look, and until its all modelled and textured, -no one- will really see the final picture and style ive gone for.

Hand in there, Rob. Keep chipping away at it and you'll get the feedback we all need at some stage during these designs

Robert Harrison

A few changes, she is 30 meters shorter then before, 4 meters thinner and 6 meters less in height.

Here are a few pictures with basic lighting of the ship and an update of the impulse engines (still in a diff file from the main ship).

Does anyone remember that bit in the 3rd Star wars film when O B One (i can't spell his name) and Anikin try and 'land' that starship... the engines at the back that drove the ship could also be used to slow it down by putting baffles down into place and changing the direction of the thrust?! yes... no... well gonna try something like that for this ship... (never understood how a trek ship slowed down from impulse with out something like this, or forward impulse engines...

Also there are two versions of the upper module, one with mesh smooth and one with out... don't know which one i like most... Help please

Jenny

I'm not saying that thrust baffles are a bad idea, but you have to be careful when dealing with Star Trek. We might not have any idea how ships decelerate (and actually, I have some thoughts on that, but that's not relevant to the point I'm making) but they do. :cool:

No Trek ship we've ever seen has thrust baffles. If you put them on, it will actually be lowering the tech level. If you intend your ship to be pre-TOS, that's fine, but if it's post-Voyager, you're moving the tech backwards, making them lose whatever braking technology they previously had.

In short, I would do without them, unless you want to lower the tech level, as for a pre-TOS ship.

Robert Harrison

Okay fair point, so what are these idea's you have? i have a feeling your thinking of external inertia dampeners?

Jenny

Well, part of how the impulse engines work is that there are inertial dampeners, yes, which decrease the ship's apparent mass, allowing a smaller thrust to impart a vector. I imagine that they also work the other direction, increasing the apparent mass, thus raising inertia and causing a slowing effect.

Jenny

Or, for that matter, since we never see an exhaust plume from the thrusters, we have to presume that whatever output the impulse engines have is not visible to the naked eye. It's possible that Federation ships already use thrust baffles, but they're invisible force-fields redirecting the invisible thrust-plume over the hull to create reverse-vector thrust.

Robert Harrison

How in the great kingdom of bob do i assign a texture to an object in Max 2011? I have no idea.. well i have an idea i just can't get it to work... The Materials editor is diff from Max7 which i what i have been using... Help please

Robert Harrison

Ah well never mind i have gone back to using Max 7 for the moment...

This is an update... a possible deflector location...

Robert Harrison

Okay this is a deflector location which i like better then the last one...

Robert Harrison

Or this one... which is the one i like most...

Robert Harrison

This is my idea of the Phaser weapons, instead of massive long Phaser arrays or strips and disliking the Phaser Banks i am going for a Phaser Dome, each one will have three generators allowing for three beams of phaser energy at once. The ship will have maybe a dozen of these...

Forgive my poor attempt at doing the Phaser beams... hope the idea comes across though....

Aresius

Huh, interseting idea for a phaser weapon. Looks a bit like an evolution of the phaser banks from TOS/TMP.

Stevie_D

If you use youtube, Rob, or the Max website, there's lots of help tutorial videos that explain the basics very easily for things like texture mapping and other necessities. Google "Texture Mapping tutorial 3ds max" and you'll find more than you ever wanted to know, i imagine

I personally like the 2nd deflector best, my first impression when seeing the third one was "overhead floodlights". But maybe thats because there was no detail yet to the deflector itself.

Jenny

Sorry, I'm a LightWave gal; no help with Max.

I like the center-high deflector as well, and think your phaser bubbles are an interesting idea. Go forth, young man, and render!

Robert Harrison

Okay so, for the moment i will go with the single deflector in the module. Not sure what i am gonna do with it but this is an idea...

Jenny

The picture on the left is very bright, and has a glow radius. Remember that in space, there's nothing to provide that diffuse glow, which comes from atmospheric effects.

Take a look at the deflectors on voyager, and USS Equinox for ideas on what to do with it.

Robert Harrison

Right so i think i have one i like... i think it still needs work, the right textures for it and the sensor platelets around it need doing...