Oh yeah! I think Mr. Okuda mentioned on twitter that they would try doing DS9 if TNG sales were good enough. Let's hope they notice when it's time
I'll support it.
TNG looks amazing but DS9 looked bad even at it's time of quality for some reason. Never very clear and on TV's today I can't imagine those cheaper break away models proving very convincing.
As I love this version ( done my own, and yours is Excellent!) Honestly I would LOVE to see Tobias's Probert version in Yesterdays Enterprise...
Well I have the utmost respect for Andy Probert and his design skills but I still think that Ambassador class is hideous. Much prefer the one that actually made it into the show. IMO.
I'll support it.
TNG looks amazing but DS9 looked bad even at it's time of quality for some reason. Never very clear and on TV's today I can't imagine those cheaper break away models proving very convincing.
Agreed - I watched a few episodes on Netflix and there was a visible decline in production quality at that point, I assume for financial/production reasons among others. And if the stock footage back then was that bad, it does help the case for them needing the help. Guess we'll see...
Well I have the utmost respect for Andy Probert and his design skills but I still think that Ambassador class is hideous. Much prefer the one that actually made it into the show. IMO.
Yeah, I was actually inspired enough by Tobias' work on Mr. Probert's model to do justice to the Sternbach alternative. I really like his philosophy on Fed ships and the continuity of the Ambassador in the lineage, but I did always think the stardrive was weirdly-formed and even awkward in some angles. The Sternbach version has it's own, but I think the pylon parts do bridge the gap a bit better than the original design, even if they are arguably a bit tall. :P
That said, the Probert design would be awesome to see in that episode as a "what-if?" (and a more aggressive fight scene at the end would be epic!), but it might be a chore to explain the continuity issues that arise afterwards as part of the series.
As for the ol' girl, everything is modeled except the windows on the bridge module and deck 3 in front of the shuttle bay. I'll have more renders and orthos as soon as those are cut in.
Agreed - I watched a few episodes on Netflix and there was a visible decline in production quality at that point, I assume for financial/production reasons among others. And if the stock footage back then was that bad, it does help the case for them needing the help. Guess we'll see...
Part of that, especially when they get to the later seasons with the Dominion War battles is likely the switch to CG, complete with rendering errors (black-necked Galaxies) and lower resolution. TNG, on the other hand, was using the ILM stock footage from the pilot all the way to the end, including in Generations. Watching it on the season 1 blu-rays is awesome.
Yeah, I was actually inspired enough by Tobias' work on Mr. Probert's model to do justice to the Sternbach alternative. I really like his philosophy on Fed ships and the continuity of the Ambassador in the lineage, but I did always think the stardrive was weirdly-formed and even awkward in some angles. The Sternbach version has it's own, but I think the pylon parts do bridge the gap a bit better than the original design, even if they are arguably a bit tall. :P
That said, the Probert design would be awesome to see in that episode as a "what-if?" (and a more aggressive fight scene at the end would be epic!), but it might be a chore to explain the continuity issues that arise afterwards as part of the series.
I've always loved the Sternbach design since I was a kid, more then even Probert's, which is a neat design as well. I actually prefer then being tall like they are. It just fits the design a lot and, in my eye, gives it a balanced look. As you probably know, the filming model was extensively rebuilt to portray the Zhukov and Excalibur later in TNG. It was later modified one last time with the pylons cut almost all the way down. This is how it was sold at Christies, marked as the Yamaguchi for Emissary.
Amusingly, watching the season 1 blu-rays when they first mention the term "Ambassador class" in reference to Walker Keel's Horatio, they aren't talking about the Sternbach design, which wasn't made for another two seasons, but the Probert one like the model in the Enterprise-D's Observation Lounge.
Well I have the utmost respect for Andy Probert and his design skills but I still think that Ambassador class is hideous. Much prefer the one that actually made it into the show. IMO.
Word up.
I've got deep respect for Mr. Probert. But I don't like the Nacelle engine positions on his Ambassador class at all.
I've always had a soft spot for this beauty but the one detail I never felt comfortable with is how neither the Enterprise nor the Yamaguchi ever made any real effort to let the aft lip of the neck meet up with the contour of the saucer rim.
Amusingly, watching the season 1 blu-rays when they first mention the term "Ambassador class" in reference to Walker Keel's Horatio, they aren't talking about the Sternbach design, which wasn't made for another two seasons, but the Probert one like the model in the Enterprise-D's Observation Lounge.
Yeah, that's one of the enigmatic, canonical paradoxes of this series. As for the pylons, yeah the longer ones do balance the ships p/s profile, even if the guys in the rear quarters of the saucer have to keep their shades up :P
I've always had a soft spot for this beauty but the one detail I never felt comfortable with is how neither the Enterprise nor the Yamaguchi ever made any real effort to let the aft lip of the neck meet up with the contour of the saucer rim.
I agree, it does seem a bit silly that if the ship is going to operate as one unit, the separate parts should at least fit together. But that's where I think the Probert version has merit. I like that instead of just having the neck sweep back at the seam, the original actually had a saucer-mounted impulse deck. (Which I think is what it's supposed to be on the Sternback version, but I could be wrong.)
So the modeling is done, at least as done as it's going to be at this point. I worked more closely from the original "C" configuration this time, which didn't have the transporter pads and such. I may add those, a tractor beam emitter and deuterium tank nozzles (a starship would need those, right?) at some point, but I'm probably going to just try to get this thing mapped and shaded. I can worry about all that and interiors, etc. later on. Plus, I'm involved in a 2D project, so I think I'll be out of the way in this section until that's done. Added some ortho shots for good measure as well.
Excellent work, these renders are great and that ortho really shows off the ship beautifully, has been a pleasure to follow your progress on this model.
That looks superb! Great job finishing the modeling. I've always preferred the original Enterprise-C configuration to the Zhukov, so it's nice to see it so nicely done.
Even the blue impulse engine was neat on that ship. Very unique. I'm looking forward to seeing this thing all textured up after your 2D project. Good luck with it.
Thanks for all the love and patience you guys have given this project! I knew almost nothing when I started and I've learned the majority of what I know now, working on this girl. So in the down time between the 2nd job and the other projects, I took some time this weekend to start on the paint job. Got the saucer mapped, though there is a little weirdness in the mapping at the back of deck 3, near the shuttlebay. The rooms in the saucer are mapped boxes, for the most part; so those are subject to change. I ended up moving the officer's lounge to the front of deck 2, sort of like what's in Astristech's Meitner deckplans. I'll have to post interior shots of the finalized bridge layout and the other larger rooms as soon as I get some time to do a couple of presentable passes.
But I'm really glad the exterior is almost in presentable shape! In the meantime, here are a couple GI saucer tests. I wanted to stay true enough to the model and avoid a proper Aztec pattern, but I did want to still give the surface a plate-welded, metallic finish:
It looks great. I really like what you're doing with the textures. As you said, the original didn't have Aztec, but it does need some kind of paneling. Yours is a nice middle ground between no paneling and full-on Aztec.
Thanks, dudes! We're in our busy season again at work, so I haven't made as much progress as I'd have liked. There is some progress, though. Wanted to see how the shaders would look with the ambient lighting and so-forth.
I can put a tutorial together, but it may take a little while at this rate, with programming work I have to finish -_-
Rest of the rooms will be lit and I'll render other views next update, promise!
Thanks guys I appreciate your comments. I'm glad the stardrive is taking mapping seems to work; that's the part I was really worried about. Nacelles should be quick work, as they just need updated textures. The most time consuming part at this point will be filling in the rest of the rooms and painting the arboretum. The rooms are all simple boxes, lit with light panels, but I plan on doing fine detail work (shuttlebays, interior rooms) at a later date. I want to get it into presentable shape for now, though.
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I'll support it.
TNG looks amazing but DS9 looked bad even at it's time of quality for some reason. Never very clear and on TV's today I can't imagine those cheaper break away models proving very convincing.
Well I have the utmost respect for Andy Probert and his design skills but I still think that Ambassador class is hideous. Much prefer the one that actually made it into the show. IMO.
Agreed - I watched a few episodes on Netflix and there was a visible decline in production quality at that point, I assume for financial/production reasons among others. And if the stock footage back then was that bad, it does help the case for them needing the help. Guess we'll see...
Yeah, I was actually inspired enough by Tobias' work on Mr. Probert's model to do justice to the Sternbach alternative. I really like his philosophy on Fed ships and the continuity of the Ambassador in the lineage, but I did always think the stardrive was weirdly-formed and even awkward in some angles. The Sternbach version has it's own, but I think the pylon parts do bridge the gap a bit better than the original design, even if they are arguably a bit tall. :P
That said, the Probert design would be awesome to see in that episode as a "what-if?" (and a more aggressive fight scene at the end would be epic!), but it might be a chore to explain the continuity issues that arise afterwards as part of the series.
As for the ol' girl, everything is modeled except the windows on the bridge module and deck 3 in front of the shuttle bay. I'll have more renders and orthos as soon as those are cut in.
Part of that, especially when they get to the later seasons with the Dominion War battles is likely the switch to CG, complete with rendering errors (black-necked Galaxies) and lower resolution. TNG, on the other hand, was using the ILM stock footage from the pilot all the way to the end, including in Generations. Watching it on the season 1 blu-rays is awesome.
I've always loved the Sternbach design since I was a kid, more then even Probert's, which is a neat design as well. I actually prefer then being tall like they are. It just fits the design a lot and, in my eye, gives it a balanced look. As you probably know, the filming model was extensively rebuilt to portray the Zhukov and Excalibur later in TNG. It was later modified one last time with the pylons cut almost all the way down. This is how it was sold at Christies, marked as the Yamaguchi for Emissary.
http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/scans/other/ambassador-christies.jpg Here is a picture of it from EAS. Because of their anti-hotlinking thing, you might have to copy and paste it into your address bar. Failing that, it's in the "Ambassador class variations" starship article.
Amusingly, watching the season 1 blu-rays when they first mention the term "Ambassador class" in reference to Walker Keel's Horatio, they aren't talking about the Sternbach design, which wasn't made for another two seasons, but the Probert one like the model in the Enterprise-D's Observation Lounge.
Word up.
I've got deep respect for Mr. Probert. But I don't like the Nacelle engine positions on his Ambassador class at all.
Yeah, that's one of the enigmatic, canonical paradoxes of this series. As for the pylons, yeah the longer ones do balance the ships p/s profile, even if the guys in the rear quarters of the saucer have to keep their shades up :P
I agree, it does seem a bit silly that if the ship is going to operate as one unit, the separate parts should at least fit together. But that's where I think the Probert version has merit. I like that instead of just having the neck sweep back at the seam, the original actually had a saucer-mounted impulse deck. (Which I think is what it's supposed to be on the Sternback version, but I could be wrong.)
So the modeling is done, at least as done as it's going to be at this point. I worked more closely from the original "C" configuration this time, which didn't have the transporter pads and such. I may add those, a tractor beam emitter and deuterium tank nozzles (a starship would need those, right?) at some point, but I'm probably going to just try to get this thing mapped and shaded. I can worry about all that and interiors, etc. later on. Plus, I'm involved in a 2D project, so I think I'll be out of the way in this section until that's done. Added some ortho shots for good measure as well.
I'll second that. Great job on the completed model. :thumb:
Even the blue impulse engine was neat on that ship. Very unique. I'm looking forward to seeing this thing all textured up after your 2D project. Good luck with it.
Thanks for all the love and patience you guys have given this project!
But I'm really glad the exterior is almost in presentable shape! In the meantime, here are a couple GI saucer tests. I wanted to stay true enough to the model and avoid a proper Aztec pattern, but I did want to still give the surface a plate-welded, metallic finish:
ItAâs a great object.
I love it ...
It's been great, and I still enjoy working on her over a year later
Books: [ Ashes of Alour-Tan | Embers of Alour-Tan ] | Blender Tutorials | Blog
What else can I say? You sir, blown my mind.
I can put a tutorial together, but it may take a little while at this rate, with programming work I have to finish -_-
Rest of the rooms will be lit and I'll render other views next update, promise!