3DTMP Enterprise NCC-1701

Tralfaz

Hey folks,

Just like everyone takes a picture of a duck when they first start photography, I am going to build the Enterprise. I have already done a TOS Enterprise and thought I would give TMP Enterprise a shot.

The image below shows the current state of the project. I am building this using Cinema 4D.

C&C always welcome...
Al

IRML

good start, I'd like to do this one myself one day too

evil_genius_180

IRML wrote: »

good start, I'd like to do this one myself one day too

Yeah, what he said.

Martocticvs

Good start. Add some edge loops to sort out the smoothing issue on the lower bridge area though - that inset region.

Buckaroohawk

I took a shot at the refit a few years ago and the results were ... meh. It's a lot tougher than it looks, with subtle curves and connections that are so easy to miss until you're 10 steps past them. This looks like a good start, though. The best advice I get give is when it comes to this baby is make sure you sweat the small stuff. In this case, the beauty is all in the details.

Tralfaz

Thanks everyone and Happy New Year!

I've been spending the last little while trying to rework the bridge area down to deck c. This is going to be a difficult model to build (at least for me ).

I've probably built and rebuilt those parts at least 10 times and this is the best I have been able to come up with so far. I am fairly happy with deck c, but the officer's lounge section is not so good. The curves are all wrong as is the area where the lights are that shine on the hull.

Right now, I am just trying to get the basic shapes modeled and will come back later to tweak (or rebuild) and add all the detail parts. I am not very good with texturing, so this will be a huge learning experience.

C&C is always welcome.

Al

evil_genius_180

That's definitely one of the more difficult areas on this ship, IMO. It looks like you're doing a great job on it, though.

Buckaroohawk

I think this is going very well! In fact, looking at the way you built the docking area behind the bridge, you may have solved a problem I've always had with that part of the ship. Uh-oh ... I think I feel the itch to take another shot at this coming on. As if I don't already have enough to do!

Tralfaz

Thanks guys.

It was driving me crazy leaving something that I wasn't happy with, so instead of moving on to another part of the ship, I redid the bridge and docking port areas. I am much more pleased with how these turned out. While I was doing the mods, I thought I would add all the detail parts.

Thank goodness for good reference photos! It's amazing how much detail they added to the studio model that would never show up on screen.

Al

Rekkert

It looks much better now, great work!

evil_genius_180

That looks awesome.

Tallguy

Great work. I tried this section once, despaired and quit. (Heaven knows what the warp engines would have done to me.)

One question, aren't the sides of the docking area slightly curved?

Starship

Doe to look excellent! Smoothed and clean.

Tralfaz

Thanks once again folks.

Tallguy wrote: »

One question, aren't the sides of the docking area slightly curved?

D'oh! You are right Tallguy. In one of my attempts on this section, I did have the sides slightly curved. Missed it on this version. I will see what I can do about putting the curve back into it. Depending on how it goes though, it may end up staying like it is. Drove me crazy getting it to look like it does now.

And the latest update is all about the impulse engines. Again, it was one of those things that took several attempts to get it looking like this.

Al

Buckaroohawk

Yeesh! The detail on the impulse assembly is awesome! I'm extremely impressed, but it looks a little flat. Maybe it's just the angle of your image, but it seems like it should drop deeper into the lip of the saucer. I'd have to check photo references to be certain, but my first impression is that it isn't as thick from top to bottom as it should be.

evil_genius_180

The height of the part looks good. Though, as Craig said, it's hart to tell from that angle. However, the edges of the piece on the studio model are slightly rounded. Other than that, it looks great.

Chris2005

Here's some...

Flanker

Excellent work and inspiring since it is nice to see the details

Tralfaz

I rounded the edges some more based on the photos, tried a slightly different camera angle and render style. I think it shows what's going on a bit better. I also lowered the whole impulse engine module so it isn't as high above the saucer module.

Let me know if you think this is closer or better. I really appreciate your helping me like this. As with other models that I have made, this will be uploaded to the Downloads section when I am done.

Thanks...
Al

evil_genius_180

It looks great.

Tralfaz

Thanks evil.

I've been working on adding the windows and hatches to the saucer rim. I am getting a real sense of how big this ship would be if it were real. I never had that sense when I did the original Enterprise.

I think it is kind of weird how all the windows are either round or elipses except for the starboard rear. Those windows are square or rectangular. I don't know if the scene with Kirk, Spock and McCoy talking in a lounge area was filmed before the model was completed or not. It would make sense the model came after and that is why the windows are square or rectangular. If anyone knows or has any knowledge, could you fill me in?

Thanks...
Al

evil_genius_180

Looking great. I like the title for your post.

The windows in the back of the saucer were a different size because they were part of the ship's recreation area. (the big area where the crew met and Decker showed Ilia the game.) They were supposed to be like big picture windows. I think the lounge where Kirk, Spock and McCoy had their discussion after Spock's arrival was a part of that area. That is definitely supported by the position of the starboard nacelle in relation to the window in that lounge.

Tallguy

evil_genius_180 wrote: »

Looking great. I like the title for your post.

The windows in the back of the saucer were a different size because they were part of the ship's recreation area. (the big area where the crew met and Decker showed Ilia the game.) They were supposed to be like big picture windows. I think the lounge where Kirk, Spock and McCoy had their discussion after Spock's arrival was a part of that area. That is definitely supported by the position of the starboard nacelle in relation to the window in that lounge.

Well, the nacelle was added in the 2001 edition, so I'm not going by that. The idea back in '79 was that the scene was in the lounge behind the bridge. Obviously the set and the window doesn't match so Andrew Probert sketched up a layout of where he thought that set might be. This can be seen in Scott's Guide to the Enterprise among other places (sorry, I'm coming up empty on links at the moment). Uhura also says "Bridge to officer's lounge."

Buckaroohawk

Ah, yes ... the old Rec Room v. Officer's Lounge question. A puzzle perplexing Trek fans since TMP premiered in 1979, then complicated further in the film's Director's Cut in 2001. Exactly where Kirk, Spock, and McCoy held their discussion would take a long time to explain, and it seems that every fan has their own ideas about it. Andrew Probert, one of the main designers of the Enterprise refit, has a section of his website devoted exclusively to this particular problem. Here's the link:

http://www.probertdesigns.com/Folder_DESIGN/TMP.ENT-RecDeck.html

His insights are interesting, even if they don't quite settle the debate. Hope this helps!

ChrisGFX

excellent stuff! keep it going

Tallguy

While we're waiting, here you go: http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/frs-4-sheet-11.jpg That's either Probert's original drawing or a reproduction of it. Not really sure which.

Tralfaz

Thank you everyone.

I didn't realize there was such a debate going on about what really goes where!

Thank you Buckaroohawk for the link to Probert's website. Checked the whole site out and he is a pretty amazing fellow.

And thanks Tallguy for the link to the image of the officer's lounge. That will help out considerably when I start to do the detail work inside the windows.

I am still working on the Enterprise, but the progress I am making isn't really worth posting an update yet.

Al

anystar

Tralfaz wrote: »

Thank you everyone.

I didn't realize there was such a debate going on about what really goes where!

heh, i spent all day myself trying to reconcile what to do with the torpedo launch space. trying to decide where to blur the lines of set vs available space...

all i can offer is "go with your gut"

Tralfaz

anystar wrote: »

heh, i spent all day myself trying to reconcile what to do with the torpedo launch space. trying to decide where to blur the lines of set vs available space...

all i can offer is "go with your gut"

LOL! It's like trying to reconcile the interior of the Jupiter 2 to the actual ship dimensions! Just ain't gonna' happen!

Update for tonight: Worked on the bottom of the saucer over the past little while. Funny how some of the detail parts look like the muffler off of a car. Kitbashing... gotta' love it. And the other thing I've noticed about the studio model. Granted it is more than a few years old now, but I would have thought more care would have been taken when adding the bits and pieces to the model. Like I mean about making sure things lined up properly, window openings were straight and level, painting more precise. I guess you just don't notice those things on the big screen.

Al

evil_genius_180

Looking great, Tralfaz. :thumb:

Tralfaz wrote: »

LOL! It's like trying to reconcile the interior of the Jupiter 2 to the actual ship dimensions! Just ain't gonna' happen!

That's a very common problem among Sci-Fi ships. The problem is, someone designs the exterior, while another person designs the interior. So, stuff tends to not work as it should. One problem I always have with Trek ships, especially the original Constitution-class, is getting the windows to line up with a logical deck plan. It doesn't work.

anystar

evil_genius_180 wrote: »

Looking great, Tralfaz. :thumb:



That's a very common problem among Sci-Fi ships. The problem is, someone designs the exterior, while another person designs the interior. So, stuff tends to not work as it should. One problem I always have with Trek ships, especially the original Constitution-class, is getting the windows to line up with a logical deck plan. It doesn't work.

my favorite brain teaser is trying to get that daggum airlock on the engineering hull to line up...

but back to topic: its looking great! on my own saucer for some strange reason, getting that sensor array to meet with the hull was always a challenge to get it to flare correctly without making the edges look "twisted"

i also like how you're cutting the gridlines INTO the ship, not everyone goes that far, and i know what a pain it can be. i always ended up having to trace out each ring and intersection and chasing down suprfluous/errant vertexes.

keep up the good work!