3DTOS Constitution Reboot (Finished)

Hunter G

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1/2/2022: Here is my TOS Constitution class reboot project. So far I've been through 12 versions, the latest 8 of which are featured in this thread. I am currently working on version 12. My goal with this is to keep the same basic shape, while applying some extra details and minor changes. You will find the latest version starting here. Don't forget to vote on the poll, and enjoy your stay!


Version 5: December 2012:

Borkless

Very cool! I love how you blended the best of the JJprise with the true original. At first, I thought you were posting reference images of the "real" thing your renders were so good.

And for the record, NX-01 is my favorite enterprise.

Chris2005

I second Borkless... amazing job. Looks much closer to how it should look in proportion, etc. than JJ's...

As for the poll, I don't know, because I love so many of the designs it's hard to choose which one I like best...

BolianAdmiral

Nice work... I'm not a fan of the glowing nacelles, but I like the rest of the ship, and what you've done with the ramscoops. And my favorite Enterprise is the 1701-D.

slybrarian

Very cool, I particularly like the nacelles and deflector. The upper superstructure is cool too, and I like those big phasers (I assume) that you've stuck at the bottom of the saucer and above the shuttlebay. Very interesting combination of the TOS position and the TMP phaser banks.

Tralfaz

Excellent work so far. Hope to see more from you.

As above, I really like your design and is much closer to the way JJ should have done it.

As for which Enterprise, it was between TOS and TMP. I couldn't vote for 2, so eventually went with TMP.

Keep up the great work!

lennier1

Have to agree. This is much closer to what I would've liked to see in the new movies.

Rekkert

Truly amazing, I love every detail of it! :thumb:
The two vertically arranged torpedo tubes; the base of the nacelle pylons; the lights on the outer nacelle and secondary hull for the ship's markings; the running lights at the sides of the shuttlebay, everything is just so cool and new while still looking a lot like the original. This is my new favorite redesign of the Enterprise. Amazing work sir, and looking forward to see the texturing process.

Schimpfy

Beautiful modeling so far. Don't knock your skills as this is better than a lot of us with our first posts...especially at only 16.

My only crits are: 1) Too much going on around the bussards (the bussards themselves are great, though) and 2) I'm not a big fan of the for indents around the top of the saucer. They seem more like an afterthought, but as for the rest of it...outstanding! The shuttlebay doors are especially nice. Have you rigged them to open since they look mechanically capable?

As for favorite Enterprise...it's a tossup between the refit/-A and the -D. In the end, though; the classy lady won out.

Saquist

Hunter G wrote: »

Hello there. I'm new to this site, and to start off my stay here, I've chosen my TOS Constitution reboot. This is a model I've been working on for some time. I'm nearly finished with the modeling itself (which isn't all that impressive), and I'm about ready to start with the textures. First, a few disclaimers:

1: No copyright infringement intended.
2: I've only been using Blender for two years, and I've had no real training. That being said, there are probably a dozen better ways to model this design that are better and more efficient than the way I know how.
3: My computer can't handle rendering this ship, so I have to do it at my school. They are very generous at letting me use their awesome 7 core computer! So there won't be new renders every day or even every other day, so sorry about that.
4: As much as I want to make this model available free after I'm done, I can't. That is simply because I'm still in high school (full time), and I am also very seriously pursuing a career in music. Plus, I don't even have a job yet, and my family is not exactly the big money maker kind.

Anyway, here are a couple shots of what I have so far. (On the last image, I accidentally deleted the windows on the neck right before I rendered it, heh heh)

Hello,

I think this is really good work but as usual I'll do my break down of the likes and dislikes.
My Favorite Enterprise is NCC-1701 Refit. But I'm not one of those people that wants to see they're favorite style on every style made afterward.
NCC-1701 - It's the original tall starship. Not quiet beautiful but strong but it's dated.
NCC-1701 Refit - I consider it a masterful piece of graphic design like many things in the late 70's Every thing had a purpose
NCC-1701 B - I was disappointed the B would be an excelsior and at that the pointless add ons decreased it's value.
NCC-1701 C - A strong ship made in a hurry and not to complicated
NCC-1701 D - The Best Design Trek has ever seen
NCC-1701 E - Literally, the worst designed of all the Enterprises and the second worse design ship in Trek
NX-01 - I never liked the rip off of the Akira and I never will. It has a considerable amount of pointless design features (hard to be objective about it though)

The TOS Enterprise was the dawn of modular construction in Trek. That means the Federation was seeking to assembly line their design. TMP continued that concept and even into mid TNG. But at the beginning the simpler the better. The less frills the better.

What I Don't Like
The Bussard detail stands out the most. It's mostly unnecessary and not believable as a functional part of the device (specifically the clawed crosses bracketing them) . The scoups into the saucer. I have to wonder what the purpose is. If you're planning out the interior how does the hull work in the section. Is it accessable. What is the ceiling doing there how much space is being wasted. TOS is one of the more efficient designs in space. There are very few areas on the ship where there is aesthetic sweeps. That's not to say it can't have them but the Saucer is one the worse places to put them because it's already slopped and thus limiting it's space in those sections.

-The Cowling mount under the nacelle isn't fitting the rest of the simple shapes design of the TOS. It's not really noticable but I'm not feeling it.

-The nacelles lights are a bit over the top. But I like that you didn't go into BLUE LIGHTS for the engine function. (many people make that mistake. I think it's a mistake because it's adding an element from TMP and TNG already copied that. It's not original)

What I DO Like

-No TMP TNG red/blue lights on the nacelles (Worth mentioning again because it's so OVER DONE)
-The design in mostly the same and extremely familar (this could be good or bad) It's staying squarely in it's era
-The bridge ( a little too TMP-ish but lets face it...that was a good bridge and we all know it)
- Proper bases for the Nacelle to Stardrive (CHECK) Proper bases for the Neck to Star Drive (CHECK) This design needed those most
-Minimal shaping of the Stardrive (LESS IS MORE) RYAN CHURCH MUTILATED this design trying to make it his own here.
-The Deflector Dish. VERY GOOD. Familar yet...upgraded. Much better than Ryan Church's design.
-Pylon detail is Superb. The only thing your really added was mounts and shape/texture. That's all it needed.
-I like the attention to hardpoints too...weapon ports for AND AFT (something the Connie was in short supply and that ENT really screwed up in the VFX for aft launchers.

Conclusion
This is a good job so far but I would still take it further and continue to work with the design. My focus would be the impulse engines the nacelles and the shuttle bay to make these look NON-60's. Remember to detail for purpose like the Galaxy Class did under Sternbach... DON"T Greeble for Greeble sake. The Connie is not a Star Destroyer

evil_genius_180

That's a great model. The key to doing something like this is to change things but not go too far and I think you've accomplished that.

For the record, the original is my favorite.

Judge Death.

OK, really like the nacelles, not too big on the saucer. Te four recesses just don't seem to work or loo right. WOuld recommend a set of sensors in the sides of the saucer.

FYI, this is IMO the best reboot of the original:star_trek_poster.jpg

Hunter G

Wow, thanks for all the great comments and suggestions! I've had a lot of constructive criticism, and not just on this site, that's been very helpful. The problem is, I've had tons of conflicting opinions, it's hard to choose what suggestions to use! Fortunately, I don't have to please everyone (that's impossible), just more people. Keep the suggestions and the "What I like" and "what I don't like" stuff coming! and thanks again!

p.s. It looks like a lot of people agree that the bussard detail is a bit overboard, I'll see what I can do about that.

Saquist

The picture above of Gabe Koerner's TOS Enterprise reboot is the perfect example of Greebling for Greebling's sake.
Have you ever looked at a car with Spinning Rims and bouncing hydraulics and shook your head?

I talked to Koerner about this design and told him as much.
All those contours, insets, grooves and trenches, It's an engineering nightmare. The funny thing is that it's the polar opposite of Ryan Churches design. Koerner left the overall shape of the ship intact which is why so many prefer this but Church change that but left the ship mostly smooth with minor detail to accentuate the concept and retain a ship or (submarine) esque appearance they were designed from.

What was need was something in the middle. A true upgrade. Just enough detail with a familiar shape.
Take it all with a grain of salt. Updating the original has proven one of the hardest task of any artist...it's like updating the Mona Lisa.

This one of Koerner had some potential. It's little easier on the detail but it's extremely hard to find, he's removed it just about everywhere I could find.

Jafit

I think that your the design of the bussards makes quite a lot of sense.

A bussard ram-scoop is a device that is supposed to collect interstellar particles. Most Starfleet vessels seem to have some kind of solid surface at the front of the nacelle that is illuminated in red, it's hard to see how a solid surface like that would perform its intended function.

Your design however looks like a vent, so it would make quite a bit of sense that it could perform the function of collecting interstellar particles. The lights coming from the bussard collector however might be slightly over the top.

I believe that the 2009 reboot Enterprise didn't have solid surfaces for ramscoops either, and instead had large vents. People complain about the proportions of the new Enterprise, but I think it's reasonable to have large bussards, as that would improve its function.

mattc

Saquist wrote: »

This one of Koerner had some potential. It's little easier on the detail but it's extremely hard to find, he's removed it just about everywhere I could find.

Not quite everywhere. It's a nice model and it looks pretty good. No texturing yet. And a bunch of leftover ideas still sitting in the LXO. He probably deleted it during one of those drunken nights he used to have occasionally.

Hunter G

Ok, I changed a little on the inside of the bussard. As you can see by the screenshots, the old ones had three fans. It was a little too cluttery or whatever. The new version has two blades, and the shape is more accurate to the original.



Also, with these close-ups you may notice that there are not too many greebles. The last thing I wanted when starting this was the Enterprise looking like a Star Wars ship.

Borkless

Looks interesting, but is there any reason you're using such an intricate design? the TOS enterprise had simple domes, with only hints of rotors and such behind them.

Hunter G

Borkless wrote: »

Looks interesting, but is there any reason you're using such an intricate design? the TOS enterprise had simple domes, with only hints of rotors and such behind them.

For the same reason they added details in the TMP version, and the same reason I'm adding stuff to the rest of the ship. It's on a "bigger screen"

BolianAdmiral

Gabe's Enterprise has to be the only ship I dislike more than the JJ-Prise and the NX-01... at least the JJ-Prise has a pleasing color, and is fairly sleek, albeit in a distorted, funhouse mirror sort of way. Gabe's ship is just a train wreck and a mutilation all rolled into one atrocity. It's dark, it's over-greebled, and it over-emphasizes the things I hate most about the JJ-Prise's design. Even the nacelles don't look as "good" (I threw up a little in my mouth forcing that out) as the JJ-Prise's, because there's so much going on with them, and so much over-greebling in them.

The trick to designing a good TOS ship, is that less is more. So many people forget this. Look at the ship Matt Jefferies designed. It was uber-smooth. It didn't have any greebles or surface details where they were not absolutely "needed". It was beautiful and elegant in it's functional simplicity. That's why it's so very hard to make a "good" update or reboot of the design... because it's perfect in so many ways.

Judge Death.

There's an animation of the koerner enterprise on youtube that has the machinery behind the nacelle caps spinning. It looks very cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXa0cfaTlfk

Also, I advocate putting the photon torpedo tubes in the lower hull, since they use antimatter and the anti matter is in the lower section it makes sense to mount them there. I also like the sensor arrays mounted on the side of the saucer.

Again, koerner's concept is my favorite reboot and it was so much better than the abrams version the universe is not big enough to contain a line describing how far ahead of the abrams enterprise that kroener's is.

Saquist

Hunter G wrote: »

For the same reason they added details in the TMP version, and the same reason I'm adding stuff to the rest of the ship. It's on a "bigger screen"

Good answer.

BolianAdmiral wrote: »

Gabe's Enterprise has to be the only ship I dislike more than the JJ-Prise and the NX-01... at least the JJ-Prise has a pleasing color, and is fairly sleek, albeit in a distorted, funhouse mirror sort of way. Gabe's ship is just a train wreck and a mutilation all rolled into one atrocity. It's dark, it's over-greebled, and it over-emphasizes the things I hate most about the JJ-Prise's design. Even the nacelles don't look as "good" (I threw up a little in my mouth forcing that out) as the JJ-Prise's, because there's so much going on with them, and so much over-greebling in them.

The trick to designing a good TOS ship, is that less is more. So many people forget this. Look at the ship Matt Jefferies designed. It was uber-smooth. It didn't have any greebles or surface details where they were not absolutely "needed". It was beautiful and elegant in it's functional simplicity. That's why it's so very hard to make a "good" update or reboot of the design... because it's perfect in so many ways.

You think as I do.

evil_genius_180

I used to like Gabe's ship, but now it seems he took it too far. Like I said in my original post in this thread, you don't want to go too far. (though, I myself have taken it too far in the past)

I noticed there's absolutely no love for the 1701-B in the poll. That's probably because Bill George's original Excelsior is better. It's not that I don't like what John Eaves did but, in my opinion, he "fixed" a design that wasn't broken. (though, it did make it easier to damage the ship)

oldmangreg

The bussard dome on JJ's Enterprise is a field of energy that collects particles to fuel the engines, at least according to the art of the film book.

BlueNeumann

evil_genius_180 wrote: »

(re: Enterprise B design): It's not that I don't like what John Eaves did but, in my opinion, he "fixed" a design that wasn't broken. (though, it did make it easier to damage the ship)

Which I believe was the reason for the redesign, to damage a new outer hull without damaging the core model. But part of me was wondering if Excelsior class was old hat by the time the E-B came out... wasn't the D in the first wave of six Galaxy-class ships?

Saquist

The irony is that they were trying to save the excelsior model without building a new one. But they ended up building a new one anyway becaus the add ons damaged the model itself.

Judge Death.

oldmangreg wrote: »

The bussard dome on JJ's Enterprise is a field of energy that collects particles to fuel the engines, at least according to the art of the film book.

All the enterprise nacelles did that, they collected interstellar hydrogen. That';s what a bussard collector does, it's named after a physicists who proposed using interstellar hydrogen as fuel.

Judge Death.

Maybe the original excellsior design had a flaw that was corrected on a later version.

saultenian

The more I see grace and elegance like this...the more I do not like the JJ version...missed opportunity?

Starship

This is one of the better re-refits that I ever seen! Keep it going, looks very cool!

Judge Death.

I really don't like the kind of half melted look that most tng era ships have. That whole surreal flowy look just doesn't do it for me. Enterprise d is my least favorite, I prefer a certain mechanical look, more lie the first and second enterprises.