Well, well, what would be the point of magic tricks if you know how it works ?^^
I suggested a more or less plausible workaround for spaceships with blunted noses for aesthetical reasons to be able to reenter atmosphere without stretching too much our suspension of disbelief. I mostly thought about the Commonwealth cutter because the blunt nose looked so nice on it, but it could be applied to anything. On the Sov cutter a massive shout-out to Stonecold's XR2 Ravenstar (check google image for that) nose assembly, for example, or something roughly equivalent, would look just fine as well and blend nicely with the lines of the ship. Or a spaceship could for example reenter atmosphere just like SpaceShip Two with its wings doing that weird thing SpaceShip Two does, that would probably not stress the nose too much, but who knows if it is suitable for spacecrafts under military conditions?
On the Sov cutter a massive shout-out to Stonecold's XR2 Ravenstar (check google image for that) nose assembly, for example, or something roughly equivalent, would look just fine as well and blend nicely with the lines of the ship.
Hey, hey, that wasn`t me! Ravenstar is Coolhand`s design, as far as I remember Actually, that was the exact reason I mentioned aerodynamic cover for the docking port.
note that those patterns were on rockets(usually on prototypes rather than those in regular service) so a ground observer could easily tell if the thing was spinning. i think that with your us cutter you could easily observe spin as it is a less regular shape than the cylindrical body of a rocket.
the carrier looks to be progressing well.
on the subject of nose shapes for re-entry the recently retired shuttle had a rather blunt nose so that the shockwave of impacting the air was deflected out at a wide enough angle to miss it's wings. you will still want that same shape cannonball where you don't have materials that can survive that shockwave hitting them. nonetheless a docking port on the nose would probably be very vulnerable to the impact, a way you could protect it without needing to cover it over would be some kind of cone of electric fields around it holding ionised gas to act as a shield. or a simple electric field and a powerful laser to ionise the atmosphere ahead so it responds to that field.
What if in the 25th century White Sands is a Space Guard/Space Patrol station/aerospace base (or at least there's one somewhere in the grounds) and the roll patterns are painted onto ships based there as a tribute to the work done on early rockets?
on the subject of nose shapes for re-entry the recently retired shuttle had a rather blunt nose so that the shockwave of impacting the air was deflected out at a wide enough angle to miss it's wings. you will still want that same shape cannonball where you don't have materials that can survive that shockwave hitting them. nonetheless a docking port on the nose would probably be very vulnerable to the impact, a way you could protect it without needing to cover it over would be some kind of cone of electric fields around it holding ionised gas to act as a shield. or a simple electric field and a powerful laser to ionise the atmosphere ahead so it responds to that field.
Main problem that I see - there is a docking port on that blunt nose. Hatch is allways a strustural weakness, compared to the surrounding hull. That`s why I`m talking about aerodynamic cover, like on the said "Ravenstar". Of course, that`s for Bbzw2 to decide.
Thanks guys!
Here is the last update for tonight. The render is still going so the final will be much sharper, but I took an early render grab and started working it over in PS;
That looks great! I like the detailing you did. Do the main engines retract into the body? Otherwise they're going to need active cooling to withstand atmospheric entry.
I'm also liking the detailing, especially the manoeuvring thrusters . To be honest though, to me it looks more like an upside down ice cream cone with a weight problem rather than an onion seed
Still working on the cutters but want to get some of the things out of the 'complete but never finished' folder;
This one is probably my favorite fighter design.
Thanks!
I've realized that what little skills I had in photoshop have really gone downhill lately, so I'm going to do some good old high detail profiles. I'm throwing them in here as apposed to the 2d WIP form as I don't want to clutter up the forums unnecessarily. Since I've got the majority of USSN craft done, I'm going to start on these. My plan is to do squadron markings for every unit. Should be fun!
I've realized that what little skills I had in photoshop have really gone downhill lately, so I'm going to do some good old high detail profiles. I'm throwing them in here as apposed to the 2d WIP form as I don't want to clutter up the forums unnecessarily. Since I've got the majority of USSN craft done, I'm going to start on these. My plan is to do squadron markings for every unit. Should be fun!
That sounds like a great way to keep your skills current. I like the markings. The whole image was done in Photoshop? If so, that's impressive! I can see the shading along the top and bottom of the hull. How'd you do that?
Super easy- just make a shape with the pen following the shape of the hull, zap it with gaussian blur and dial down the opacity, then erase the parts you don't need.
Here is the next one;
That's what I was going for so I'm happy you got that vibe. I'm going to do a Prowler version of it too. However, I'm going to be redoing these as I realized that the originals have to be at least double the size to get the level of detail I'm going for.
Posts
Well, well, what would be the point of magic tricks if you know how it works ?^^
I suggested a more or less plausible workaround for spaceships with blunted noses for aesthetical reasons to be able to reenter atmosphere without stretching too much our suspension of disbelief. I mostly thought about the Commonwealth cutter because the blunt nose looked so nice on it, but it could be applied to anything. On the Sov cutter a massive shout-out to Stonecold's XR2 Ravenstar (check google image for that) nose assembly, for example, or something roughly equivalent, would look just fine as well and blend nicely with the lines of the ship. Or a spaceship could for example reenter atmosphere just like SpaceShip Two with its wings doing that weird thing SpaceShip Two does, that would probably not stress the nose too much, but who knows if it is suitable for spacecrafts under military conditions?
the carrier looks to be progressing well.
on the subject of nose shapes for re-entry the recently retired shuttle had a rather blunt nose so that the shockwave of impacting the air was deflected out at a wide enough angle to miss it's wings. you will still want that same shape cannonball where you don't have materials that can survive that shockwave hitting them. nonetheless a docking port on the nose would probably be very vulnerable to the impact, a way you could protect it without needing to cover it over would be some kind of cone of electric fields around it holding ionised gas to act as a shield. or a simple electric field and a powerful laser to ionise the atmosphere ahead so it responds to that field.
Main problem that I see - there is a docking port on that blunt nose. Hatch is allways a strustural weakness, compared to the surrounding hull. That`s why I`m talking about aerodynamic cover, like on the said "Ravenstar". Of course, that`s for Bbzw2 to decide.
Here is the last update for tonight. The render is still going so the final will be much sharper, but I took an early render grab and started working it over in PS;
This one is probably my favorite fighter design.
EDIT; that didn't take too long at all;
I've realized that what little skills I had in photoshop have really gone downhill lately, so I'm going to do some good old high detail profiles. I'm throwing them in here as apposed to the 2d WIP form as I don't want to clutter up the forums unnecessarily. Since I've got the majority of USSN craft done, I'm going to start on these. My plan is to do squadron markings for every unit. Should be fun!
Here is the next one;