3DUpdated Sarpeadon Class

sorceress21

This is project that I had really gotten into then abandoned because Sketchup was struggling with the model size. But I learned some tricks that made revamping this project doable. The original design had the bridge which I call a "con" on the top of the ship on a "superstructure" styled shape. I decided to relocate the con to the nose and make it a more integrated module making the overall ship sleeker.

The ship is the TGS Sarpeadon, the lead ship of the class. It's a USTO Solar Guard cutter and it's mission is very similar to a US Coast Guard Cutter. Though search and rescue is a capability of this ship, customs and border enforcement/interdiction missions as well as anti-smuggling/piracy ops is the primary mission of this vessel type.

Orthos and specs coming...lol.

Crits and suggestions on design and image welcome.

Knight26

ooh, I remember this beasty, very nice to see it back. Overall I like the design, the composition is very well done as well, but makes details hard to pick out. I can't wait to see more

evil_genius_180

First, nice design. I'm looking forward to the orthos.

The image is good. The lighting on the ship matches the NASA photo. It's realistically lit, but a slight bit of ambient light wouldn't hurt. It's a pretty common Sci Fi lighting trick.

sorceress21

evil_genius_180 wrote: »

First, nice design. I'm looking forward to the orthos.

The image is good. The lighting on the ship matches the NASA photo. It's realistically lit, but a slight bit of ambient light wouldn't hurt. It's a pretty common Sci Fi lighting trick.

I agree, and actually that's something I never cared for. I like scenes both still and in film/TV where the lighting is closer to what the human eye would see if one was really there. Spacecraft being lit up and completely visible while in space isn't realistic albeit the common method. That was something I loved about 2010: The Year we Make Contact. The Leonov and Discovery models were lit like they would be if in Europa orbit. I use that as my inspiration so to speak.

Rekkert

You did that in SketchUp? My hat's off to you, sir.

It's definitively a nice looking ship, and it also has teeth from what I can see.

sorceress21

Thanks, but check your pronoun use...lol. Girls can design too! And believe it or not Sketchup is actually a powerful modeling program..it just doesn't have the "legs" the pay stuff has with large/hi-poly models. You have to use a lot of work-a-rounds.

Rekkert

sorceress21 wrote: »

Thanks, but check your pronoun use...lol. Girls can design too!

Sorry! I'm just awfully used to assume most posters to be male. I feel even worst now that I see that your username gave it away. :shiner:

sorceress21 wrote: »

And believe it or not Sketchup is actually a powerful modeling program..it just doesn't have the "legs" the pay stuff has with large/hi-poly models. You have to use a lot of work-a-rounds.

I do believe it, I started using SketchUp several years ago. It's just that, as you said, making hi-poly stuff is pretty difficult. I just found it easier to migrate to another software rather than circumventing these problems. To stick with SU and get to that level of detail, I find it really remarkable.

MarkyD

Very nicely done, I had a fiddle with sketchup a few months back, and whilst individuals like yourselves stick with it and manage work around's I found the restrictions to slow me down too much. That said you have done a great job and your ship looks great.

Alnair

Excellent work! Building such a high quality model in SU is impressive! :thumb:

spacefighter

very very cool ship and a great render, nice detailing and cannot wait for the orthos and any other renders. i rather like the four fins toward the rear, are they heat radiators as that would be a good place to position such a vital piece of equipment. the dark render is very good with it's lighting but i would like to see some other images where everything is more brightly lit so i can pick out more details. i think those are weapons in the pod like bits on the sides but cannot tell, i also believe that the structure on top is a gun turret. judging by the design you have uniform artificial gravity under the decks and the bridge is that area with red windows at the front. near it you have a spotlight picking out some circles on the hull, are they thrusters? i am however unsure where the engines are, hidden in the circular thing at the far rear, or behind the pods level with the turret? i don't really have any criticisms of the design, i just want to see more(this ship is awesome). by the way did you render in sketchup or externally?

Borkless

That is one amazing ship. I love the lines, very predatory and sharkish. Are the bridge windows going to stay that eerie red, or will there ever be a modeled interior?

sorceress21

Thanks to all for the comments

Alnair wrote: »

Excellent work! Building such a high quality model in SU is impressive! :thumb:

It was your work that inspired a lot on this design my man...and thanks for the compliment..

spacefighter wrote: »

very very cool ship and a great render, nice detailing and cannot wait for the orthos and any other renders. i rather like the four fins toward the rear, are they heat radiators as that would be a good place to position such a vital piece of equipment. the dark render is very good with it's lighting but i would like to see some other images where everything is more brightly lit so i can pick out more details. i think those are weapons in the pod like bits on the sides but cannot tell, i also believe that the structure on top is a gun turret. judging by the design you have uniform artificial gravity under the decks and the bridge is that area with red windows at the front. near it you have a spotlight picking out some circles on the hull, are they thrusters? i am however unsure where the engines are, hidden in the circular thing at the far rear, or behind the pods level with the turret? i don't really have any criticisms of the design, i just want to see more(this ship is awesome). by the way did you render in sketchup or externally?

The fins are'nt heat sinks, but that's a good guess. They are an integrated sensor package I call the MANTIS array (Mass Actuated Null Trace Inter-spatial Sensing). It's essentially a system that can detect the ripples in space-time created by other objects sort of like sub-space sensors from Trek. But they can also detect dimensional anomalies. It's a passive system that allows very long-range surveillance of patrol areas without detection. They are placed on the hull in a position that allows the system to be powered directly from the vessel's primary reflex core without lengthy plasma conduits. When the system is energized it requires a substantial percentage of the core's output. They are sleeked back to keep the quantum dynamic signature of the ship in a low "mass-drag" state.

The ship employs gravity plating that generates an adjustable graviton field, so yes, true artificial gravity along with the also required acceleration compensators and structural integrity enhancement field.

Yes, the structure on the top of the ship is the main battery. It's a rail turret that uses a variety of different ordinance types.

The pod clusters on the port and starboard mounts is a modular mission specific package. The current configuration is the Orgus Missile system. Other systems such as large active "AWACS" type sensor arrays, or evacuation modules and cargo containers can utilize the universal mounts.

Borkless wrote: »

That is one amazing ship. I love the lines, very predatory and sharkish. Are the bridge windows going to stay that eerie red, or will there ever be a modeled interior?

The red interior lighting of the CON in this image is indicative that the vessel is in a ready state and at "Action Stations." And I am modeling the con interior. Here's a corridor shot in the engineering section looking at the entracne to a fusion reactor compartment. This section of the vessel is normally unmanned and automated thus the dimly lighting indicates the life support in the section is in a low power state:

sorceress21

Here are some very rough technical diagrams pointing out some of the primary systems.

Mikey-B

Oh neat! What is a quantum compression drive?

Rekkert

That's a great looking interior, the lighting really elevates the scene to a very realistic level. On a side note, why is a Triforce logo adorning that door?

The diagrams look very good, clearly a lot of thought was put on this ship.

Minor nit-pick, but the 2nd diagrams says torpeAdo instead of torpedo.

Schimpfy

Awesome work and the diagrams are very nice. I love when people put this much thought into a project.

sorceress21

Rekkert wrote: »

That's a great looking interior, the lighting really elevates the scene to a very realistic level. On a side note, why is a Triforce logo adorning that door?

The diagrams look very good, clearly a lot of thought was put on this ship.

Minor nit-pick, but the 2nd diagrams says torpeAdo instead of torpedo.

LOL, gotta love typos...it's just rough diagrams to give some more info on the ship..I'm gonna do much nicer ones with more detail using rendered images and full specs.

I don't have any idea what a Triforce is.. Threee red triangles are the universal symbol for radiation in my universe. Solid triangles = use extreme caution, solid triangles with a circle means extreme danger, non-solid triangles mean minimal danger..and so on..

The Sub-Quantum Compression Drive (another typo, I forgot Sub) is the "FTL" drive. The drive creates a field that compresses the mass-energy of the vessel to the opposite value of it's "real space mass"..essentially it tricks space/time into thinking is has no mass at all. The deeper the compression, the faster the slide which allows velocities of up to C¹²

evil_genius_180

I noticed the typo also, but I wasn't going to point it out.

I'm really liking this design and model. Excellent work. It looks like you put a lot of thought into it.

Schimpfy

sorceress21 wrote: »

I don't have any idea what a Triforce is.

I think he means the symbol from Zelda.

sorceress21

LOL..I never was a gamer

spacefighter

great stuff, shows all the details and well rendered despite being monochrome. great engine work with awesome features below the bow.

colbmista

spacefighter wrote: »

great stuff, shows all the details and well rendered despite being monochrome. great engine work with awesome features below the bow.

your never satisfied are you spacefighter you asked for a detail shot she gave you one then you complain bout how she clay rendered it anyway good work done sorseress

spacefighter

colbmista wrote: »

your never satisfied are you spacefighter you asked for a detail shot she gave you one then you complain bout how she clay rendered it anyway good work done sorseress

that wasn't a complaint. i was saying how good it still looked even without it's textures or lighting.

sorceress21

Thanks guys..I took no offense...the diagrams were just to satisfy some questions asked about the design, they were not even close to presentable work.

Those diagrams were done in the style of the books The Ships of Starfleet which I like very much.

sorceress21

I added the anti-matter bottle ejection and servicing doors on the dorsal surface of the Sarpeadon just above the SQC drive units. Then made a little scene.

spacefighter

cool render and great work, but is it me or have the radiators been swept back further? what's the squat dark grey ship to it's left.

sorceress21

The vanes aren't radiators. They are an integrated multi-function sensor system. And nope, they haven't been swept back any more at all..It's just the angle of the shot.

The scene:

The Cutter has positioned itself above a small transport ship in distress...note the smoke trail and burning damage.

Knight26

Very nice composition, the shadows match up well and there is a good sense of speed based on the smoke trail of the ship in distress.