Looks far more natural with it a proper material. Not 100% sold on those spotlight lighting the registry though, can tell they're very obvsiouly faked. To my eye they need to be far whiter at the 'origin' point, if that makes sense. Everything else is absolustely spot on.
The nose ship name though I am not so sure on. Hence why it isnt cut yet. Actually that whole area of the model bothers me.
The first time I saw your windows at the front of this ship I thought you were inspired. I thought "I've got to try some windows like that sometime." In addition I find your lettering very tasteful. Sooooooooo.... just curious what it is that bothers you.
While I'm at it. What is it that made you do a different set of engines from the Discovery Yeager? Don't get me wrong. Love yours. Is it just that you did not care for the other?
Idea of this ship was to align STD stuff to canon or more in line with the wedge trek model I did. It also has hints of all my TOSish stuff except the connie and that patrol ship I did ages ago and used in SOTL.
What I do not like about it is forward facing windows as well as that inset bit of hull. It just exists for the look and I cannot in a engineering sense define why it should exist as it does. IE a purpose. Add in I dunno I am just not happy with the interpretation or lack of anything that was not already there on the canon model.
Lights are not "faked" it is a proper MR gizmo, I am just not using the photometric gizmos as they produce visual artifacts. I am using a projected map on them to give some sort of lens distortion effect because default spots are a bit naff. As for the hotspots etc it is why I hate a lot of the lighting stuff in max. Only way to get it to react less bland is to do multiple gizmos and just try rigging in 40 or 50 gizmos and see what max does when you do. heh usually gives up giving previews at about 15~20 units depending on version of the software (old ones only allowed 5) Also KIM the unnatural WIP lighting. It is all "flat" to show people the model vs arty lighting.
Forward Facing Windows: An early 10-forward? After all, the best view on the ship.
And you're right. It really needed engines closer to the original series.
Small update, adjusted the forward reg spacing and cut it to the hull (detached bit of hull above the hull) and set up some lights and cut a mess of details in the hull around.
AND, of course the shadows obliterate some of the hull detail. Really thinking to properly fit TOS that whole forward window array should GO AWAY.
Maybe a compromise on the non-TOS windows would be external shutters that slide into place from above and below to back-up those big panes of transparent aluminium, or whatever, in the most hostile environments. If they're for a ten forward style observation lounge, then the inset structure the bridge is on seems just begging to be extended forward to meet with the saucer rim, but I don't think it would look as 'Buran' cool.
Nope the windows just go away. Plan is to add sensor arrays and a surface deflection system. It can explain why the hull is exposed here as a central style of sensor array vs the ones on the saucer bottom. I have left little blue areas where stock window cutters MIGHT be used. I did though consider redoing this whole area to have a smooth puck like shape. But I decided I did not want to toss out all of the details.
No windows... very interesting. In airplanes, they're considering replacing windows with screens. I can see something like that happening here. The other way to go about it (and what I suspect you'll do) is just have blank walls, get more use out of that space. I mean, there's nothing out there worth seeing, really, just space and stars.
Added in those thingies around the right of way markers and adjusted some hull shapes before cutting in more decals to suggest what would be behind them. Might mark in some panels etc along the way too. Yanked off some of the yellow light from the deflector. Thinking I should look at cutting some patterns into it vs the glow bits. IE aligning it more towards my wedge model than the canon one.
Ok, I think this will be a final update on this mesh for a while. Adjusted the deflector to be less bling and match it to my wedge trek model more with blue accents instead and puts some patterns on it. It is far enough along if I want to include it in some renders I might.
While I said I was sick of flat ships Here I am posting changes to yet another one. Not sure if I will go with this as the new project or not but I was looking at what needs finishing and opened this one and decided I really did not like the whole deflector lower hull arrangement. Even with the current changes it means the entire back rail and forward and lower saucer shields are going to need work or redoing. You can even see where the forward saucer bits have holes as how this ship is made large parts all interact with other parts.
Image to give an idea where it WAS
The Updates,
Plan is to patch the new bits to the old so ignore the upper spine and forward shield bits that are clearly part of the working SUBDIV object. There are chances that some parts like nacelles might get replaced as well. I hope to not change too much so it still remains conceivably the same ship sans changes from the SOTL usage. Anyhow ignoring bits that do not align or bits submerged in hull I think what I have is much better than what it WAS. I am debating altering the deflector surface to be at an angle like the SOV vs the square to the ships centerline. Mostly because it makes the deflector sit so far into the hull. Also the top side render still shows some of the iffy things I disliked. Mostly the neck rails as they run into the deflector flair. It is not as bad as it was in the original as it looked deceptively narrow. I also have toyed with loosing the strut layout and have them grow from a pod shaped secondary hull instead, allowing me to eliminate the awkward "butt". KIM though the butt as it is is all messed up as it is a area of converging edges and needs work towards the end of the adjustment phase as bits here cannot be added until I finalize the rest of it.
Need to get this aligned to my newer rigging of lights and other rendering settings.
Really Id like to work on a more vertical model. So I might just start a new one.
Fantastic work. What program do you use for texturing?
Multiple, mostly Paint Tool SAI and Clip Studio. Mostly the latter now as it is a proper 64bit tool and it allows much larger multilayer files.
Does depend on maps though most of my procedural maps are all photos of sidewalks, streets, stores, cars etc. Most of the gloss maps on my ships is a photo of a costco floor in seattle. Interiors are usually rendered rooms mapped onto the interiors.
Most recent ship to be "unwraped" is my TOS Miranda, USS Bombay. Prior to that I think the only other fully done ship is the TOS connie.
Lost some paneling, thankfully it was easily yoinked off, so the new bits are welded in and ready to go.
and yes these are from earlier today, had to take a break. Think I need to adjust materials or just outright replace them as this takes a while to render.
Ok forgot I wanted to give it a new butt. So here we go. More patching of bits in the future. Idea is maybe to alter some of these parts out back to allow for a cargo bay in addition to the ones in the saucer.
Posts
The first time I saw your windows at the front of this ship I thought you were inspired. I thought "I've got to try some windows like that sometime." In addition I find your lettering very tasteful. Sooooooooo.... just curious what it is that bothers you.
While I'm at it. What is it that made you do a different set of engines from the Discovery Yeager? Don't get me wrong. Love yours. Is it just that you did not care for the other?
What I do not like about it is forward facing windows as well as that inset bit of hull. It just exists for the look and I cannot in a engineering sense define why it should exist as it does. IE a purpose. Add in I dunno I am just not happy with the interpretation or lack of anything that was not already there on the canon model.
Lights are not "faked" it is a proper MR gizmo, I am just not using the photometric gizmos as they produce visual artifacts. I am using a projected map on them to give some sort of lens distortion effect because default spots are a bit naff. As for the hotspots etc it is why I hate a lot of the lighting stuff in max. Only way to get it to react less bland is to do multiple gizmos and just try rigging in 40 or 50 gizmos and see what max does when you do. heh usually gives up giving previews at about 15~20 units depending on version of the software (old ones only allowed 5) Also KIM the unnatural WIP lighting. It is all "flat" to show people the model vs arty lighting.
And you're right. It really needed engines closer to the original series.
AND, of course the shadows obliterate some of the hull detail. Really thinking to properly fit TOS that whole forward window array should GO AWAY.
Maybe a compromise on the non-TOS windows would be external shutters that slide into place from above and below to back-up those big panes of transparent aluminium, or whatever, in the most hostile environments. If they're for a ten forward style observation lounge, then the inset structure the bridge is on seems just begging to be extended forward to meet with the saucer rim, but I don't think it would look as 'Buran' cool.
dunno what I will do next.
Image to give an idea where it WAS
The Updates,
Plan is to patch the new bits to the old so ignore the upper spine and forward shield bits that are clearly part of the working SUBDIV object. There are chances that some parts like nacelles might get replaced as well. I hope to not change too much so it still remains conceivably the same ship sans changes from the SOTL usage. Anyhow ignoring bits that do not align or bits submerged in hull I think what I have is much better than what it WAS. I am debating altering the deflector surface to be at an angle like the SOV vs the square to the ships centerline. Mostly because it makes the deflector sit so far into the hull. Also the top side render still shows some of the iffy things I disliked. Mostly the neck rails as they run into the deflector flair. It is not as bad as it was in the original as it looked deceptively narrow. I also have toyed with loosing the strut layout and have them grow from a pod shaped secondary hull instead, allowing me to eliminate the awkward "butt". KIM though the butt as it is is all messed up as it is a area of converging edges and needs work towards the end of the adjustment phase as bits here cannot be added until I finalize the rest of it.
Need to get this aligned to my newer rigging of lights and other rendering settings.
Really Id like to work on a more vertical model. So I might just start a new one.
forum editor needs color icons.
Multiple, mostly Paint Tool SAI and Clip Studio. Mostly the latter now as it is a proper 64bit tool and it allows much larger multilayer files.
Does depend on maps though most of my procedural maps are all photos of sidewalks, streets, stores, cars etc. Most of the gloss maps on my ships is a photo of a costco floor in seattle. Interiors are usually rendered rooms mapped onto the interiors.
Most recent ship to be "unwraped" is my TOS Miranda, USS Bombay. Prior to that I think the only other fully done ship is the TOS connie.
and yes these are from earlier today, had to take a break. Think I need to adjust materials or just outright replace them as this takes a while to render.