Thanks, I was actually specifically referring to opinions on the tower command center -- a place to observe the shuttle movements directly, rather like an airport control tower. Anyway I did a lot of refinement on elements of this ship. The teardrop base for the bridge on top of the saucer is completely new and higher poly. I also used real lettering on the top of the saucer and numbered the shuttle bays. I changed the registry number from 1622 to 1722. As I thought about it, the Enterprise was probably one of the first ships and troop transports probably came later.
The shape and yellow color of the tower at the back is temporary. I'm thinking about it.
I like the details in the top part. It seems to me that the tower is too small though. It looks smaller than the bridge and the room itself should be taller I think. But hey, maybe you measured it. I use 3 meters for the full deck. Each room is about 240cm tall from floor to ceiling.
No you are right. I just quick eyeballed it to see what it might look like. I love your input since this was really your design idea. I’m really trying to do it justice. I’ll fix the tower. I want to make it a little different anyway.
No you are right. I just quick eyeballed it to see what it might look like. I love your input since this was really your design idea. I’m really trying to do it justice. I’ll fix the tower. I want to make it a little different anyway.
And you are doing a great job btw I would maybe put it in a different spot. I know you want that Arboretum in that spot you chose, but I would do the control room there. It's at the front of the ship, it's has enough space to do a big control room if needed and it's also in a relatively safe spot on the ship. The place you chose would very easily get hit.
Definitely an improvement. Are you happy with them, now?
If you wanted to improve it further, I'd suggest darkening the glass - or making it more transparent, while maintaining the blurred refraction - and brightening the self illumination on internal detail a little
I see your point about the control room, and I do have plenty of other spots for the arboretum. I guess I was thinking about another less high tech time where the tower was able to physically see and manage the shuttle departure. Admittedly this also meant that an equivalent tower would be necessary on the bottom. That doesn’t work. Obviously 23rd century technology should be able to depict that departure graphically or even holographically so that it is all managed in a single control center.
@Comco I am interpreting what you say as advising a true interior lighting to rooms beyond the window glass. Yeah I should do that. Yes I like the Bussards better
@Viper thanks. I’m happy you like my take on your design (so far). I mean to refine things and really bring out realism. I’ve procured plants and trees for the arboretum. I’m using the big Jim drawings to refine the 1701A portions of the Normandy. The teardrop base below the bridge is very precisely modeled against the drawing as the bridge itself will be. The engines and the bottom sensor dome are on their way to the same.
@Viper You are right. Toned down the running lights. Another issue is I haven't had a chance to check if the lights at the back of the engines are color coded Red/Green for port/starbord or if they are just white.
I rendered the following before toning down the running lights and adding the engine lettering. I post it because I moved the Arboretum and made the front the command center. (In addition I have since corrected the size and placement of the registry under the saucer so it is not in this render. Sorry)
Memory serves I think they were just white. The refit connie only had right of way markers on the saucer top and bottom, same for the miranda. However the tos ship did have tiny little red green bulbs on the nacelles and most tng era ships have them at least on the leading topside of the nacelles.
I think the lights need to be ramped down through attenuation, depends what your package calls it. I generally use hidden objects with a lum material (self ilum) over the parts as the gizmos can get insane over time. Not to mention you can make the lights themselves emit light.
Sample attached is of lights above a silver ball
1st is a hard attenuation
2nd is softer
3rd is dimmed light (.5 vs 1)
4th is a disc of green glow material above the ball.
5th a glass ball with a glow ball inside,
6th same as 5 with hidden light disc above.
Advantage of the hidden object is it will smear across the hull aniso and surfacing more than a gizmo omni.
Might want to reset your shadows and use a GI or light "size" setting. The bits between those housings should be in deep shadow. I had not noticed the gaps before but I would fill those gaps with bulkheads, less hull surface area the better. The cracks can concentrate weapons fire. While it is space and shockwaves have less impact heat and other disruptive factors can still apply.
Hopefully they use LUX or something vs a numerical unit. max it can be anything but 1 is generally where you should never increase from so it makes it annoying to adjust things.
also something I forgot to do was turn off shadows on the lights and reflections on those hidden shapes that are emitting light. (can see them in the reflections)
The nav lights in the nacelles are supposed to be white. I have mine set to red and green though, just because
My lights are also full modelled. The emitter is also an object with a light emitting material. I did it that way to make it easier to convert the model.
@MadKoiFish - Yes, lightwave lighting is in Lx. I'm having trouble with changes they have made to the light system. There are some settings I liked that they removed. I think after this post I am going to go Google node editing of lights in Lightwave.
@Viper - I was pretty sure that was true. When you look at the model photos, those lights are not colored. On your light modeling, I wish I had that as an option. At least I don't think I have that option, but I could be wrong.
Don't even get me started on those lights. It took me a while and a lot of frustration just to figure out a "sun" light, due to the changes between LW10 and 2018. The falloff distance settings are particularly harder to figure out in modern Lightwave.
Oh good, I thought it was just me...
I found a video and now have something to use in node editing to regulate the light intensity and drop off. I’ll share it with you as soon as I can.
Posts
The shape and yellow color of the tower at the back is temporary. I'm thinking about it.
Frequent updates at our Discord channel!
And you are doing a great job btw
Frequent updates at our Discord channel!
Definitely an improvement. Are you happy with them, now?
If you wanted to improve it further, I'd suggest darkening the glass - or making it more transparent, while maintaining the blurred refraction - and brightening the self illumination on internal detail a little
So you’re right.
@Viper thanks. I’m happy you like my take on your design (so far). I mean to refine things and really bring out realism. I’ve procured plants and trees for the arboretum. I’m using the big Jim drawings to refine the 1701A portions of the Normandy. The teardrop base below the bridge is very precisely modeled against the drawing as the bridge itself will be. The engines and the bottom sensor dome are on their way to the same.
( you are being creative on purpose...knock it off!! )
Frequent updates at our Discord channel!
@evil_genius_180 @trekki Glad you like it, thanks.
I got the lettering on the rear of the engines too
I think the lights need to be ramped down through attenuation, depends what your package calls it. I generally use hidden objects with a lum material (self ilum) over the parts as the gizmos can get insane over time. Not to mention you can make the lights themselves emit light.
Sample attached is of lights above a silver ball
- 1st is a hard attenuation
- 2nd is softer
- 3rd is dimmed light (.5 vs 1)
- 4th is a disc of green glow material above the ball.
- 5th a glass ball with a glow ball inside,
- 6th same as 5 with hidden light disc above.
Advantage of the hidden object is it will smear across the hull aniso and surfacing more than a gizmo omni.Might want to reset your shadows and use a GI or light "size" setting. The bits between those housings should be in deep shadow. I had not noticed the gaps before but I would fill those gaps with bulkheads, less hull surface area the better. The cracks can concentrate weapons fire. While it is space and shockwaves have less impact heat and other disruptive factors can still apply.
I debated that. I finally decided there is no up and down in space. I may still change it.
also something I forgot to do was turn off shadows on the lights and reflections on those hidden shapes that are emitting light. (can see them in the reflections)
My lights are also full modelled. The emitter is also an object with a light emitting material. I did it that way to make it easier to convert the model.
Frequent updates at our Discord channel!
@Viper - I was pretty sure that was true. When you look at the model photos, those lights are not colored. On your light modeling, I wish I had that as an option. At least I don't think I have that option, but I could be wrong.
I found a video and now have something to use in node editing to regulate the light intensity and drop off. I’ll share it with you as soon as I can.