Incidentally and for anyone interested, the Starboard Egress opens onto a corridor not much wider than a standard set of turbo doors; this grants access to a modified Deck 1 similar in size (though not design) to that of the Constitution refits.
On entering the corridor, immediately opposite there's a small hatch leading to an emergency equipment and ODN trunking closet. The corridor then follows the curve of the bridge as it heads around behind it. The first fullsized door opens into a Ready Room taking up the Starboard aft quarter of Deck 1.
Next the corridor opens onto a stairwell (which can be sealed off but usually remains open) heading aft down to Deck 2 along the centreline of the vessel.
Finally the corridor ends at a door in mirrored location to the Ready Room, accessing a cramped Mess and Head. These take up Portside Aft of Deck 1, and abutt the portside Turboshaft.
Both Ready Room and Mess feature an aft-looking viewport; there's of course no docking ring on this module.
More work on the helm console, modifying it sit lower as the TUC version, and with the back 'table' bit added. It's not intended to be a 1:1 reproduction of the TUC helm however, several details are purposely different, like the lack of the lights at the sides and the (still not done) TWoK inspired controls.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
The idea is that the less dated controls (such as the light-up flip switches from the Weapons Station, the sliders from the Helm, etc) that can be recolored easily so as to not create an aesthetic kluge, will be.
Recall what was done with the TUC helm, and imagine something similar applied to both it and the standalone stations (well, Tactical for certain. I think we could get away with Okudagrams for Security), but with a touch of TWOK.
Also, there's already a perfectly serviceable Okudragram equivalent of the accordion controls
Glad you like it, Rusty! :thumb:
Rekkert the extension to the Helm console looks great, makes it look more like a built in component of the bridge rather than something just glued in place like the TMP version
@Starscream: Glad you liked it! Yeah, the helm looks a lot more grounded now.
@The_meshmaster: I'm using Blender's built in Cycles renderer, which is physically based, thus creates realistic bounces off of surfaces. I simply set the materials for the lights as emissive, and those are my only sources of light, the light bounces on the room and thus illuminates everything realistically. I never liked the old fashioned approach of faking the lighting with spots and other 'invisible' lights like that, you spend a lot of time setting everything up and it never gets to look as realistic anyway.
So, given that you're not on Blender, my suggestion would be to find a similar PBR renderer for Max. Cycles is open source so you might find an implementation of it as a plugin.
I've worked on the keyboards for the wall facing consoles. These take a lot of inspiration from the Enterprise-C consoles, using the same muted colors and numbers at the top. However this is mixed with the traditional Ent-A keyboard layout, and they're only lit half as much as the other consoles, similarly to the unlit segments of white and light blue controls on the Ent-A science and comms stations (see the lower right corner here).
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
@Starscream: Glad you liked it! Yeah, the helm looks a lot more grounded now.
@The_meshmaster: I'm using Blender's built in Cycles renderer, which is physically based, thus creates realistic bounces off of surfaces. I simply set the materials for the lights as emissive, and those are my only sources of light, the light bounces on the room and thus illuminates everything realistically. I never liked the old fashioned approach of faking the lighting with spots and other 'invisible' lights like that, you spend a lot of time setting everything up and it never gets to look as realistic anyway.
So, given that you're not on Blender, my suggestion would be to find a similar PBR renderer for Max. Cycles is open source so you might find an implementation of it as a plugin.
I've worked on the keyboards for the wall facing consoles. These take a lot of inspiration from the Enterprise-C consoles, using the same muted colors and numbers at the top. However this is mixed with the traditional Ent-A keyboard layout, and they're only lit half as much as the other consoles, similarly to the unlit segments of white and light blue controls on the Ent-A science and comms stations (see the lower right corner here).
Really digging this.
You're basically lighting yours the same way I light mine. I build in Truespace but I assemble and render in DAZ Studio using iRay. So I build the lights and let them do their thing there. I hate having to bring in extra lighting as well to 'fake it'. Just build the lights into your set and call it good.
@Starscream: Glad you liked it! Yeah, the helm looks a lot more grounded now.
@The_meshmaster: I'm using Blender's built in Cycles renderer, which is physically based, thus creates realistic bounces off of surfaces. I simply set the materials for the lights as emissive, and those are my only sources of light, the light bounces on the room and thus illuminates everything realistically. I never liked the old fashioned approach of faking the lighting with spots and other 'invisible' lights like that, you spend a lot of time setting everything up and it never gets to look as realistic anyway.
So, given that you're not on Blender, my suggestion would be to find a similar PBR renderer for Max. Cycles is open source so you might find an implementation of it as a plugin.
I've worked on the keyboards for the wall facing consoles. These take a lot of inspiration from the Enterprise-C consoles, using the same muted colors and numbers at the top. However this is mixed with the traditional Ent-A keyboard layout, and they're only lit half as much as the other consoles, similarly to the unlit segments of white and light blue controls on the Ent-A science and comms stations (see the lower right corner here).
Darn...thanks anyways bro for replying...but there is no plugin for that setting...shame.
I don't want to distract from the purpose of this thread, so I'll just make this super-short and to the point. For anyone who is interested, I'm posting a direct sequel/companion piece to my TNG/DS9 era story which features the U.S.S. Quasar in the writer's forum. This particular story doesn't feature the Quasar, but it will have elements in it that will deal with some upcoming commissions. If you're interested, look for "A New Beginning" in the writer's forum.
@BolianAdmiral: I'll certainly be checking it out, thanks for the heads up!
I've created the central monitor area for the tactical station, which is heavily based on the transporter/torpedo room console from TUC, including its awkward looking top keypad panel.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
Those top buttons really are awkward, aren't they! I'd always imagined they were there for diagnostic/maintenance purposes tbh.
Now, I wonder if we should have put some duotronic proto-Isolinear chips (ala Deflector Control in Generations) instead, or even left it as blank metal like the top of the helm add-on... Thoughts, anyone?
Those top buttons really are awkward, aren't they! I'd always imagined they were there for diagnostic/maintenance purposes tbh.
Now, I wonder if we should have put some duotronic proto-Isolinear chips (ala Deflector Control in Generations) instead, or even left it as blank metal like the top of the helm add-on... Thoughts, anyone?
I'd leave it as blank metal. If they were proto-Isolinear chips, they'd be hard to get at.
@BolianAdmiral me too! In fact I've been thinking of doing something similar for early pre-TNG vessels, that would have launched not long after the loss of the Enterprise-C (though in a more "TNG" font).
Are the standing stations designed for two crew-members to utilize each one? Maybe its the angle, but the stations seem to lean forward and that center support seem to make it difficult to stand in the center to work at those stations IMO.
@JMP11: Just one person actually. The stand's thin enough so that a regular sized person can comfortably sit with one feet at each side.
@BolianAdmiral:Thanks! I always liked that as well. Everything's easy to identify even when power's offline (something you can't do on TNG era bridges).
I've finished the layout of the tactical console. The central monitor has some raised TWoK style controls at each side. A small bit of this style will also be added to all the wall facing consoles, and will be prevalent in the helm/nav console.
In tangentially related news, I'm starting to work using Blender 2.8. It's still in alpha state but it has so many changes and improvements already that I've better get started now. The ability to render with the GPU and CPU at the same time is certainly gonna be very useful once I'm able to finish my new PC build.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
I have to say, the choice elements from the TMP-TSFS bridges fit well with the TFF/TUC okudagrams better than I thought they would! Yeah, the accordion buttons would undoubtedly clash, but the elements you have do indeed blend well.
I'd like to see how you handle the helm/nav console.
@Rusty0918: Believe me I'm also surprised they work so well.
I've worked on the security console, which in contrast to tactical doesn't have a central monitor and is entirely comprised of TUC style Okudagrams (though the central screen area has a graphic inspired by the TWoK bridge).
I've also added in the little steps on the front of the main pit. I had fun creating the procedural texture with holes, I usually don't like using actual textures (because they're an asset I didn't create) so I try and do these procedurally within Blender whenever I can.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
Lots of small bits worked on. I've finished the aft section of the helm console, with it's Captain facing buttons (which aren't based on the TUC console) and its forward facing thin blue light thingy (which is there in TUC, as I noticed for the first time this week, after seeing that thing for a thousand times and never noticing it before...).
The ever important fire extinguishers are also now in place; as are the remaining details for the viewscreen area, including the plaque on the right and a space for some TWoK inspired Okudagrams on the left.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
I completely forgot about the blue - what kind of monsters are we!?!
Viewscreen isn't quite what I first imagined but it works well, and it has made me think that a pre-TNG upgrade might fill those plant-ons with 4:3 graphics, sort of like the Battle Bridge or the canon Enterprise-C... :cool:
I've further modified the viewscreen to be closer in style to the Enterprise-A, while still retaining the dedication plaque and the big computer panel in that area.
Other than that I've been working a lot on the console graphics. I've created some 30 designs here (some based in older Patagonia okudagrams, but still reproduced from scratch). I still got some 15 or so more to go before I'm done with the wall consoles.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
Nice. The bridge is really starting to "pop" with all the LCARS displays being added. I never noticed the LCARS panel on the side of the TUC viewscreen - was it something you and Starscream added, or was it always on the 1701-A or Excelsior, and I just never noticed?
Nice. The bridge is really starting to "pop" with all the LCARS displays being added. I never noticed the LCARS panel on the side of the TUC viewscreen - was it something you and Starscream added, or was it always on the 1701-A or Excelsior, and I just never noticed?
It really is, isn't it! She's looking more gorgeous and "physical" with each update, IMO (albeit biased as I am )
To answer your question: The panel is something I put on an old 2D bitmap plan of the Constellation bridge years ago, only back then it had displayed vessel schematics - whereas this time it'll pay homage to the roundel fixtures on the TWOK bridge (you'll see once the finished graphic is in place )
@BolianAdmiral: Thanks! Indeed, that panel is something unique to this bridge that Starscream designed.
I've been adding some more okudagrams (including the one for that viewscreen graphic, which is intended to be an updated version of the column left of the viewscreen on the TWoK bridge).
But mainly I've been working on the Captain's chair, which is based on the TUC design but has several unique modifications. These include a backrest which becomes smaller at the top, and a split back panel to fit in better with the standard console chairs.
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
Ugh, I don't know what the hell Deviant Art is doing. They were acquired by Wix last year, and apparently only now are changing their hosting to reflect that, including changing how the Stash works, now direct links to images on the Stash (that is, not published on Deviant Art directly) only work for a period of time...
I'll be looking into it, but for now you can see the images following these links: 123 (you can still access the full size images by clicking on them or opening them in another tab)
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
Posts
Been working on the labels and stickers some more these past few days:
Incidentally and for anyone interested, the Starboard Egress opens onto a corridor not much wider than a standard set of turbo doors; this grants access to a modified Deck 1 similar in size (though not design) to that of the Constitution refits.
On entering the corridor, immediately opposite there's a small hatch leading to an emergency equipment and ODN trunking closet. The corridor then follows the curve of the bridge as it heads around behind it. The first fullsized door opens into a Ready Room taking up the Starboard aft quarter of Deck 1.
Next the corridor opens onto a stairwell (which can be sealed off but usually remains open) heading aft down to Deck 2 along the centreline of the vessel.
Finally the corridor ends at a door in mirrored location to the Ready Room, accessing a cramped Mess and Head. These take up Portside Aft of Deck 1, and abutt the portside Turboshaft.
Both Ready Room and Mess feature an aft-looking viewport; there's of course no docking ring on this module.
So far this is coming together nicely. I never was a fan of the Constellation-class but this bridge sure looks good.
The idea is that the less dated controls (such as the light-up flip switches from the Weapons Station, the sliders from the Helm, etc) that can be recolored easily so as to not create an aesthetic kluge, will be.
Recall what was done with the TUC helm, and imagine something similar applied to both it and the standalone stations (well, Tactical for certain. I think we could get away with Okudagrams for Security), but with a touch of TWOK.
Also, there's already a perfectly serviceable Okudragram equivalent of the accordion controls
Glad you like it, Rusty! :thumb:
Rekkert the extension to the Helm console looks great, makes it look more like a built in component of the bridge rather than something just glued in place like the TMP version
@Starscream: Glad you liked it! Yeah, the helm looks a lot more grounded now.
@The_meshmaster: I'm using Blender's built in Cycles renderer, which is physically based, thus creates realistic bounces off of surfaces. I simply set the materials for the lights as emissive, and those are my only sources of light, the light bounces on the room and thus illuminates everything realistically. I never liked the old fashioned approach of faking the lighting with spots and other 'invisible' lights like that, you spend a lot of time setting everything up and it never gets to look as realistic anyway.
So, given that you're not on Blender, my suggestion would be to find a similar PBR renderer for Max. Cycles is open source so you might find an implementation of it as a plugin.
I've worked on the keyboards for the wall facing consoles. These take a lot of inspiration from the Enterprise-C consoles, using the same muted colors and numbers at the top. However this is mixed with the traditional Ent-A keyboard layout, and they're only lit half as much as the other consoles, similarly to the unlit segments of white and light blue controls on the Ent-A science and comms stations (see the lower right corner here).
Really digging this.
You're basically lighting yours the same way I light mine. I build in Truespace but I assemble and render in DAZ Studio using iRay. So I build the lights and let them do their thing there. I hate having to bring in extra lighting as well to 'fake it'. Just build the lights into your set and call it good.
Darn...thanks anyways bro for replying...but there is no plugin for that setting...shame.
@starscream:
@BolianAdmiral: I'll certainly be checking it out, thanks for the heads up!
I've created the central monitor area for the tactical station, which is heavily based on the transporter/torpedo room console from TUC, including its awkward looking top keypad panel.
Now, I wonder if we should have put some duotronic proto-Isolinear chips (ala Deflector Control in Generations) instead, or even left it as blank metal like the top of the helm add-on... Thoughts, anyone?
I'd leave it as blank metal. If they were proto-Isolinear chips, they'd be hard to get at.
@BolianAdmiral:Thanks! I always liked that as well. Everything's easy to identify even when power's offline (something you can't do on TNG era bridges).
I've finished the layout of the tactical console. The central monitor has some raised TWoK style controls at each side. A small bit of this style will also be added to all the wall facing consoles, and will be prevalent in the helm/nav console.
In tangentially related news, I'm starting to work using Blender 2.8. It's still in alpha state but it has so many changes and improvements already that I've better get started now. The ability to render with the GPU and CPU at the same time is certainly gonna be very useful once I'm able to finish my new PC build.
I'd like to see how you handle the helm/nav console.
I've worked on the security console, which in contrast to tactical doesn't have a central monitor and is entirely comprised of TUC style Okudagrams (though the central screen area has a graphic inspired by the TWoK bridge).
I've also added in the little steps on the front of the main pit. I had fun creating the procedural texture with holes, I usually don't like using actual textures (because they're an asset I didn't create) so I try and do these procedurally within Blender whenever I can.
Rekkert.
The ever important fire extinguishers are also now in place; as are the remaining details for the viewscreen area, including the plaque on the right and a space for some TWoK inspired Okudagrams on the left.
Viewscreen isn't quite what I first imagined but it works well, and it has made me think that a pre-TNG upgrade might fill those plant-ons with 4:3 graphics, sort of like the Battle Bridge or the canon Enterprise-C... :cool:
Love how everything is tying together!!
I've further modified the viewscreen to be closer in style to the Enterprise-A, while still retaining the dedication plaque and the big computer panel in that area.
Other than that I've been working a lot on the console graphics. I've created some 30 designs here (some based in older Patagonia okudagrams, but still reproduced from scratch). I still got some 15 or so more to go before I'm done with the wall consoles.
It really is, isn't it! She's looking more gorgeous and "physical" with each update, IMO (albeit biased as I am
To answer your question: The panel is something I put on an old 2D bitmap plan of the Constellation bridge years ago, only back then it had displayed vessel schematics - whereas this time it'll pay homage to the roundel fixtures on the TWOK bridge (you'll see once the finished graphic is in place
I've been adding some more okudagrams (including the one for that viewscreen graphic, which is intended to be an updated version of the column left of the viewscreen on the TWoK bridge).
But mainly I've been working on the Captain's chair, which is based on the TUC design but has several unique modifications. These include a backrest which becomes smaller at the top, and a split back panel to fit in better with the standard console chairs.
"Transmission jammed at the source, sir.."
I'll be looking into it, but for now you can see the images following these links: 1 2 3 (you can still access the full size images by clicking on them or opening them in another tab)