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3DEAS Ships

RekkertRekkert4037 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPosts: 2,302Member
I mention I was working on something else, didn't I? I literally started this project yesterday to try out some new (to me) techniques. I've decided to create a 3D model of a ship, and I chose the Lancelot-Class from Ex-Astris-Scientia. My main objectives when starting were:

- To improve my UV mapping and texturing game (particularly the use of different maps for Albedo, Metalness, etc., something I've never properly done before)
- To challenge myself to be efficient, both in time and poly count. The objective here is mid-poly, kinda like a game asset that doesn't need to be seen super up close. Windows, hull lines, and other similar details are not modeled, but added via textures.
- To be able to work on something that I can then release to the public. This is impossible for me to do with interiors because if I release those I'd be out of a job pretty quickly (if the files are out there for people to kitbash new bridges, I wouldn't have much of a waiting list).

It might sound silly to some, but as a heavy advocate for open source software and methodologies, I do struggle with this last point, because I feel like I'm not practicing what I preach. So for this project I intend to release every single file once I finish each ship. That includes the .blend for the 3D model, the .png for the textures, and the .svg for the original, fully editable texture files.

So far I'm happy with what I've got, and with my adherence to those objectives. I've modeled and UV mapped the ship in 5 working hours, and I managed to create an Albedo, Metalness, Emissive, and Bump map for each texture I'm doing. The only major textures I haven't done yet are the nacelles, though other areas like the pylons and back end of the secondary hull still need more work. Plus I've left some details such as the floodlights for last, as I need to read up on how to properly do those with emissive maps.

Like I've said before, I started this whole thing yesterday, so I'm hopeful I'll be done with this ship by tomorrow. I'll certainly be working on more ships on the future, but expect this to be a sporadic thing, I don't intend on going on a spree and doing 20 ships back to back. :)

tadeo-d-oria-c1-01.jpg?1552557446
tadeo-d-oria-c2-01.jpg?1552557449
tadeo-d-oria-c3-01.jpg?1552557452
For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
ashleytingerStarscreamLizzy777
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  • ashleytingerashleytinger1998 Central OhioPosts: 1,232Member
    That's an unusual design. Like what you have so far!
  • StarscreamStarscream231 Posts: 1,049Member
    5 hours?! Gadzooks! :astonished:

    Interesting design... I'm not generally a fan of the EAS ships, but you've certainly captured the look, and it's nice to see an intermediate design between the Constellation and Cheyenne classes! :+1:
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    Yeah, that's an interesting design... very Cheyenne-ish, lol.
  • RekkertRekkert4037 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPosts: 2,302Member
    I believe I'm done with the Lancelot. I'll clean up the files a bit and upload them later today for download. I'll also see if I can get the ship on Sketchfab.

    As you can see on the renders, I've changed the textures somewhat from the original EAS schematic:
    - First, I decided to change the blue accents on the hull to an almost grey shade. This is to reflect how ship hulls looked like in the TOS movies; ship models were sometimes painted blue (most notably the Excelsior, but the Enterprise also had blue accents painted on the secondary hull), but this was only noticeable on photographs of the studio model. The blue was used to better reflect the lighting used by ILM, and as you can see on the movies themselves, it came across as grey on film, that was the intention of those "blue" accents.
    - Second, and for similar reasons, I've turned the nacelles plasma off. Again this is to better reflect how TMP era ships looked like. On the movies, the nacelles only lit up when the ship was at warp.

    I understand some people might prefer having all the colors pop out, as on the TV shows, but IMO Trek ships usually look more believable (and more majestic) using the TMP aesthetic.

    tadeo-d-oria-c1-05.jpg?1552638845
    tadeo-d-oria-c2-02.jpg?1552638847
    tadeo-d-oria-c3-04.jpg?1552638851
    tadeo-d-oria-c4-01.jpg?1552638854
    GuerrillaStarscream
    For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
  • GuerrillaGuerrilla789 HelsinkiPosts: 2,865Administrator
    Rekkert wrote: »
    I'll also see if I can get the ship on Sketchfab.

    Ooh! Make sure you try the Sketchfab embed button. I've been dying to know if that thing actually works properly. :tongue:
    Rekkert
    Comco: i entered it manually in the back end
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  • StarscreamStarscream231 Posts: 1,049Member
    Fully agree with you @Rekkert re: the hull colors and movie lighting aesthetic! Always felt that the Ent-D and TV ships post-movies would've looked better with black bussards and warp grills only lit at warp, instead of lit up like kids' toys.

    I'd probably get rid of the pill-shaped indents forward of the nacelle field emitters in favor of an intake vent, as they look a little odd as-is, but the rest is pretty great. Just goes to show, you can make a silk purse from a pig's ear when it comes to fanon ships just as well as you do with bridges! :+1:
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1998 Central OhioPosts: 1,232Member
    I do like the film aesthetic you went with on this. It turned out great!
  • Cool design. :)
  • RekkertRekkert4037 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPosts: 2,302Member
    edited March 2019 #10
    Ahá, it does work!

    https://sketchfab.com/models/a241a8f2036d45e2b5a03c9a12ccbfaf#UNIQSKFBVANILLA

    You can download the .blend from my portfolio, I'll post this in the Releases subforum later today: https://tadeodoria.com/projects/nQ2Krr?album_id=633897
    Post edited by Rekkert on
    StarscreamJMP11Lizzy777Guerrilla
    For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    She's a cute little ship. I agree it looks way better without the lit nacelles.
  • RekkertRekkert4037 Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPosts: 2,302Member
    edited March 2019 #12
    I decided to work a bit on another ship today, the Bolivar-Class. Modeling's pretty much done, at around 22k triangles.

    tadeo-d-oria-c1-01.jpg?1553107026
    tadeo-d-oria-c2-01.jpg?1553107028
    tadeo-d-oria-c3-01.jpg?1553107032

    Here's a side comparison with the Lancelot, which as you can see is quite big next to the Bolivar:
    tadeo-d-oria-c4-01.jpg?1553107035
    Post edited by Rekkert on
    ashleytingerLizzy777
    For all my finished Trek fan art, please visit my portfolio
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1998 Central OhioPosts: 1,232Member
    I really like those warp nacelles. It's a nice bridge in the design.
  • BolianAdmiralBolianAdmiral1114 Torrance, CaliforniaPosts: 2,560Member
    That's a strange, but cute looking ship.
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