This is incredible. Probably the best 3D CG version I have yet seen. So many accurate points. I did find a few inaccuracies. The only one I'll point out is the deflector dish. The top of the front of the opening is just below the top of the glowing face of the dish, not the top of the outer frame of the dish. So the top of that inset slopes. This is a detail that the first two models of the ship got right, the FASA and AMT. The revised round 2 kit got this detail completely wrong. And it goes against, logic, but it is how it is. The angles in various photos make it impossible to ignore. I haven't compared your orthos to the model dimensions, but Christie's listed the correct length but the wrong width. And for the Excelsior you have to subtract the top fin of the Lakota from the length. But you have truly done a fantastic job with this. Only someone as studied in this model as I am would notice the few small things. This is truly better than any other person has done independently. Truly amazing. Had I found this 5 years ago, I might not have set out on my quest to create detailed drawings of my own. I would have found this and called it good. I can't praise your work enough. And some really great people have tried to do this and none of them gotten it right. Not even Greg Jein's 2nd model is this accurate. Thought I think you might have some competition. A friend of mine is using my orthographic plans to create a CG version I can't wait until I can see that one with grid lines and windows. But then none of us have access to the model itself to get the true original dimensions. Not even Greg Jein. Only ILM had access to the model so only their Generations CG model was created to the true original dimensions. But you have captured so much of that in this. I am in awe.
Yeah, I think over at TrekBBS there was some discussion about what this area was on the NX version, back when I was making the Potemkin shuttlebay. It could be a "traffic control tower" of sorts, but then again it would be looking the other way, plus it's way too big for that. It was clearly intended to mirror the Enterprise's arboretum windows, even if that doesn't make much sense in that area. Perhaps a large VIP lounge is another possibility, similar to what we saw in TMP, but in a bigger scale; maybe even with some trees and grass, a mix arboretum/lounge area.
Then again, that would make little sense so far away from the bridge and the saucer as a whole, where most of the crew areas are. If red alert is called while the senior staff are in this spot, the turbolift network would become saturated with officers moving from one end of the ship to the other in order to get to battlestations.
Then again, maybe I'm way overthinking this. The Excelsior wasn't made with much though into its layout. Heck, the bridge doesn't even fit into the module!
I took a page from Jefferies. Both bridges fit if you lower them. Those aft windows then become a small officer's lounge or captain's ready room just above the bridge. That is a feature the NX bridge didn't have. Then the bridge dome only needs to be wide enough to house the ceiling of the bridge, not the entire bridge diameter. Plus that small raised section the bridge sits on is not tall enough to be a deck so it helps the bridge fit in. For the TOS ship, the pilot verison bridge dome houses the bridge just fine, but they cut it down for the series and then it no longer fits. Jefferies accounted for this in his cross section by lowering the bridge into the deck below to maintain the fit with the dome above.
As for the windows in front of the hanger, as I made my plans I saw that area as a grand reception area for dignitaries arriving by shuttle Sort of an arboretum, but geared to reception. But also a place where they crew could relax at other times. If you stick to the 467 length (which I figured out how to make work), then that space is a nice 2 decks high.
When they refit the model for Star Trek VI, they decided the scale would be larger than that and so the bridge and the two shuttles added in the lower hanger are not in scale with the original intended length. Also 6 decks of windows in the secondary hull don't seem to fit with 467 meters, unless you consider that a cargo area with warehouse type deck instead of full thickness decks. Also some of the windows don't fit with the size and shape of the lower hanger. If you don't like the 467 scale, I worked out that for the TMP design that 542 meters (1780 feet) is the ideal scale to fit all the ports. I prefer to stick to the canon 467 (canon because of the display wall in the 1701-D conference room and the relative size to the Constitution, Ambassador, and Galaxy classes).
Nice job dude. I do see some issues with the shape, but no point in listing them out here I'm curious, why did you go with the grey color like that?
Thank you! The folks at ILM painted the bits on the Excelsior blue because they knew it would look metallic gray on film. I actually used the blue color from the model, I just lowered the color saturation to make it look like it does on the screen.[/quote]
I feel like you maybe pulled the saturation a bit too much. I would personally leave the saturation a little higher, but it's a matter of taste at this point.
Nice renders - I made a similar point on my WIP thread about the fact the Excelsior bridge (either of them) are just not big enough. IMOO the ship was not well designed.
But your mesh is looking awesome :-)
The watcher in the tower... Waiting, hour by hour...
- Mike Oldfield
Nice renders - I made a similar point on my WIP thread about the fact the Excelsior bridge (either of them) are just not big enough. IMOO the ship was not well designed.
Welp, turns out I wasn't totally happy with the secondary hull on this model, so I rebuilt it. Thanks to the hint from @yotsuya about the deflector opening I feel I was able to get closer to the studio miniature. I also redid the textures; I was inspired by the ones Chris Kuhn made for his awesome Excelsior model. While I was at it I rebuilt the neck. I also made some changes to the impulse deck and warp nacelles. NCC version coming soon. Enjoy!
Great...a fully detailed model....I'm thrilled, if only I had had such good models 10 years ago. Now you can use it to create outstanding Spacedock scenes.
Posts
I took a page from Jefferies. Both bridges fit if you lower them. Those aft windows then become a small officer's lounge or captain's ready room just above the bridge. That is a feature the NX bridge didn't have. Then the bridge dome only needs to be wide enough to house the ceiling of the bridge, not the entire bridge diameter. Plus that small raised section the bridge sits on is not tall enough to be a deck so it helps the bridge fit in. For the TOS ship, the pilot verison bridge dome houses the bridge just fine, but they cut it down for the series and then it no longer fits. Jefferies accounted for this in his cross section by lowering the bridge into the deck below to maintain the fit with the dome above.
As for the windows in front of the hanger, as I made my plans I saw that area as a grand reception area for dignitaries arriving by shuttle Sort of an arboretum, but geared to reception. But also a place where they crew could relax at other times. If you stick to the 467 length (which I figured out how to make work), then that space is a nice 2 decks high.
When they refit the model for Star Trek VI, they decided the scale would be larger than that and so the bridge and the two shuttles added in the lower hanger are not in scale with the original intended length. Also 6 decks of windows in the secondary hull don't seem to fit with 467 meters, unless you consider that a cargo area with warehouse type deck instead of full thickness decks. Also some of the windows don't fit with the size and shape of the lower hanger. If you don't like the 467 scale, I worked out that for the TMP design that 542 meters (1780 feet) is the ideal scale to fit all the ports. I prefer to stick to the canon 467 (canon because of the display wall in the 1701-D conference room and the relative size to the Constitution, Ambassador, and Galaxy classes).
I feel like you maybe pulled the saturation a bit too much. I would personally leave the saturation a little higher, but it's a matter of taste at this point.
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Here you go:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
But your mesh is looking awesome :-)
- Mike Oldfield
Gives a whole new meaning to the movie's "remember where we parked" line.
Thank you!
See? That's what happens when you don't have Sulu at the helm.
It's pretty far from the edge, actually. The interior of the spacedock is quite cavernous:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
You know, this version might be a good second project
https://www.deviantart.com/bernard-guignard/art/Excelsior-Concept-3view-684477866
That has a nice saucer
Some Wonky Gold Key ships
http://curtdanhauser.com/Ships.html
Orthos:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
On the actual NX model, oh yeah.
Yep, it's a weird arrangement I could never figure out.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
You might want to work with playmates now that they have the contract again
I know the title of this thread is "Excelsior Prototype", but this seems like a fitting place to put my NCC Excelsior renders:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
"Flashback"
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqRhLEHgwgTKxsalM5YznYQ
Formerly furswift
Gigabyte RTX 3080 Gaming OC 12GB
1TB NVMe SSD, 2 x 1GB SATA SSD, 4TB external HDD
32 GB RAM
Windows 11 Pro