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3DFranz Joseph Starfleet

24

Posts

  • vfxartvfxart1246 PNWPosts: 266Member


    Damn, I haven't seen the Star Trek Encyclopedia in print in ages. :lol: I do still have the CD-ROM version, though.

    knc9w8qi3g6a.jpg

    Needless to say, most of this software won't even run on a modern computer, even if I was running Windows. However, I have an old business Dell with Windows XP Pro on it hooked up for when I want to boot up some memories.

    I also have a dedication plaque, but it's for the NX-01. I was supposed to get the 1701-E plaque too, but Eaglemoss sent me the wrong one, so I got a second NX-01 plaque. That was shortly before Eaglemoss declared bankruptcy.


    Great shelf! I joined Raven just after they released Elite Force, heh. Lots of Trek fans were there at the time that I was, SW too (which is why I was brought on) Yeah, a massive part of the reason I no longer have a lot of older discs etc... it's painful! I've thought of trying to get an old laptop for exactly the same.

    evil_genius_180
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    publiusr wrote: »
    Franz Joseph's shapes seem to be mostly based on this:

    t24p8dl1ngoi.jpg

    .

    I hope you do that one next…perhaps with the AMT..

    Heh, I don't know if I'm going to do a bunch of variants of the Constitution class or not. It's fun, but I have other stuff I want to do. I may eventually do another model of the 11' filming model, but I don't know about doing any of the others. We'll see.
    vfxart wrote: »
    Great shelf! I joined Raven just after they released Elite Force, heh. Lots of Trek fans were there at the time that I was, SW too (which is why I was brought on) Yeah, a massive part of the reason I no longer have a lot of older discs etc... it's painful! I've thought of trying to get an old laptop for exactly the same.

    You might want to look at Ebay. There are a lot of people selling older computers with newly installed and activated XP on them. There are ways you can still activate XP, but it's a giant pain these days. I may even have a copy of XP Pro around here, but the last time I tried installing it and activating it, I never got it activated. Meanwhile, I bought this Dell off of Ebay and it was good to go. I had an old ASUS Nvidia 9500GT graphics card that I threw in it and it runs great. Of course, it's not networked. And, as long as I keep the disc defragged, it should last as long as the hardware lasts. It's awesome for playing those old discs.
    scifieric
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1999 Central OhioPosts: 1,233Member
    It amazes the hell out of me that they didn't think to future proof their software to run on computers passed a certain point considering that most Trek fans hang onto ALL THEIR STUFF.

    And some of it i just lazy coding as it looks for a Windows version 9X of which we don't have that anymore. :P
    evil_genius_180scifiericPreViz
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    edited March 2023 #35
    I finished the nacelles.

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    OK, plenty of people said that have that book. What name goes with that registry? ;)
    It amazes the hell out of me that they didn't think to future proof their software to run on computers passed a certain point considering that most Trek fans hang onto ALL THEIR STUFF.

    And some of it i just lazy coding as it looks for a Windows version 9X of which we don't have that anymore. :P

    Most of it is actually the fault of Windows. 64-bit Windows won't run 16-bit software. You can't really blame a 16-bit program from 1995 for not running on an operating system in 2023, when 16-bit was the standard in 1995. It's Microsoft that assumes you won't want to run a program from 1995 in 2023.

    The only reason they'll even run on the XP computer is because it's XP Pro 32-bit.
    Post edited by evil_genius_180 on
    rojrenscifiericStarCruisercaveat_imperatorwibbleJES
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1999 Central OhioPosts: 1,233Member
    I finished the nacelles.

    rgyh8h21jveb.jpg
    6hkrweb1dyua.jpg
    8lr7l4pupwod.jpg
    0ct72anzb2wn.jpg

    OK, plenty of people said that have that book. What name goes with that registry? ;)
    It amazes the hell out of me that they didn't think to future proof their software to run on computers passed a certain point considering that most Trek fans hang onto ALL THEIR STUFF.

    And some of it i just lazy coding as it looks for a Windows version 9X of which we don't have that anymore. :P

    Most of it is actually the fault of Windows. 64-bit Windows won't run 16-bit software. You can't really blame a 16-bit program from 1995 for not running on an operating system in 2023, when 16-bit was the standard in 1995. It's Microsoft that assumes you won't want to run a program from 1995 in 2023.

    The only reason they'll even run on the XP computer is because it's XP Pro 32-bit.


    Fair, but I remember Microprose coding Magic the Gathering to look for Windows 95 or window 98 so it wouldn't run on XP.

    The Essex?
    scifiericJES
  • rojrenrojren2298 Louisville, Kentucky USAPosts: 1,970Member
    edited March 2023 #37
    Don't the 16-bit emulators work?

    The intercoolers look strange without the inner part.
    Post edited by rojren on
    scifieric
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Fair, but I remember Microprose coding Magic the Gathering to look for Windows 95 or window 98 so it wouldn't run on XP.

    The Essex?

    Yes, USS Essex.

    The software thing is a bit more complicated than that. Windows 3.1, 95 and 98 were built on top of MS-DOS. That means that underneath them is just DOS. That's why you could reboot into DOS and run DOS games. However, starting with XP, home editions of Windows were based on NT, not DOS. There was no longer any DOS component in Windows. So, any software that relied on the .dll files that pertained to the DOS component won't run on an NT based OS.

    Magic: The Gathering was from 1997. XP came out in late 2001. It was likely coded to run on the MS-DOS based OS and NT threw it for a loop. There's quite a bit of software like that. (Star Trek Generations for Windows 95 is one such program) But again, we can't blame the game for not having foreknowledge of what Microsoft was going to do with its OS.
    rojren wrote: »
    Don't the 16-bit emulators work?

    The intercoolers look strange without the inner part.

    I don't know, I've never tried a 16-bit emulator. I'm sure it will work. You can also use something like VirtualBox to run an entire OS in a shell, much like an emulator. I've had mixed results doing that. VB will do an "OK" job of emulating the hardware, but some software will know it's not right, especially if it was designed to work around certain hardware. Also, some CD based software will see the virtual hard drive and recognize that it's not a physical drive and think you're trying to run a bootleg version of the software. Honestly, computer software in general can be a royal pain, especially when you're trying to run it on a different OS than what was available at the time that it was written and tested. Trying to get anything Windows to run on Linux can be a massive ordeal, even though there's a compatibility layer. Though, at least 64-bit Linux will run 16-bit Windows software. ;)

    As for the intercoolers, I may put a piece in the center. Though, the center piece was added when the ship was modified before the start of the series and wasn't present in the pilot versions. I suspect that Franz may have based that part on the side view flyby, which was shot for "Where No Man has Gone Before" and recycled throughout the series.

    8bhbqwhz9j6a.jpg
    vfxart
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I added the details to the warp pylons. There aren't many, so it didn't take long. I also started assigning colors to parts to make them pop a bit more. Nothing is final and I've done nothing with the materials, I just colored things differently. I haven't decided if I'm going to do hull paneling or not, but I probably will. One of the reasons I picked the USS Essex is because I like the name (it was used for a Daedalus class ship on TNG) and because it's from a list of ships that were commissioned much later than the Enterprise, during the run of TOS. That could explain why the ship looks slightly different than the Enterprise and has things like shield grid lines and will have modeled weapons. (they're on the blueprints) According to the tech manual, the Constitution class is a MK-IX class Heavy cruiser, whereas the Essex is a MK-IXA Heavy Cruiser. The class ship for the MK-IXA class is the Bonhomme Richard, NCC-1712.

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    ashleytingerLizzy777scifiericStarCruisercaveat_imperatorwibblesrspicerJES
  • GateGirlGateGirl111 Richmond, NSW, AustraliaPosts: 58Member
    All I can say is, absolutely wonderful and for two reasons.
    1/ the model is fantastic so far and ,
    2/ I am envious you are able to use Blender. I simply don't understand it.
    evil_genius_180scifieric
    Life is a dream — that knows no shade.
    Life is a dream — of pain and woe.
    A dream from which — we pray to wake.
    A dream from which — we wake and go
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I added some windows and pendants to the secondary hull.

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    GateGirl wrote: »
    All I can say is, absolutely wonderful and for two reasons.
    1/ the model is fantastic so far and ,
    2/ I am envious you are able to use Blender. I simply don't understand it.

    Thanks a lot. Though, to be fair, this is like my 25th time trying Blender. :lol:
    Lizzy777publiusrrojrenscifiericStarCruisercaveat_imperatorwibblesrspicerJES
  • publiusrpubliusr550 Posts: 1,746Member
    edited March 2023 #42
    Only one really good replica of this Achernar take was ever made:
    https://www.collectiondx.com/toy_review/ncc1701_enterprise

    Now, the elegant secondary hull deserves the production saucer. The FJ saucer and the AMT secondary hull match in that both are more angular.
    Post edited by publiusr on
    scifiericevil_genius_180
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Finishing up the details on the secondary hull:

    1z3q1nsk83st.jpg
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    There are a few things I didn't add. One thing that's on the blueprints are a bunch of seemingly random circles that are much smaller than the windows. I used one for the blinking light that's near the shuttlebay, the others I mainly ignored. There are also some square and circle things, which are in the same places as the little numbers on the side of the hull. I don't care for those anyway, so I intentionally left them off. Likely, they're only squares and circles on the blueprints because 1960s pictures and TV didn't make it clear what they were.

    Also, the shuttlebay doors are a solid piece and they don't operate. If I decide to do a bay later, I can always do a set of working doors. They're easy to do, I've done them plenty of times in the past.
    ashleytingerStarCruiserLizzy777JESwibblecaveat_imperatorscifiericsrspicer
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    More windows. The kind you see out of, not a mediocre operating system. :lol:

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    ashleytingerLizzy777rojrenStarCruiserscifiericsrspicerwibbleCptBenSisko
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1999 Central OhioPosts: 1,233Member
    I'm really liking the secondary hull shape here. It looks more like something they could have refit for the TMP version.
    evil_genius_180publiusrscifieric
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Just playing around with an idea here.

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    ashleytingerLizzy777StarCruiserscifiericJESbacksteptCptBenSisko
  • Lizzy777Lizzy7771249 PNWPosts: 754Member
    Finishing up the details on the secondary hull:
    70yim5k2nimx.jpg

    At first, I read that as U.S.S. Essess.
    evil_genius_180scifiericCptBenSisko
    "Cry 'Havoc!,' and let slip the corgies of war!"
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1999 Central OhioPosts: 1,233Member
    Lizzy777 wrote: »
    Finishing up the details on the secondary hull:
    70yim5k2nimx.jpg

    At first, I read that as U.S.S. Essess.

    Too much Hot Shots! ;)
    Lizzy777evil_genius_180scifieric
  • vfxartvfxart1246 PNWPosts: 266Member
    edited March 2023 #49
    USS Bringing Sexy Back? That can't be canon...
    I was on Clone Wars for 5 seasons, and occasionally I'd wonder what other properties could do with a similar treatment; got to wondering if FJ's work would be a good aesthetic for a production like that. Just close enough and yet some 'quirks' and possibility for stylization. I also think that some of the animated series deserved better than to have been 'cranked out' at Filmation, and could use some love. (the realities of tv anim of the time, not a knock on Filmation- I have a huge soft spot for their work)

    (And yes, yes... no:)
    s7upbjilyvr3.png

    Post edited by vfxart on
    StarCruiserevil_genius_180scifiericLizzy777
  • BlueNeumannBlueNeumann615 Posts: 1,275Member
    There's an artist I follow who worked on Lower Decks, on his website he posted some pages of a Star Trek comic that was done in the Filmation style but not locked into the same angles/restrictions of the original cartoon, it was cool to see what that style could do.
    evil_genius_180publiusrscifieric
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    edited March 2023 #51
    I love the Filmation style. I know a lot of people criticize it, but it's got a certain style to it that I just love. I've seen a number of their series, from the old Superman and Batman shows from the 60s to Star Trek in the 70s and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra: Princess of Power in the 80s. Great stuff, all of those. Sure, they reuse some bits, but it's not like other animation giants like Hanna-Barbera were any better. I remember watching The Flinstones as a kid and realizing for the first time that they were re-using the same background animation over and over for when they were in the car. At least Filmation was consistent in their style and they didn't outsource things like coloring, which lead to coloration mistakes. (looking at you, Marvel/Sunbow) Actually, I really just love old animation in general, which is why I own so much of it on DVD. Plus, it's entertaining.

    As for adding a bit of style to existing franchises, I love it. Both Clone Wars cartoons are great examples of this.
    Lizzy777 wrote: »
    Finishing up the details on the secondary hull:
    70yim5k2nimx.jpg

    At first, I read that as U.S.S. Essess.

    Too much Hot Shots! ;)

    There's no such thing as too much Hot Shots. :lol:
    Post edited by evil_genius_180 on
    publiusrscifiericLizzy777caveat_imperator
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Paneling is done on the saucer section:

    79k8inpoc10b.jpg
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    There are no textures, this is all done by selecting different groups of polygons and assigning materials to them. The hull is all the same color, the only difference is in specular levels. This simulates the way they painted the hull of the Enterprise refit in TMP. The base color was white but the paneling was done by doing different levels of shiny paint. Though, theirs was iridescent, mine isn't. I'm going to do the rest of the ship this way too, but that can wait. This is a time consuming and tedious process, but worthwhile. It was important that I do the saucer before I start doing cuts into the geometry, because I currently only have 1/4 of the saucer modeled and I have a mirror modifier on the X and Y axes to complete it. Once I start doing things like windows, I'll have to apply the modifier and then I won't be able to do anything on 1/4 of it and have it copied to the other quarters. ;)
    scifiericStarCruiserLizzy777JESwibblebacksteptCptBenSisko
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1999 Central OhioPosts: 1,233Member
    Wait... you individually selected these pieces randomly to apply a paint job? Did I read that right?

    O.o
    scifieric
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Wait... you individually selected these pieces randomly to apply a paint job? Did I read that right?

    O.o

    Yes, you read that correctly. I used to do that in both Truespace and Lightwave. I actually asked years ago on this forum if that was possible in Blender, but I was told it wasn't. They must have added that ability since then.

    This is what it looked like while I was working on it:

    tmwoy7f2vb2g.png

    I made the materials have different colors so that I would be able to see what was painted differently. And so I could keep whatever shred of sanity I have left. :lol:
    scifiericashleytingerStarCruiserLizzy777JESbacksteptCptBenSisko
  • vfxartvfxart1246 PNWPosts: 266Member
    oooo face-mapping, yow. So glad a lot of apps and pipelines won't let you do that... danger, will robinson ;-)
    evil_genius_180scifieric
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I don't like Blender's unwrapping tools, I never have. Besides, I've been moving away from textures the last few years anyway. Doing this probably isn't any more or less time consuming than making maps.
    ashleytingerscifieric
  • ashleytingerashleytinger1999 Central OhioPosts: 1,233Member
    I don't like Blender's unwrapping tools, I never have. Besides, I've been moving away from textures the last few years anyway. Doing this probably isn't any more or less time consuming than making maps.

    None of my recent ships have had maps. Unless I'm planning on adding space dirt, they stay as I modeled them
    scifiericevil_genius_180
  • Lizzy777Lizzy7771249 PNWPosts: 754Member
    edited March 2023 #58
    Yes, you read that correctly. I used to do that in both Truespace and Lightwave. I actually asked years ago on this forum if that was possible in Blender, but I was told it wasn't. They must have added that ability since then.

    There is a way to do it now (I use v3.4.1 though I could do it in v2.9).

    First, you create your materials under the Shading Tab. Use the "Slot" dropdown menu to apply several different shaders. Hit the + sign to create a new slot. That'll let you create and add a new shader.
    08fq385vseep.png

    Then select the faces you want to paint and hit "Assign"
    bvedak6821bw.png

    And that's it!


    Post edited by Lizzy777 on
    scifiericevil_genius_180JESbackstept
    "Cry 'Havoc!,' and let slip the corgies of war!"
  • srspicersrspicer390 Posts: 335Member
    Loving the model! And yes, I also have two versions of the BP books. ;)

    As for the engineering hull, this became a serious question while I was creating lots of ST ship models for the Franklin Mint. They had created a limited edition bronze sculpture that would stand about 24" tall and wanted the tos Enterprise orbiting it. The model would be about 8" or 9" OAL.
    They supplied me the FJ blueprints. My question to the art director was, do you want it to look like the FJ blue prints or the TV filming model? They wanted the model because that is what the license they possessed had stated. No one had even realized that the model was different from the BP everyone thought were cannon. This is back in the mid 90's before the internet was as big and informative as it is now. ( I guess we can blame this thread for everyone dating themselves! )
    Tallguyevil_genius_180scifieric
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    Lizzy777 wrote: »
    Yes, you read that correctly. I used to do that in both Truespace and Lightwave. I actually asked years ago on this forum if that was possible in Blender, but I was told it wasn't. They must have added that ability since then.

    There is a way to do it now (I use v3.4.1 though I could do it in v2.9).

    First, you create your materials under the Shading Tab. Use the "Slot" dropdown menu to apply several different shaders. Hit the + sign to create a new slot. That'll let you create and add a new shader.
    08fq385vseep.png

    Then select the faces you want to paint and hit "Assign"
    bvedak6821bw.png

    And that's it!


    Thanks, that's what I did on this model. Backstept was the one who clued me in that Blender could do that now.
    scifiericLizzy777backstept
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I don't like Blender's unwrapping tools, I never have. Besides, I've been moving away from textures the last few years anyway. Doing this probably isn't any more or less time consuming than making maps.

    None of my recent ships have had maps. Unless I'm planning on adding space dirt, they stay as I modeled them

    I don't think I'd even do maps for dirt, unless I wanted a specific pattern. Otherwise, I'd probably just throw a procedural on it. I was doing that with success in Lightwave, I'm sure it would be just as easy or easier to do in Blender.
    scifieric
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