i would'nt include a saucer separation for this ship- its too...military instead, i would have a redundant core ejection system in case of a warp-core breach- it would be like separating the Intrepid (Voyager) there would be no ship left on either end!
Okay, the sensor dome has gone bye-bye and I've replaced it with eight smaller versions of the same thing in the locations shown on Aridas' schematics. I wasn't sure what these things were supposed to be other than circular shapes on the upper hull so I took a little creative license and modeled them as slightly recessed, glowing domes. Hope this works.
I'm probably going to hold off on doing anything more to the JOWL cannons or the sensor blisters until Aridas has pinned them down in a bit more detail.
i would'nt include a saucer separation for this ship- its too...military instead, i would have a redundant core ejection system in case of a warp-core breach- it would be like separating the Intrepid (Voyager) there would be no ship left on either end!
I have a saucer separation plan that I think would work fairly well. Gonna be a while before I get around to that, though.
I have to admit I find that funny considering how low-res they are and that so far I'm using nothing but standard UV maps. Eventually, I'll unwrap the parts and pieces and do the texturing properly but for now I just wanted to get close to the right look. I am pretty happy with the aluminum material definition, though, especially since it's not even raytraced.
Just to show I haven't forgotten about this one...
I started working on those sensor pods but I didn't have time to finish what I had in mind, so it's probably best not to form a lasting impression of them just yet. I also added the shuttle bay doors on the underside.
And yes, that's The Little Blue Guy standing on the bow. He really gets around.
Long time lurker, first time I've had the courage to actually post. I just had to publicly state how lucky I am to have Vektor developing this design with me. His advice has been invaluable thusfar, as has his construction of the model. I'm looking forward to this project continuing in as fruitful vein as its enjoyed thusfar. :thumb:
Over the past few days, I've been trying to revv things up a little by revisiting some old, unfinished projects like my modified TOS Enterprise and, of course, the Kiaga. The Grandeur is still my priority but I'm starting to have strange dreams about the shape of her warp nacelles so I figured it was time for a little break.
I did a bit of modeling and texturing work on the Kiaga over the weekend. I also converted it for use with the Mental Ray renderer, switching over to Architecture & Design materials, adjusting the light sources, exposure control, etc. Here's a short list of other changes and additions:
I made the hull material darker per some earlier design notes from Aridas and added a "sensor scattering/absorbing" surface texture.
I finally got around to fully modeling and texturing the bussard collectors, including "bulbs," spinning blades, a reflective back plate, and a dome with an A&D Frosted Glass material for that oh-so-important diffuse translucency effect. Looks decent at this point but I might tweak it further.
I re-worked the impulse engines a bit, again per Aridas' design notes, making the circular apertures on either side the actual thrust ports while the rectangular grid between them is now a softly glowing heat dissapator.
On my own initiative, I altered the nacelles slightly, reworking the four fins into TOS-style intercoolers complete with diamond patterned grills.
Aridas hasn't seen these yet so whether or not any of these changes survive to the next iteration will be up to him, but I'm liking them so far.
Here is an idea I came up with to tone down the visual brightness of the bussard collectors and dampen stray emissions to help maintain the ship's stealth profile:
Aridas may not go for them but I had such a clear picture of what they would look like in my head that I just had to try 'em.
The design intent is that these baffles stay closed under normal stealth operation but can be opened when you need maximum efficiency and speed.
I think the vessele is fine the way it is. It still holds the apperance of the TOS era ship but steers away from the Traditional Federation ship designe.
I definitely like this look better in the closed configuration. It's not as busy and looks a lot less like a blow torch nozzle. I left the original versions in place on the port nacelle to more easily compare them in these renderings.
I also tinkered around some last night with different articulation schemes for the baffles. I looked at having them retract into the nacelle body, but there are curvature issues that make that problematic unless I use more than three segments. It could be done, but I think it would wind up to be too mechanically complex to the point where it's unlikely anyone would bother to actually build it that way. That's why I'm sticking with the hinge so far, because it's the simplest, most expedient way I can think of to get the baffles out of the way when you need to open those bussard collectors to full throttle.
I like the second version just because it seems to fit the scale better. I like the "holes" version, it just seems like if it were really that big it wouldn't look like that.
Maybe there's a way that the baffles could fold all the way back so they rested on the hull? Then they'd be more like fins when they're open rather than flapping about in the intestellar "breeze"?
The new baffles are great. The hinge idea is neat and I think it is better being simple compared to a complex mechanical sliding arangment like you said. However.......I wonder how it would look if they opened like a sunroof on a car- just pop open and slide back? My two cents anyway.
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I'm probably going to hold off on doing anything more to the JOWL cannons or the sensor blisters until Aridas has pinned them down in a bit more detail.
I have a saucer separation plan that I think would work fairly well. Gonna be a while before I get around to that, though.
I have to admit I find that funny considering how low-res they are and that so far I'm using nothing but standard UV maps. Eventually, I'll unwrap the parts and pieces and do the texturing properly but for now I just wanted to get close to the right look. I am pretty happy with the aluminum material definition, though, especially since it's not even raytraced.
I started working on those sensor pods but I didn't have time to finish what I had in mind, so it's probably best not to form a lasting impression of them just yet. I also added the shuttle bay doors on the underside.
And yes, that's The Little Blue Guy standing on the bow. He really gets around.
Great work (as always) :thumb:
Click the image for a larger version:
I did a bit of modeling and texturing work on the Kiaga over the weekend. I also converted it for use with the Mental Ray renderer, switching over to Architecture & Design materials, adjusting the light sources, exposure control, etc. Here's a short list of other changes and additions:
- I made the hull material darker per some earlier design notes from Aridas and added a "sensor scattering/absorbing" surface texture.
- I finally got around to fully modeling and texturing the bussard collectors, including "bulbs," spinning blades, a reflective back plate, and a dome with an A&D Frosted Glass material for that oh-so-important diffuse translucency effect. Looks decent at this point but I might tweak it further.
- I re-worked the impulse engines a bit, again per Aridas' design notes, making the circular apertures on either side the actual thrust ports while the rectangular grid between them is now a softly glowing heat dissapator.
- On my own initiative, I altered the nacelles slightly, reworking the four fins into TOS-style intercoolers complete with diamond patterned grills.
Aridas hasn't seen these yet so whether or not any of these changes survive to the next iteration will be up to him, but I'm liking them so far.Aridas may not go for them but I had such a clear picture of what they would look like in my head that I just had to try 'em.
The design intent is that these baffles stay closed under normal stealth operation but can be opened when you need maximum efficiency and speed.
Winger, do you mean turn the baffles upside down, so that the larger 1 is on the bottom?
I like it.
I definitely like this look better in the closed configuration. It's not as busy and looks a lot less like a blow torch nozzle. I left the original versions in place on the port nacelle to more easily compare them in these renderings.
I also tinkered around some last night with different articulation schemes for the baffles. I looked at having them retract into the nacelle body, but there are curvature issues that make that problematic unless I use more than three segments. It could be done, but I think it would wind up to be too mechanically complex to the point where it's unlikely anyone would bother to actually build it that way. That's why I'm sticking with the hinge so far, because it's the simplest, most expedient way I can think of to get the baffles out of the way when you need to open those bussard collectors to full throttle.
Any other opinions?
Maybe there's a way that the baffles could fold all the way back so they rested on the hull? Then they'd be more like fins when they're open rather than flapping about in the intestellar "breeze"?
Various Work: U.S.S. Constellation - Matt Jefferies Concept Shuttle
The new baffles are great. The hinge idea is neat and I think it is better being simple compared to a complex mechanical sliding arangment like you said. However.......I wonder how it would look if they opened like a sunroof on a car- just pop open and slide back? My two cents anyway.