Greetings!
Welcome to Scifi-Meshes.com! Click one of these buttons to join in on the fun.
Quick Links
3DNX-03 - USS Discovery
![[Deleted User]](https://forums.scifi-meshes.com/uploads/defaultavatar/n5RC8X2653NF1.jpg)
[Deleted User]11
Posts: 4,002Member
Hello everyone,
I'd like to share my WIP project of the third vessel in the NX class, the USS Discovery.
Some background: The ship will be used in a new-to-produce fan series, entitled "Star Trek: Parallels", in mid 2011. As far as I know, there hasn't been a lot of fan productions based on the ENT era, and the show will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year, in September 2011. So that may be a good chance to get something on the screens.
The Discovery is a continuation of the NX class, and the first vessel of the class to be commissioned after the founding of the Federation in 2161. The spaceframe remained mostly the same, but most of the internal systems have undergone upgrades from the Enterprise/Columbia. Most notably, the addition of third generation warp engines allowing (unustained) flight at warp 6, which can be recognized by the longer nacelles as compared to the NX-01 and -02.
ST: Parallels will take place in a slightly altered timeline from the canon ENT events. The series will start on Federation Day 2161, which leaves about a century of playing field open to connect with the events in TOS or Trek XI. The newly formed Federation will be treatened by existing enemies, from past, present, and future, and the Discovery's mission is simple: stop them, and prevent political tensions to cause the Federation to fall apart and the Alpha Quadrant to decay into war.
Alright, enough with the chatter, time for some images!
I'm modeling in Google Sketchup, and trying to get a meticulous amount of detail into every component. This does cause my model files to be rather enourmous, but it also opens up some opportunites for great close-ups and animations. I'm starting with the (redesigned) warp nacelles and work my way down to the engineering and primary hulls. If my memory allows it, I'll try to get the interior and exterior geometry in the same model, which allows for some awesome fly-throughs and other cool effects.
This shot shows the nacelle interior. The coils have a certain amount of twist to them, this allows the warp field geometry to be altered slightly in various stages of flight. It is required for warp 6, and also eliminates the use of the Symmetrical Warp Field Governor (the big bulge between the nacelles). That part of the spaceframe now houses the Discovery's APU's.
Real-world explanation: I figured twisted coils looked cool, and thought it would be nice if I could get some animation in the nacelles as well. The amount of detail here is down to about 5mm, which is the radius of the wires used in the EPS restrictor coils (copper colored bits at the top) and the plasma conditioner heatsink fins. (Mind you, the overall model will be about 70m long...)
Isometric shot of the nacelle so far, this time with the outer paneling added. The little trinkets on the top are not present on the NX-01, these are additional intercooler assemblies to cool the large plasma conduits (seen on top in the previous frame) as they transport the massive amounts of power.
When possible, I try to model all structures to real-world scale and physics. This means lots of hinges and articulated mechanics, but also some great action shots and bits flying off when the ship is hit by a photon torpedo.
It also means you can do this...
I don't know if the NX-01 could ever do it: Pop the hood on the warp nacelles for maintenance! I still need to model the hinges here, which will probably be more like scissor hinges than straight piano-style hinges (the doors won't clear the intercoolers if they are).
Other things to do on the warp nacelles: Intercooler assemblies left and right, attachment points to the engineering hull struts, and the rear parts.
I'd like to share my WIP project of the third vessel in the NX class, the USS Discovery.
Some background: The ship will be used in a new-to-produce fan series, entitled "Star Trek: Parallels", in mid 2011. As far as I know, there hasn't been a lot of fan productions based on the ENT era, and the show will be celebrating its 10th anniversary next year, in September 2011. So that may be a good chance to get something on the screens.
The Discovery is a continuation of the NX class, and the first vessel of the class to be commissioned after the founding of the Federation in 2161. The spaceframe remained mostly the same, but most of the internal systems have undergone upgrades from the Enterprise/Columbia. Most notably, the addition of third generation warp engines allowing (unustained) flight at warp 6, which can be recognized by the longer nacelles as compared to the NX-01 and -02.
ST: Parallels will take place in a slightly altered timeline from the canon ENT events. The series will start on Federation Day 2161, which leaves about a century of playing field open to connect with the events in TOS or Trek XI. The newly formed Federation will be treatened by existing enemies, from past, present, and future, and the Discovery's mission is simple: stop them, and prevent political tensions to cause the Federation to fall apart and the Alpha Quadrant to decay into war.
Alright, enough with the chatter, time for some images!
I'm modeling in Google Sketchup, and trying to get a meticulous amount of detail into every component. This does cause my model files to be rather enourmous, but it also opens up some opportunites for great close-ups and animations. I'm starting with the (redesigned) warp nacelles and work my way down to the engineering and primary hulls. If my memory allows it, I'll try to get the interior and exterior geometry in the same model, which allows for some awesome fly-throughs and other cool effects.
This shot shows the nacelle interior. The coils have a certain amount of twist to them, this allows the warp field geometry to be altered slightly in various stages of flight. It is required for warp 6, and also eliminates the use of the Symmetrical Warp Field Governor (the big bulge between the nacelles). That part of the spaceframe now houses the Discovery's APU's.
Real-world explanation: I figured twisted coils looked cool, and thought it would be nice if I could get some animation in the nacelles as well. The amount of detail here is down to about 5mm, which is the radius of the wires used in the EPS restrictor coils (copper colored bits at the top) and the plasma conditioner heatsink fins. (Mind you, the overall model will be about 70m long...)
Isometric shot of the nacelle so far, this time with the outer paneling added. The little trinkets on the top are not present on the NX-01, these are additional intercooler assemblies to cool the large plasma conduits (seen on top in the previous frame) as they transport the massive amounts of power.
When possible, I try to model all structures to real-world scale and physics. This means lots of hinges and articulated mechanics, but also some great action shots and bits flying off when the ship is hit by a photon torpedo.
It also means you can do this...
I don't know if the NX-01 could ever do it: Pop the hood on the warp nacelles for maintenance! I still need to model the hinges here, which will probably be more like scissor hinges than straight piano-style hinges (the doors won't clear the intercoolers if they are).
Other things to do on the warp nacelles: Intercooler assemblies left and right, attachment points to the engineering hull struts, and the rear parts.
Post edited by Unknown User on
Tagged:
Additional credits
- Icons from Font-Awesome
- Additional icons by Mickael Bonfill
- Banner background from Toptal Subtle Patterns
© Scifi-Meshes.com 2001-2024
Posts
What Drex also wanted was a second warp core inthe ship, so they could be tearing down one, while the other was in use. See Drex Files for more
I have no doubt the panels *could* theoretically open just as easily on the NX-01 as on this model. I was more curious as to whether it happened on the show. (either on the Enterprise or the Columbia)
Opening up the panels for maintenance would make perfect sense, as the warp coils would take a serious beating on Warp 5+ runs. Just as you would change the oil and air filter on your car, the coils will need replacement once in a while too.
I'd also imagine the nacelles themselves are designed as interchangeable modules, just like in today's aircraft, so an existing spaceframe can be fitted with newer systems, like computers, more powerful engines and tractor beams without having to rip the entire ship apart.
A spare warp core would probably take up massive amounts of space in the NX class spaceframe. Given the fact that the core takes up over two decks and a third of the width of the primary hull (about 15 x 10 x 7m), adding a second one would be excess weight and volume wasted. Even if it wasn't tied in as a hot spare, the components would take up TONS of space.
One of the things I want to add to the nacelles are shutters in front of the field grills, which seal the nacelles when entering a nebula or atmosphere (warp drive is still impossible, but the nacelles remain undamaged) and allows (de-)pressurization of the catwalk area when in space.
More changes from the -01 to the -03 include improvements, like the launch bay becoming the armoury to accomodate twin photon launchers, and the shuttle bays being moved to the aft section, where shuttles can now depart/land in 'normal' ST fashion.
The ultimate idea is to make most of the Parallels production design a transition between ENT and the XI movie. Scotty's remark about "Admiral Archer's prized beagle" means the movie era is no further than 25-40 years away from the 2160's.
One way to have the interior and exterior in the same model is by moving different objects to different layers. For example, you could make the outer hull a different layer compared to the interior, and even then divide the interior in stuff that you can see from the outside (the crew quarters and such) and stuff you don't, like the computer core. This means that the model can be edited with a reasonable speed, instead of it choking in it's own complexity
Wondering: I've been dying to get my hands on a reasonable modeled NX-class, any chance you're going to release it (even if not to the 3Dwarehouse)?
The way I picture it, is something similar to the Transformers... Maybe a tad less flexible than that.
In terms of the warp coils, there isn't that much room for spares on the ship.
Then again they may be carried as raw materials.
http://bc-central.com/forums/index.php/topic,5769.0.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbl_FtBoRdA
Personally, I'm not a big fan of the mesh, looking at the YT clip. It looks to be more like a combination of 1701 and NX-class components, than a logical continuation of design lineage.
My version will be more like the transition from Boeing's 747-100 to 747-400, which isn't really noticeable from the outside if you don't know where to look. (the longer upper deck and larger engines). And it won't stay in orthos/pencil drawings, I just use those because it shows the geometry best. Once I get a complete ship, she'll be going to render with lots of lighting, touch-ups, Panavision framing and film grain.
That's one of the reasons I'm using Sketchup for modeling: It allows you to build your mesh out of a hierarchy of small components (and reuse them at will), and hide all the stuff you don't need when editing. This means I don't have to worry about overloading my GPU when I'm editing the inside of a corridor.
I personally HATE bump maps, or rather, the way they're used right now (probably carried over from game mesh modeling). I want every power coupling, nut, bolt and rivet on this ship to be visible and real.
As far as plugins are used: Nothing but a mouse and keyboard just yet. And 2 Sunday afternoons.
One thing I value in ST:PAR is involvement of the community. So this mesh will be released once it's fairly done, probably on a Creative Commons license variant. But that'll have to wait until at least the outside of the ship is fairly finished and ready to render.... Unless I can find someone with a hangar and a CNC machine crazy enough!
Next to that, don't be fooled by your model's file size when using a lot of components: once you start rendering, these components are treated like a real model just like everything else, which in some cases means that the render will be painfully slow. I had this once with a landingpad setup with siderails along a bridge, of which every segment was a component. Great to reduce the filesize, but as soon as Kerkythea tried rendering it... hastalavista
When I am ready to start rendering/animating, the model will be converted into 3DSMAX format and flattened completely into a limited set of layers/groups.
Components are a great tool for modeling, especially when you have repetitive structures, but they're a memory hog when it comes to post-producing the model. Most of the time, they're not necessary at animation/render-time anyway.
Personally, I'm not really a fan of them.
First off, the overall appearance is just too different from the 'original' NX look to be recognized as the same class. The 1701 engineering hull itself is a design that would only be drafted decades later (at best), so bolting it to the underside of an existing spaceframe would make little sense. Aside from the fact that the nacelle support structures are now completely useless, you can remove the entire 'catamaran' section and still have a working ship, more or less the 1701 with a different primary hull.
To me, the most distinctive feature of the NX is the twin boom design combined with the more industrial style of the ship. Remove either one, and you have a completely different boat.
The effect I'm trying to reach with the NX03 is that people will recognize the ship as being an NX from far away in the shot, just as the 1701 had a very distinctive shape (which, basically, did not change for the -A), and only reveal the details and changes which distinguish her from the NX-01 and -02 when getting closer by. Making the design more evolutionary, than revolutionary in nature.
If you're referring to the NX-03, they're not complete and still being drafted. As for the Drex files, I can't really help you with those. Ask Doug.
I think the refit-schematics by Doug show just enough advance to see where they are going, without making a leap in tech and design. After all, you somehow have to explain how they came from the NX-class to the Constitution-class.
It's all done in later (earlier) Trek. Constitution-class to Connie-refit, Connie-refit to Excelsior, Connie-refit & Excelsior to Galaxy (and via an episode to Ambassador), and eventually to Sovereign. It's a clear distinctive lineage that everyone can see how it evolved, while every ship maintains its own distinctive shape. So far, the NX does not fit into the scheme. But with the update, it does, because it gains some features that make it resemble the classic shape.
Heck, it's even visible that there's some lineage between the Miranda and the Nebula, eventhough it's not visible outright. But still, both only consist of a saucer, and a pod over it, connecting to the nacelles under it. The only difference is that the Nebula uses one strut that connects to an enrineering hull between the nacelles, where the Miranda uses two struts that go to the nacelles directly. Right now, you can argue that the NX-class is more the ancestor of the Akira or Norway-classes (any of them, they both share similairties with the NX), rather than of the real USS Enterprise.
Well, the way I see it, the aft pod-module-thingy has been "upgraded" to become the engineering hull.
By the way, I see ST11 not as part of the Trek-Continuum of Kirk & co.
I do hope that you will adopt the modified deflector of the Columbia, it looks so much better IMO
I modified the hull of the nacelles to match the tapered shape from the NX-01. The original design was cylindrical (and therefore somewhat boring), which meant I had to redo the hull from scratch.
The rear section is coming along now, I decided to add in a few bits of early Constitution-era tech with the 'bulbs' at the rear of the warp nacelles. Not as prominent as on later ships like the Connie, but a clear mark of a transition into new and more efficient warp engines.
The detailing on the hull is far from finished. I added the dorsal anti-collision light, but there are still loads of gaps and I also still need to fix the connection to the nacelle struts, as well as the interior for the transparent parts like the Bussard collectors and waste plasma exhaust at the back.
IAâm anxiouslly waiting for updates!