Continuing on. I built the connector between the sphere and engineering section, which includes the nacelle pylons. This is how I’ve always wanted this part to look for this model, and now it does. The only thing left to do is add some grills in the cut-out sections and probably some windows. Now, this ship is considerably smaller than the conjectured scales I’ve seen for the “canon” Daedalus class, so the connector is only one deck. It’s basically a hallway. I’m likely going to model the entire interior for it, as it won’t take long and will be simple. Though, I’m probably going to have to do that with all of the interior spaces, as I’ll have to get close enough to the model that you’ll be able to tell if they’re just textures on a box. Speaking of textures, my 4K texture map for the nacelles holds up nicely at close range, though I knew it would. But, it’s always nice to see it actually happen.
Unfortunately, my free time (as usual) is split between this and gaming, so I don’t know if I’ll do any more with it today. I’ve been playing Mass Effect again, and I’m determined to actually finish the game this time. I’ve never played that game all the way through. But, I’m farther than I’ve been in the past and I’m having a blast.
I’ve been playing Mass Effect again, and I’m determined to actually finish the game this time. I’ve never played that game all the way through. But, I’m farther than I’ve been in the past and I’m having a blast.
That'll last right up until about the last 10 minutes of the game. Never before played a game wherein 99.9% of the experience was some of the most engaging I've ever played, only to have the last 0.1% actually ruin the experience.
Unless you get the free DLC that patch the ending stuff. That'll help a little bit.
And this is coming from someone who rolls his eyes hard whenever someone trots out the "<some director> ruined my childhood!" line.
That'll last right up until about the last 10 minutes of the game. Never before played a game wherein 99.9% of the experience was some of the most engaging I've ever played, only to have the last 0.1% actually ruin the experience.
Unless you get the free DLC that patch the ending stuff. That'll help a little bit.
And this is coming from someone who rolls his eyes hard whenever someone trots out the "<some director> ruined my childhood!" line.
I've read that complaint about Mass Effect 3, but not the original game. Some people think the whole last hour of ME3 is dreadful. (of course, what constitutes an hour depends on how fast you play ) But, I don't even have that one, I just have the first two and I'm working on finishing the first one.
I did install a DLC that came on a second disc that I got with my copy of the game. It's got some cool stuff you can do near Earth. I already did some of the DLC content, I don't know if there is any more.
I didn’t feel the need to put the rest of the ship in just to show the grills I made for the pylon cut-outs. Besides, the nacelles just cast shadows on them.
I absolutely LOVE the Retro look of this. Don't know how hard it would be, but you could add some hot-rod touches.....LOVE the paint-job too....The classic red and white just screams cool.
This is something I’ve been working on for a while now. It’s a Federation ship from the late 24th century, but the original inspiration came from a John Eaves concept drawing for the Enterprise episode The Expanse. This is the drawing I’m talking about:
The ship on the left, ignore the funky looking doughnut thing.
My original intent was to do the ship as John has it drawn, in the Enterprise era, maybe something from the Romulan War. However, after starting it, I decided I instead wanted to do something from a couple centuries later, around the time of the Dominion War. So, I started on a second saucer with a raised center. I was going to do a “normal” secondary hull and a more Enterprise-esque layout. I messed up the saucer and had to start over, which was when I got the idea to combine my idea with the John Eaves design. So, this is what I’ve come up with so far:
Obviously, I’m taking a fair amount of creative license here and making the ship as much my own as I am basing it on John’s sketch, but the basic layout is the same. I’m calling the ship the USS Apollo and it’s a light cruiser. It’s around 300 meters long, 160 meters wide, 41 meters tall and it has 12 decks. The dimensions will likely change a bit, but the 12 decks will remain constant. So, that’s what I have so far. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of work involved in getting that shape to flow the way it does and look like it does. (everything except the warp pylons and nacelles is one piece) Note: the colors are temporary. Everything will get new colors and materials later, these are just for WIP purposes.
That's one of the things I like about the design. It's similar to but different from the Akira-class. Since the Akira is obviously the basis for the NX-01, I'm sure John was thinking of designing something with that kind of vibe. Though, the part extruding back to where the pylons meet, as opposed to the "pod" between the pylons, seems like a more solid design to me. On the Akira-class, it was a weapons pod, I have no idea what purpose that thing was supposed to serve on the NX-01. There was a docking port and some sensors and stuff back there, but not much else. (there's not room for much else)
Man, it’s been a crazy week. Busy, busy, busy. And I’m somebody who usually has too much free time.
Anywho, I finally had some time to work on the Apollo. The lack of response to the previous configuration told me it’s not all that popular. A few people commented, most that did said that it looked similar to the Akira-class. While that’s true, I don’t see why it’s an issue. It seems reasonable to me that Starfleet would build more than one ship with a similar layout. After all, there are several canon classes that are the same basic layout as the TOS Enterprise. However, some people seem to have a prejudice when it comes to the Akira and a certain two century older look-alike. If they built a ship that’s in that configuration in the 2150s and another 200 years later, it seems to me that there would be other ships of similar configurations. But, I digress. It’s not like that design was that near and dear to my heart, I just thought it was kind of cool. Though, I sort of lost interest in it, especially since it would have been a nightmare to UV map. However, the effort was not wasted because I was able to try out some different techniques that will be useful in future projects.
So, that ship is gone. I’ve redesigned it:
The only thing I saved from the previous configuration is the nacelles, those didn’t need to be redone. Everything else did. I decided to make the ship a bit more compact and less spindly. The ship is a bit smaller, but should actually have more internal mass due to the configuration. Also, I’m thinking this ship needs a pod, even though I normally don’t do those. I’ll probably install a small weapons pod mid-back-top.
The original idea came from a picture I found on 3D Gladiators of a ship I built years ago. It was a truly dreadful model that I was overly pleased with at the time, but it gave me ideas:
I toyed with the idea of having the nacelles angled upwards like that, but I decided instead to angle them downward, like they were on the first Apollo configuration. I think it looks better that way, with the way the secondary hull is designed.
I don't think that it being Akira-esque was an issue. To me, it just looked a bit awkward with the three beams extending aft.
As for other ships, they almost all follow the TOS connie. The Excelsior is a huge fan favourite and the first big ship we saw that wasn't a Constitution. Only it was. Exactly the same layout, different shapes and proportions. When it comes to the NX, I choose to see it that in-verse, whoever was in charge of the Akira project was a fan of the NX and used it as inspiration.
As for the new model, looks good. I agree that a pod may be required. The top looks a little bare. How about a Kelvin style neck for the pod?
Thanks. Yeah, like I said, it was kind of spindly. I got to thinking about how thin those catamarans were and how impractical it would be to have much of anything in them. For the pod, I'm probably going to do something similar to what the Titan has. (a mini roll bar)
It's ironic that the Excelsior is a huge fan favorite now, since practically nobody liked that ship in 1984. Paramount got so many letters from irate fans about how much they hated that ship that they were going to scrap it and never use it again. However, that all changed when TNG was being made and they needed ships but didn't have the money to build a bunch of models. So, right in the pilot episode, we saw the Excelsior class USS Hood flying next to the Enterprise at Farpoint. Once people saw the Excelsior next to the sleek new Enterprise-D, they began accepting it and it is now a favorite. However, it was that close to disappearing altogether back when it first appeared and people hated it.
The Constitution, Constitution Refit, Ambassador and Galaxy all have the same basic layout with the components in more or less the same proportions. There are slight variations, but not much. The Excelsior has different proportions but is basically the same layout. The Enterprise-E and Voyager broke the mold a bit by doing away with a large connecting pylon (or "neck," if you prefer) but the components are still laid out in mostly the same way. The New Orleans class is one that was done similarly, it has a stubby little connection pylon. Most of the other "canon" ship classes had different layouts. The Miranda, Oberth, Steamrunner, Akira, Saber, Norway, Prometheus and Defiant classes all had majorly different layouts than the Constitution class. So did a lot of the destroyed kitbashes that appeared in the Best of Both Worlds Pt. 2 in the aftermath of Wolf 359. So, it's not fair to say that the majority of Star Trek ships follow the Connie in terms of design, there are a lot of different layouts out there.
More changes to the basic structure. I rebuilt the top four decks because they needed it. The bridge is more the style of the Enterprise-E, which I think fits the design and era better. I also added the pod, which should be the last of the basic structures.
I like the basic design of this ship.
Also the pod, but the pods pylons seems to me a little to small (in side-view) where they start at the primary hull.
IAâm a great fan of the narcelles and itAâs pylons.
Wow, I forgot about this thread. I guess, since you bumped it, I may as well post in it. I've been thinking about getting back to that retro Daedalus, but at this point I'm probably looking at a near total rebuild. Since starting this thread, I've learned a lot more about how Lightwave works VS my old software. That's a good thing, because those last couple model starts I posted made me throw up in my mouth a bit when looking at them just now. :shiner:
Anywho, on to more recent business. As people who follow my blog know, I started this beast almost a week ago:
The design is pretty basic, I drew influences from the NX-01 refit design, though I (obviously) went with a TNG era look. So, it's kind of NX-01 refit meets Galaxy and Intrepid classes. Though, I also have little "nods" to some of the other "major" Trek designs, such as the Sovereign, Excelsior and Constitution refit classes. Size wise, it's 295 meters long, 175.something wide and 60-something tall. So, around the size of a Constitution-class ship.
Thanks guys. I'm hard at work on it. Unfortunately, I just got a frakking BSOD in Windows (I get them periodically, it's related to my graphics card and the crappy drivers Nvidia puts out, and Windows itself) so my PC automatically rebooted. So, since it did, I'm back in Kubuntu using the Internet. Man, I hate Windows. I really wish Lightwave was Linux compatible. :rolleyes: It's the only reason I even have a dual boot set up, I do everything else in Kubuntu.
Anyway, provided that POS operating system and the graphics driver play nice, I should have an update tonight.
once I boost my computer....got an old laptop that wont handle the demands of sketchup and kerkythea....I am thinking about doing a retro take on the Miranda.
once I boost my computer....got an old laptop that wont handle the demands of sketchup and kerkythea....I am thinking about doing a retro take on the Miranda.
Posts
Unfortunately, my free time (as usual) is split between this and gaming, so I don’t know if I’ll do any more with it today. I’ve been playing Mass Effect again, and I’m determined to actually finish the game this time. I’ve never played that game all the way through. But, I’m farther than I’ve been in the past and I’m having a blast.
That'll last right up until about the last 10 minutes of the game. Never before played a game wherein 99.9% of the experience was some of the most engaging I've ever played, only to have the last 0.1% actually ruin the experience.
Unless you get the free DLC that patch the ending stuff. That'll help a little bit.
And this is coming from someone who rolls his eyes hard whenever someone trots out the "<some director> ruined my childhood!" line.
Books: [ Ashes of Alour-Tan | Embers of Alour-Tan ] | Blender Tutorials | Blog
I've read that complaint about Mass Effect 3, but not the original game. Some people think the whole last hour of ME3 is dreadful. (of course, what constitutes an hour depends on how fast you play
I did install a DLC that came on a second disc that I got with my copy of the game. It's got some cool stuff you can do near Earth. I already did some of the DLC content, I don't know if there is any more.
I like it, very cool ship.
The ship on the left, ignore the funky looking doughnut thing.
My original intent was to do the ship as John has it drawn, in the Enterprise era, maybe something from the Romulan War. However, after starting it, I decided I instead wanted to do something from a couple centuries later, around the time of the Dominion War. So, I started on a second saucer with a raised center. I was going to do a “normal” secondary hull and a more Enterprise-esque layout. I messed up the saucer and had to start over, which was when I got the idea to combine my idea with the John Eaves design. So, this is what I’ve come up with so far:
Obviously, I’m taking a fair amount of creative license here and making the ship as much my own as I am basing it on John’s sketch, but the basic layout is the same. I’m calling the ship the USS Apollo and it’s a light cruiser. It’s around 300 meters long, 160 meters wide, 41 meters tall and it has 12 decks. The dimensions will likely change a bit, but the 12 decks will remain constant. So, that’s what I have so far. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of work involved in getting that shape to flow the way it does and look like it does. (everything except the warp pylons and nacelles is one piece) Note: the colors are temporary. Everything will get new colors and materials later, these are just for WIP purposes.
Good looking model, definitely an Akira vibe there.
Anywho, I finally had some time to work on the Apollo. The lack of response to the previous configuration told me it’s not all that popular. A few people commented, most that did said that it looked similar to the Akira-class. While that’s true, I don’t see why it’s an issue. It seems reasonable to me that Starfleet would build more than one ship with a similar layout. After all, there are several canon classes that are the same basic layout as the TOS Enterprise. However, some people seem to have a prejudice when it comes to the Akira and a certain two century older look-alike. If they built a ship that’s in that configuration in the 2150s and another 200 years later, it seems to me that there would be other ships of similar configurations. But, I digress. It’s not like that design was that near and dear to my heart, I just thought it was kind of cool. Though, I sort of lost interest in it, especially since it would have been a nightmare to UV map. However, the effort was not wasted because I was able to try out some different techniques that will be useful in future projects.
So, that ship is gone. I’ve redesigned it:
The only thing I saved from the previous configuration is the nacelles, those didn’t need to be redone. Everything else did. I decided to make the ship a bit more compact and less spindly. The ship is a bit smaller, but should actually have more internal mass due to the configuration. Also, I’m thinking this ship needs a pod, even though I normally don’t do those. I’ll probably install a small weapons pod mid-back-top.
The original idea came from a picture I found on 3D Gladiators of a ship I built years ago. It was a truly dreadful model that I was overly pleased with at the time, but it gave me ideas:
I toyed with the idea of having the nacelles angled upwards like that, but I decided instead to angle them downward, like they were on the first Apollo configuration. I think it looks better that way, with the way the secondary hull is designed.
As for other ships, they almost all follow the TOS connie. The Excelsior is a huge fan favourite and the first big ship we saw that wasn't a Constitution. Only it was. Exactly the same layout, different shapes and proportions. When it comes to the NX, I choose to see it that in-verse, whoever was in charge of the Akira project was a fan of the NX and used it as inspiration.
As for the new model, looks good. I agree that a pod may be required. The top looks a little bare. How about a Kelvin style neck for the pod?
It's ironic that the Excelsior is a huge fan favorite now, since practically nobody liked that ship in 1984. Paramount got so many letters from irate fans about how much they hated that ship that they were going to scrap it and never use it again. However, that all changed when TNG was being made and they needed ships but didn't have the money to build a bunch of models. So, right in the pilot episode, we saw the Excelsior class USS Hood flying next to the Enterprise at Farpoint. Once people saw the Excelsior next to the sleek new Enterprise-D, they began accepting it and it is now a favorite. However, it was that close to disappearing altogether back when it first appeared and people hated it.
The Constitution, Constitution Refit, Ambassador and Galaxy all have the same basic layout with the components in more or less the same proportions. There are slight variations, but not much. The Excelsior has different proportions but is basically the same layout. The Enterprise-E and Voyager broke the mold a bit by doing away with a large connecting pylon (or "neck," if you prefer) but the components are still laid out in mostly the same way. The New Orleans class is one that was done similarly, it has a stubby little connection pylon. Most of the other "canon" ship classes had different layouts. The Miranda, Oberth, Steamrunner, Akira, Saber, Norway, Prometheus and Defiant classes all had majorly different layouts than the Constitution class. So did a lot of the destroyed kitbashes that appeared in the Best of Both Worlds Pt. 2 in the aftermath of Wolf 359. So, it's not fair to say that the majority of Star Trek ships follow the Connie in terms of design, there are a lot of different layouts out there.
Also the pod, but the pods pylons seems to me a little to small (in side-view) where they start at the primary hull.
IAâm a great fan of the narcelles and itAâs pylons.
Anywho, on to more recent business. As people who follow my blog know, I started this beast almost a week ago:
The design is pretty basic, I drew influences from the NX-01 refit design, though I (obviously) went with a TNG era look. So, it's kind of NX-01 refit meets Galaxy and Intrepid classes. Though, I also have little "nods" to some of the other "major" Trek designs, such as the Sovereign, Excelsior and Constitution refit classes. Size wise, it's 295 meters long, 175.something wide and 60-something tall. So, around the size of a Constitution-class ship.
-Ricky
Anyway, provided that POS operating system and the graphics driver play nice, I should have an update tonight.
That sounds really cool.