Warp Propulsion Laboratory

This is my model of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A. I had to make many subtle changes to my TMP model to make it look like it did in Star Trek VI; this was much more than just a registry change. I also "hit the model with a dull coat" just as ILM did by lowering the glossiness and Fresnel IOR of the materials. The reason they did this was because the colorful reflections of the original model kept poking holes in the mats. Thanks for looking!

Finally cut the windows in on the secondary hull:

Thanks, everyone!

Brandenberg wrote: »

...I'll never forget, having completed the basic shape of the lower hull, it was downright scary to cut the deflector into it.

Yeah that secondary hull is a real bear. It's one of the gnarliest compound curves I've ever modeled. The cutout for the deflector dish is a weird shape too.

@Rekkert "Ridiculous" was probably a poor choice of words on my part. I think I remember seeing an interview where Bill George said the Excelsior was supposed to look ostentatious and haughty to make the Enterprise look inferior. I think of it like Captain Styles' personality was mapped onto a starship design. They really did end up with one of the most beautiful shapes in Trek, though.

@count23 Thanks so much for posting those refs! I hadn't seen most of those photos before, so it's really helpful. They show me that most of my work still lies ahead.

Command and impulse decks are finished:

Thanks, @scifieric !

Testing the lighting on the ventral side of the saucer. Plus I added a basic starfield.

Thank you all for your kind words! I've finished the bottom of the saucer:

Thanks for the input, everyone! I ran with that idea and I'm happy with the results:

All lit up!









And here's a quick render of the interior studios I created for the room textures:

Thanks to everyone for the kind words, and thanks to @BolianAdmiral for the refs!

After several snafus while working on the saucer section I've made some actual progress:







Light tests:

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!









Orthos:

Finished greebling the scaffolding on the sides and added some lights. Now I need to make the swingarms and gangway.

Calibrated all of the Enterprise's lighting and added the "morning dish".