JES

For the past month (or so). Still learning the software though.

For my first attempt, I decided to try this old design: the Paladin-class Destroyer/Scout.

Have I lost my mind, giving the Sovereign class a go? Probably... .

And then I went crazy, and decided to give a go at the Galaxy Class...





The aft of the underneath of the ship. I started on this by itself, independent of the rest of the ship, but found that there were too many vertexes to attempt to attach it to the rest of the ship! Oops! At the very least, I know what I want the bottom aft of the ship to look for.



The pod pylons were one of the first objects that I tested applying subdivision to. It's a shame that for some reason, the subdivision modifier doesn't appear in the render, and the object is too complicated to integrate with the rest of the ship!

This was supposed to be part of the ventral hull, only for me to find that integrating it with the rest of the ship vertex by vertex was too complicated! I'm starting over, with plans to maybe eventually put a nav deflector here.


It took multiple attempts to get to this point, during which I learned that it is important to make sure that I have everything in place BEFORE subdividing (in which case, there are so many vertices, it becomes too complex to move them with any sort of accuracy).

Eventually, I found myself moving too slow, afraid of ruining something and having to start over again! So I found this detailed X-Wing tutorial, and have been plugging away at it since early this week.

I'm especially proud of how I got the shape of the aft dorsal to come out, and my first torpedo tube isn't too bad looking either.






I am proud of how the panel came out, but have also learned to make sure that any panels that I work on lie flush with the parent surface BEFORE beginning subdividing! I'll likely have to just start over!

Also, how do you get the subdivision surface to appear in renders? I have them on, but it disappears during my renders for the Paladin?

It's been a really long time since I posted anything, partially because of laziness, mostly because it's a pain to sit down long enough to get anything finished! The Zoids project has stalled, so in the meantime, I started working on this over the past couple of months.



Further commentary provided in the link.

Posting some designs I've been working on and off on over the past several months, as I've been trying to get back into doing artwork. This of course means I haven't been able to keep up with all of the fantastic work many others have been doing, but oh well.







First is the TNG Destroyer, which I've been working on in Illustrator. I've actually burned out on this project for the moment. She is intended as a TNG equivalent to the Saladin class.


https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/TNG-Destroyer-WIP1-Part-1-837876714




https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/TNG-Destroyer-WIP1-Part-02-837879011



https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/TNG-Destroyer-WIP1-Part-03-837879611

Next, we have a design that started as a small sketch at work. Rather than having the engineering hull blended together, the shuttlebay and lower engineering hull have been deconstructed into a "figure 8". She is a Light Cruiser equivalent to the Andromeda class.



A total design of my Sparrow class:

https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/What-I-ve-Been-Up-to-Part-II-858520414


For the previous incarnation, see here:
https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/Sparrow-class-Frigate-Prelimary-Detail-Sketches-539188704
https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/Sparrow-class-Frigate-Dorsal-539220205
https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/Sparrow-class-Frigate-Side-539222720

A TLE Medium Cruiser, using components based on the Joshua and Ingram class. Practice for helping me get better at Illustrator.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/108b06bd-6674-4b90-b8cf-3775122cf713/de756sf-38317a06-aaf7-4c71-b252-b577d599e9c1.jpg?


Finally, a result of binge watching DIS. I felt that the lifting body design works better for TLE.
https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/What-I-ve-Been-Up-To-Part-V-858529657

https://www.deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/What-I-have-been-up-to-Part-1-858504144

Last week, I had too much stuff to keep me busy (getting a terrarium set up for some frogs, amongst other minutia), so it's been over a week since my last post. Off of work for the next several days, so taking a break from Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and trying to get more drawing done.

I've been surfing through Pinterest again for inspiration. After this, I'm probably going to go back to practicing with colors on one of the previous drawings.

evil_genius_180 wrote: »

It's always nice to see some pre-Federation ST stuff. I like the obvious Vulcan influences.

Yes, Vulcan influences. Totally not influenced by the Outlaw Star. Although now that I think of it, I have to wonder if it was the Vulcan ships had not just a retro rocketship influence, but an anime influence too, especially that deep red color is a match (at least for the Surak class).

Ship of the Day #02 The result of listening to a Youtube video on an alleged war between the Atlantians and Lumerians. You know, Ancient Advanced Civilization stuff. The Sanskrit script and energy crystals are intentional design elements.


Link for larger version:
https://deviantart.com/jeszasz/art/Space-of-the-Day-002-995810137

Now that I've decided I'm going to keep trying to work on this until I finish it (or the file gets too big), I'm giving this it's own thread. On the bright side, I've figured out why my MacBook it so slow: the hard drive is going kaput. I'm using my dad's MacBook now, but I need to upgrade my Lenovo eventually, because it lacks enough processing power for a large file.

Previously:





Latest Result:



USS Persistence is the working name for my Excelsior-era Wedge Design.

Blurb so far:

"The Excelsior class was too long and too tail-happy at high sub-light speeds. The long lines were essential for Transwarp, in theory, except Transwarp didn't work in practice. And so a more compact design was proposed...

After the Skirmish of Altamid, which resulted in the USS Lexington* losing her nacelle pylons, and then her neck during what was supposed to be a rescue expedition, as well as damage to Starstation Yorktown's patrol force, it became abundantly clear that perhaps thin pylons connecting a starship's warp drive units was not sufficient. And it wasn't like Starfleet didn't have a clue. During the past two wars with the Klingon Empire, Starfleet had more instances of warp drive failure from damage, while the Klingon's wider wing-like pylons proved to be more durable to nacelle loss."

*Or some other Connie that was replaced by an Excelsior class in Beta Canon

The design that you see here is a compromise between different agreed upon elements. The shuttle bay is bracketed by the wide wing-like pylons. Doing the aft and ventral views is going to be fun, because then I get to show how the fantail is bracketed as well. Come to think of it, it's a little like the Luna class's shuttle bay.

She has Enterprise-B style impulse drives, as recommended by TNC-N3I.

Contrary to Borgman's recommendation, but favored by TNC-N3I and me, I went with an Ingram-type primary hull, but with a command hull based on the distinctive Excelsior class. Working on the circuitry-like pattern will be fun, and a long way off.

I gave her a taller neck so that I could mount the nacelles underneath, but also have the nacelle pylons curve up, with the nacelles on top.

I might or might not add mega phasers like the Ingram. But they are probably gone after the Khitomer Accords, replaced by standard ball turrets.

I thought about Borgman's idea of making this a pre-Excelsior design, to try to make the Spore Spatial Displacement Drive work again, seeing as how Stamets was able to get the Discovery to work. But then while on a walk, I thought about how big this design was going to be in my head, and how ludicrous an idea it would be for Starfleet to commission yet another design to use an FTL method that could be unpredictable at the best of times. Add in that classified escapade into an alternate timeline, and there is no fucking way that I could justify Starfleet approving what was meant to be a battleship intended to spank K'Tinga's into the next century while on leave from exploration duties as a testbed for such a propulsion system. I came to the conclusion that any future testbeds for the Spore Drive would likely be Oberth-sized, using a skeleton crew. It might still be an idea for a future design.

Publiusr-
The idea of a Reliant-type rear shuttle bay has kind of already been done with the Ariel class, and it would be a major change to the design. I think I know what you have in mind: Take the Churchill's raised superstructure, and smooth/thin it out so that it works as nacelles pylons. Maybe another impulse drive in between the two shuttle bays, or a third shuttle bay. It wouldn't be impossible with enough time to sketch out a prelim in Photoshop, and then trace over in Illustrator. And then copy/past the primary hull and nacelles, which remain unchanged. I get the feeling I won't have much time to spend on this over the next few days due to getting home late from work, so I'll have more time to think about this.

To answer Borgman's questioning why we didn't see any members of this class on screen is because
1) Starfleet's huge. We know the Andromeda, Korolev, Wambundu, etc. are canon by name, but only a few of these have been given designs after the fact outside of fanon.
2) The Persistence class fell out of favor to the Excelsior class after the signing of the Khitomer Accords. There was another production run after the USS Ambassador class was launched, along with the first tranche of Alaska-class Battlecruiser, but such designs were only given 5-10 class member production runs, and after the Romulans promised to stay out of interstellar politics, battle wagons became increasingly a thing of the past.

Of course, without Starfleet's premier Myceiliobilogist, such a design was also due to fail to begin with.

Next up, I'm doing the dorsal nacelles, and going to try to complete prelims for the fore and aft views. And try to work out the basic outlines for the secondary hull impulse drives. That, and the alternate shuttle bay. Oh boy, this is going to be a huge file before I'm done!

Been working on this for about the past month or so. This is my first attempt at storm clouds, and I have to admit that I'm happy with how they came out. I also been wanted to make a more period-accurate version of the USS Leodegrance, and so here she is-same configuration, but with Excelsior/Lost Era components.

The backstory is Starfleet vessels will often take Hazardous Environmental Flight Tests (or HEFTs for short) in the system they are launched from, usually inside the thick atmosphere of one of the gas giants to simulate the rigors of spaceflight, where encounters with a spatial phenomena can't be ruled out, and have resulted in the loss of many ships. Due to their spectacular sights, the atmosphere of Jupiter and Saturn alike are popular assignments for cadets and officers alike. Here, the USS Leodegrance escorts the brand new USS Lancelot. If she should suffer any serious malfunctions or damage from the lightning storms and high pressure from diving into Jupiter's atmosphere, the USS Leodegrance will tow her back to spacedock. USS Speculator stands as look-out, just in case Leodegrance has any trouble braving the storm as well.

It has been hell trying to get the USS Leodegrance to look right, due to my decision to redesign her with the canted nacelles. The angle still doesn't look quite right, but oh well. Still a lot of work to be done before I can call this done.

I also started on some concept art views today, but those aren't anywhere near done enough to post, and were more for my benefit when it came to figuring out how the components were proportioned.

Lancelot Class designed by Bernd Schneider (Circa 1997)
USS Speculator registry, name, and class from Trekmania (Circa late 1990s-2000s)

Okay, no replies... I'm disappointed. But not surprised by the neutral response, given how underdeveloped this design is.

I've have been working on and off of the redux of my Sparrow class for quite some time, but have struggled to find time due to studying investing in stocks, which mostly takes place when I'd normally draw in the first place. Here is the progress I've made this far.



As you can see, just as Madkoifish has been working hard on the Assiduous class, I've been working on her successor. For the moment, there are three possible directions to go in. As before, the design consists of 5 components: the inner hull, a pair of outer hulls, a pair of nacelles/pylons, and an upper mission pod.

They are missing a lot of details, since that would just take more time, and result in this perhaps never getting posted.

Design A uses a (relatively) simple arrowhead shape. The forward downward swept pylons are optional, and might be replaced with different nacelle pylon designs as I work on the design further.

Design B uses a forked bow which might or might not be inspired by the Mark 4 from Speed Racer. The downward backswept nacelle pylons are again optional.

Finally, design C is designed to use optional hull modules (think Insignia class from Mark Kingsworth). According to Atolm, the Assiduous class has the ability to mount different modules, and I wanted to retain this ability in the Sparrow class. Possible modules could be designed to have better sensors, phasers, torpedo turrets, and passenger capacity. The upward backswept nacelle pylons are - you guessed - optional.

At first, I added shading to every view that I was working on, but I was looking as Zoids concept line art, and figured that since shading was taking so long, and line art always looks professional without the shading, that I'd just add white underneath the sketch work, and save coloring/shading for when I get to the final design phase. So yeah, all future work will probably, hopefully resemble Rick Sternbach's work.

Speaking of Zoids, I think that is what I'm going to work on for my next project. I've just been wanting to do something in that setting for a while.

In the mean time, I will likely have to start another file, since mine has practically reached the maximum size that I can save, and aside from making current layers invisible to make way for new ones, the room I have left doesn't leave me free to add more than maybe one more slate of orthos or angles.

More work on the neck. I just love the complex curve of the neck section! It's one of my favorite parts of the design. And also the most complex. Speaking of which, I probably wouldn't recommend the Galaxy class to beginners. There is just so much going on with the design!


Interestingly enough, the thickest part of the neck isn't towards the back, like I've always thought, but more towards the middle, behind the torpedo launcher (the thinnest part of the neck), but ahead of the secondary impulse deck and neck flare. Maybe I need to make a render of the neck from directly aft to show what I'm talking about.

The Galaxy class really is an intricate design, which is why I've been holding off on detailing her just get. And yet, I've also been sliding vertices in preparation for the deflector grids when she's finally perfect, since that will be much harder to fix if everything else isn't in place yet.

evil_genius_180 wrote: »

That's looking good so far. That definitely sounds like odd behavior from the Sub-D modifier. But, like you said, hopefully it's just an issue with that file. Which version of Blender are you using?

JES wrote: »

And copious amounts of cursing.

I'm sure most everyone here will agree on that one.

I'm using 3.4.




I managed to knock out the basic shape of not just the saucer section, but refine the engineering hull a little too. Next up is the next, which is going to involve complex extrusions. I'm just posting my progress before bed.

I also positioned the vertex grid of the engineering hull, with the intent of loop cutting and extruding in the deflector grid later. Since the triangle count is already at over a million, there might also be some vertex culling in the near future, specifically those inhabiting the saucer section.

Finally, I plan on saving this into two files, since I've been planning on making a variant. I just have to finish off the basic shape of the neck, and that's where they'll diverge.