posted
I like to sketch first, because I find sketching is more flexible and allows me to get my ideas down faster. I sketch in perspective, then refine the final design on the computer.
Also, drawing in a vector program can sometimes lead to designs that are 2-D graphic exercises rather than 3-D designs. What I mean is that a thin antennae on a top or side views seems to fill in a graphic space as well as a large piece of hull. But when you look at it from another view, the antennae disappears. Of course, if you draw three views at the same time, this problem can be minimized.
Registered: Oct 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Astroid mining.. hmm. Some tractor emitters on the ends, and a phaser at the back? How does Star Trek handle asteroid mining anyway? Apart from holographic 19th century tools, that is.
posted
Depends on the composition of the asteroid in question, I seam to recall that certain minerals (I forget which) tend to interfere with transporters, other materials may become unstable within the matter stream so tractor beams and phasers (or lasers) would seam to be the safer option.
As for the design, I'd add some cargo modules in there somewhere so that the raw materials can be delivered to the mothership or other base of operation by simply swapping the full pods for some empty ones. Presumably several of these ships could operate throughout an asteroid field so you could design a carrier that these ships dock with and transport them at warp from one system to the other.
posted
For many substances, beaming them out might be too energy-consuming. That would be like spending a lot of oil to obtain less than the equivalent as coal. I think that there could be well something like a starship to harvest small asteroids with drills and laser cutters.
-------------------- Bernd Schneider
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Here's a design suggestion for the mothership, it looks sort of like a Starbase so you can imagine that it can be permanently stationed somewhere without the nacelles and just be a mining outpost.
quote:Originally posted by Bernd: For many substances, beaming them out might be too energy-consuming. That would be like spending a lot of oil to obtain less than the equivalent as coal. I think that there could be well something like a starship to harvest small asteroids with drills and laser cutters.
Bah. Energy-consumption isn't a concern of Starfleet. I refer you to the aforementioned holographic mining personnel
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Some more sketches, including a very sketchy top-view.
I've thrown away the saucer, as it made the rest of the ship look really skinny in the top view. It's now a shape inspired by Masao's "small transporter". I've also made the arms look a little bit stronger. The containers can be combined and 'hung' from a frame to form a Frans Joseph compliant container.
I'm also curious about the mining ships. How exactly do they move? I'm assuming that they latch on to their target with those legs, and scoop up the ore through some mechanism in the tail, but then where are the engines? And perhaps the "head" should be larger, indicative of more storage space, as I would presume the stuff gets moved from the aft to there, and then from there into the station.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic
