Well, im still new at this but this is my first run at making my own vessel, model and all. Anywho, this is my pet, the Ragnar class science vessel. These pics are what i have so far. the basic spec i have devised are
Size: 272m x 44m x 100m (L x H x W) Crew: 112 Decks: 11 Speed: Warp 8.5- 9.0 Armaments: I dont know exactly but perhaps yall might be able to help for a science vessel i figure something like the Nova but maybe a little heavier, considering the unrest in the quadrant around this time and the size of the vessel
i figure it to be contemporary wit h the Sovereign, Intrepid, and Nova class era
This was the first build:
This is the current build (2): Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
This is more of build 2: Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
remember the ship is 272 x 100 x 44
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
...You again!
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
Well people on this site may not be there and i want as much input as possible
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
What program are you using to model it? If that program doesn't have a rendering engine, perhaps you can figure out how to convert it to .pov format and render it with POV-Ray so it looks solid instead of that wireframey look.
It does look like it's contemporary with Intrepid et al. Sort of looks like a cross between Nova and Intrepid really, in shape I mean.
As for armament...something like 2 forward and 1 aft torpedo tube (probably photon but perhaps quantum) and maybe a dozen phaser arrays?
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
can you recomend any other program, like an idiot i did it in Sketchup so i wont do or render the file. I guess ill have to find another one and redo it
Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :
I remember back in the swingin' 90's, the Starfleet ship charts usually had an Intrepid design with large Sovvy-like nacelles. I always wanted to see that ship in a 3d-model, seemed more potent than the little nacelle buds of the Intrepid. This design kind of reminds me of that thing.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Depends if you have money or not. If yes, Bryce or 3DStudioMAX (if you're flippin' rich) or Maya (if you're flippin' richer). If not, perhaps Art of Illusion - the learning curve is a bit steep but it's free and exports to .pov which is a great render engine. Supports photon mapping, metablobs, all sorts of neat things.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Kerkythea is a free rendering program that can import Sketchup models.
Other free options are Blender (modeler/animator & renderer) or Wings3D (modeler mostly).
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
You can also find gmax out there someplace, the free version of 3DSM. Turbo Squid I think. Renders with pov-ray also.
k3d is another open source. It may have a different name, of that is the new name. It's been a while.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
Thanks BJ Kerkyther works pretty good
this is bild 3
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
i cant quite figure out how to do the nacelles but i am working on it
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
Nice. I would put one torpedo tube on the dorsal forward saucer, maybe on deck 3 or 4 ( when you get far enough along to determine deck numbers), another on the very bottom of the secondary forward hull, like the E-E, and one aft, between the nacell pylons. I'm sure there would be room around that area even if there is a shuttle bay in that area, and it would still give the launcher a pretty good firing arc. As for phasers, I'd go for multiple smaller arrays around the saucer instead of one or two huge ones like Voyager; none maybe more than a third-saucer in length. Something similar to the placement on a Nova class vessel.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
i think these work and look okay?
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I don't know anything about this Sketchup thing, but is there no way to smooth out the wireframe? Other than that, I think there needs to be more lighting in that side shot; don't know if you can change how the object reacts to light, or if you can just add more lights...
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
I second Dan's words. It is too dark.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
yeah i know, i fixed it but i havent posted the new one yet, here it is:
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
as to smoothing the frame the only way to do that is to go and make each segment (the triangular shapes) smaller nad adding more curvature to it, i could but i havent had the time yet, ill work on it
Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
You might want to move the nacells farther forward up the pylons. The ship looks like it is dragging them through space. other than that, it is nice looking.
Posted by OverRon (Member # 2036) on :
Does your 3D app have any kind of smoothing groups function? As on the nacelles and saucer, with the right bits assigned the right smoothing groups they should look a lot smoother. The pylons and secondary hull would need more faces though, as a smoothing group across them would create weird shadowing/highlighting and "pinching."
A mesh smoothing modifier would probably help a lot as well, if your app has it. You need to make sure that any hard edges on your model are chamfered, so that if you apply a smoothing modifier it doesn't destroy the general shape and make it look round and blobby.
I like the design though.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
can recommend any programs
Posted by OverRon (Member # 2036) on :
I use 3dsmax but there's a limited version called gmax, which is still a free download from Here. The rendering engine on it is very limited though from what I've read though, and it has very limited material support, and import/export functions. So you will probably have to find some free import/export scripts, so you can get your model into gmax to edit it and then export it out again to get a decent render of it.
Posted by B.J. (Member # 858) on :
Sketchup is a bit limited with its smoothing, but it can be done. Select the entities you want to smooth (make sure you select the edges - just the faces won't work), and go to Edit>XXX Entities>Smooth Edges, you can have some control over how those look. I'm not sure how it will interact with Kerkythea, though.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
How does the new nacelle pylon assembly look?
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Much better imho.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Don't listen to Dan, he's a tard & a philistine. Go back to the original.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
After trial runs on the Mjolnir, the latest Ragnar variant, it has been found that the new "Warp Field Dynamics" cause undue stress on the space frame, this resulted in the loss of the Mjolnir and heavy casualties among the crew. The data recorder revealed that the plasma shunts that had been redirected to allow for the altered configuration, were under extreme pressure due to a concentrated flow channel and resulted in a loss of plasma containment, causing a violent explosion destroying most the port side of the Mjolnir's engineering hull as well as causing significant damage to the primary hull, recovery teams are on site to determine if the vessel is salvageable
I have entirely too much time on my hands
Would it perhaps be batter to allow for a compromise, say, move the pylon heads(nacelle ends) back a little on the nacelles yet keep the over all look the same
also when i redid the nacelles i kinda shortened the ship a little, but hey, i has more volume now
any who, here is the "Mjolnir" Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
You typed that text on in MSPaint, didn't you? Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
yeah < Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
wait no, i did it with Photoshop, thats how i turned it
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
This is the Ragnar 6 so far, i ran out of time but wanted to show the new pylons. I got pissed off with the asymmetry of the secondary hull so i gutted it and redid is, also a lot of left over crap form older builds was still inside so i cleaned it out and will finish later. I brought the tail back in a little and redid to top of the engineering hull, the bottom will be more curved and not so segmenty-ey-thing you know what i mean.
As for Fluff text,
"Following the destruction of the Mjolnir, the ASDB began again to seek to improve upon the original design. the vessel is not yet compete, but so for things look promising"
no the black and gray pictures are not old ones renamed.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
It's a very nice design. But either you've got to figure out how to smooth the faces, or say it was built by the Crystalline Entity Posted by Sean (Member # 2010) on :
The nacell/pylon arrangement looks a bit better. You might want to widen the pylons a little though. Right now, it looks like the nacells are pulling the pylons like silly-putty, if you know what I'm saying. Nice secondary hull.
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
kay, so widen pylons and finish filling in the hull.
ill probably be slower in getting the updates done now, we were on a weeks break from school, so now i will have to squeeze this in between work and school
i may be finished by Tuesday-ish
Posted by ragnvald (Member # 2082) on :
heres the final nacelles, i think they combine the size and girth required to "show-off" as well as be not quite so wimpy. as to the second pic, this is the method i will use when i re coat the hull, focus on the bottom of the engineering hull, and tell me if it doesn't blend better than the old version?
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
