posted
It's a story about the reason why the Ambassador Class model dropped out of site in the Trek universe. Apparently, someone in the art department dropped the model which broke a nacelle support. And then I heard that some executive decided to have the model be displayed in his office.
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
I think I heard a twist on the story somewhere that the Northridge earthquake was the culprit.
There's a photo floating around online of the damaged model sitting on a desk. I think it was at a model shop, though, perhaps Image G, and not some executive's desk.
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I can relate - the reason we didn't see the Borg on Voyager for so long after "Unity" was because we blew the model up at the end of the show!
Seriously, though, believe it or not, CG models can actually be 'broken.' After many years of doing FX work, the servers at a company can get pretty hairy - files are removed, deleted, backed up (hopefully), moved and renamed so often, people often find that after a few years, loading up old scenes and models can actually be quite a challenge. It can litteraly take days (or longer) to locate every file in a model and reassemble it if pieces are missing or renamed.
Here's a good horror story:
Years after Foundation finished Babylon 5, we tried to restore and load up some old scenes to do a few tests and made a horrifying discovery - the backup software had TRUNKATED EVERY FILE NAME TO EIGHT CHARACTERS. So, for example, an image that had been called "station-top-sepecular" was now named "station~"
This, of course, was a nightmare. The prospect of having to load each and every image and model section to figure out what it was and remember where it went was so daunting we just gave up - effectively meaning that almost everything we had done for the first two and a half years of B5 had been lost.
I'm sure there are many similar stories floating around CG companies.
Of course, Foundation was the first, so we learned many lessons the hard way. Now that people are a little wiser, I'm sure there are more rigorous schemes of structure and organization to keep things tidy.
Then again, having a good plan and rigorously following it are different beasts altogether...
posted
Mojo: Would it pe possible for you to send me an email with a picture of the new CG Defiant? I could then upload it to my ISP's server and post a link to it here. I understand if you're not allowed though.
posted
The Norway's problem isn't that the model is broken or unavailable, as I understand it. It's that the ship was only intended to be in the background and thus is built at a low resolution, unsuitable for closeups.
Registered: Mar 1999
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-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
I disagree - the shape, while comparitively ordinary to most, is elegant in that simplicity to me. I especially like the notion that the ship may have been designed with a variable-geometry nacelle configuration. Personally, this one would be high on my list of ships to re-do.
posted
I'm sorry but I personally hate the Norway class. Easily the worst of the First Contact ships IMO. I'd be quite happy if I never saw it again.
Registered: Jul 1999
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-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
I'd be happy to send Dax an image of the new Defiant to post on his site to show all of you, but I sort of need a general concensus that it won't be placed on 'public' view.
That also means I'd appreciate it if all of you would keep it to yourselves and not email around or link to it from anywhere other than here. And after a week or so I'd like it taken down.
I don't mind showing all of you guys some advance material, but I'd like to keep it as private as possible!
posted
Although I can't vouch for everyone, you have my word, Mojo. I would not put any image you send me on my website. I could just temp upload it to the same server. From their I could post a link to it here (and my server doesn't require that copy/paste BS either:)). After a week, or whatever period you prefer, I would then delete the image from the server.
posted
I'd love to see your new Deffie Mojo... so the nose shape is corrected!?!
I'm putting in my VOTE to see the NORWAY again - I thought it was a different design - and I LIKED it. the only clear view (of what ever this is) is this:
So what if the norway wasn't built with a lot of detail... what is to say you can't ADD detail - there IS the schematics from the Encyclopaedia to go by too.
Andrew
[ January 07, 2002: Message edited by: AndrewR ]
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
I've always thought the Steamrunner rocked.
Hey Mojo, as always, it's great to get some background stories like that.
Back on the first page, I think, someone said they'd have to model the Centaur's saucer from scratch instead of using the Excelsior's. Untrue. There are some little greeblies on the bottom, but it is otherwise an unaltered Excelsior saucer from an AMT kit, AFAIK.
Not sure about the nacelles. I think each nacelle is two bottom halves of the Excelsior nacelle glued together. But even that's a guess. It's definitely not just an Excelsior nacelle.
posted
I can't wait to see that new Deffie pic. Great that you came across our forum, Mojo! (By the way, may I ask why you chose that Nickname? Just a personal interest ;-) )
Registered: Nov 1999
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