posted
OK, been busy the past couple of days so no big updates at this time. I did get half an hour at work though, and knocked together some slightly nicer looking nacelles. Not sure if they're in the spirit of the thing, but I like 'em. What's the opinion out there in Flare land? Tomorrow I'll have the evening off for once, so I'll crack on with getting the body and pylons finished off so I can freeze it and move onto creating the rest of the larger parts on the sauucer and hull.
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Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Looks good so far! The only thing that really bugs me is the "underbite" on the aft end of the nacelle. It just looks like it's hanging out there for no reason. I know it's that way in Rev's drawing as well, but for some reason doesn't look as severe.
Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I think the slant is part of the whole design ethic, to make it look like the ship is leaning forwards at all times, filled with purpose if you will. It's the work of a few moments to lessen or strengthen the slant and distances between the warp grille and the nacelle ends, I just picked something that looked nice in a side view. These pics perhaps over-emphasise it slightly since you're looking right down at it.
-------------------- www.kennyscrap.com - where I download crap I make.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Looking very good. The position of the bridge/bridge humpiss perfect. Seems like there's some mottlling on the hull texture or maybe some low-intensity sky-dome lighting, which is going to look great on the finished version, but is maybe causing some distracting artifacts at this stage.
It's great to see this design coming together. Seems very plausible and looks terriffic to boot. Keep it up!
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
You caught me! The surface is slightly mottled, I do it so that the surface isn't too reflective or uniform at this early stage and I can more clearly see what the mesh is doing. I also experimented with a quicky 'spinning lightrig' setup with these two pictures to fake a radiosity style lighting. It has made it look a little odd in places, but not to worry. No textures in use at the moment will likely survive, once the model is finished myself and Reverend go over it making textures, badges, etc to suit and redo the whole model.
-------------------- www.kennyscrap.com - where I download crap I make.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Not sure if the bussards suit the design very well. Perhaps a little too pointy and Voyager like. Given that the rest of the ship sorta looks like the halfway point between the Ambassador/Galaxy family and the Intrepid/Prometheus family perhaps they should look like slightly elongated versions of the Galaxy collectors, just not quite as...pointy.
posted
How about we put some detail on the top of the nacelles, a sort of refined version of what existed on the Ambassador class? I've made a couple of versions of the bussards, I'll weld on the more basic type that looks more like the ones in the drawings. Spoilsport!
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Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Here you go then, new nacelle caps and some Ambassador-style detailing on the top. I also added a little specular and diffuse detail to the main surfaces just to make it look a little more like I give a crap.
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Registered: Jun 2003
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Shik
Starship database: completed; History of Starfleet: done; website: probably never
Member # 343
posted
Like the endcaps, but I would make the grid things smaller. That's me, though.
-------------------- "The French have a saying: 'mise en place'—keep everything in its fucking place!"
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Looks better than I thought it would, though I'd make the nacelle detailing a little shorter, shifting the rear of it forwards a little gives the illusion the nacelle is longer than it is. Like so. Also, I wonder if it will look good if the scoops have Ambassador-refit type caps?
posted
Hmm, ok. The nacelles are now slightly longer anyway (not in these pics) as I started using your updated drawings as the new template in Lightwave, so shortening the upper radiator detail should make them look a bit longer still. Not sure about the end-cap modification, but its easy to do so tonight you'll see the results of that. Now that you've given me a head-on view I've also begun to do the main body properly, and I have to say it should look quite interesting when finished. It's proving quite a difficult challenge to model it, but hopefully it'll be ready tonight too.
Once we're happy with the main parts and their basic shape, size and positions I can move on to actually adding all the details that will make it look almost complete. With that in mind I ask one final time if you're wanting to stick cargo fan doors or shuttle bays in the rear underside cutaway of the main hull, since thats what I'll be modelling tonight.
-------------------- www.kennyscrap.com - where I download crap I make.
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Ok, here's a quick and dirty knock up of what the aft cargo and shuttlebay doors look like.
As for the main body, mate, it was a nightmare just trying to visualise the shape and keep it in my head ! I'm still not convinced I've drawn it right. So I'll be interested to see what you come up with.
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