posted
Actually, Dr. Bob is known for his inaccuracies and assumptions in his art, as visually appealing as it is. The Akira is noticably innacurate - Bernd did a pic a while ago that more obtusely states the similarities in design:
Well, no fucking kidding. One would have to be a complete idiot to think the ENT was a copy of the Akira. Hell, the nacelle pylons point up instead of down! I don't think I've ever heard anyone be stupid enough to claim that the ENT was identical to the Akira.
However, that doesn't change the fact that it was obviously made to resemble that ship very closely in many respects, which the illustration you provide merely accentuates.
capped
I WAS IN THE FUTURE, IT WAS TOO LATE TO RSVP
Member # 709
posted
Well, its been a while since i meshed antything or 3d modeled, but i can see exactly how the original Akira model was manipulated. First, the nacelles and pod were deleted. The bridge was removed too. Most surface details (paneling, phasers, windows) were taken off, probably since they were textures (graphics which were laid onto the hull) The catamarans were scaled, meaning they were sized down but they remain at their original contours just in a different relation to the rest of their model (this is apparent in that they have the same little machinery pod on top of them, just different sized). The flat area that was between the catamarans remains on the NX-01, but it is no longer fit between them because they are much smaller. It shows as a flat square section on the forward saucer. Many other details like this, suchas the forward indentation, are immediately recognizable and retain the same basic dimensions as the original model. The saucer was flattened on one dimension so it would be circular rather than ovular. These are all changes i could make to an Akira model in the matter of a few minutes. Of course, the texturing, windows and lighting would be much more time consuming, as would the construction of new nacelles. But the fact remains that if the NX-01 isnt a copy of the akira, there was either a lot of work done replicating the exact details of the orginal model or there was an amazing coincidence occurring.
-------------------- "Are you worried that your thoughts are not quite.. clear?"
Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
Erm... The differences are significant enough that building an ENT mesh from scratch would be far simpler than editing an Akira mesh.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Erm... The differences are significant enough that building an ENT mesh from scratch would be far simpler than editing an Akira mesh.
Yes. For someone who wanted to reproduce the final NX-01.
But I assume in Drexler's favor that he started with the Akira mesh. At some point, when he had done the changes Captain Mike described, he decided that it was different enough. Bad enough that he was lazy. He didn't bother to change more (basic proportions and the silly little details) and give the ship more individuality.
In case, however, he just took a reference image of the Akira and imitated its look from scratch, I can only call him a plagiator. He could have done *anything*, but he slavishly copied certain details where they are on the Akira too.
[ November 25, 2001: Message edited by: Bernd ]
-------------------- Bernd Schneider
Registered: Mar 1999
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capped
I WAS IN THE FUTURE, IT WAS TOO LATE TO RSVP
Member # 709
posted
I think that if you were modeling the NX-01 from scratch you would be wondering why you needed to take so long to exactly reproduce the greebly on top of the catamarans, rather than simply make a new shape. Do you model or do you just like saying 'erm' to people?
-------------------- "Are you worried that your thoughts are not quite.. clear?"
Registered: Sep 2001
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quote:I think that if you were modeling the NX-01 from scratch you would be wondering why you needed to take so long to exactly reproduce the greebly on top of the catamarans, rather than simply make a new shape.
In a way, that is just my point. Creating the NX-01 with a resembling but not exactly the same configuration was easier than reproducing the Akira (from scratch). It was also easier than creating something completely new. It was actually the laziest thing to do.
I know only few about 3D modeling, only so much that I can tell if someone is lazy or uncreative or both. Just like I can say something like that about a 2D sketch too.
posted
I'm stating to actually be *glad* that they used the catamaran design rather than a three-part structure. If the Deadalus was among the first ships to employ the primary hull/secondary hull/nacelles configuration, then it's actually GOOD that this ship has only a two-part configuration.
-MMoM
-------------------- The flaws we find most objectionable in others are often those we recognize in ourselves.
quote:People bitch when a ship has the general design of the 'Akira' ...
They don't bitch when the vast majority of ships we see have the same general design as the original 'Enterprise' ...
And then other people insist that the NX-Class isn't in any way whatsoever a copy of the Akira-Class, and, when presented with pretty complete evidence that it in fact IS, resort to such arguments as "it takes one to know one" and "you smelt it, you dealt it." And so the wheel turns. . .
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