Bridge Commander Central
BC Forums => BC Modding => Topic started by: aaron067 on November 24, 2010, 11:15:31 PM
-
I'm currently in the (very slow) process of creating a full Star Trek conversion for a game called Sins of a Solar Empire set in the TNG future, circa 2400. A lot of the work I've seen here has sparked many ideas, and I've certainly pushed myself past the limits of what I originally thought was possible as far as my own ability to model and texture.
With that said, I don't actually own BC, but as a big thanks to this community for all of the inspiration I've received here I'd like to offer up any or all of my completed models/textures as I finish them to someone who might be interested and can convert them to Bridge Commander. I'd also like to improve my work through any thoughts/critique. Sins has dozens and sometimes hundreds of ships on a map at once, so I've kept this model to 4600 triangles, plus a single 2048x2048 texture sheet. I do all of my textures in Illustrator, so if someone would like to convert the ship to Bridge Commander, it's a simple matter for me to scale everything up for multiple high res textures with any loss of quality.
My current project, and also my very first 100% from scratch model/texture job, is a refit of the Norway Class. While searching through all of the current models in use in the various ST games, I was struck by how low quality the options for a Norway actually are. Knowing that I was going to create my own model, I decided to throw caution to the wind and re-imagine the ship in a late 24th century/early 25th century refit-style using the colors and design aesthetics seen in the Vesta Class with a few nods to the First Contact-style paint jobs.
I've nearly finished with all of the foundation textures (with only the nacelles left to complete), and then I'll begin adding the remaining details.
***You might also notice a few similarities with Wylie's Proteus Class. I was actually imagining an incredibly similar concept for a light cruiser/interceptor when he first posted that in August, and I wanted to see where he went with it. So, I put that on hold and began this ship with some similar ideas.
-
very interesting design i like it and hope to see more when u ar done
i would include phaser arrays on the ventral side of the pylons and well defined torpedo launchers both forward and aft
-
very interesting design i like it and hope to see more when u ar done
i would include phaser arrays on the ventral side of the pylons and well defined torpedo launchers both forward and aft
Took the words right outta my mouth LOL
It is a very nice take on a great ship :) I personally can't wait to see more!
-
Wow! Lightning-fast responses.
The ventral phaser arrays are a feature I had considered, but I don't remember why I didn't include them. I'll add them in when I get a chance.
There are currently three launchers. Two forward launchers are located just above the deflector array, and a single aft launcher sits just above the shuttle bay/shuttle control. I imagine the ship to specialize primarily in diplomatic missions with a large portion of its interior dedicated to VIP quarters, large conference halls, and facilities meant to entertain and keep those guests comfortable. The secondary mission profile is scientific and short-range exploratory. With that said, I don't really want to load her down with weapons, though quantum torpedoes and type-12 phaser arrays are standard.
-
man this is one sleek looking ship, well done.
-
Now that's cool. I never really cared for the Norway originally, maybe because the model used in the movie was low quality and only served as a background ship. But you've done a really nice job making her more sleek. Her textures especially make her look more "Starfleet" compared to the original. And finally, the placement of the Shuttle Bay is super cool. :thumbsup:
-
Honestly I'm not a fan of the impulse engines, but beyond those, the ship looks fantastic. :)
-
Thanks a lot for the comments, everyone!
Honestly I'm not a fan of the impulse engines, but beyond those, the ship looks fantastic. :)
I wasn't originally, but I went through 4 or 5 different designs before I settled on those. They've grown on me, though I'm not 100% committed to them. My plan is to add some type of colored paneling around them, but I'm interested to see what you don't like about them. It may help me pinpoint my own hesitancy.
-
Beautiful work. I hope we see you around here more often. ;)
I really like this reimagined Norway. I do see elements like the Proteus, and they work nicely. Whether or not they were inspired by it doesn't matter. It came out right.
I would convert it myself, except I don't know how to do that. I'm in the process of making my own ship, but I've only got the modelling, UV mapping, and texturing down.
-
Nice :thumbsup: . This looks better than the original Norway, and I like the way the shuttle bay flows from the saucer. As far as the impulse engines go, maybe just line them up to follow the curve of the rear saucer a little more? :idk:
-
Other than the few things that have been said, very well done.
-
This how the Norway should have looked all along! Well done, I really like her.
-
I wasn't originally, but I went through 4 or 5 different designs before I settled on those. They've grown on me, though I'm not 100% committed to them. My plan is to add some type of colored paneling around them, but I'm interested to see what you don't like about them. It may help me pinpoint my own hesitancy.
Honestly, it's just a subtle change that I'm proposing. The only thing that really irks me is how the outer edges of the impulse manifolds don't flow with the "lines" of the ship. I've attatched a very rough photoshop of what I think MAY look slightly better; note that the outer angles of the manifolds flow, imo, better with the rest of the hull lines. Arrows point to what I mean. Like I said, just subtle. Really it's only a small nitpick.
Also added a texture overtop of the manifold for fun... kinda looked neat, I thought. :P
-
Oh wow that's very Nice, I've never been a fan of the Norway, but that is a beautiful model. Keep up the Excellent work.
-
Oh wow that's very Nice, I've never been a fan of the Norway, but that is a beautiful model. Keep up the Excellent work.
:yeahthat:
-
that's a wonderful ship. The only issue it really has is that it looks far to clean and plain especially from below. Remember, unlike rts games that have hundreds of ships at once, your emphasis on BC should be detail. Don't be afraid to add lots, or even to dirty the ships, especial klingon, to make them look a bit less new. There's nothing at all wrong with a 4500 poly mesh, you've done quite a bit with such low poly, but you can also go to 10-12k for capital ships easily enough. Not that I am saying this ship needs any help in the model department, it's fine. The clean sleek lines really give it the feeling of the norway, the old one was like from the late Ent-C era.
-
Thanks for the heads up. I've darkened the hull paneling a bit because it's practically invisible on these pics. I think it helped a lot.
Once my schedule calms a bit I'll add some additional detailing on the nacelles and around the impulse engines. After that I'll leave it mostly as is because it takes its design cues from the Vesta class, which is fairly clean-looking.
-
don't forget the torpedo tubes.
Phaser locations: The aft ventral area seems a bit vulnerable. Now I know she's manuverable, but you may want to give her some defense there. AN example would be a pair of torp tubes on the back of that flat section (or a phaser) of the engeneering area. Also, on the very top section, dorsal, you have a group of 3 escape pods on each side, a short phaserbank might look good near that area as well.
-
ah SF2 she has torps... look a few posts back.
-
Like what you have done with it. I may be one of the few that likes the Norway design. :)
I really like the Nova class influence in the saucer, works well for a refit design on the ship.
Looking forward in seeing more from you, great job. :thumbsup:
-
ah SF2 she has torps... look a few posts back.
Ok, maybe i didn't look at the right pix but the ones that show the top bottom and stuff I didn't see any for the rear.
-
Ok, maybe i didn't look at the right pix but the ones that show the top bottom and stuff I didn't see any for the rear.
rear torp tube is above the shuttle bay like on the SOV
-
Yeah, the aft torpedo launcher is located along the spine of the shuttlebay.
Here are a couple more pics featuring the new ventral-aft phaser arrays and the subtle darkening of the hull paneling. I still haven't had a chance to address the nacelles or impulse engine areas. Those are on my list for this week, and then I'll get the specular and illumination maps made up so I can import her into my game and take screen shots.
-
can you give ne nacelle grills a deep blue like on the galaxy class? and maybe give the bussards only a deep red? i think that would look much better
-
and that notch where the deflector sits..you gotta line that blank space with something, sorta like voyagers aux deflector...that huge blank spot really stands out.
-
Looking neat there :thumbsup:
-
can you give ne nacelle grills a deep blue like on the galaxy class? and maybe give the bussards only a deep red? i think that would look much better
either that or make the bussads animated(somehow, its your choice) and use a sort of, sovereign inspired nacell grille, that'd be quite awsome.
-
That red is pretty dark as it is, isn't it? What do you want, a ship with blood floating around the bussard collectors?
-
no one said anything about dark, more a constant color. and that being deep red.
-
I can see a more consistent red being used for the collectors. The current texture matches the Sovereign collectors, which emphasize their gaseous nature, but after spending some time looking at other ships (the new images of the Vesta in particular), I'm definitely leaning toward something more similar to the other ships. I will not change the plasma vents to a grill design, but I will experiment with a change in color once I get this into Photoshop. My plan there is to go with more of a turquoise color.
I've also adjusted the color scheme to be darker. The eggshell blue is now blending with the base gray more, and the dark gray accent is much darker. A few minor alterations to the escape pods were also made. The cut-out where the deflector is located is meant to be completely smooth and without additional design or panels. It will have a different level on the specular map so that it appears shinier.
Finally, I'm going to decrease the opacity of the current paneling and add a completely new layer of larger, individually designed panels that fall more in line with the Sovereign and particularly the Vesta. I just haven't been able to shake the feeling that the ship looked incomplete. Some of that is due to it's current lack of hardware details (like sensor panels), but I think the paneling is the biggest issue for me personally.
The light map is mostly finished. Hopefully I can get these changes made this week and get the textures completed. After that, Starforce offered to convert the model to Bridge Commander so that I can get started on a re-imagined Prometheus class (which maintains MVAM but only in two parts and only with two nacelles).
-
Looking good but the ventral is still a bit empty. :)
-
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/trek/vgr_top.jpg
I think you should fill the empty space in front of the deflector dish in it's "notch" with someone similar to whats on the aux deflector at the nose of Voyager pictured above.
-
Just as an update, I now have the properly converted (as far as I can tell from the mpe, anyways) ship in my possession and will start working on it soon.
-
This hp project is on hold. I didn't notice untill I actualy went to begin work tonight that the ship was facing the wrong direction in the MPE.
-
This hp project is on hold. I didn't notice untill I actualy went to begin work tonight that the ship was facing the wrong direction in the MPE.
thats a new one :lostit:
-
This hp project is on hold. I didn't notice untill I actualy went to begin work tonight that the ship was facing the wrong direction in the MPE.
Did you rotate it properly before exporting it? :P
-
The author exported it. The first one had no textures, this one is textured but is backwards. If he can give me the model as a 3ds I can exported it correctly myself but I've not heard back from him yet.
-
thats a new one :lostit:
Normally means wrong nif structure... so not new.
SF send the nif my way ill take a look.
~Jb
-
if you have a means of rotating a nif 180 degrees?
-
if you have a means of rotating a nif 180 degrees?
well the easiest way if you dont have Max or anything is nifskope....
So still send it if you want.
~Jb
-
There have been a few hiccups in the porting process since I don't own Bridge Commander and know very little about the game-specific mesh requirements. I learn fast, though! We'll get it worked out in no time.
My recent project has been an improvement, optimization, and re-texture of the Vesta Class mesh that's been released for Legacy and ported over to BC. With the release of some high res renders by Mark Rademaker, I finally have enough detail to create a more accurate texture map and mesh compared to what was released prior to the their release. While I would have liked to model the ship from scratch, reality and priorities demanded that I only adjust the current mesh. It's been optimized from over 22,000 triangles down to just over 12,000, cleaned up to the absolute best of my abilities, and additional structural elements added/changed that were either missing or incorrect.
My goal is to make the textures as accurate as humanly possible (within the limits of my frustration level). Also, now that I've gotten to know the Vesta class much better, I'll be remaking most of the Norway Refit textures to better resemble the Vesta class since it was my original inspiration.
-
do you know alot about legacy models?
-
Not Legacy models in particular, but a mesh is a mesh as far as I'm concerned. The differences really come into play when it's time to export. The real issue with Legacy models is that they're saved in a format that no program can import without a rare and undistributed plugin. So, someone wishing to port a Legacy model has to get a .obj or .3ds version of the mesh from the original author.
-
I have heard that some people rip the models out of the game with a "3D" print screen.
-
I have heard that some people rip the models out of the game with a "3D" print screen.
Yes, someone was explaining that to me. I was hoping this process would work on high poly mesh renders, the problem is that it recreates an exact replica, and thus you'd just be given another high poly mesh, exactly like the one you already had.
What I was refering to, is if you had experience converting legacy models, because I had some ms3d files I was never able to do anything with. Also I've been handed some by a legacy author though I wont hijack this any further. Maybe aaron, we could hook up over skype or msn some evening to discuss how to sort out the layers of a legacy mesh.
-
I'm really digging the color scheme here.
-
the textures really look...Cannon, even thou the Vesta dosen't have a Cannon Texture Scheme
Are you using this picture for refence?
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/index.php?title=Vesta_class&image=Aventine_rear-jpg
-
nope guessing this.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1oTNGkUkHgM/TPtyg3jQBjI/AAAAAAAACDQ/bcckE47EMvM/s1600/aventine1.png
~Jb
-
Yeah that Ortho seems more...logical.
-
Yeah, that image is one of the ones I've been using. It was truly a godsend because all of the other images were either in perspective or had crappy lighting. There still isn't a great view of the bottom of the ship, unfortunately, and Mark hasn't yet replied to my latest e-mail concerning that, but I think I've managed pretty well. I've also kept the texture resolution reasonable, but I'm just not happy with some of what I'm seeing. When I'm finished and Starforce gets a hold of it I think I'm going to increase the res for Bridge Commander.
In the meantime, here are some picture updates. Aligning everything between the top of the spine and the sides of the secondary hull has been a massive pain(!!!), but what I've got is coming along nicely, I think. All that's left for that section is detailing the forward, dark portion. There were also a few additional changes I needed to make to the mesh to better match the original. I honestly didn't think to check the shape of the secondary hull before I started texturing. It seemed perfectly alright at the time, but there were some inconsistencies that I had to correct in order for the textures to be as accurate as possible (which still isn't as close as I'd like).
We've had some severe icy weather the past few days, and I'm off work again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to knock out most of everything else tomorrow.
-
Never knew the Vesta was so...Blue.
Lol, Great Job So far.
-
awesome work :)
-
Thanks!
There is certainly a lot of blue, but the more I work on her the more I'm really liking the color scheme Mark came up with.
-
that looks dang good
-
There seems to be an issue with the last page of my other thread, so I've started this one until I or a mod can figure out what's going on there.
In the meantime I have an update! I wasn't able to get nearly as much done as I'd hoped, but the dorsal and side portions of the ship are nearly complete. I also discovered that if use Max correctly I can make much better renders for everyone to see... :hithead:
I've tentatively decided this baby's going to be christened the U.S.S. Palatine, registry NCC-86207. I'm open to other names, though, so long as they're limited to one of the seven hills of Rome or other significant Roman architectural or geographical features, or appropriate historical figures.
-
error noted and will be looked into ;)
In the meantime that Vesta is looking great. :)
-
Thanks, nebula. I was trying to post my update with those images when I got some kind of error page. When I tried going back all I got was the blank page that now shows up.
-
had to remove last post to make this topic work again. apologies
Updates! I wasn't able to get nearly as much done as I'd hoped, but the dorsal and side portions of the ship are nearly complete. I also discovered that if use Max correctly I can make much better renders for everyone to see...
I've tentatively decided this baby's going to be christened the U.S.S. Palatine, registry NCC-86207. I'm open to other names, though, so long as they're limited to one of the seven hills of Rome or other significant Roman architectural or geographical features, or appropriate historical figures.
Thanks for the comments so far.
-
Thanks! The post that was merged into this thread has what got deleted, so no problems there.
-
That's a very nice retexture! Any chance of also including the Aventine herself?
-
Sure thing! I could also make a pack of it and include the other 5 original Vesta class ships. It's just a simple matter of changing the registry numbers.
USS Aventine
USS Esquiline
USS Quirinal
USS Cealian
USS Capitoline
USS Palatine
USS Viminal
-
That'd be cool!
-
No kidding! That's awesome! :D
-
I'm currently on hold while I take a short break from the tedious job of texturing and wait to hear from Mark about the colors/design scheme of the underside of the saucer. Hopefully he'll post a ventral ortho of the ship, which will let me check the accuracy on my ventral secondary textures, too. For the time being, here are some updated pics. I'm also going to begin modeling my re-imagined version of the Prometheus. It's only going to have 2 nacelles (splitting into 3 separate ships is just silly), and will be sleeker and more in line with the new slipstream-enabled Starfleet designs.
-
The "USS PALATINE" on the dorsal saucer is kind of hard to see... Otherwise, excellent work! :thumbsup:
-
Thanks! I agree about the registry. For me it's nearly impossible to see, but that's what it's like on the original model. I did experiment with a lighter colored outline surrounding it and also changing the color to navy so it would match other starship registries. Neither looked good in my opinion, so I just went back to the way Mark did it. I'll gladly entertain ideas for some other ways to make it stand out if anyone wants to offer them.
-
Black with a white/red outline perhaps? awesome job so far
-
I suggest doing what Wiley did with his Proteus. Invert the color of the parts of the text that are on the black part.
-
After watching the progress of DJ's Enterprise-E, I wanted to adjust my model creation method a bit. When I made the Norway refit I created an entire model out of splines before adding any detail. It was a little unwieldy, to say the least. With this model I've created one piece at a time while leaving the stack of modifiers in place so that I can adjust any splines down the road. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the improvements I've noticed in my time management and the quality level, and I'm hoping to improve with each successive model. So, thanks a lot for the tip DJ!
The model itself is serving as a Prometheus 2.0, a re-imagining of the design that defied all logic. Originally I was going to create a completely original model, but I kept returning to a mesh that I came across on Deviant Art. I've just recently contacted the original artist to ask permission to model the ship, but hopefully I'll be receiving that soon.
The idea is to update the Prometheus design by including some true design connections with the Sovereign and adding some inspiration from the Vesta Class. Timeline-wise, I'm placing this ship after the Vesta class by several years, possibly as the first ship to be design from the ground up with slipstream drive in mind (thus the oddly uncharacteristic deflector). I've only worked up the ventral portion of the ship so far, minus some details, and will continue with the dorsal sections this upcoming week. I am planning on the ship having MVAM (in 2 parts only), but I'm sort of stumped as I mull over the schematics and the changes I have in mind trying to find a place divide the two hulls. I'll post new pictures as I add new parts.
-
Interesting. Mesh looks pretty clean.
-
So what will this Prometheus look like when she's done?
-
Here's a schematic image from the artist's website. The proportions are off quite a bit, but I'm expecting it to be around 400-450 meters long with the other measurements adjusting themselves appropriated.
I've also gotten permission from the artist to continue with the mesh!
-
I love the nacelles! They are reminiscent of those of one of the Vulcan ships from Enterprise.
(http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060607105435/memoryalpha/en/images/d/db/Vahklas.jpg)
-
Interesting that you should bring that up. While they do look good on the ship, they were one part I was planning on changing because I felt they were just a bit too hot-rodish. You've given me something to think about now, though.
-
Yeah, it's like they're a partial ring drive. I think they should be kept.
-
The Ships's Texture theme, looks like some kinda of Gudman Suit.....
-
indeed they do i was looking at the schematic and i think if u incorperated some elements from the norway class refits nacelles would make them stand out better
-
Interesting that you should bring that up. While they do look good on the ship, they were one part I was planning on changing because I felt they were just a bit too hot-rodish. You've given me something to think about now, though.
Tuvok: "With all due respect, we are not designing a 'hot rod'."
Paris: "That's exactly what we're designing!"
Leave the fins. ;)
-
Interesting that you should bring that up. While they do look good on the ship, they were one part I was planning on changing because I felt they were just a bit too hot-rodish. You've given me something to think about now, though.
You might aswell change them into small fins. They dont look streamlined in that design. might change them to more like a shark fin.
-
OMG.. that original design rocks! :dance make two versions, one with original fins and one with smaller ones.. og, and now I remember what that thing reminded me of.. it's from an old PS1 game, Ace Combat 3..
http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/UI-4054_Aurora (http://acecombat.wikia.com/wiki/UI-4054_Aurora)
-
I'm definitely considering two versions: one with the original fins and another with no fins and redesigned pylons/impulse engines.
In the meantime, here's a very small update. There would have been more but it's taken FOR-E-VER to get a smooth mesh with that deflector cut-away in the dorsal "saucer". I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, but I may tweak the poly subdivision around the center line a bit to see if I can get anything better. Hopefully I can get the rest of the saucer and possibly the after end of the secondary hull churned out tonight.
-
I suggest doing what Wiley did with his Proteus. Invert the color of the parts of the text that are on the black part.
Damn! That Avenger class looks mean! As for the Palatine registries, Shadowknight1 was close to my suggestion....
(http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo221/dEjavU__/FoRruMs/g-2.jpg)
..I was going to mention to do it like how I did Wiley's registries for his a2 port of that ship. ;)
-
I don't really like the red outline, but outlines may be the way to go nonetheless. I'll experiment with various colors when I go back to the textures. Thanks for the suggestion!
On the Prometheus front: I've finished splining out the basic shape of the dorsal secondary hull. None of my objects have been welded together yet, so that's why you're seeing seams. I'm keeping them separate in order to preserve the parametric stacks (easier full-mesh adjustments rather than vertex by vertex). Next will be the command deck superstructure, additional weapon placements, then the pylons and nacelles, and finally any minor details.
-
The Executor :P no, really, the shape looks much like SSD from Star Wars ;) cool
-
There was something oddly familiar about it when I was making the renders last night, and, now that you mention it, a couple of the perspective views do look like the Executor. Once I finish out the rest of the model, I think that'll go away, though.
-
Just a quick update...
The base mesh is still in a semi-raw state (no thrusters, no welding, no deflector, no aft shuttlebay, etc.), but I think adding the pylons and nacelles is going to give the ship a much more finalized feel. I've kept to the template images as closely as possible up to this point, but I'm hoping to pull in a significant Vesta-class connection with the pylons and possibly the nacelles. I'm also considering something more Sovereign-like in that area since the Prometheus was likely an off-shoot of the Sovereign design program, but it all depends on how it looks during the modeling process.
I'm also getting a yearning to go back to the Palatine textures (though I'll have to do some educated guessing since I haven't heard back from Mark yet). In the meantime:
-
its shaping up nicely!
-
Indeed. Work harder! Faster! MOAR! :evil:
-
Thanks for the all the comments so far. I need some to get some opinions on the current state of the pylons and nacelles, but I first need to share how much I absolutely loathe designing them both.
:banghead: :hithead: :idk: :help:
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, here's where I'm at. The nacelles are a combination of Sovereign and Vesta with a hint of DJ's Athena thrown in because I wanted the additional phaser coverage. They're still in a fairly incomplete state, but I'm curious to know what you think about the positioning on each axis, the general shape, and the shape of the pylons.
-
My first impressions are bring them a bit closer to the saucer but that's just me, other than that it looks great!
-
That is something I've toyed with. I'll have to adjust the position and/or angle of the pylons to accomplish it unless I decide to lower the nacelle and attach the pylon on the inner side rather than the bottom. None of which is a problem, of course. I'm just talking out loud, as the saying goes.
-
Here's what I would do in your position:
I'd drag the pylons and nacelles forward some more, so that they sit about halfway between the end of the saucer and the shuttlebay. Also, the nacelles both feel too far out and too thin in the top view. And lastly, the lower ends of the bussards are too angular. I would round them out a bit. ;)
-
Hm, so the consensus so far is that the nacelles need to be moved forward. Just as a note to those of you contributing, the Vesta's nacelles attach just behind the bussard. So, they actually sit further back than these. On the other hand, it has a rather large hump extending off the saucer where the shuttlebay is, so the profile makes more sense.
Farshot: Thanks for your thoughts! The bussards are actually pulled directly from the Vesta class. The nose end is flattened and actually serves as a cap with spindly little support arms reaching around the bussard and attaching to the forward edge of the nacelle. It should make a lot more sense once it gets textured. The Vesta class also has narrow nacelles, but that's something I might change as I tweak the shape some more.
Here's a forward ortho shot that might give you a different perspective.
-
I shopped the previous two pics to show what I mean better. Three differences:
1. Bussard is slightly curved at the lower tip.
2. Pylons are a bit further forward.
3. Nacelles are wider.
I'm already quite satisfied with how it looks, don't worry about that, it's just that, if in my hands, these are the things I would change. :thumbsup:
-
I've already made the changes you suggested and am equally satisfied and also a bit amused that our changes are nearly identical. I'll post some pics once I finish with the pylon/nacelle mount structure.
-
Sweet. ;) Bouncing ideas is pretty fun.
-
Okay. Here are the changes:
1) Reshaped the nacelles to make them wider. There's some work I need to do around the bussards to clean up the mesh itself, though.
2) Moved the nacelles forward quite a bit and toward the center of the ship just a bit.
3) Reshaped the pylons to connect with the nacelles. I also have the happy fortune of their shape now being very similar to the designer's newest class, Ark Royal.
4) Removed the vents on the dorsal secondary hull. I'm going to place secondary impulse engines there for saucer separation.
-
I apologize for the lack of updates over the past week, but I didn't bother taking my laptop with me on a much-needed vacation. I spent some time today redoing some of the nacelle and adding the final touches to complete the base model. Impulse engines will be added on the pylons ala Voyager and the original Avenger specs, plus some additional aft-facing weapon placements.
What I'd really like some opinions on, though, is a separation point for MVAM (in just two parts). I've been planning to separate the ship just behind the shuttle bay that's attached the command deck superstructure, but I'm not sure that's the best way to go. I was also planning to add some impulse engines (in a pop out kind of design) extending from the side of the secondary hull just below that shuttle bay for the saucer to use during separation. Any thoughts are welcome on that front.
-
So, I've taken a short recess from the Prometheus to allow the design to settle in a bit before I make any more decisions. At the moment, I think the current pylon/nacelle setup makes the ship look a bit clunky, not at all sleek and graceful, and a little too similar to the E-E in the fore and aft orthos. After finishing up the Palatine I think I'm going to go back to the original model design with pylons and nacelles extending straight out from the hull, ala the Intrepid. I think that might produce the results in standing with what I'm looking for.
And speaking of the Palatine, I'm almost finished with the glows. Just the nacelles and a few odds and ends left to go.
-
OOH, use the glow deffering stuff jb does!
-
Diffuse and Specular texture maps are complete! I'm still not sure how to produce the best render results for specular maps, though. I'm afraid you can't tell much about them because of that. I plan to look up light sources and the Specular Level stuff in Max tomorrow. I'm about 50% finished with the illumination map, too. It should all be complete by tomorrow evening if I don't get distracted by anything in the meantime.
-
Great job please do an orthographic view when your done
-
Thanks! All perspectives, or do you have a specific angle in mind?
-
Looks pretty good to me! I love the Vesta-class design
-
Textures complete! I've noticed some places where there should be a residual glow, like the forward scoop doesn't reflect light from the secondary deflector as it should. I'm not sure if that can be remedied by this new colored glow technique that's being experimented with, though. I'll leave that to someone who knows the ins and outs of BC and Nifscope, while I correct it the old-fashioned way.
If anyone notices anything that seems to be missing or seems off, let me know. It's been a long, time-consuming project, and I was bound to miss something here or there. Are there any experienced takers who'd like to work out the scripts for the Palatine (and essentially port it into BC)?
-
Excellent job! Cookie time! :D
-
Thanks! Now I just have to create a bump map for the game I made it for (Sins of a Solar Empire) and simplify the mesh so I can create a less polygon-intensive shell for the hull-hugging shield mesh.
-
She looks good to me! I just hope that you plan on having other regs for it other than the Palatine.
-
Additional registries aren't a problem. The original seven ships of the class will be included, but I can do some up by request, too.
-
I think I'm in love.
-
Thank You for the orthos shes beautiful :yay:
-
My pleasure. And thanks for the compliments to everyone!
-
Really nice job!
I have to say that I've always had mixed feelings for the design of this class of starship. In some ways I think it unbalanced and awkward... also a little "busy". In other ways I think it looks elegant and "techy" in a cool sort of way. In either case, it's a Federation starship of distinction... and that's good enough for me.
Cookie.
-
Don't like the ship itself but you did an awesome job with it.
-
Yeah i forgot a cookie from me just an amazing job!
-
Your ship is AWESOME dude! :D Cookie!
-
Thanks for all the great comments! I'm working on weapon, shield, and movement scripting in the game I created the Palatine for, but once I'm complete with that I'll make the registry changes for a Vesta Class Pack. I'm still looking for someone interested in scripting the ship for Bridge Commander, though.
In the meantime, I need some opinions on weaponry. The two Mark XII phaser cannons located just above the forward torpedo launchers are only mentioned in one Star Trek novel (Mere Mortals). My quandary is that I'm not sure what type of weapon this is:
The description in the book that refers to the weapons firing refers to deep thrumming sounds that reverberate throughout the entire ship and phaser "blasts", which I think leans more to a beam-style weapon (ala the phaser cannon on the Galaxy-X in All Good Things). In addition, the beam weapons on the NX-00 Enterprise are called phase cannons.
Meanwhile, STO uses the term phaser cannon for the type of pulse phaser we see the Defiant using. This also seems to be the general direction that many websites are going as well.
So, should the Mark XII phaser cannons spit out powerful beams or shield-breaking pulses?
-
Beams.
I think they just look cooler.
-
Beams because that's what the description sounds like.
-
Yep I say beams too.
-
So, it's been almost a month since I last posted in this thread. In that time I've been able to complete my pack of textures for the Vesta class, which includes the Vesta, Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and the Viminal. I'm waiting for Filefront to get their crap together and fix the picture issue before I release that pack, though.
-
I like it! :D
-
Long story made short: I didn't like what I had for the Prometheus redesign.
I've now redesigned most of this ship at least twice, but I'm looking for some advice on the spine area of the engineering hull because I'm still no happy with it.
Also, as I read through Rick Sternbach's original concepts for the Prometheus (and looked at his sketches) I was surprised to find out he had originally planned for the ship to split into five separate parts. The producers felt that it would be difficult to effectively use/feature all five parts at once on screen, so they cut it down to three. The 4th and 5th vessels were merely going to be drones or attack fighters, which is something I've been thinking about exploring. My current thought is to somehow utilize the captain's yacht area as a small, automated drone in order to achieve the trinity that was the heart of the original Prometheus concept.
Here are some updated images, too.
-
Nice stuff :thumbsup:
-
I'm starting to like this.
-
It's nice to see a person with comparatively little posts doing so much for the community. :thumbsup: Your modeling quality sure is top notch, with elegant curves and few smoothing errors. Regarding this design in particular, I like and/or love pretty much all of it. The loves are the overall shape, the nacelles, the Vesta-class-like bridge area, the Argonaut-class-like upper saucer, and the new, more traditional deflector. :)
There are a couple areas that I think could do with a bit of improvement though, namely the impulse engines and the bussard collectors. With the impulse engines, I'd suggest you differentiate the fore and aft set a bit. They look very much copy/pasted. Also, the holes look sort of simply drilled into the bulges, kind of like Flash Gordon-sytle sci-fi. Lastly, regarding the bussard collectors, I think that in the top view they look too pointy. Perhaps broaden them out a little.
I attached a sketch that includes a couple of ideas regarding the impulse engines and the bussards. Personally, I think you could extend the Vesta class influence to the impulse engines, both fore and aft.
-
Love it, brother! Your mesh work is very good!
I've always wished I could sketch like FarShot :D
-
Very nice, clean work.
But... I think the back ends of those nacelles are a bit too pointy. The ship feels a bit like if I were doing an inspection of it in a shuttle I'd be afraid of a hull puncture if I got too close :D
Very good work!
Cookie.
-
Thanks for the comments!
I completely agree regarding the pointy-ness of the nacelles. I haven't touched those in so long that I forgot it was something I wanted to fix. I've been thinking of redesigning the nacelles slightly anyway, so I'll just add that to the list of reminders.
Farshot: I can't believe I didn't think more along the lines of the Vesta class regarding the impulse engines! You hit it on the head when you said the saucer engines look like a copy/paste. Though, to be fair, I did want them to resemble the saucer impulse engines on the Prometheus, and I think they are close in that respect. The exhaust vents are definitely just drilled into the main structure, too, which is something I was thinking about detailing further just yesterday. I'm not sure if you visited the thread when I first started this project, but the impulse engines as they currently stand are an exact replica of what was on the Avenger (the inspiration). Be that as it may, most of the design has strayed from the original mesh, so I don't have a problem changing the engines to resemble Mark's Vesta-class design.
-
I really like the nacelles how they are it adds to the feeling the ship is a pointy sharp object of war :D
-
Ah yes, I remember the version with the warp fins. And I do sympathesize with the whole Prommie-like pods, though on the original Prommie I still think they looked tacked-on. :P
-
Farshot: Touche! You're right, of course. I'll see what I can do about fusing a bit of the original Prometheus design with Vesta engines.
Constable: I agree. I love the general shape of the nacelles, particularly the alternating depth between the Z and X axis. The way the end tapers from the top view, but expands from the side view gives the entire mesh a balance I wasn't able to achieve any other way. If I do change something, it'll be on the detail level, such as redoing the grills or adding some more greeble-type stuff ala the Vesta nacelles.
-
I was about to say, the nacelles look fine to me too.
-
Preliminary WIP shots of the new saucer impulse engines. I'm just looking for thoughts on the direction I'm headed in, though I can already say I'm unsatisfied with how they're integrated into the back part of the saucer at the moment. I'm just exploring options before I redesign that piece of the mesh.
-
Images of a slightly less obtrusive cutout in the aft saucer. I also inverted the curve of the aft drive section because concave hull lines made it much easier to create an aesthetically pleasing cutout. The shape of that indention isn't quite right, but I think it's much better than what I posted last night.
-
Looks much better. Now for something similar on the nacelle pylons.
-
Wow thats a sexy beast, now i can't wait for this :D
-
Looks much better. Now for something similar on the nacelle pylons.
Agreed. I sort of liked what Farshot came up with in his sketches for the pylons. I would suggest instead of laying the impulse engine on top of the pylons, that you would do something that would cover both sides of the pylon and have the ribbing you came up with from the saucer on it.
I like the second pics of the revised saucer impulse by the way.
She is an awesome looking ship. :thumbsup:
A well deserved cookie too.
-
Thanks! While FarShot didn't actually draw the underside of the pylons, the Vesta's aft impulse structures do wrap all the way around. If you go back a page or two in the thread you can see some renders of my Vesta class U.S.S. Palatine, which displays the engine design Farshot and I are inspired by. I'll be sticking with that when I get to the pylons, so no worries there.
-
Sorry I haven't replied earlier. I've been on a little road trip with my family over the weekend and didn't get a chance to access the interwebs. :P
That being said, I really like the new direction you've gone with the saucer impulse engines. If there's one thing I would change, it would be to take the part that's colored black on the Vesta class and take it back a little. Right now you have it going like:
______________
|| || || || || ||
|| || || || || ||
|| || || || || ||
I would suggest:
______________
| _ _ _ _ _ |
|| || || || || ||
|| || || || || ||
|| || || || || ||
Also, I'm happy with the news of the aft impulse engines. :thumbsup:
Cookie time!
-
FarShot: I know what you mean. I extended the exhaust part of the engine quite a bit from what I originally did because I was thinking of that, but I guess it doesn't have the intended affect. I know exactly what I can do, and I think it'll solve another issue I'm having as well. I'll post some renders when I make the changes.
Edit: Changes made. I'm still trying to come up with a way to make that inside edge of the cutaway look better. Any thoughts, or is it fine the way it is? I'll get to work on the pylon engines in the meantime.
-
It's kinda hard to make a judgement call about the fore impulse engines at the moment. I see the necessity for a cutout, and yet there's the issue of getting them to look right.
I have a couple ideas, but that depends on something: Are you still going to go with your original plan of a two-piece separation?
-
That depends. I'm not married to any one idea at the moment. What do you have in mind?
-
Well, depending on where the separation plane is, you could work the cutout into the plane. The sketch I made is a bit rough, as from the shots you posted, I can't really make out the exact shape of the cutout, but I tried. Essentially, the cutout would form the top surface of the cobra head.
-
That's definitely not something I'd thought about. I'd decide long ago that the separation plane would be at the seam of the aft-facing saucer panel and the secondary hull, but I like the line you've come up with. It makes sense, and it also gives the saucer piece the same general shape as the Prometheus saucer piece. I think I'll need to rework that seam a bit so that it flows a bit better, I'll definitely look into it.
In the meantime, I've minimized the cutout even further.
-
Wait! It was better when it was larger. At this point it seems a bit awkward, since it's half-hidden behind the engine. I tell you, when I run into a problem where I just can't get used to a certain part of a mesh, I take a step back and stop going about it the way I was. If you can't get it to work right for you, try a different approach. For instance, instead of two impulse drives, why not have one single long one at the rear of the saucer? Or perhaps having them hidden by the separation plane, so that the two engines mounted on the pylons are the only ones visible when it's integrated?
-
Well, the entire point of their current position and number is that the original Prometheus had them there. That's pretty much all there is to it.
-
I agree, Locke. I had intended to step back, but there were too many aspects of that area that didn't sit well with me. If it weren't for the fact that this design is intended to be a updated and somewhat more realistic take on the Prometheus and it's multi-vector assault mode, I'd scrap the twin impulse engines and saucer and turn that shuttle bay into one large engine.
As it stands, I've reworked the shape of the spine as it passes from the saucer to the engineering hull, which removed the sharp seam between those two sections. I'm hopeful that it will give me a much better starting point for creating a separation point that integrates the impulse engines and the required cutout.
-
In reference to the point about the original having them there, I would like to point out that the Excelsior class refit (Enterprise B) had a whole new set of impulse engines added to the saucer, and the Galaxy X refit had a completely reconfigured set of impulse drives as well. My point being that just because you're revamping the design does not mean you have to stick to every single design aspect of the original.
-
But both the Excelsior class refit and Galaxy X still had the original saucer impulse engines.
Being completely straightforward, I think the new saucer impulse engines themselves look great, especially with that forked front that blends into the saucer. The only issue I see is the cutout, and Aaron's tackling that issue. I think we should wait to see what his alterations look like before we debate just how far the refit should differentiate.
-
Not really fond of the premmie styling in general but this one is starting to grow on me. Like how you did the aft facing torp launchers. Thats what they should have done with the refitted E.
-
Redid the cutouts to match an earlier version and added in the separation plane.
-
Looks like you have some mesh-smoothing errors there around the impulse engines, but otherwise it looks pretty sweet. I will say that it would be nicer to have some engines that blend more into the overall shape of the ship. Much like the engines on the Sovereign. :idk:
-
Unfortunately, that is not an option with the design of this mesh. It's something that I thought about early on and just couldn't find a design that looked right. Be that as it may, the current engines are based on the Vesta class design and give the ship a decidedly more aggressive posture, which I like.
The smoothing error was actually an unwelded vertex. Thanks for the heads up, though,
-
The first picture is just a little experiment I wanted to have a go at before I modeled the aft impulse engines. The other two images are, obviously, updates with the aft engines added to the mesh.
-
I have a feeling that Klingons would appreciate this ship, as it reminds me of a dagger or short sword.. :thumbsup:
-
Looking excellent! :D
On the side, is the experiment the pylons? I like the original versions, slightly swept forward, better than the experiment ones.
-
Thanks for the comments!
Yes, the experiment was the pylons. I had originally tried them swept back like that, but I recently found a mesh of a 25th century ship online that executed a similar design very well (from the top, anyway), so I just wanted to give it another shot. As it turns out, I agree completely with you. Not only were the original Prometheus pylons swept forward, but I think the forward angle gives the ship a more aggressive posture and balances the mesh from all possible perspectives. It seems as though the backward swept pylons are usually reserved for the explorer-type vessels, anyhow.
-
but I think the forward angle gives the ship a more aggressive posture and balances the mesh from all possible perspectives. It seems as though the backward swept pylons are usually reserved for the explorer-type vessels, anyhow.
That is what the designers of the Enterprise-E were thinking, but be careful on forward-sweeping pylons, you might get the "chicken-wing" effect. :funny
-
U.S.S. Hens Flight, U.S.S. Rooster..? :funny
-
This'll probably be the last update I make for about a week. I have an out-of-town work conference, and I've got some major coding that I have to work out to see if MVAM with three pieces is even a possibility in Sins of a Solar Empire. Recombining two halves of a vessel wasn't something even conceived of for the game and, for a long time, was thought to be impossible. But, I was able to figure that out with a fairly elegant (if complex) solution, so I'm hopeful I can do the same thing with three pieces. The result of that work will determine whether I go with two or three separate vessels here. If I'm successful, my current plan is for the third ship to be a small fighter-type vessel that makes up or detatches from the front tip of the lower saucer rim where the yacht currently sits.
In the meantime, here are some images with all of the appropriate seams welded so you have a better idea of the final version of the ship. I've also replaced phaser strips on the sections that have been reconstructed, and all the impulse engines are "finalized"... for now, at least.
-
She looks fantastic. Love the impulse on the pylons. Very nice detail on all so far. :thumbsup:
After viewing the new pics, I would suggest angling the ends of the impulse engines on the saucer the same as on the pylons, I think they would fit the contour of the groove you made on the saucer nicely.
-
Thanks!
I took a few minutes to experiment with changing the angle of the saucer engines, and I think you could be on to something. I'll have to find just the right angle that strikes a balance between fitting with the cutouts and fitting with the separation plane, though.
-
I just had a thought. If you sloped the cutout so that it slopes up as it goes from the port/starboard side to the inward side, a side effect would be that the angle of the cutout would be less dramatic. Thus that would help you balance those two angles you were referring to better.
EDIT: I whipped up a demo model really quickly to clarify what I was thinking. Since you were trying to get the engine angle to be a compromise between the cutout and the aft engine angle, why not alter the cutout angle this way to achieve that balance?
-
Thanks for the effort! Unfortunately, the current angle of the cutout already slopes up at the exact same rate as the engine itself. Had it been a level cut across the mesh, the cutout would have jutted much further out (been there, done that).
With that said, I might need to adjust the height of the engine itself to create a steeper slope. Everything's a possibility at the moment.
-
Just to prove that I haven't fallen off the face of the planet, here's a little teaser of what I've been working on in the very small bit of free time I've had since school began.
-
i like it. But please those nacelle grilles to a more blueish teint.
-
I like the nacelle colors just the way they are a nice change....
-
i say leave em as is, they go with the ship, and it has that "new proto type" look to it
-
who knows. it may use Borg Transwarp/Slipstream deriviation components
I musta missed this thread, 'cause I've never seen this development before.
-
I really like the coloration on that ship.
-
Looking great Aaron. :D
-
Very nice job on her so far. :thumbsup:
-
Do like it ! awesome design, awesome color scheme, can't wait to see it finished. Have a cookie :)
-
Thanks for all the compliments regarding the color scheme! It's obviously a derivation of the Vesta-class design philosophy, but I wanted it to have a darker, more aggressive appearance given the nature of the ship's mission goals. Unfortunately, I'm have trouble finding just the right hull armor design for the secondary hull. Once I have that figured out I should have more updates.
I'm not married to the nacelle plasma vent color; however, I like it very much the way it is right now. I'll experiment with a slightly bluer shade, but the greenish hue lends itself to slipstream technology much better in my opinion.
-
I have a feeling that Klingons would appreciate this ship, as it reminds me of a dagger or short sword.. :thumbsup:
That, my friend, I totally, 100%, agree with.
And.... THIS. SHIP. IS. SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
But in all seriousness, this ship is one of THE BEST ships i have ever seen!
Keep it up!!! ;)
EDIT:
And, the nacelles, are looking PERFECT!!! I absolutely LOVE this ship!
EDIT #2: SLIPSTREAM???? WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! :dance :yay: :bow:
-
Nice work, looks sharp :thumbsup:
-
Just an initial thought for an alternative paint scheme to better match the refit Vesta-class coloration.
-
Hmmm...if you do that, you might use that for an NCC-designate ship and keep the darker scheme for the NX prototype.
-
Funny that you should mention that. The new color scheme Mark came up with for the Vesta-class is specifically for the NCC version. The Vesta and Aventine both began with the black, blue, and gray, but his plan was to refit the Aventine to have just blue and gray.
-
I would go for an armored version. this one looks too... gentleb - texture wise of course ;)
-
I'm still around, but October and November are very busy months in my profession. The textures aren't much further along, but I decided to redo parts of the nacelles because they just didn't seem like a practical design. With each part that I remodeled, I decided another needed to change. So, now I've finally decided to redo the entire nacelle. I might have some pics up later tonight.
-
WHAAAAAAAAAAT? The nacelles were great! :(
-
The nacelles were really due for a rebuild anyway, as they were the last bit of the original ship that hasn't gotten that attention yet. They'll still be very similar, but the plasma vents were just ridiculous. They had way too much surface area for this to be a tactically-oriented class, so I'm going to incorporate a few ideas from the Vesta class nacelles in addition to a few new ones. When I'm done they'll look a bit leaner and give the ship a slightly more menacing appearance.
-
The nacelles were really due for a rebuild anyway, as they were the last bit of the original ship that hasn't gotten that attention yet. They'll still be very similar, but the plasma vents were just ridiculous. They had way too much surface area for this to be a tactically-oriented class, so I'm going to incorporate a few ideas from the Vesta class nacelles in addition to a few new ones. When I'm done they'll look a bit leaner and give the ship a slightly more menacing appearance.
:( The plasma vents(the warp grille?) was part of the nacelle that I really, really liked.
-
Or you could go the way the Akyazi Class (http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2964/akyazi2oz0.jpg) went and shield the plasma vents. Of course, you would probably want to use some sort of curved style, but the idea's the same.
-
The nacelles are close to done, but I've got a few more details I want to add before I unveil them. In the meantime, I started on hull panel detailing, ship markings, and windows. Here's a couple of teaser shots.
-
liking how she looks :P she has some great lines :thumbsup:...cookie duly given
-
Sweet. I always look forward to updates from you! Can't wait for the nacelle reveal. :thumbsup:
-
I see potential here Farshot.
Obviously this is derivative of the Prometheus.
I have a long list of projects I'd like to tackle once I get the right system and Prometheus is like...3rd or 4th on my list, It's literally the worse designed ship in all of Trek. Even as a design it's a flawed concept but the implementing of that concept was by far a larger flaw. Most of it is the MSD: shuttles sitting on the separation plane of ship, and the lack of a sep plane for the secondary hull, landing gear where there are no ports on the outside,
This ship has what Prometheus lacks...attention to detail.
You should considering redoing Prometheus as the ship it should have been.
-
I see potential here Farshot.
Obviously this is derivative of the Prometheus.
I have a long list of projects I'd like to tackle once I get the right system and Prometheus is like...3rd or 4th on my list, It's literally the worse designed ship in all of Trek. Even as a design it's a flawed concept but the implementing of that concept was by far a larger flaw. Most of it is the MSD: shuttles sitting on the separation plane of ship, and the lack of a sep plane for the secondary hull, landing gear where there are no ports on the outside,
This ship has what Prometheus lacks...attention to detail.
You should considering redoing Prometheus as the ship it should have been.
Do you mean me, Farshot, or Aaron, the maker of the model here? :P
Another reason I ask is because I do recall giving Aaron some suggestions here and there. I do tend to believe I have a small knack for ship design, even if I can't get my ass of the couch long enough to put out... wait, that didn't come out right.
Oh, Aaron, forgot to mention this, but I'm totally digging the name choice. Cerberus is golden. :thumbsup:
-
Hmmm.
My mistake I thought this was a Farshot project. Sorry I guess that does go to aaron.
-
The idea did indeed begin as a re-design of the Prometheus. Unfortunately, the more I worked with the MVAM approach the less certain I became that it could actually work with this ship and as an engineering principle in general. If you look back a page or two you'll see my struggle with that particular feature. Ultimately, I just wasn't able to create two parts of the ship that both maintained an aesthetically pleasing and logical design...at least, not two parts that fit my particular design tastes. She'll still be outfitted with the latest defensive technologies, though. When I'm done she'll pack one heck of a wallop and hopefully look beautiful doing it.
-
Just a quick update from a different perspective. I've been redoing the windows over and over trying to make them just right. I've added a few more details, too, plus I took the time to cut out a docking port on the secondary hull. I'm having trouble matching the color of the doors, so it isn't pictured yet.
-
Looking nice!
-
Just a quick question, how did you actually get the shape of the saucer section? ive been trying to do that for my new project and im failing terribly at it.
-
I use spline caging for all of my foundation modeling. The entire hull plus the basic shape of the nacelles is done with just splines, then I add a surface. If I don't like the shape I'm able to adjust the splines, which means I can see an immediate change to the mesh with a single tweak. As long as I haven't made any radical cuts to the mesh I can keep going back to the splines to make adjustments if necessary. I do one side of the model then, when I'm happy with it, I mirror it to create the other side. I know of some people who use spline caging for everything, while others don't use it for anything. I find, with my particular approach to modeling (which is colored heavily by my being somewhat of a perfectionist), that spline caging allows me much greater flexibility than just messing with polygons and vertices. It's taken me a couple of years to get to this point, and I still learn a great deal with each model that I work on.
Also, bear in mind that I've been working on this ship for almost a year now. It started as a recreation of another mesh I found online, with me using spline caging almost exclusively, and then it gradually morphed until I had completely redesigned the entire ship one piece at a time. Because of that I had to sort of piece everything together as inspiration revealed itself instead of having a single goal from the beginning. That's given me the opportunity to really learn how to manipulate a mesh with ease. My biggest struggle still comes from finding a balance between my desire for greater detail and quality and keeping the number of polygons at a reasonable amount. Fortunately, this one's still sitting at ~15k.
-
Another quick update. I haven't begun adding the armor texture to the nacelles yet, but here's a small glimpse. Additional features are the new docking port, windows, and escape pods on the secondary hull.
-
Looking better every time i see it. Nice so far. :thumbsup:
Realy like the textures you are using on the bussards and warp area. Are you going to add grills in that part of the engine, or leave as is?
-
THX for the help, im giving it ago now, though in MAX 2011 its a pain because all the tools have moved or been renamed....ah well.
-
The idea did indeed begin as a re-design of the Prometheus. Unfortunately, the more I worked with the MVAM approach the less certain I became that it could actually work with this ship and as an engineering principle in general. If you look back a page or two you'll see my struggle with that particular feature. Ultimately, I just wasn't able to create two parts of the ship that both maintained an aesthetically pleasing and logical design...at least, not two parts that fit my particular design tastes. She'll still be outfitted with the latest defensive technologies, though. When I'm done she'll pack one heck of a wallop and hopefully look beautiful doing it.
I went to see it:
I really believe that Prometheus had a good shape already. (At least for the combine sections)
It's the individual parts and how they came together that was troublesome.
-That massive separation plane between the top and bottom section was just not a good idea.
-The X Pylons shouldn't meet at all (that's metal on metal in a sensitive area for no reason) Each Pylon should come out of the middle of it's respective secondary hull (as you would see them from bow or aft)
-There bottom ship should have a separation plane like that of the Supposed Sovereign Separation instead of this wide squid like separation plane.
-The middel ship should have gotten the wide squid separation plane
-The twig like warp nacelles on the Saucer just HAVE TO GO...there is no WAY nacelles of that size can drive a ship that big at warp 9.9
(those engines should be outboard...and be incorporated into the saucer aft port and starboard and should be AT LEAST the size or mass of Defiant's coils)
-This would put the impulese engines (ala Intrepid) out on the pylons
Yes it would be a bit of radical redesign when it comes to the features but it should look much the same in the overall shape.
It should look like a combination of Defiant and Sovereign without looking like a Kitbash. After Defiant and Sovereign were arguably supposed to be part that "NEW CLASS" of ship Sisko spoke of. Might as well look like it was from the same Advanced Starship Project too.
That's just my take.
-
Loving what we can see of the nacelle. Looking forward to more. :thumbsup:
-
I'm still dragging my feet with the nacelles...no new textures there yet. But the details continue to be added.
-
Out of curiousity, would there be any interest in making an "alternate texture set" eventually, with a more traditional 24th Century style?
Not that I mind the 25th Century style (not at all actually, looks pretty cool). But it would be kinda interesting to see a "Prometheus, the way it should've been", with contemporary styling :P
-
Unfortunately, no. I have a long list of ships that need to be done, and it takes me WAY too long to texture to justify doing something I won't ever use. I did play around with it for a bit, but I wasn't able to come up with anything that looked like what you wanted without changing the fundamental armor pattern. Just for the record, this texture design is based on the Vesta, which is a late 24th century ship.
Here's the product of my playing around:
-
Part of me still misses the older nacelles but those look pretty good too. :thumbsup:
-
Very nice.
-
I wanted to make sure I was on point with the size of some of my details, so I made a side-by-side comparison.
-
Nice work :thumbsup:
-
Very nice, matches up well. :thumbsup:
-
I really like that ship.
-
Thanks for the comments! I've gotten a great start on the ventral side of the saucer, but I need some other opinions on adding window ports to the dorsal part of the secondary hull. I've included a few renders with the windows added, plus another without for comparison. Personally, I find the new windows make the ship too busy. Also take into consideration the fact that it's mission is primarily tactical, and the additional windows seem even further out of place. I've mostly made up my mind, but I wanted to see what others thought before I deleted them completely.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser4.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser4.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser3.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser3.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser2.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser2.jpg)
-
How about you compromise? Have windows, but just make them circular ports, like those on the NX-01. Allows the crew to look out, doesn't compromise hull integrity (much), gives the ship more detail, but not too much.
-
It isn't really the practical aspect of the ship design as related to its mission that bothers me. It's just me not liking the windows right there. If others think there needs to be some kind of detailing in that area I can replace the windows with something technological. Your comments did make me rethink my window shape, though. I'll need to double check a high-res render of Mark's original Aventine model, but I'm thinking his windows were opposite mine: vertical rectangles with heavily rounded corners rather than horizontal.
-
Looking at the mods so far, the windows seem to be either round portholes or vertical rectangle. Better check Mark's actual model. :p But I think round portholes would be a good solution.
-
what about an airlock like on the connie refit? Or maybe something that looks like a hookup for a docking umbilical. It could even just be plating that looks like it covers an airlock/umbilical hookup, and slides off when in use.
-
The ports on the Aventine are in fact vertical rectangles with heavily rounded corners...an oversight I'll have to correct on my Vesta-class textures when I get a chance. I've modified the windows on the Cerberus accordingly, and I think it dialed by the clutter factor quite a bit. Also, BFGfreak, you'll notice there's already a docking port modeled in and textured on the port and starboard side of the secondary hull.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser-1.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser-1.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser2-1.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser2-1.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/th_CerberusTeaser3-1.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/?action=view¤t=CerberusTeaser3-1.jpg)
-
I've finally completed the re-envisioned Prometheus-class U.S.S. Cerberus. I've posted some beauty shots in my deviant art gallery, but for some reason I couldn't get the spectral map to really show the contrasting hull plates like the game engine does. I'm still figuring out that part of 3ds Max, so hopefully I can get some better ones soon. Orthos soon to come, as well.
http://aaron067.deviantart.com/gallery/35282009 (http://aaron067.deviantart.com/gallery/35282009)
-
Awesome!
-
Orthos are now up at the above link. I'm not quite sure what my next project will be, but here's a partial list of upcoming projects. I'll take suggestions, if anyone's interested.
Merian-class U.S.S. Planck (http://drexfiles.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/technofold_2012_r06.jpg) - by Mark Rademaker
Vulcan Cruiser (http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/images/vulcan/cruiser_unknown.jpg) - sketch by John Eaves, originally designed for Star Trek Online.
Original Enterprise F class, circa 2400
STO Non-Military Starbase Concept (http://gaming.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/startrekonline/conceptart/Main_concept_STO_TellunStn.jpg)
STO Military Starbase (http://gaming.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/startrekonline/conceptart/Main_concept_STO_EpsilonEL.jpg)
Valdore-type Warbird
-
So when are you going to get it converted for Bridge Commander?
-
Well, I don't actually do the converting since I don't own BC. So, it's really up to someone who's interested in seeing it in-game to convert it. Plus, I've got the Vesta-class, which is the most accurate and highly detailed game-version available, as far as I know.
-
You could try your hand at the Inferno if you want to, im not gonna be able to make that ship anytime soon (probably not for another 2 and a half years)
-
Well, I don't actually do the converting since I don't own BC. So, it's really up to someone who's interested in seeing it in-game to convert it. Plus, I've got the Vesta-class, which is the most accurate and highly detailed game-version available, as far as I know.
Then shouldn't this be in the 3D Art section? This section is primarily for BC Mods.
-
Then shouldn't this be in the 3D Art section? This section is primarily for BC Mods.
The models are intended for BC, much like how FarShot and Bones are collaborating to get the models FS is making in-game and functioning. If this were originally intended for art purposes, that would've been specified much much earlier. :)
-
Bingo :thumbsup:
-
The models are intended for BC, much like how FarShot and Bones are collaborating to get the models FS is making in-game and functioning. If this were originally intended for art purposes, that would've been specified much much earlier. :)
Well, then I stand corrected and hope that someone can help you get the Cerberus ingame.
-
Presenting the early stages of my interpretation of the Mulciber-class U.S.S. Achilles, based on sketches of a Vulcan cruiser by John Eaves. Mark Rademaker will be doing his own rendition as part of his Full Circle Fleet project, but it'll be several years before it debuts. Because I like this design so much, I decided to turn it into a temporary Mulciber of my own.
http://aaron067.deviantart.com/#/d4qaoi6 (http://aaron067.deviantart.com/#/d4qaoi6)
-
Great looking ship. I always loved promy in km multiplayer. If you need a hand porting it to BC, I'll be glad to help. Once again, looking good. :)
-
Orthos are now up at the above link. I'm not quite sure what my next project will be, but here's a partial list of upcoming projects. I'll take suggestions, if anyone's interested.
Merian-class U.S.S. Planck (http://drexfiles.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/technofold_2012_r06.jpg) - by Mark Rademaker
Vulcan Cruiser (http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/images/vulcan/cruiser_unknown.jpg) - sketch by John Eaves, originally designed for Star Trek Online.
Original Enterprise F class, circa 2400
STO Non-Military Starbase Concept (http://gaming.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/startrekonline/conceptart/Main_concept_STO_TellunStn.jpg)
STO Military Starbase (http://gaming.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/startrekonline/conceptart/Main_concept_STO_EpsilonEL.jpg)
Valdore-type Warbird
I would absolutely love to see a class Valdore/Norexan/Mogai! You're an excellent modeler.
-
It's going to happen (The Valdore is probably one of my all time favorite Trek ships, so I'll do her justice), but I've decided to flesh out my Federation faction in the game first. That Vulcan cruiser was proving to be a bit too problematic in the neck area, and I wanted something easy after finishing the Cerberus, so I've switched over to the Merian Class.
(http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/077/d/1/merian_class_by_aaron067-d4t4q5a.jpg)
-
I haven't had much time for modeling lately, but there is a bit more to show on the Merian class. I also got the urge to start work on one of my all-time favorite Trek ships, for which there are absolutely NO quality models and very, very few good reference pics out there at the moment. Ultimately, the Valdore going to be a mixture of Mr. Eaves' concept sketches, the CGI model, and my own interpretation, I think. At the moment I'm just not happy with the tip of the nose, but I'll figure something out.
(http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/165/5/7/57714480566bcf64ab00b3dc60c7a66e-d53i1fc.jpg)
(http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/165/7/9/79dee48902706519509b943604b11fe6-d53i1os.jpg)
(http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/165/8/3/834c16beed1a4577a329dce3113d1daa-d53i2g6.jpg)
-
Eagerly awaiting the Merian. Keep at it bro. :thumbsup:
-
Nice start on the head there. Really hope someone can help you get these in-game
-
Real good stuff there!
Look forward to seeing more.
-
The Romulan ship alredy looks very good at this point. You got sucessfull in doing a smoothed shape. abot the nose distortion, just move manually a few verts and smooth them. I think it will solve the trouble.
I?m curious... How you built that entire piece? Splines and surface? Can you tell a bit and post a wireframe too? :)
-
Thanks for the comments so far. It may seem a bit elitist and snotty of me, but I'm waiting for someone who's very good at coding the weapons and importing into BC to express interest before I release these models. I feel that if I put months or years of my time into making my work high quality, then I'd really rather not have a crappy job done on the non-modeling part.
Starship: You nailed it on the head! I start out with a spline cage, using a background image as a guide. Once I have the basic shape caged out I play around with the spline until get the shape and the smoothness that I want. Once that task is accomplished I refine the splines until I have all 3- or 4-sided sub-shapes so that a surface can be applied. Then I add an Edit Poly modifier for each task I want to do like adding details, optimizing the mesh, etc. Below is an image of the spline cage for the Mogai head so far. You can't tell in the spline picture, but I have 5 separate objects in the head so far. I used to try spline caging the entire ship, but that was WAY too complicated. So, I took a page out of DJ's book and just did small bits of the ship one at a time. Below that is the wireframe of the Mogai and the Merian. The Mogai is currently sitting at 1,035 polygons without much optimizing and the Merian is at 5,991.
(http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2012/166/0/9/mogai_spline_cage_by_aaron067-d53k046.jpg)
(http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/166/d/c/dcf0aa955e3744c5534875bc399f8990-d53k0ad.jpg)
(http://th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/166/6/d/6ddb945973d803aa8714c33a07dba6bf-d53k1dr.jpg)
-
I volunteer Bones for your scripting needs. :P
*looks around* Bones, where are you? You were supposed to get back to me on the animated and transparent textures so I know whether to map the Inferno for them or not! :P
-
I volunteer Bones for your scripting needs. :P
*looks around* Bones, where are you? You were supposed to get back to me on the animated and transparent textures so I know whether to map the Inferno for them or not! :P
:smack: :smack: :smack:
no no no! you cant make him appear like that, you have to sacrifice a virgin chicken via podcast on the fifth thursday of the month. only then can you summon the bones :facepalm:
-
you have to sacrifice a virgin chicken via podcast on the fifth thursday of the month. only then can you summon the bones
And that won't be until August 30!
-
Blast!
-
Starship: You nailed it on the head! I start out with a spline cage, using a background image as a guide. Once I have the basic shape caged out I play around with the spline until get the shape and the smoothness that I want. Once that task is accomplished I refine the splines until I have all 3- or 4-sided sub-shapes so that a surface can be applied. Then I add an Edit Poly modifier for each task I want to do like adding details, optimizing the mesh, etc. Below is an image of the spline cage for the Mogai head so far. You can't tell in the spline picture, but I have 5 separate objects in the head so far. I used to try spline caging the entire ship, but that was WAY too complicated. So, I took a page out of DJ's book and just did small bits of the ship one at a time. Below that is the wireframe of the Mogai and the Merian. The Mogai is currently sitting at 1,035 polygons without much optimizing and the Merian is at 5,991.
Cookie for you!
It is to much helpfull. :thumbsup:
-
You're certainly welcome. :)
I don't have anything else to show yet. I'm reworking the warbird head because the back part of the crown just isn't right. My current problem lies in trying to figure out exactly what's going on with all the ridges and crests back there. I'm convinced the concept sketch is slightly different than the CG model, but the sketches available just don't give me the right angle to see it at. I think I'm on the verge of cracking it, but I'll need a bit more time.
-
Ok!
Adam, a friend from Foundation3d, released what I think is the BEST high polly Valdore mesh all around. I?m slowlly converting it form Lightwave to 3ds max 2009 and I can provide you some renderings, case you need. ;)
-
So he did! I've been following his work on that mesh for over a year now, so I'm glad to know he's finally completed it. It's definitely very accurate as far as the CG model goes, so I'd very appreciative if you could provide the 3ds file itself so I can view it from all angles. That ought to help me gain a better perspective on what Eaves' original concept sketches were all about.
-
The conversion is far away from finished, but since the mesh is a piece of art, I found just minor errors. Nothing that will block you to see the details.
I believe that Adam won?t mind about resharing the converted file, but... since he is the mesh owner, I?ll talk to him and let you know. If he don?t have objections, what format do you need (max, 3ds, fbx or obj)?
-
Any of those would be fine, so whichever is easiest.
-
Ok, Adam gave green signal about sharing. Just let me know the format that you want. ;)
-
3ds would be great. Thanks!
-
PM sent. ;)
-
Trying to figure out the exact spatial relationship of all the elements on the concept art version of this warbird has been maddening. I've spent the past month and a half trying to decipher the placement and angle of the fins/wings on top of the head and whether there are two sets or just one as in the CGI version. Finally I literally said screw it and decided to use both versions as inspiration for my own interpretation of the ship. I've remade every portion of the head so far and wanted to share this WIP render. I quickly mirrored the half I've been working on and added in the "eye" section to give you all a better glimpse of what it'll eventually look like. There are some smoothing issues, etc. that I've already noticed and will be fixing.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/Mogai/Mogai.jpg)
-
Looks excellent! :bow: Can you show us a wireframe render?
-
Sorry for the late response, Starship. I'm moving back into my rehearsal hall at work after getting new flooring, and at the same time I'm moving into a new house. It's been a been busy, to say the least.
Regarding the wire cage, you can see I have some optimizing to do in places still. You'll also notice some of the odd angles I had to use to get a smooth effect on the actual surface.
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/Mogai/MogaiWireframe1.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/Mogai/MogaiWireframe2.jpg)
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/aaron067/Mogai/MogaiWireframe3.jpg)