OMG! Design the next USS ENTERPRISE (Offical Contest)

[CSJM]

Not ripped off per se, but if someone with more skill (or free time) than you sees something useful in your design, he may submit a better version of your idea to the contest.

For example, I completely forgot about the option to place the main deflector in the saucer section, as NX-01 had. Having a secondary shuttle bay there would be too much like an Akira, but the deflector dish fit into my design perfectly. Except I ended up with an empty space on the underside, and had no better idea than to stick a giant cannon there, like on Admiral Riker's refitted Enterprise-D from All Good Things.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I've done this with three contests before, and no one has produced anything even similar to mine. If people want to take my idea they should. I don't hold a monopoly on receiving inspiration from other people's artwork.

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Okay, I think I'm ready to start modeling the first draft. Working on a good looking saucer right now, and I think I've gonna keep it.

I think after I model each hull section I'll stitch them together, then experiment with smooth settings and subdivided surface conversion. My hope is to get something a sleeker than the Enterprise D.

I'm still learning Maya's modeling tools. For a decade I modeled in Rhino, then exported to Maya for texturing and rendering. I left Rhino behind a couple years ago now, and I find there is still a lot of Maya I just haven't scratched the surface of yet.

Fortunately, a buddy sent me a Maya textbook. Thanks man You're a lifesaver

[Phantasee]

It occurs to me that being forced (should a bridge officer desire) to go all the way down through the saucer, into the engineering hull, then up the pylons to reach the nacelles is pretty stupid. can you attach a support strut that attaches...the....front of the nacelles to the saucer section somehow without making it look stupid?

I would imagine it is very rare for a bridge officer to go that far. If anything, he'd go to engineering, and engineering would have people who actually go to the nacelle. Do you know how noticeable dust is on red?

If you really wanted to be efficient with internal travel times you could just make it a sphere or maybe even a cube...like the Bor(in)g.

[General Zod]

It occurs to me that being forced (should a bridge officer desire) to go all the way down through the saucer, into the engineering hull, then up the pylons to reach the nacelles is pretty stupid. can you attach a support strut that attaches...the....front of the nacelles to the saucer section somehow without making it look stupid?

I would imagine it is very rare for a bridge officer to go that far. If anything, he'd go to engineering, and engineering would have people who actually go to the nacelle. Do you know how noticeable dust is on red?

If you really wanted to be efficient with internal travel times you could just make it a sphere or maybe even a cube...like the Bor(in)g.

Or he'd just use the intercom and give the conscripts orders from on high the way an officer should.

[CSJM]

I've done this with three contests before, and no one has produced anything even similar to mine. If people want to take my idea they should. I don't hold a monopoly on receiving inspiration from other people's artwork.

Well, we're all entitled to our opinions, so I will refrain from posting giant shots of my model for now. I wonder if an 80x80 animated avatar would make a good submission?

[Phantasee]

It occurs to me that being forced (should a bridge officer desire) to go all the way down through the saucer, into the engineering hull, then up the pylons to reach the nacelles is pretty stupid. can you attach a support strut that attaches...the....front of the nacelles to the saucer section somehow without making it look stupid?

I would imagine it is very rare for a bridge officer to go that far. If anything, he'd go to engineering, and engineering would have people who actually go to the nacelle. Do you know how noticeable dust is on red?

If you really wanted to be efficient with internal travel times you could just make it a sphere or maybe even a cube...like the Bor(in)g.

Or he'd just use the intercom and give the conscripts orders from on high the way an officer should.

Well, that's why I said that I imagine it is very rare for a bridge officer to go that far.

[General Zod]

Well, that's why I said that I imagine it is very rare for a bridge officer to go that far.

Yeah but my version skips going to engineering entirely and the officer stays on the bridge.

[Phantasee]

My scenario is this: bridge officer and engineering officer went to the academy together, bridge officer was less of a fucking nerd and made connections (sts), and he likes to slum it in engineering to rub it in.

Replace bridge officer with Riker and engineering officer with Geordi and you've got it.

EDIT: After all, there's no DRAMA in just shouting down the pipe at the engine room, is there?

[Torben]

What software are you using for that? I'm poking around for some decent CAD substitutes right now for this but sadly I'm not having much luck.

If you just need the 3D functionality for this, you could always just download the 30 day free trial of AutoCAD from Autodesk's website. And then download one of the CAD verticals after that, then another, and another. There are enough of them that you'd get like 6 or 7 months free. 'Course, you could always install it in a virtual machine and reset it after 30 days...Or image your system and reinstall from the image...

For 2D projects, you could try Dassault Systemes DraftSight
http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/ ... -overview/
It is free, works with existing .DWG's, and has a similar UI and most of the same command functions as vanilla AutoCAD.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

Progress on the 1st draft.

[OmegaChief]

Somthing just looks... wrong... about that secondary hull, maybe stretch out it's backside a little more so it doesn't end so abruptly?

Or at least that's my take on it >.>

[General Zod]

What software are you using for that? I'm poking around for some decent CAD substitutes right now for this but sadly I'm not having much luck.

If you just need the 3D functionality for this, you could always just download the 30 day free trial of AutoCAD from Autodesk's website. And then download one of the CAD verticals after that, then another, and another. There are enough of them that you'd get like 6 or 7 months free. 'Course, you could always install it in a virtual machine and reset it after 30 days...Or image your system and reinstall from the image...

For 2D projects, you could try Dassault Systemes DraftSight
http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/ ... -overview/
It is free, works with existing .DWG's, and has a similar UI and most of the same command functions as vanilla AutoCAD.

I'll give Draftsight a try. If worse comes to worse I can always put in some extra time in my AutoCAD class and use the software there.

Edit: And I'm already impressed with Draftsight. So far it has all the basic functionality of AutoCAD that I'm used to that most of the clones I've tried didn't quite match.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

I'm playing with basic shapes again, experimenting with connecting the nacelles to the saucer like in my first wip image, and just trying to come up with something more interesting, attractive or unique.



[edit]
Minor changes:


[edit]
Gak. Apparently I just re-created this:

Coming up with something that hasn;t been tried before is proving rather difficult.

[Eternal_Freedom]

And your Steamrunner-esque design would be fairly shit structurally if that's a vital secondary hull, rather than just a defelctor or torpedo housing

[General Zod]

Early rough-draft after playing around with Draftsight.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Want to do something different? Something that's never been done? Make a BEEFY ST ship. Seriously the ships get thinner and thinner, and more and more elegant. For once break with tradition and do something big and bulky! Who cares if it is "pretty" go with functionally!

[General Zod]

Want to do something different? Something that's never been done? Make a BEEFY ST ship. Seriously the ships get thinner and thinner, and more and more elegant. For once break with tradition and do something big and bulky! Who cares if it is "pretty" go with functionally!

That's actually what I'm doing with my design.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

It's interesting what happens when I extrude the secondary hull out of the back of the saucer.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

Something I whipped up for pondering purposes:

[Chaotic Neutral]

So the Century Class is the equivalent of Cyborgs?

[Knife]

I really like your Steamrunner wannabe shape Fuzzy. You can probably get away with making the lower pod smaller and turn it into something less important than an engineering hull, say a weapons pod or something. Your elongated version above is nice too, but pretty much everyone does the long pointy with the secondary hull attached to bottom of hull bit.

[Chaotic Neutral]

What about a huge donut nacelle outside the ship (Think Vulcan), with 4 structures inside that are defector dishes, and something in the middle?

[Themightytom]

Something I whipped up for pondering purposes:

woah woah woah missing link...

[Fuzzy_Modem]

What about a huge donut nacelle outside the ship (Think Vulcan), with 4 structures inside that are defector dishes, and something in the middle?

I was actually considering a horseshoe shape with a saucer inside, and maybe a sphere inside that. Might be similar to what you're describing.

[Fuzzy_Modem]

woah woah woah missing link...

Oh yeeeah. I guess that one might be important :p