Knife's sketch ships

[Knife]

Long time ago I started a rewrite of Enterprise, anyways, being the nerd I am, I also wanted ship designs that went along with the story. Since I was playing around with the free version of google sketch, I used it to whip up some models that have been floating around in my mind for a while.

One of the things I wanted to do, is not make ships that could have been a predecessor to TNG, rather more of a TOS feel. I also wanted a clear tech progression that could be seen in older ships that would still be around during this age. Ships that were amongst the first warp ships designed are still in use since the technology is still relatively new. So, I started with a Warp 1 ship, the first Earth attempt at a production vessel with Cochrane's engine.

The Soyez Class: NX-1


First Earth Warp ship, launched in 2075 little more than an old design with warp engines strapped on. The huge fusion engine on the back both powers the ship's STL, and the warp engine. The designation of NX-1 denotes a Warp One capability, or 1x the speed of light.

The Columbia Class, NX-3


Developed in 2113, the Columbia utilized the warp three engine and really opened the stars to Earth. Capable of 9x the speed of light, Earth could send research ships along with freighters to near by star systems.

Hydra Class: NX-3


One of the projects to increase warp speed above warp three, the Hydra experiment added more warp engines to get more speed. While mildly successful, it never got past warp 4 and greatly increased fuel consumption.

Aegis Class: NX-3



Earth's Starfleet was rudely made aware of the lack of combat ability with the Columbia Class ships when Nausicaan pirates attacked and looted Earth colony ships and freighters. Nausicaan's destroyed three Columbia class ships when they were sent after the pirates. While work on more powerful ships was in process, a quick solution was to convert current Columbia class ships to an Aegis upgrade with more weapons. By the Earth Romulan War, all Columbia class ships, except a training ship, had been converted to Aegis configuration.

Daedelus Class: NX-5




5 years before the start of the Earth/Romulan War, Starfleet launched it's NX-5 capable ship, the Daedelus. Capable of 125x the speed of light, the new vessel could truly patrol Earth space and respond to trouble in hours instead of weeks. The new Antimatter engines also provided range, so that Earth ships could further push back to boundary's of their knowledge of the galaxy.


I know, I committed ST treason by redesigning the Daedalus, but I rather liked it. :p

[Knife]

So, any feedback?

[Temujin]

Those are some pretty neat designs, and that's a pretty thoughtful way you went about re-imagining the ship linage and naming system (NX-# correlating to warp factor).

I know, I committed ST treason by redesigning the Daedalus, but I rather liked it. :p

I always figured some histories put the canon Daedalus design to close to TOS, when it really seems like something that would have been built earlier.

And Google Sketch, how easy was it to get up and running with it. I'm looking at finally getting around to doing some designs myself, and G Sketch is on my list of free software I'm going to try out. Back in my drafting days I had done some work like that on AutoCad when I was bored at work, though it lacked the graphic art properties I wanted (also couldn't afford a copy of my own).

[Sarevok]

I think you early NX marks look too futuristic. They would not be out of place in TNG era. For an example of what I think are proper pre Federation starships see Flaggs artwork here. http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic. ... 4&t=141224 His ships represent a bridge between present day NASA designs to eventual futuristic Federation vessels. You could see how some parts of the ships will eventually evolve into the familiar Federation starship construction elements and themes.

[Knife]

And Google Sketch, how easy was it to get up and running with it. I'm looking at finally getting around to doing some designs myself, and G Sketch is on my list of free software I'm going to try out. Back in my drafting days I had done some work like that on AutoCad when I was bored at work, though it lacked the graphic art properties I wanted (also couldn't afford a copy of my own).

It's hit and miss really, but I didn't have any previous experience with 3D before, so you might be better off than I was. Simple shapes are pretty easy, but to do more complex things takes some planning. It tends to fill in shapes, circles I see you, when you don't want them to. I think I've gotten the hang of it now. Still need to learn some things though.

I think you early NX marks look too futuristic.

The Soyuz? I was going for a Jeep feeling. Pretty much a pressure hull with engines strapped on to it. Or the Columbia ships? I wanted to keep with a TOS feel, so I used the basic saucer hull for them all. All the Columbia hulls are the same with the basic shuttle pods 'strapped' on.

It should be noted that there is a small gap between the Aegis and Daedalus, there should be another ship in there, nominally call the Swift class, that I haven't finished yet. It's the anti matter engine prototype, I didn't want my 'Enterprise' the first of the first in this, the Swift class would be kind of a 'Kelvin' type arrangement with the engine pod above and the NX-5 engines below.

[Thanas]

I like the designs, especially the rationale for them. Even more that there is a gradual process with "mistakes" being made instead of Insta-great-ships.

[Sarevok]

I like the designs, especially the rationale for them. Even more that there is a gradual process with "mistakes" being made instead of Insta-great-ships.

Ah. I think the non textured nature of the models made them look advanced to me at first. It is an artifact of the software rather than the models themselves.

I like the designs, especially the rationale for them. Even more that there is a gradual process with "mistakes" being made instead of Insta-great-ships.

Indeed. The learning process with attempts at quad nacelle design and then abandoning them was a nice touch.

[Knife]

Hmm, typo, the NX-3 should be 27 times the speed of light, not 9. Anyway, in all the NX-1 and NX-3 engines, they are powered by the fusion engines (impulse). That's why they have engine nozzles in the back end of the warp nacelles. Fuel bunkes are in the hulls, but the actual engines that power the warp drive are inside the nacelles. In the NX-5's, they still have fusion rockets in the nacelles, but the anti matter engine in the lower pod runs the warp drive. There is another fusion rocket in the engine pod as well, giving the Daedalus really good acceleration and maneuverability in STL drive as well as more power for weapons. The anti matter engine also gives enough power for a limited forward energy shield generated with the dish-like structure on the pod. There isn't enough power to run both the shield and the warp drive at the same time so they would have to drop shields to run away at warp.

[Stofsk]

They look good. Reminds me of Starfleet Museum.

[Knife]

Skipping to SW ships, the Far Star is a Corellian freighter 4000 years after the fall of the Galactic Republic.

Bow shot, unfinished but shows the basic layout of the hull and engines.


Side shot with docking arms, scaled so that the box like structure is 2 meters high.


Top shot, good view of the engines.


Aft view, more engines.

[Knife]

Put some detail work into it;

Added cockpit, not sure I like it yet but...


Bottom structure with boarding ramp, I've always thought it was odd with the Millennium Falcon that the ramps all faced to the side instead of forward, so I correct this little oddity.


More structures on the aft end, room for engine, hyperdrive and other assorted machinery a ship would need.

[Phantasee]

I was always a fan of the lopsided cockpit on the MF, but otherwise your design looks like an actual evolution of it (without turning into wankery like a few designs I've seen -- when you've got HTLs sprouting all over the hull you know you fucked up).

[Kenny_10_Bellys]

Not bad at all, some nice points and some that irk me a bit. I do like the configuration of the engines, although they look more like old fashioned rockets right now. The cockpit isn't working for me at all, I think you need to rethink that particular part of the ship. When you think about it, the off-center one on the Falcon actually starts to make some sense, keeping everything on one deck. and not wasting storage space in the hull.

As for your change to a front loading ramp, why was it a design fail on the Falcon? You appear to have docking ports on the sides, and now you also have a ramp at the front as well. The Falcon simply had the floor of the side port lower to become a ramp, a very elegant solution. Your redesign wastes more floor space on corridors and ramps for the 'benefit' of going out the front rather than side.

[Stofsk]

The Soyez Class: NX-1

Nice, reminds me of the Daedalus class. What are those huge square block thingies supposed to be on the sides of the sphere-section?

Anyway this looks like a really nice prototype design for the traditional Daedalus class. It looks small as well. I can't help feeling it's cute as a button.

The Columbia Class, NX-3

This looks like a TOS-style Miranda. Not the Reliant type we see in Star Trek 2 but the TNG variant sans rollbar.

Hydra Class: NX-3

Interesting variant. Quad nacelles were only done a few times - Constellation, Prometheus - but obviously the design didn't catch on with the canon timeline. (fine by me, I hated the Prometheus but I have a soft spot for the Constellation)

Aegis Class: NX-3

Two things: reminds me of the Reliant type Miranda class thanks to the roll bar. And I like how the backstory reflects the need to do a quick refit of existing ships. The rollbar looks like it has torpedo tubes. Would they be manned or would things be automatically loaded? If the former it doesn't look like the two struts for the bar are thick enough to include turbolifts.

Daedelus Class: NX-5

Why call it a Daedalus class? I like it too, but it seems more like an evolution of the classic design. A kind of intermittent 'missing link' between Daedalus and Constitution.

[Knife]

Nice, reminds me of the Daedalus class. What are those huge square block thingies supposed to be on the sides of the sphere-section?

Anyway this looks like a really nice prototype design for the traditional Daedalus class. It looks small as well. I can't help feeling it's cute as a button.

The box like structures are docking ports. It's a small ship, really just meant for the solorsystem range. 3 to 4 decks, the sphere is only 10 meters in diameter.

This looks like a TOS-style Miranda. Not the Reliant type we see in Star Trek 2 but the TNG variant sans rollbar.

Yeah, was kind of going for that.

Interesting variant. Quad nacelles were only done a few times - Constellation, Prometheus - but obviously the design didn't catch on with the canon timeline. (fine by me, I hated the Prometheus but I have a soft spot for the Constellation)

Cool.

Two things: reminds me of the Reliant type Miranda class thanks to the roll bar. And I like how the backstory reflects the need to do a quick refit of existing ships. The rollbar looks like it has torpedo tubes. Would they be manned or would things be automatically loaded? If the former it doesn't look like the two struts for the bar are thick enough to include turbolifts.

I was thinking missile pods, so they're not manned at all. Pull em out and replace them at spacedock.

Why call it a Daedalus class? I like it too, but it seems more like an evolution of the classic design. A kind of intermittent 'missing link' between Daedalus and Constitution.

The ships are supposed to be what is available in an alternate Enterprise universe. The Daedalus would be the newer ship that would be fighting in the Earth/Romulan War.

[Knife]

Tried to rework the cockpit, what do you think?

[Knife]

Not quite right, so went with a single paned window;




Not as cluttered looking. What do you guys think?

[Phantasee]

Definitely cleaner than the one just above. Throwing it up top works like that, when it looks like it's separate from the cargo space.

[Agent Sorchus]

I would change it to a three panel window, the center strut is going to be a pain for visibility straight ahead and IMHO detracts from the form.

[Knife]

Was going to work on it tonight but desided to work some on my Corellian cruiser instead, got the main hull basically done and the bow. I still need to go through and put in the point defense guns and then design some engines for it. What do you all thing so far...


3/4 bow shot.


Bow shot with all the main batteries showing.


Thinking of designing a missile launcher to put on the turret looking drum next to the fin shaped hull, not sure yet.


Lower right quadrant is a bit bare, need to toss some windows in there I think.

[Crazedwraith]

The positioning of the bow guns looks a little odd to me. Positioned on that thin strut. Wouldn't they need more bracing?

[Knife]

The positioning of the bow guns looks a little odd to me. Positioned on that thin strut. Wouldn't they need more bracing?

Are you talking about the main battery out of the lower shroud, or the forward HTL's on the half moon bow structure?

[Kenny_10_Bellys]

I really like it, apart from the Uber-gun sticking out the front. The configuration of the ship makes it look like an assault or escort carrier, armed but with more space set aside for small ships and landing craft. Then you have this humongous cannon barrel sticking out the front which I assume you have to aim by pointing the whole ship. It's not what you'd expect to find on a small cruiser or carrier, a bloody enormous superweapon.

[Knife]

The short story in which this design is based on is 4000 years after the events of SW movies where the galactic civilization is broken up into thousands of fiefdoms. Corellia is one of them. The ships in general are a bit smaller (big ships being ~1000 meters long) and an order of magnitude less powerful than ones in the movies due to smaller resources and infrastructure of not being a unified galaxy. However; as Corellians, they like big engines and have a 'run them down all guns blazing' philosophy hence the big main gun in the bow and a substantial portion of firepower in the forward arc.

The main gun can only fire a few shots, takes time to charge up, but delivers a wallop while the ship closes in and engages with it's normal batteries. That's the way the story was written, so that's the way I designed the ship. It represents the Corellian's main Battleship in this time, will have 12 heavy turbo laser turrets, the one main cannon, thinking of those two missile launchers, 12 or so point defense weapons I've made but haven't put in yet. She'll have those four fighter hangers, each housing a squadron, so two wings total; and two 'main' bays with a squadron of assault ships and a squadron of 'normal' shuttles.

It's also a 'command ship' as the fin is mostly communication antennae and other 'comscan' gear. Galaxy wide communications are not as reliable as they once were; a plot point in the story.

The 'prototype' here, is where I began and obviously worked on since then...

The engines will be something along that line.

Should also mention, the generators and capacitors for the weapons are housed in the 'main hull' with a power feed into the batteries themselves.

[Sarevok]

I think I recall reading the SW fanfic you mention. It was unique and interesting. Do you plan on finishing it ?