# "Star Trek" Enterprise Saucer



## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Trying to be different so here is somethng "On topic"  

Upon hearing that the Sinclair plans have been updated (Rev. D) and despite my unfinished Eagle pods I decided to try my hand at doing the saucer of the Enterprise. 

I'm not sure if this will lead beyond the saucer but here is what I've done so far today...


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Looks good thus far, 4MM! 

Are you going to put the... "thingy" on the lower sensor array to show us it's a boy?


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Looking good! I hope you can finish it, by the 50th anniversary of ST.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Hmm... I always though that "thingy" meant that it was a girl. 
In either case it is forth coming.

50th! Are you kidding, by the time I get all the interiors completed it will likely be the 60th (or I'll be dead).


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## CessnaDriver (Apr 27, 2005)

Looking good so far. And you wont be short any helpful advice by posting your progress here thats for sure!


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Looks fantastic! :thumbsup:

There are three short little vertical "nubs" that go on the last circle that surrounds the sensor dish. That's the only thing I can thing of as far as advice right now. I'd send a pic but I'm stuck at work where we are spending the night remodeling right now.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Yes those nubs are on my radar screen. I just haven't gotten around to them yet. In fact on my Cairo they are the phaser emitters.

Getting things prepared for cutting the windows/other-bits around the saucer rim. I haven't setup for the round windows yet but that's one of the next things to do...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Enterprise's new weapon?


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*You do windows?*

Madmen,

without opening the whole "model vs. real" debate, have you considered making the windows on the saucer rim symmetrical? Yeah, I know the model only has 3 windows at the front port side, but I always lumped that omission in with the fact that the entire port side went unfinished as part of the "if it doesn't show, it doesn't glow" school of filming model making.

I think that they made just enough windows that you would see from the camera angle they wanted visible and no more.


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## Steve Mavronis (Oct 14, 2001)

I guess the question is if one should do them symetrical or not? I would go with Matt Jefferies left side schematic drawing (as seen in the book "The Making of Star Trek") for window placement myself for where anything is unknown from the actual model. There are some differences there especially on the saucer section rim and upper decks. Of course you have to keep the saucer bottom the same as the show since that already shows the window placements all around the bottom.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*my entire basis for symmetry*

is the fact that when they wanted to show the ship going "the other way" they reversed the decals and flipped the film which means to me that they wanted the same layout of windows on both sides of the ship. which would extend to the rim of the saucer


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## Steve Mavronis (Oct 14, 2001)

Yeah they cheated a bit doing that! Good point though. That makes it as legit as anything. I'm fine either way.


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Hey, nice job 4MM.

I've also been working on a TOS E mesh based on Alans latest revisions.

I went with the whole symetrical thing on window placement for various reasons.

I also back-borrowed a few things from the TMP 'E' based on what I'd heard about Roddenberry wanting the blue warp glow on the TOS E. So I did the same kind of grid-line glow as on the refit. Also a little similarity on the impulse engines as well.

Obviously this isn't totally accurate to the 11 footer, but hey, its CG and its easy enough to do a totally accurate version if I wanted to.

I wish I had the capability of posting larger pictures, I've just never really investigated it, so these little ones will have to do for now.

Please remember that this is a WIP, so no final colors or lighting effects are in place yet. If anyone is interested in seeing the full size images, e:mail me and I'll send them off to you.
[email protected]


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

I wish you did have larger pictures as I'd like to see more of what you've done here. Looks good.

On the subject of windows and symmetry: You've all got me thinking about this and at this point I'm of the opinon that the forward portside windows (of which there are two rectangular ones in the plans) could be added to. There are sufficient cases on the saucer underside and the rear rim for a non-symmetrical layout so I doubt if I'd go for complete symmetry. I am, however, investigating the possibility of adding a few to that part of the saucer rim.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Lloyd Collins said:


> Enterprise's new weapon?


Yes indeed. It's a variation on the "Tholian Pinwheel"*... the "Federation Pincushion"

* Players of SFB may remember this.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*well, I'm happy*

Looks like the new Enterprise will have window symmetry :thumbsup: 


http://www.trekmovie.com/images/newent1.jpg

looks like some panel detail added to the bottom of the saucer


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> Looks like the new Enterprise will have window symmetry :thumbsup:
> 
> 
> http://www.trekmovie.com/images/newent1.jpg
> ...


Ok, I'm a little confused, the second pic is a large version of the promo pic for the TOS HD-DVD Ent.
I intially got the impression that the first shot was of a 'movie' (Trek XI) model/mesh. But after seeing the second pic, it doesn't look that way.

Looks like a decent model.

On my model. I followed window symmetry around the saucer edge as like what 4MM stated, but for the underside, its straight from the drawings.

I saw on someones model (don't remember real or CG) I saw where they made the windows around the saucer edge symmetricle, but then only lit the two appropiate windows on the port side, leaving the others dark. So kind of having your cake and eating it too.


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> I wish you did have larger pictures as I'd like to see more of what you've done here.


Thanks, that means a lot as I've always admired the work that you've done.

Send me your e:mail address and I'll shoot them off with anyone else who happens to ask for them.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

ClubTepes said:


> Ok, I'm a little confused, the second pic is a large version of the promo pic for the TOS HD-DVD Ent.
> I intially got the impression that the first shot was of a 'movie' (Trek XI) model/mesh. But after seeing the second pic, it doesn't look that way.
> 
> Looks like a decent model.
> ...


I Like it! What an excellent compromise!


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

I posted this on another thread, but as it's relevent to this discussion I'm taking the liberty of re-posting here...



Carson Dyle said:


> I'm not sure about the other augmentation evident in the posted images (of the new CG Enterprise), but the "little red winkie" protruding from the lower sensor dome is much closer to what Richard Datin has described as being featured on the original 11-footer.
> 
> As a side note, that particular detail is one the Master Replicas people seriously need to address. As reflected in their current prototype it's too big, solidly lit from one end to the other, and missing the red grain-of-wheet bulb altogether. Maybe it's just me, but I find it terribly distracting; it's the sort of thing my eye goes straight to everytime.
> 
> ...


Forgive me if this topic has been definitively addressed elsewhere, but the "little red winkie" (or whatever one wishes to call it) is one I'd love to get to the bottom of.


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## MGagen (Dec 18, 2001)

4MM,

On the subject of window symmetry, just remember to put a rectangular window on the port side of the secondary hull to account for the one we saw from inside the hangar gallery in COTK. That detail alone would keep both sides from being the same... 
M.


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## MGagen (Dec 18, 2001)

Carson Dyle said:


> Forgive me if this topic has been definitively addressed elsewhere, but the "little red winkie" (or whatever one wishes to call it) is one I'd love to get to the bottom of.


 I, for one, am uncomfortable with the phrases "little red winkie" and "love to get to the bottom" occurring in the same sentence... :devil:


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## CessnaDriver (Apr 27, 2005)

I would bet it was a phaser turret and I would bet the light was indeed to aid the effects guys. I think somehow that did not get communicated to the FX guys or maybe they could just not see to make two beams come out of single spot. 

Here it is referred to as a "phaser turret".......

http://startrekhistory.com/restoration/bluescreen.html


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Yeah, I've visited that site before but had somehow missed the following bit of fine print...

_"Production changes, April '66: Saucer bottom: nav lights moved to 9 and 3 o'clock position, some portholes added, *"nipple with phaser turret" added below sensor dome*."_

Good work, Cessna. Thanks to you we now have a firmer handle on that nipple (sorry, that was for Gagen).


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## Ignatz (Jun 20, 2000)

Those are lit windows on the _struts?!_


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

*stuffin' yer struts*



Ignatz said:


> Those are lit windows on the _struts?!_



and why not?

just because they were solid wood on the original filming model and therefor couldn't be lit?

we're in new territory here, folks.


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Back to the subject of this thread, I have a question for 4MM on how he might handle some window cutting.

I'm working in Lightwave and there is an easy way to cut window frames. A lot of the CG programs work alike even though the processes usually carry different names.
1.) I create a polygon which represents the verticle and horizontal dimensions of a standard window and 'stencil' it onto the hull. Then,

2.) 'smooth shift', which depresses it to taste.

This works good on a consistant surface. But on the secondary hull, the diameter of the hull changes as it goes back. If I create a flat bank of windows for the secondary hull with all the same window geometry, the decks closest to the mid point stay pretty consistant. But as you go to the upper and lower decks, the relationship of that flat window to the curvature of the hull changes so it still looks good flat to the side, but in reality, they become deformed as the diameter of the hull shrinks.

I guess one could rotate that window poly to the same angle of the hull at that point so that the window maintains the same overall dimensions.
Or would you think that its so minor that its not worth worrying about.?

The same would go for some of the geometric shapes applied to the bottom of the hull. You take a circle such as on a decal, and it 'wraps' around the hull. But if you 'stencil'/ project it onto a cylinder such as the secondary hull, then in reality it becomes an oval.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

So I go do some real life stuff for a day or so and what do I find when I get back? Little red winkies and the desire to get to the bottom of them. Sadly I'm reminded of an old question, an owl, and a turtle.



ClubTepes said:


> I saw on someones model (don't remember real or CG) I saw where they made the windows around the saucer edge symmetricle, but then only lit the two appropiate windows on the port side, leaving the others dark. So kind of having your cake and eating it too.


That's certainly a clever solution but we have seen that part of the ship on screen and the differences on each side of the lower saucer don't bother me. Well, not too much.



ClubTepes said:


> Thanks, that means a lot as I've always admired the work that you've done.
> 
> Send me your e:mail address and I'll shoot them off with anyone else who happens to ask for them.


On it's way. Thanks.



MGagen said:


> 4MM,
> 
> On the subject of window symmetry, just remember to put a rectangular window on the port side of the secondary hull to account for the one we saw from inside the hangar gallery in COTK. That detail alone would keep both sides from being the same...
> M.


Ah yes, I'd have missed that one. Although I'll save thoughts of fitting shuttlebays and observation corridors in there for when I feel I'm too happy and need a good smack upside the noggin.



ClubTepes said:


> Back to the subject of this thread, I have a question for 4MM on how he might handle some window cutting.
> 
> I'm working in Lightwave and there is an easy way to cut window frames. A lot of the CG programs work alike even though the processes usually carry different names.
> 1.) I create a polygon which represents the verticle and horizontal dimensions of a standard window and 'stencil' it onto the hull. Then,
> ...


For me the two steps are a "Cookie Cut" and a "Region Extrude" but I think the results are the same. As for your question...

I say it is certainly worth worrying about. The distortion may be so small that in some cases it's not noticeable but it would drive me nuts. And certainly something that should be a circle ending up as an ellipse is something to be avoided. So for me I'd rotate the stencil so it makes the proper shape.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

I finally managed some time last night to finish the window and non-window cutouts around the rim. What I ended up doing was to mirror the forward starborad windows to the port side. Everything else is as shown on the plans. The circular windows on the rim are bigger than they look here. The camera angle, "window pane" and the hull all combine to make what looks like pinholes. When they are in fact almost as tall as the rectangular windows. What you can't see here is the main upper structural skeleton but that's not ready for prime time yet...

  

That last one was just me goofing around.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

I guess now it is officially not just a saucer...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Went from the lost saucer, to the phantom starship. 

I can tell you are having too much fun!

The shots with the windows lit, and black, I can see you now. 
On...off...on...off...on...off......


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Well what good is a toy if you can't play with it?

Skipping around...


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

More nacelle goodness...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

(Scotty) But Captain! I can't do nothing with the Cloaking Device!


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Nice.

Hey, quit modeling so fast.:tongue: 

I finished all the windows and surface details and am onto markings now on mine.


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## loneranger (Sep 5, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> More nacelle goodness...


Hey, 4MM,

What 3D app do you use? I've done this thing in 3ds max and Cinema 4D (and was going to try it in Blender, but my PC isn't fast enough), but I can't figure out how to cut the windows properly. Right now I do a Boolean subtraction and, on a copy occupying the same space, a Boolean intersection (for the lit parts of the windows). But I can't figure out how to do the reverse extrusion to make the windows look inset, instead of flush with the hull surface. Any suggestions? Great work, BTW!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Lloyd Collins said:


> (Scotty) But Captain! I can't do nothing with the Cloaking Device!


He certainly can't seem to control it.



ClubTepes said:


> Nice.
> 
> Hey, quit modeling so fast.:tongue:
> 
> I finished all the windows and surface details and am onto markings now on mine.


Ah, texturing. The joy of joys. Fast! Not me. You just let me get a solid 4 or 5 hours to work on her and then we'll see. Like that would happen though. In fact right now I'm baking a suprise cake for my Wife's birthday. Just think I could be making the nacelle cutouts or that baseball bat thingy on the saucer even now if I wasn't preparing to pull the pans out of the oven and trying to warm up my icing skills.



loneranger said:


> Hey, 4MM,
> 
> What 3D app do you use? I've done this thing in 3ds max and Cinema 4D (and was going to try it in Blender, but my PC isn't fast enough), but I can't figure out how to cut the windows properly. Right now I do a Boolean subtraction and, on a copy occupying the same space, a Boolean intersection (for the lit parts of the windows). But I can't figure out how to do the reverse extrusion to make the windows look inset, instead of flush with the hull surface. Any suggestions? Great work, BTW!


I use Blender. For the windows I use a script called "MegaBool". After the window is cut through the hull I do a "Region Extrude". This type of extrude basicalle extrudes the selected faces along the averaged normal for that selection. The resulting "window sill" is therefore at a 90 degree angle to the hull. Like cutting a hole through a board with a drill press. Not sure if this helps you or not with the software you use but I can't imagine that they wouldn't have a similar extrude option.

*ClubTepes* was kind enough to send me some of his Enterprise renders. They are quite nice so I'm posting them here for him since he mentioned he can't do it himself (Hope you don't mind sir, they are just too good to remain small images as posted before)...
ClubTepes' Constitution Class - Image #12
ClubTepes' Constitution Class - Image #13
ClubTepes' Constitution Class - Image #15
ClubTepes' Constitution Class - Image #16
ClubTepes' Constitution Class - Image #17

#15 is one of my favorites, I love that angle.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

ClubTepes also was kind enought to send them to me. Really good renders!
I never tire of seeing TOS 1701,never! 

Happy Birthday to your wife!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Yes they are.

Thanks Lloyd. The two layers are out of the pan and finishing cooling. Won't be long now. Do you think I can fit "Happy Birthday" and "Happy 40th Star Trek Anniversary" on the same cake? Do you think she'd notice?


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

> Do you think I can fit "Happy Birthday" and "Happy 40th Star Trek Anniversary" on the same cake? Do you think she'd notice?


Put "Happy Anniversary" around the side, and "Happy Birthday" on top!

I don't think she'd notice. :tongue:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

She will notice! Women always notice, what men try to sneek in. I am speaking in general terms, since I am single.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Well the cake turned into a pitiful mishapen monstrosity. Tastes good though! I did, however, decide to just go with the Happy Birthday part.

While we are waiting for real progress, here are a couple closer-in shots of the latest work...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Nice!


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## drewid142 (Apr 23, 2004)

*mapping question*

the grills on the warp cooling thingies... is that geometry or bump map or displacement map? I see one pic with just grid going one way... then the other with a cross grid at 90 degrees.

oh... and *WOW*


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks guys. Everything you see so far is modeled.

I tend not to use normal/bump maps as modeling the details always looks better in the close-ups. And displacement maps require either a high poly count or carefully crafted geometry to get a nice close-up result (which by then you might as well have modeled it anyway). I'm sure there are those that disagree so ones mileage may vary.

In the case of the grills they are in fact a bunch of pyramids arranged in a grid pattern, so depending on the viewing angle and the distance to the camera they can appear as horizontal lines, vertical lines, even diagonal lines.


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

I have some blueprints I've drawn on AutoCad I'd like to convert to 3D.

Some of those views makes me think I'm floating next to the ship. Excellent!!!


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## Bay7 (Nov 8, 1999)

Just to hijack this thread a bit:


I found this really good rendering of tos 1701 on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux6A47TZ4E0&mode=related&search=

I really think the author has captured the bussard collects well!

Mike


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks vk, I've got another in just a second. The youtube video is of Scott Gammans' Connie. He really went the extra mile on modeling that one.

A simple addition that is more time consuming than you might otherwise believe...


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## loneranger (Sep 5, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> Thanks vk, I've got another in just a second. The youtube video is of Scott Gammans' Connie. He really went the extra mile on modeling that one.
> 
> A simple addition that is more time consuming than you might otherwise believe...


Wow, you're really moving along. Looking great!

A question about Blender. I know you can import EPS files and Adobe Illustrator paths, but it seems as though you can't do anything with them (like extrude, lathe, etc.) until you convert them to a mesh. But converting to a mesh creates a huge amount of points, which really bogs things down. Do you have to have a flamethrower of a computer to do this stuff, or have you found the secret to creating a smooth primary hull without resorting to the mesh thing?


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> He certainly can't seem to control it.
> 
> 
> Ah, texturing. The joy of joys. Fast! Not me. You just let me get a solid 4 or 5 hours to work on her and then we'll see. Like that would happen though. In fact right now I'm baking a suprise cake for my Wife's birthday. Just think I could be making the nacelle cutouts or that baseball bat thingy on the saucer even now if I wasn't preparing to pull the pans out of the oven and trying to warm up my icing skills.
> ...


Hey thanks 4MM, I'm honored.

I did all the markings and cut them into the mesh. 
(saving a non-marked version for when I can do better maps (great thing about computer models-every time I make a revision I save it under a new file name so I could go as far back as I need too for some part.).

I've still got a few bugs to work out. I also did that little grid as geometry.
When your 'done' I'd be curious to compare polygon counts.

I've got a big week of work ahead of me, so I'll take a break for a week, then onto the hangar.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks. I wish I had more time to devote to it but for now I'm stuck working in drips and drabs.

Actually paths can be converted to Bezier or Nurb curves. The Nurb surface object can be spun and all of Blender's Curve and Surface objects can be beveled, tapered and extruded. You can even use another curve to define the taper and extrusion. Also nurb surfaces can be combined and skinned. You can create an entire starship (or whatever else) from a set of mathmetically defined curves and surfaces.

Having said all that I am for the most part a polygon modeler. I started using blender with a 166Mhz Pentium 3 with 64 meg of ram. I've upgraded since then but am still using a mere 950Mhz chip. Granted I've got 1 gig of ram (which today is not really loads but it really does help). So no flamethrowers here. And for times when I have files open that have 1 million or more vertices they ususally are not a solitary object so can be edited without dificullty. They can even be distributed to different layers to further ease the load of manipulating them.

To be fair Blender's system requirements have increased over the years but not to any huge degree. As in all things computer it's a trade off for Speed vs. low memory use. You usually can have one or the other but not both. Of course there are limits to what any computer can do and the only real answer lies in trying it.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

ClubTepes said:


> Hey thanks 4MM, I'm honored.


Thanks, you should also be proud of the work you've done.



ClubTepes said:


> I did all the markings and cut them into the mesh.


And they call ME mad. Man, that's just insane!



ClubTepes said:


> every time I make a revision I save it under a new file name so I could go as far back as I need too for some part.


I do the exact same thing. My Mesh directory fills up about 50 gigabytes and I know I could free up the majority of that space by deleting my non-current revisions. Not going to happen though. As I recall the shuttlecraft mesh was on "take" 75. Heck even my new Enterprise model (don't even ask to see the first one I did... *shudder*) is upto #6***



ClubTepes said:


> I've still got a few bugs to work out. I also did that little grid as geometry.
> When your 'done' I'd be curious to compare polygon counts.
> 
> I've got a big week of work ahead of me, so I'll take a break for a week, then onto the hangar.


Before tackling that shuttlebay you'll probably want to take more than a week off. You'll get to it before I will and I look forward to seeing what you do.

I haven't decided if I'm going to model a grid or not. Not sure where the poly count is on my but I do know that before moving to the dish and nacelles it was somewhere in the 45,000 range.

*** I am not a number, I am a free man!


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## loneranger (Sep 5, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> Thanks. I wish I had more time to devote to it but for now I'm stuck working in drips and drabs.
> 
> Actually paths can be converted to Bezier or Nurb curves. The Nurb surface object can be spun and all of Blender's Curve and Surface objects can be beveled, tapered and extruded. You can even use another curve to define the taper and extrusion. Also nurbs can be combined and skinned. You can create an entire starship (or whatever else) from a set of mathmetically defined curves and surfaces.
> 
> ...


I'm still such a Blender noob...that's good stuff to know. I'm sure you've seen the 1701 done by Bill "Tallguy" Thomas over on scifi-meshes.com. That's my benchmark for Blender, and he set the bar pretty high. I've played around with the program and I like it, but it's wrapping my mind around certain ways of doing things that is taking some time. Maybe I'll post some of my stuff when I get it where I want it. Thanks for the info.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

I have indeed seen his work. In fact alot of his stuff is hosted on my website. I been talking with Bill for years now and remember when he used to be a noob and would ask questions of me. He has certainly come a long way in a short time. And he's certainly passed me in some areas. He's also a talented vitural cinemaphotographer and just seems to have a knack for making animation seqences that knock ones socks off.

Yes, please do post what you come up with. The more the merrier I say.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

One set of inboard nacelle cutouts. I will use dupliverts to create the inboard grills, but that's something for another day.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Started work on t' pylons. I figure I'll do t' nacelle grills and t' pylon grates and t' same time


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## Krako (Jun 6, 2003)

Man, this is awesome! I wish I could CG model like this. Amazing to watch this in process...


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks. All you gotta do is grab a Blender and set it on "Puree". Ok, maybe not that easy but nothing practice won't cure.

Here's more progress:

Inboard grills. Fully modeled and clocking in at 1/4 million vertices. Their fate is yet to be determined...
 

And those lightbox thingies...


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

OK. One set of (inset) pylon grills:


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## ilbasso (Jun 7, 2006)

...1/4 million vertices...

At least you don't have to fill and sand them all!!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Isn't that the truth. The first version I made weighed in at 1 million which is way too much. Heck 1/4 mil is way too much but I'll really only use that in closeups. For the rest I have a texture, just like on those pylon grilles -- texture map.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Awesome warp nacelle!
The only nit I have is that the pylon should have more rounded edges.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

The last two images have an all new pylon mesh as the old one was messed up. The radius on the pylons is correct as far as I can determine, but the images so far don't show it very well. I'll keep an eye out for pics on the subject. I've even been know to be wrong. Once. Or twice.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

ClubTepes:
http://www.fourmadmen.com/mirror/~clubtepes/My%20TOS%20ENT%20013%20copy.jpg

I like the view, and it is excellent work.

However, you need to check your light sources!
You have a bright light to the left of the ship/image, 
yet there is a strong shadow from the bridge going 
to the left.
Also, ther seems to be a shadow from each running light that 
points to the opposite side.

You might want to make your shadows all go the same direction. :wave:


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

Four Mad Men said:


> The radius on the pylons is correct as far as I can determine, but the images so far don't show it very well. I'll keep an eye out for pics on the subject. I've even been know to be wrong. Once. Or twice.


Picture at the bottom of the page of the pylon going on

http://members.aol.com/IDICPage2/behindthescenes.html

Cheers

Jim


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Exellent picture thanks! I never knew there was that much radius on those pylons. Issue corrected.

The nacelles are complete and ready to be textured. Forward nacelle caps are a seperate issue.
 

On the lower half of the saucer there are three indented rings. I put the upper one in the wrong place (too low). This has been corrected and I've also added the connecting dorsal.


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## loneranger (Sep 5, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> Exellent picture thanks! I never knew there was that much radius on those pylons. Issue corrected.
> 
> The nacelles are complete and ready to be textured. Forward nacelle caps are a seperate issue.
> 
> ...


So how didja do the rings? When I "lathe" the shape that corresponds to the cutaway profile, the rings are already in place (although I gotta admit, going back and forth between Charles Casimiro's and Alan Sinclair's blueprints, you can see some definite differences, and that makes it tough). You do them after the fact. That's gotta be pretty time-consuming, unless you've got a little Blender trick?

Also, I finally figured out what you were saying about spinning the curve. I still have to convert it to a mesh, but as long as I don't join the curve, it comes out much cleaner (and fewer verts, too). Can't wait to see the next installment!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

I added the ring indentations as part of the saucer spline. I then lathed the spline into the saucer. For the fix I just removed the edgeloops of the incorrect indentation, created the spline for the correct location and lathed that.

The next installment will have to wait a little while as I don't think I'll be on the boards for the next 10 days or so as I attend to some business. See you then, same bat time, same bat channel.

4MM.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Great! Prempted by life, and business. 

Since no updates, then we will watch my slides,from my last vacation.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

That last set of pics is kinda funny, 4MM. Looks like the Romulan cloak she stole in "The Enterprise Incident" is functioning properly! 

Hope your business trip goes smoothly.


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

Excellent job, 4MM!!!

I'm getting psyched up to start a similar project. I have the Enterprise-D blueprints that were on sale about 10 years ago. The exterior is already drawn up, but only in 2d. So I'm thinking about trying it in 3d.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Danke!

:wave: Hallo von Mannheimerhof. Ich tue gut und habe eine okayzeiot. Nichts, das zu sprechen von aber alle großartig ist, ist okay. Gute Nacht.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Great, now I have to read German! Do you know *******?


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

Four Mad Men said:


> Danke!


Say what!!!!! :tongue:  

I have been thinking about making the interior as well, but I do not have the deck height or the deck thickness.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Well VK just do what all T.V. shows guys do... make up the info you don't have.

Lloyd, still waiting on those vacation slides.

And more you shall have. Promises, promises.

Lots of forum catchup to do since returning from Germany but for now we'll disengage the cloaking device.

Initial work on secondary hull. It has also come to my attention that I've forgotten a nacelle detail. Don't know what it's called but the temporary blocking object I put in never got replaced with the production version (specifically the forward tabs on the rear nacelle piping).


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## ThomasModels (Mar 8, 2000)

Looking very good, 4MM!

Here's that detail I mentioned:
http://www.thomasmodels.com/webstuff/paint32.JPG

As you can see on the outboard one, it slopes down. The front end has a radius, that gradually diminishes to the flat surface on the top edge of the fin.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks for the catch. I still have not corrected them as I wanted to get more accomplished on the secondary hull...

 

The (too bright) banner on the sides is just temporary. For now it's just there to add some color and variation for the eye.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

*BANNER TOO BRIGHT...*  

Looking better, more like the hero of ST.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Fixed those tabs and rebuilt the end caps while I was there. The shape of the corrugations was off.
 

From this angle you could almost think it was finished (except for the lack of running and nav lights).


Time to move back to the primary hull and add the "baseball bat" and the impulse engines.


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## loneranger (Sep 5, 2002)

More wow. 

I haven't gotten nearly as far as you. Might you be willing to share your mesh, or at least your techniques, when you're finished? A n00b like me needs all the help he can get


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Nice views! The bottom one is a classic.

Which decals are going to use,JTGraphics or PNT?


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

I shall probably release this mesh when complete. I get lots of downloads to the meshes I've released but rarely see anyone do anything with them so I'm toying with the idea of release "by invitation only" but we'll see.

I'm going to use JTGraphics for the starboard side decals and PNT for the port side.

Tweaked those tabs while looking at the reference pics this time. Here is version 2...


I haven't had a chance to work on the impulse deck yet so I spent a little time last night with some initial texture tests. The gridlines are mapped at 15%. What do you think? Too heavy? Too light?


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

The gridlines look just right to me. I have watched on my PC, TOS DVDs, and really never noticed the gridlines. So what you have should work, since I know they are on the model.


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

But.....
They aren't raised!
 

I've got some new renders as well. I'll have to ship them off one of these days.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

This ain't no AMT kit, it's 4MM! Only the best look at models!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Either the impulse deck looks nothing like the photographs I have or Sinclair really got it wrong in a few of the more important important aspects. The jury (for me) is still out on whether or not the base shap of the deck includes an inward curve at the sides so for now the sides are straight.

Here's a pictures of the engines (potentialy) at various power levels (I'm sure some will HATE the idea of blue glowy bits on the TOS Connie, ah well):


And some general views of the engine as it looks on the saucer:


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

Looking better every time I see it, 4MM.

By the way...what the heck kind of program are you using, anyway? I must get my hands on it.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

ClubTepes said:


> But.....
> They aren't raised!
> 
> 
> I've got some new renders as well. I'll have to ship them off one of these days.


And they are not going to be raised... ever 
If you need someone to host the images let me know and I'll put them on my site. Either way, let's see 'em.



vaderknight said:


> Looking better every time I see it, 4MM.
> 
> By the way...what the heck kind of program are you using, anyway? I must get my hands on it.


It's an opensource application called Blender. You can get it from www.blender.org (and the price is very reasonable).


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> And they are not going to be raised... ever
> If you need someone to host the images let me know and I'll put them on my site. Either way, let's see 'em.
> http://www.


Thanks 4MM. That would be fantastic. I'll get some off to you in a few days.

Thanks to the cut and paste concept of CG, I'm already well into a dreadnaught and a Miranda. 

The Miranda, I'm excited about as I think I came up with something unique.


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Lookin' great so far!


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

All this from the Sinclair prints? 
Awesome job 4MM !!!


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

I downloaded that program (there was no fee), and I must say...

*WHOA!!!!!*  

I'm gonna have some studyin' to do! :thumbsup:


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## John F (May 31, 2001)

Great work! I'd love to see the completed model if you choose to do it.
Please forgive me if I missed this, but what software do you use to make these?


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## loneranger (Sep 5, 2002)

vaderknight said:


> I downloaded that program (there was no fee), and I must say...
> 
> *WHOA!!!!!*
> 
> I'm gonna have some studyin' to do! :thumbsup:


Yeah, the learning curve is pretty steep, but I think it's worth it. For instance, I didn't learn how to do UV Mapping in the other programs I used, but I'm starting to learn it in Blender. It just takes practice (and *LOTS *of tutorials!).


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

ClubTepes said:


> Thanks 4MM. That would be fantastic. I'll get some off to you in a few days.
> 
> Thanks to the cut and paste concept of CG, I'm already well into a dreadnaught and a Miranda.
> 
> The Miranda, I'm excited about as I think I came up with something unique.


Cool, can't wait to get 'em.



Griffworks said:


> Lookin' great so far!





KUROK said:


> All this from the Sinclair prints?
> Awesome job 4MM !!!


Thanks guys. The Sinclair prints are the starting point but even with the latest revision they are not 100% correct. They are however greatly appreciated! Still need reference pictures for some of it.


vaderknight said:


> I downloaded that program (there was no fee), and I must say...
> 
> *WHOA!!!!!*
> 
> I'm gonna have some studyin' to do! :thumbsup:


Yeah, that's the price I talked about. Free!


John F said:


> Great work! I'd love to see the completed model if you choose to do it.
> Please forgive me if I missed this, but what software do you use to make these?


No problem. The program is called Blender, and can be found at the Blender Foundation website. A good starting point for learning Blender and with many turorital links is the Blender Wiki, from Noob to Pro


loneranger said:


> Yeah, the learning curve is pretty steep, but I think it's worth it. For instance, I didn't learn how to do UV Mapping in the other programs I used, but I'm starting to learn it in Blender. It just takes practice (and *LOTS *of tutorials!).


Here is where I would normally post an update but sadly been too busy to work on it. Soon though. Stay Tuned...


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

http://members.aol.com/IDICPage2/garber.html

2nd picture down vs. your impulse engines. 
Do yours need to be a bit bigger and closer together? 
Or is it an optical illusion because of the bit not yet on the top rear of the saucer?

Cheers

Jim


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Yes, a miscalcuation on my part. Now they should be more correct. THanks for the catch.

Worked on the linear accelerator. However the radius between the upper curve and the sides is too small (This is best seen in the second render). I expanded it some after the fact but it will be easier to rebuild than to continue messing with the current one. After careful examination of the studio model I have come to the conclusion that there are two channels in the upper "rail" which give three raised areas as opposed to the two you might normally see.

Also I tried out an orangish-red glow on the impulse engine. My curiosity is now satisfied and it has been changed back to blue where it will remain.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Pretty! Nice details on the Impluse engines. The close up view of the saucer, I can barely see the grid line, and that detail still looks right, from any angle.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

It's not s SPACESHIP, it's a STARSHIP. And a lovely lady she is too...

 

_Find the Trick, win a Treat_


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Trick, gold nacelles.

Beautiful lady of the stars.


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

Tis a thing of rare beauty!

Do you feel like putting season 3 'waffle' pattern on the impulse engines?
http://www.mjtsc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/new/images/image89.jpg

Jim


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

Okay, I guess I'll try and figure out Blender again.

Now that I have a computer with some serious horsepower, the thing might just work this time...


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

http://www.mjtsc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/new/images/image89.jpg

Also the 'linear accelerator' seems to over hang the impulse engines a tiny bit.

Jim


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

^^ When I click on the above link, I get "The page cannot be displayed".


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## Chuck_P.R. (Jun 8, 2003)

Four Mad Men said:


> It's not s SPACESHIP, it's a STARSHIP. And a lovely lady she is too...
> 
> 
> 
> _Find the Trick, win a Treat_


 
She's beautiful alright!

I'm hoping once I get more time off(probably not until after the holidays as some of the people's federal rebuilding grants in the New Orleans area have been beginning to roll in so I've been swamped at work) I'll be able to get back into Blender and/or that other 3/D program I bought and got videos on.


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## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

_swamped at work?_

pun intended?


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

CaptFrank said:


> ^^ When I click on the above link, I get "The page cannot be displayed".


Try this:

http://www.mjtsc.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/new/images/image89.jpg


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Even without the corrected link I knew the image. And have been wondering when someone might bring it up. Essentially I have two points about this. One revovles around potential damage to the impulse deck that may have led to the overhang (a long an semi-involved discussion that I will avoid here for the time being) and the other has to do with the fact that I don't like the way that looks.

So, without onscreen evidence to the contrary I'm proceeding with the notion that the overhand did not exists during original filming and will not be including it.

But thanks for the effort. It's always good to have another set of eyes going over the available reference pictures.


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

Four Mad Men said:


> One revovles around potential damage to the impulse deck that may have led to the overhang
> 
> But thanks for the effort. It's always good to have another set of eyes going over the available reference pictures.


Thanks! 

http://www.cloudster.com/sets&vehicles/STEnterprise/ent58.JPG

Pre 'resoration' pic from Phil Broads site...

When did this damage occur?

Jim


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## X15-A2 (Jan 21, 2004)

Since that piece (so-called "linear accelerator") is removable and therefore "moveable", the slight overhang can reasonably be taken as simple mis-allignment of the part, rather that designed-in intent. This is the same as not including the areas where the cloth tape wrapping the outer edges of the Impulse Deck is curling up. Here again, it is reasonable to assume that it was not intended to look like that but simply looks that way now after 40+ years of weathering.

I've only been lurking on this thread up until now but I must say, fantastic work as always FMM. Always a pleasure to see what you're up to with your computer.

Phil Broad


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

Four Mad Men

Are you modelling THE Enterprise, the ship
OR The Enterprise the 11 foot long model?

(are you going to make the painted on saucer light, light up?)

Jim


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

I've just gone over some pictures of the ship taken during production and it does appear that no, the little spine piece (a cover for the bolts holding the saucer to the pylon) did _not_ overhang the end of the impulse engines. 

Rather, it looks like it's supposed to be about a quarter of an inch from the back edge, maybe less, but definitely does not overhang.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

And even so, it just looks dumb with the overhang. Maybe that's a little strong. Anyway...

portland, I don't know that any damage did occur but it's a possibility in my mind from images I've seen on the web.

Phil, always glad to have you drop in on one of my threads. I'm glad you are enjoying it. Yes, the curling tape (and even the surface pattern) shall be absent from this mesh.

portland (part 2), I am modeling THE Enterprise. Our favorite 947' Starship. Painted on saucer light?


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)




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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Well I certainly can't imagine why that one was just painted on when the rest were actuall light housings. But to answer the question: I have modeled all four but only three have the white texture applied. When I'm done the white texture will be replaced with glass and a light.


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## Joeysaddress (Jun 16, 2006)

That one was most likely painted on becasue it was on the side of the minature that would never be seen on camera. Those panels were a result of a need to have access to the bulbs that would light up the windows on the saucers edge. Merely a cost saving measure.


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

Four Mad Men said:


> I have modeled all four but only three have the white texture applied. When I'm done the white texture will be replaced with glass and a light.


And the painted on 'light'?

Presumably 'THE' Enterprise has 4 working lights?
Starfleet did not have Desilu/Paramount backing thier construction!

Jim

PS Either way it looks great, You're doing an excellent job.


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## Captain April (May 1, 2004)

They also didn't have Desilu's budget problems.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Well the Enterprise will only have three of those panels lit as in the series. However I shall also be doing the Kongo and the Yorktown and they will both have four functioning panels.

**Note from the editor** The Kongo will have a few upgrades as well.


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

Captain April said:


> They also didn't have Desilu's budget problems.


Of course! There's no money in the TOS future.

Jim


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

_-- Price you name. Money I got._

No money? Come now, that was just Kirk's way of getting a free meal off the lady.


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## MGagen (Dec 18, 2001)

portland182 said:


> Of course! There's no money in the TOS future.
> 
> Jim


 At least according to (personally wealthy) Socialist actor Patrick Stewart.

According to TOS, on the other hand, they have a form of currency: it's called the "Credit."

M.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Don't leave home without it!


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

MGagen said:


> At least according to (personally wealthy) Socialist actor Patrick Stewart.
> 
> According to TOS, on the other hand, they have a form of currency: it's called the "Credit."
> 
> M.


Starfleet opperates on a 'No money down, easy monthly payments' plan?

That explains the size of Starfleet HQ. It's staffed mainly by accountants and lawyers!

Jim :tongue:


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

Every time I see the fine work you've done, I'm always thinking "Boy, do I suck at this, even though I'm a Noob!". Excellent job!!!

I do have a few questions floating around in my head that I've gotta get rid of.

1. Do you use any of the dimensions when you're working on the Lady, or do you just "eyeball" how a section or component looks when compared to the whole ship?  

2. If so, how can this be done in Blender? I've tried, but either it can't be done, or I haven't developed my CGI modelling skills yet.  

and 3. Why does a guy like me HAVE to ask all these silly questions?


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

A flurry of CG goodness...


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)




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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)




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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Looking REALLY nice man.

I still owe you a few shots.
Working on the look of the Bussard collectors right now. Kind of a P.I.T.B.


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

Excellent job, 4MM.

I followed your lead and started the 1701-D.
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=166195


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Stunning! 
I love the unusal views. Nice detailing on the nacelles!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks. Texturing continues and I can feel the effort sucking my life force even now.


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

I love the pencil lines! Spot on.
You'd bring a tear to a scottish engineers eye.

What are you going to do with it when it's 'done'?

Jim


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Four Mad Men said:


> Thanks. Texturing continues and I can feel the effort sucking my life force even now.


 
4MM,

Nice textures, what program do you create them in?


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Outstanding job, 4MM.

Beautiful model.

I particularly like the picture of the warm impulse exhausts with the unique screen texture that you posted a while back. I think that was about the best take on the impulse engines for this ship that I have ever seen.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

ClubTepes said:


> Looking REALLY nice man.
> 
> I still owe you a few shots.
> Working on the look of the Bussard collectors right now. Kind of a P.I.T.B.


Yeah those can take alot of trial and error. Post shots when you can.



portland182 said:


> I love the pencil lines! Spot on.
> You'd bring a tear to a scottish engineers eye.
> 
> What are you going to do with it when it's 'done'?
> ...


The textures on the saucer and not completed but the pencil lines did work out well thanks. When this is done there is just a small amount left to do for texturing the K-7. So when that is done I'll have the USS Enterprise, the USS Hood (Or one of the others, haven't decided yet), a DY-100, K type station, and a shuttlecraft so I'll suppose I'll create a few renders using combinations of those. Perhaps I'll even take a cue from CC and do a USS Sinclair.



ClubTepes said:


> 4MM,
> 
> Nice textures, what program do you create them in?


Photoshop is the main program I use for texture work. But for some things I actually use Blender as a starting point. For example each of the saucer panels are all of the same general size (and area), that was created in Blender and then loaded in to Photoshop for additional processing.



Trek Ace said:


> Outstanding job, 4MM.
> 
> Beautiful model.
> 
> I particularly like the picture of the warm impulse exhausts with the unique screen texture that you posted a while back. I think that was about the best take on the impulse engines for this ship that I have ever seen.


Thanks. It took a few tries to get the grill pattern that gave the right look from various distances. Those grills are infact modeled not textured. The housing itself has depth which helps the effect along.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

All old textures have been removed. They just were not working out for me.

For now here is the new scheme I'm using for the upper saucer...

 

The underside of the saucer has not yet been given the same (full) treatment as the top side but here's how it all looks with all the gridlines mapped.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I like the new scheme. Now too much. Another fine job!


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## Prowler901 (Jun 27, 2005)

That's an awesome rendition! :thumbsup:
I really like the subtlety of it.


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

I like the plain look of the original. The aztec patterns always bugged me. They can make a ship that can travel faster than light, but can't paint it one color?


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Excellent job, 4MMMMMMMM! As always, you've really captured the look of the design w/o going overboard w/the additional details, IMNSHO. Great job! :thumbsup:


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2006)

Outstanding work as always.
Is it just me or does the third pic with the blueprint back just scream 'desktop wallpaper' ? 

Go easy


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

It does and when this is finished I'll be creating my customary 5000 pixel renders so perhaps someone can make use of those for desktop images.

I've tried to give it a dirty used looks without having exact panels. There is paneling but it's mostly visible in the specular and reflection channels and only the slightest hint of it in the diffuse.

Here is some more work on the underside of the saucer as well as the nacelles...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

So nice! The middele shot is my favorite angle shot.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Personally I like the rear view but the second is next on my list.

Finally modeled the secondary hull windows. And more texturing...


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## Prowler901 (Jun 27, 2005)

She's beautiful :thumbsup: Keep up the great work.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

That last shot, almost took my eye out! LOL

I like the vertical lines on the nacelles and secondary hull, better than aztec.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

OK that is fantastic. Texturing is nice.

One note: on the saucer underside I don't think there's a defined "lip" around the outer rim. However, the AMT kits do have this where the studio model does not. I'll try to post a cap.


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Here's a good shot from the Smithsonian:


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks guys.

KUROK, what you see is an artifact of the AO shadowing in the render. There is in fact no lip just a flowing curve. But thanks for the input.


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## vaderknight (Nov 8, 2005)

Thanks for your help with the mirroring help, Four Mad Men!!! :thumbsup:


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

You are very welcome.

More work, and I have some new favorite renders...


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## scifieric (May 9, 2005)

They're my favorites, that's for sure!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks. Ever changing, ever changing...

With the exception of something unforseen these are the textures that are going into the oven. Final layers added to secondary hull and saucer rim.


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

Beautiful work!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Ahead warp factor 1...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I like the classic shots, reminds me of the Immunity Syndrome, in the black zone.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Now here is one that I'm VERY VERY PLEASED with...


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## KUROK (Feb 2, 2004)

Gorgeous!

I'll never get tired of looking at the original ship.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thank you sir. A timeless design to be sure.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

Four Mad Men said:


> Now here is one that I'm VERY VERY PLEASED with...


And so am I! :thumbsup:


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## Shaw (Jan 9, 2005)

Four Mad Men said:


> Now here is one that I'm VERY VERY PLEASED with...


Your work is quite inspiring... I'm almost finished putting together a PowerMac G4 (along with Blender) to see what I may be able to achieve at some point in the future. Your results have been amazing.


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

Thanks. The next version of Blender will be out by the end of the month I think so perfect timing for you. There's also been a big push on documentation so we'll see how that shakes out.

I've finished rigging the saucer light timings and have combined the best parts of my animated dome tests. Here is the final result...


Lights, sound, action (902KB, DivX)


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## CaptFrank (Jan 29, 2005)

She looks beautiful!

Great job!!


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

OK, for perhaps a more TOS feel. Material changes only (specifically shader algorithms). No changes to lamps, textures or texture settings...


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

When I look at it, I hear the ST TOS theme, playing in my head. Can't get more TOS feel, than that.


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## Prowler901 (Jun 27, 2005)

That's very nice  You, sir, are a true artist :thumbsup:


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## mactrek (Mar 30, 2004)

It would be great if "Star Trek: New Voyages" could use this ... it's a lot better than the one they used for TSAMD.

Great work, 4MM!! :thumbsup:


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## Four Mad Men (Jan 26, 2004)

That's actually not something I've been keeping up with. Perhaps I'll have a look, but thanks.

I spent some time last week working on the base ship color and spec settings. Here are the preliminary results...

 
 

P.S. I'm still trying to get the warp domes to look decent in a power down state without having to tweak the material settings back and forth. And not with complete success. Ah well.


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## scifieric (May 9, 2005)

It looks to me like you're doing a great job, 4MM!

You know I love the ship.


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