Original Space Ship Model

Hi gang! Long time no see. The holidays are a really hectic time for me and I haven't had the chance to even load up Max, let alone get any actual modeling done, since some time around Thanksgiving. Things are slacking off a little now, so I've decided to get back into the 3D stuff in a couple of different ways.

For those who have been keeping track of my modified TOS Enterprise, don't worry, I haven't abandoned that project and will continue to work on it off and on for the forseeable future.

I also have another project I agreed to do quite some time ago, but my skills are not, as yet, up to the task. It's going to require quite a bit of spline cage modeling, lofting and a couple other techniques I'm still not very comfortable with. In an effort to prepare for it, I've decided to tackle yet another project that I think will help me improve in those areas.

Years ago I was involved in a sci-fi role-playing game with several friends of mine that we affectionately called the "Ebonstar Campaign." The name came from the ship we used to toole around the galaxy, an old military transport ship modified into a freighter. At one point the Ebonstar was virtually destroyed while attempting to salvage the drive coils from a wrecked capital ship in the middle of vast debris field. Fortunately, we were able to sell the coils for a small fortune and used the money to rebuild our beloved old ship into a high-performance, bad-ass fighting machine.

This is a sketch I drew in my gaming notebook of what the ship looked like after it's major overhaul:



The Ebonstar was originally built using the Traveler rules system, but was heavily modified for the custom system we were using in the actual game. It was further modified, obviously, during the overhaul, and actually incorporated a few bits and pieces of alien technology along the way.

At any rate, I need to decide how best to go about modeling this puppy. My first inclination is to box model the basic shape of the hull, then go in and start detailing things like the cockpit windows, engines, ramscoops and so forth.

Anybody got any better ideas?

The beginnings of a box modeled control mesh:



All I have time for tonight, hopefully more tomorrow.

[Elowan]

Nice lines. Looking forward to your progress.

When you say 'box modeled control mesh' are you talking about a spline cage or modeling from primitive box-polys?

Cool, like the front a lot

Here is the latest version of the control mesh (upper left), with two iterations of meshsmooth (upper right), and a meshsmoothed rendering (bottom):



I've managed to keep all the polygons 4-sided except for one or two troublesome spots. All in all, I think it's coming along pretty well.

Incidently, as you can tell from the concept sketch at the beginning of this thread, not nearly all of the details have been worked out and I am very interested in whatever input all you might have.

Can someone please explain what box modelling is? lol.

You start with a box then bash, smash, mame and pull it until it looks like something.

[Elowan]

Originally posted by an0n
You start with a box then bash, smash, mame and pull it until it looks like something.

Like Michaelangelo did with his David.

Thought so. Been doin it for ages and don'tknow what it is called.

Made some pretty good progress in the last couple of days:






Lemme tell ya, trying to keep all the polygons four-sided is a pain in the ass! I may just go back to an earlier stage of the control mesh and totally change the way I built some of it because it's getting to a point now where the meshsmoothing is almost redundant. Two levels of iteration puts me well over 250,000 faces. I know organic shapes tend to run pretty high, but I know I can do better than that. The control mesh is just too complex.

Anyway, aside from all that, what do you all think so far?

[Thomas P]

It's coming out incredibly well. When compared to the sketch it is dead on, very cool. Why are you looking to add detail? The drawing seems like it would make a very nice model, good models don't have to be greebled to death .

Originally posted by Thomas P
It's coming out incredibly well. When compared to the sketch it is dead on, very cool. Why are you looking to add detail? The drawing seems like it would make a very nice model, good models don't have to be greebled to death .

Well, I didn't mean detail like greebling on the hull and such, I mean things like the exact structure of the ramscoops on the wingtips, the engine exhausts, hatches, hardpoints, that sort of stuff.

is this going to be a starfleet ship?

Originally posted by rosel_sampson
is this going to be a starfleet ship?

Nope, this is totally non-Trek.

cool

[Kai]

looking very goot there Vektor! which Traveller she from?
original?

as for this being trek.. *does not dignify that with an answer*

Kai

Originally posted by Kai
looking very goot there Vektor! which Traveller she from?
original?

To be honest, I'm not quite sure. I didn't build her originally, and the game we wound up playing only used Traveler for the ship specs.

Sweet!!

[skyhawk223]

Nice design. Looks fast.

[meshula]

That's a really nice design, well proportioned. Looking forward to seeing it all built.