Modified TOS Enterprise

Well, I hadn't really planned to dive into this quite so soon, but the bug bit me this evening and I just had to start working on my long planned TOS Enterprise model.

As the tile of this thread indicated, this will not be an exact replica of the filming model as it was seen in the Original Series but rather a somewhat modified version of it. I expect it to be very close when all is said and done, but I don't intend to hold myself to the level of accuracy on this one that I did on the Constitution. I have a specific purpose in mind for this model and it may involve tweaking a few details just a bit.

Using my recently completed Constitution mesh as a starting point, I used a Section object to generate the following spline:



As usual, I'm going to start with the primary hull, so let's focus in on that:



As you can see, the section object picked up everything, including the boxes behind the windows near the low point in the saucer and the divot in the leading edge where the center sensor disc was. I'll clean those up before I start modifying the outlines. First, though, here's a rough indication of the features that need to be changed in order to match or at least approximate the filming model:



After cleaning up the extraneous stuff and separating out the different parts of the spline, I spent about half an hour tweaking the areas in question and wound up with this:



In addition to the afore mentioned changes, I also decided to make the saucer rim a little thinner, which it appears to be in the reference pics I'm using. All of this is eyeballed and I'm sure it's not 100% accurate. In particular, I think the bridge module is just a little bit bigger than it should be.

Now, I'm sure quite a few of you are already asking, "How did he get the B and C deck 'command module' to come out that way?" I used the same method that I did on the Constitution, a modifier called Free-Form Deform. First I created a simple lathe for the base object:



Then I applied an FFD modifier and tweaked the control points in three dimensions until I got the result I wanted:



All in all, not bad for a first shot if I do say so.

Just so everybody knows, updates on this new project may be few and far between for a while as I am attempting to include a few more things in my life besides a monitor, keyboard and mouse, but I will try to keep up with it as regularly as I can.

nicely done.

though, what exactly is modified on this one when compared to the one you finished ?

ya know... I can relate to this project. I think I spent a year on my enterprise.

Go Vektor!

Your work on the constitution was really immaculate from what I saw. i haven't checked out the model directly, but It sure was cool watching your wip thread come together. I really look forward to this next beauty! Your attention to detail is really top notch Vektor, keep it coming!

JasonA

PS I have a specific purpose in mind..... Just curious, but can you give us an el hinto as to what you have planned?

[meshula]

That's a really nice way to model the BC decks! far less work then the way i did it (which was to model it with splines and tweak for about a million years)

Interesting.......I do hope you will show more of these "how you did it images"...such as the command module

I would like this very much

Modified eh, this will be interesting.

updates?....we want them NOW!

Okay, okay!

Kewl Looks like a great start! So how are you making this one different from the Constitution?

JasonA

Vektor, I sent you an email a while back in regards to this mesh. Did you receive it? If not, what email address should I send to?

Originally posted by BRUTUS
[B]Vektor, I sent you an email a while back in regards to this mesh. Did you receive it?

Does this answer your question:



Yes, I am indeed using the Sinclair drawings for reference. Sorry I never replied back but I simply forgot. Thanks for pointing them out for me.

That's great! This should be fun!

hmmm.... I see a lot of things that I put on my mesh. I had to research heavily to get some of the pieces right.


Looks really good.

Originally posted by JasonA
Kewl Looks like a great start! So how are you making this one different from the Constitution?

JasonA

I can answer this! The constitution class drawings that Vektor was using differed a lot from the production model that was used in the series, mostly because IIRC the drawings were made after the model... or seperate from the model. They're different anyway.

/me wonders if there's going to be a first/second pilot model as well

oh my...
if Half the Work, Time, And Detail goes in to this ship
as did the last one (ncc-1700), anyone that gets to use
her (should she be P.D) will be in for a treat..

Valiant.

PRO-gress..........any?

Hew-loooooo any booody hoome?

I warned everyone in advance that this project could take a while as I simply don't have a lot of time to devote to it. I'll try to provide some updates some time in the near future if I can.

Vector I had a chance to look through the website and download your USS Constitution. You produce marvelous stuff. I wish I had half of your talent and ability. How do I get that good?

Patience, I guess. Patience that I lack. *sigh*

Vektor
I warned everyone in advance that this project could take a while as I simply don't have a lot of time to devote to it.

Well guess HE told me.........Relax Bud I am just razin ya

Well folks, I bet you never thought you were gonna see this thread again, but I have finally made some additional progress on my TOS Enterprise model.

The reason I haven't posted anything recently is because I felt the need to go back to the drawing board, so to speak. I was looking at the modeling work of a few other people, most notably a fellow named Nova Class who has been posting a lot of beautiful work recently over in the Trek Art forum on TrekBBS, and I had to admit to myself that my own modeling skills, while serviceable, were sorely lacking in some critical areas.

And so, I have spent the last several weeks fiddling around with 3ds Max in an effort to figure out how some of the really nifty modeling techniques I've been admiring for so long are actually done, particularly the techniques for creating certain types of pseudo-organic shapes and for rounding-off those tell-tale sharp edges that just scream amateur CGI. I am pleased to announce that I think I have FINALLY made some real progress. Judge for yourselves:




Let me tell you, those cutouts on the sides and bottom of the engineering hull are the most godawful miserable things to model that I have ever encountered in my life. I still don't have them 100% perfect, as you can tell from the segmentation of the oval at the back end of each cutout, but that part will be easy compared to the rest of it. I was mainly concerned with getting all the curves and angles correct and smoothing off those edges the way the pros do it.

Now that I know how it's done (or at least one way to do it), I frankly can't believe how simple it was. All this time I've been trying to put actual chamfers on those edges, which usually ended up in a twisted wireframe nightmare, when all that was needed was some simple manipulation of the geometry and some careful application of smoothing groups. One day soon I'm going to have to set up a tutorial for it since I haven't ever seen anyone else do one. Believe me, I looked.

In the meantime, I'm back to work on my TOS Enterprise and she's looking better than ever if I do say so!

Looks great.

OK, for those of us who dont know how you made those edges so smooth, PLEASE tell us. I NEED that advice to help with my own project. Thanks, keep it up.

How did you model the saucer, lathe, loft?:z:

You flatter me, sir!

Well, that's probably the nicest job integrating those side elements in to the secondary hull that I've seen, Vektor. Very, very clean. Looks to me like your little sabbatical was time well spent!

Now you're making me want to go back and re-work that area on mine! :p You're right about that being probably the biggest PIA to model on the whole ship.

Here's a cookie!

Vector I always thought your work was beautiful. I'm looking forward to that tutorial!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

oye. I know the pain. I actually beveled mine. Beveled all the way around the hanger bay too. Did it all by moving vertices by hand and playing conect the dots to make facets.

I really do hate "secondary hulls" now.

I have rebuilt that hull so many times!

Damn I hate the TOS engineering section!

But I have to admit yours is looking really great! Good luck on the rear end. It will be a pain, I'm sure, but it will look great.

We need to know how he did it, share share share!!!!

Those smooth corners are amazing. You definitely put my mesh to shame. I guess now I'll have to go back and rework all the sharp edges on my ship.