Maybe it's a window for some sort of camera or passive EM sensor on the front of that console? --Alex
From the POV of someone sitting in one of these seats, they should have a line of sight through the lower part of the middle window, bearing in mind that I haven't actually modeled this in 3D or done detailed perspective analyses or anything. Also remember that the entire pilot/copilot console and seat assembly tilts 90 degrees for takeoffs and docking maneuvers.
I think that design number 1, 5, 6, and maybe 3 are the ones I like the best, and I see these as designs that a rebellious upstart faction, which as far as I know it, the Transhuman Authority would be. I see many of vessels of the Transhuman Authority as being a fleet similar to the Confederacy of Independent Systems/Separatist Alliance, with most warships having their beginnings as freighters and transports. The THA didn't have many resources for brand new vessels like the United Worlds navy, though they probably did try (and their degrees of success probably will depend of the decisions of the producers). Big, long ships, with tons of space for adding weapons and armor and shield generators would probably be amongst the mainstays of the THA fleet, even at the waning of the war. The reason I like the look of option 1 is the almost-but-not-quite rocket ship look. I'm picturing sausage shaped battleships with maybe drive sections towards the rear that look like they have a relationship to the Polaris's engines, but on a much bigger scale, and from the front to the middle, there is a lineup of turret after turret, with the curve of the hull being used to give the turrets a better line of sight, so when they are pointed straight forward, they still have a clear line of sight.
^Nice looking ship! Huge, too. Reminds me of many different other ships, but it's definitely its own creature. Is this, like Polaris, another nose-is-the-top oriented ship? It looks that way from what I believe are the windows.
It varies - there are hangar decks that are oriented perpendicular to the direction of motion, but most of the modules are along the axis of travel.
Very, very cool. Glad you reposted this so I can steal some of the design cues for my background ship designs.
It's real. Starship Polaris design by Vektor and aridas sofia. Optical effects by NEO f/x. [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxyQtCN03Ks[/yt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxyQtCN03Ks
That bright turquoise in the spheres is a bit overwhelming. Perhaps it is the vibrancy or just the color itself, but I much preferred the more subtle indigo from the earlier stages of the design anyways. Either way, I think it could benefit from being a touch dimmer. There is nothing on the front sides of the ship to balance out that big ball of blue and it detracts from the rest of it. It looks like the sphere on the back is actually turned down a bit, or perhaps it has to do with the lighting.