Reliant Redux (and other stuff...)
- Thread starter SCE2Aux
- Start date
I'm glad you like how it ended up! I didn't think this was going to be a lengthy project because I'm used to putting together a lot of CG interiors as part of my job, but this is one of the few scifi interiors I've done, and my first proper bridge set. Turns out that I severely underestimated how much time it took to do all the modelling!
This early draft was done several months ago, just starting to go down the rabbit hole of detailing the roughed out concept model:
Any interior I do next will certainly be a study in minimalism.
This early draft was done several months ago, just starting to go down the rabbit hole of detailing the roughed out concept model:
Any interior I do next will certainly be a study in minimalism.
Incredible work. I feel like I’m looking at set photos from an alternate universe issue of Starlog magazine. Amazing.
Magnificent. I especially appreciate how — even if the Defiant is kit-bashed from the Reliant — it certainly does not look it. They definitely share family lineage, but just like real life aircraft carriers, there are subtle differences (and sometimes not so subtle!) between the two models. Bravo!!
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These are stunning. I love the realistic aerospace aesthetic mashed up with early Trek.
Thanks guys 
I put those extra engines on whilst I was kitbashing Defiant. The backstory I made up for the two ships is that Defiant is the more heavily armed out of the two as well as being faster in sub-light, but it can't sustain warp for very long (hence the bigger thruster out back, the ventral mast with extra missile emplacements, but shorter nacelles.) Really it's a Sol System defence variant, with no true interstellar capability.
Reliant on the other hand is an interstellar explorer: It has the longer nacelles, with underslung auxiliary nacelles that help regulate the warp field over long periods of time. I'm headcanoning that later ships would be better at controlling warp fields and so don't need the smaller 'helper' nacelles that make finer adjustments. It also has proto-impulse engines on the pylons, where fusion plasma that is heading up to the nacelles get ducted through some driver coils and vented to space. I liken these early pro-impulse engines to real-life ion engines; great efficiency, but not too much thrust. A reduced weapons load and greater fuel load further boosts Reliant's exploratory credentials.
I see you put some extra engines underneath the pylons, are these removable extra engines or are they fixed?
I put those extra engines on whilst I was kitbashing Defiant. The backstory I made up for the two ships is that Defiant is the more heavily armed out of the two as well as being faster in sub-light, but it can't sustain warp for very long (hence the bigger thruster out back, the ventral mast with extra missile emplacements, but shorter nacelles.) Really it's a Sol System defence variant, with no true interstellar capability.
Reliant on the other hand is an interstellar explorer: It has the longer nacelles, with underslung auxiliary nacelles that help regulate the warp field over long periods of time. I'm headcanoning that later ships would be better at controlling warp fields and so don't need the smaller 'helper' nacelles that make finer adjustments. It also has proto-impulse engines on the pylons, where fusion plasma that is heading up to the nacelles get ducted through some driver coils and vented to space. I liken these early pro-impulse engines to real-life ion engines; great efficiency, but not too much thrust. A reduced weapons load and greater fuel load further boosts Reliant's exploratory credentials.
The ships are not bad, as far as the ball shape goes. The Pods are top notch!Here are some updates with my latest images - getting close to the end of this project revamp now, i'm ready to start something new;
Man, I can totally see these as being precursors to the NX program, then being retrofitted into the more standard variant we're familiar with. The design cues led to a more modular system that you don't have to build in space but can easily be built on the surface of a planet then orbited by conventional means.
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Haha, yeah I have done a looooot of images with just that one ship! I'm nearly done with it though - I'm starting a brand new ship for once, hopefully next month.Again, awesome work! Love the style you have aaaaaaaaand the Reliant..
Bringing this project to a close; there's always just one more shot I can think to do, but I'm eager to move onto something else now. I made an ArtStation gallery for the final images, and you can also find higher resolution versions in the Scifi Meshes finished gallery:
https://forums.scifi-meshes.com/discussion/10001171/pre-enterprise-era-project-final-images
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/wJ2XP5
https://forums.scifi-meshes.com/discussion/10001171/pre-enterprise-era-project-final-images
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/wJ2XP5
Lovely. It reminds me of the TMP poster minus the text.
That poster is one of my favourites (along with pretty much everything else about TMP
)
