USS Grandeur - One... More... Time!

[Vektor]

^^ Aside from an Arch & Design material with glossy refraction, there's only one other method I know of for creating a diffusion effect that looks half way decent. You can apply a falloff opacity effect to the objects behind the bussard lens which makes their edges appear fuzzy. That's the method I used on my old Vanguard model and my original TOS Enterprise model. It only works well with certain shapes, however, mainly spheres, where the surface is guaranteed to curve away from you no matter what the viewing angle. It also fails to cast realistic shadows from the sun or whatever the light source happens to be (when, for example, the nacelle casts a shadow onto the secondary hull or interconnecting dorsal).

Something different: Would it be possible to make a small render with the warp glow of the nacelles disabled?

I'm very interested in how the cyan collector looks without the blue warp grille behind it; perhaps that would make things 'pop' again, as some have said. I have a suspicious feeling that the curves you've added around the grills are visually interesting enough, but I don't know for sure.

I think the bussard color has been decided and we're sticking with red. Besides which, I have no intention of leaving the warp grills dark.

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

No problem.

 

[lonewriter]

really nice job.

 

[Vektor]

By request of The Commander/The Citizen:



Click for full size.

 

[lonewriter]

By request of The Commander/The Citizen:



Click for full size.

that is really nice! I have to save that, maybe I can use it in the tech manual which I need to get back to working on.

 

[Orne]

Boss!

 

[TrekkieMonster]

This may finally replace my wallpaper from my Alaskan cruise. Absolutely beautiful!

And I see that poor sap is still hangin' around out on the hull. Doesn't he have anything better to do?

 

[Kaiser]

WOW! for a WIP that looks beyond great

 

[the citizen]

Absolutely Fabulous!!
... uh, even though the porch-light isn't on, LOL!

 

[Vektor]

If you're talking about the aux deflector, there's a reason it's called "auxiliary." I'm thinking it only lights up at high warp or when the saucer separates. Your mileage may vary, however.

 

[the citizen]

LOL... not even a dull glow... maybe 25% I realize it's the auxillary deflector and it will only operate when the saucer is seperated, but maybe a 25% glow... just because we can do the effects?

Heck, you're probably too busy for lighting stuff... I can edit this one, but the bigger render that was requested isn't doable by me.

 

[Vektor]

Not on this one. I'm out of time this week due to work obligations and a business trip to Colorado.

 

[the citizen]

Well, NP... I'll play with it a little, maybe add one of my cool space scenes, and make it so it's at different sizes. Come to think of it, I might add a slight glow to the cannons so it looks more ominous

 

[lonewriter]

some auxiliary deflectors glow, look at the Nova variant like my USS Hawking.

 

[the citizen]

We'll play by the rules, Jason.

I know you've said that you don't really like anyone using the unfinished ship inworks pics you post before and I respect that. loanwriter won't use this one for the Tech-manual unless I give the okay.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

If you're talking about the aux deflector, there's a reason it's called "auxiliary." I'm thinking it only lights up at high warp or when the saucer separates. Your mileage may vary, however.

I'm with you 100% on this point. Lighting things up just to have "neon lights" is silly.

If it's in operation, light it up. If not, leave it dark. (And, if you can... another preference from my personal pref category... I'd love it if you did the TMP-type glow, where it "warms up" from grey to dull-orange to yellow, to white, to blue when at max power. Your call obviously, just casting my 2cent vote!)

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

It's one of the things I really like in the new movie: Before, we regularly saw the impulse engines lit when at warp. In the movie, you specifically see the impulse engines go completely dark before the warp engine kicks in; much more consistent with the warp theories.

 

[Tallguy]

Looks terrific. I'm astounded that those phaser strips are bump mapped!

 

[lonewriter]

We'll play by the rules, Jason.

I know you've said that you don't really like anyone using the unfinished ship inworks pics you post before and I respect that. loanwriter won't use this one for the Tech-manual unless I give the okay.

of course I won't.

 

[Psion]

It's one of the things I really like in the new movie: Before, we regularly saw the impulse engines lit when at warp. In the movie, you specifically see the impulse engines go completely dark before the warp engine kicks in; much more consistent with the warp theories.

You mean like in Star Trek: The Motion Picture?

Departure.

Wormhole.

Warp speed!

Within V'Ger.

Final fanfare.

Warp speed!