Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Contest)

[JES]

This is my entry for the STO contest, which I made because I didn't see any designs at the time I started that I thought should be the next ship to carry the name Enterprise. I will admit that MadeInJapan1988's Perception-class served as quite an inspiration, though I also included elements from many other different designs that I thought were a good idea, then took some of my favorite elements from past Enterprises, added my own design features, and mixed them all together. The result was the Essex class, named after the aircraft carrier, Daedalus-class cruiser, Constitution-class heavy cruiser, and Ambassador-class heavy cruiser, ships that have carried the name. I thought since there are two vessels with that name that are canon alone, it was about time that the Essex got a name of it's own.
Now that I think of it, I kinda wish I joined a Trek forum before the contest, since it seems that my design hasn't gotten much attention. I would request viewers to vote for my design, but seeing as how voting is apparently over, that is apparently a futile act. Oh well... Maybe one or more of the judges will notice and take a liking to the design, since there seem to be quite a few hidden gems in the gallery that seemed to have gone unnoticed as well...

Note that the vessels listed were all aircraft carriers at least one time, as well as names of considerable reputation. I thought it would make sense to use names of repute for for the sister ships of the Enterprise.

This was my first sketch for the Essex-class, which I designed for the STO contest. Here, I fleshed her out. In essence, I started out with the Sovereign class (okay, and yes, the Perception class), which is one of my favorite designs, but the Essex is twice the size, has raised hull sections similar to the Akira and Luna classes, and both the primary and secondary hull sections are capable of independent warp travel, as well as quantum slipstream. The idea of putting warp nacelles inside the edges of the saucer section came from Gustavo Callisto's Arrogant-class, which I think is so brilliant, that I thought that many future vessels should and would utilize this feature.

Yet another idea originating from the Arrogant class.

These sketches show the underside of the Essex, and introduce the idea of integrating both hull sections more, which I put into my final design, because I thought that it better befit the idea that the primary and secondary hulls become more and more integrated with one another as time goes on for each Enterprise, as seen with the Enterprise J. Also, notice the yacht design, which is based on the new Starfleet insignia. The idea here is that there are two yachts; one for the captain, and one for the second-in-command, which I imagine as quite helpful if evacuation is necessary, with the yachts (as well as shuttles that make it out) acting as escorts for the lifepods.

Based on the idea pioneered by Malcolm Lu/Galen, and also on weapon designs by Joshua Samuelson/Madeinjapan1988, in this case, I decided to take a crack at designing my own weapons, as well as attempting to build on those designs. Hopefully, they will be flattered rather than offended, but if the case is the latter, I'll stop. I never got to sketching additional pulse phaser turret concepts and torpedo launchers, but if anyone wants to see more, I'll be happy to draft them.

Of course, any Federation vessel to carry the name Enterprise must be capable of some form of Saucer Separation, since all Federation vessels to carry the name have always been capable of this in some form, and the Essex-class is meant to be able to due just that. Dubbed Tactical Hull Separation, I imagine that hull separation at this point would be part of the standard tactical abilities available to some of the ships-of-the-line at this point in the early 25th century, which I also imagine was pioneered by the Prometheus-class.

The direct links are below just in case the above links do not work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358541759/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358551263/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5359261690/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5359262120/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5359262558/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358649961/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358650385/

Anyways, thank you for your time (and my apologies for the super long commentary).

And comments and advice is most certainly welcome. What do you all think?

Is she worthy of the name Enterprise? Is she even worthy of the name Essex?

I have a folder full of artwork and sketches, so I plan on posting one design a week starting from now.

 

[Birdog]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Note that the vessels listed were all aircraft carriers at least one time, as well as names of considerable reputation.

Only three of the ships you listed were ever aircraft carriers. Indianapolis was a heavy cruiser. She carried one of the atomic bombs to Tinian. I don't know what Entrepreneur was but she wasn't a carrier.

 

[erifah]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Lemme see here... You entered a starship design contest... with pencil sketches jotted down on lined notebook paper..?

What irks me is, your design could have been very competitive, because you seem to have an amazing sense of design.

Maybe you feel your designs lose something when you try to create with other media, such as computer drawing programs. Been there, done that, feel your pain.

If that's the case, keep on sketching with your pencil, but then, scan them bad boys into your computer, and use one of several readily-available programs to manipulate your drawings - to stretch them, or bend them, or squeeze them so that you can experiment and improve them. You can clean 'em up, mirror them to make perfect symmetrical views.

Half the fun of trying out those programs is mastering them, and realizing how far your natural talents can be enhanced by using those tools. You will actually grow as an artist, IMHO, because those tools, and their results, will inspire you to do more, and see how far you can go.

 

[Starship]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Looks like a good candidate.

 

[BlobVanDam]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

From what I can tell from the views you've drawn, I like the design. It feels very close to the Enterprise E, but like a beefier version of it. It does feel like a natural progression from The E, although from the side view you could almost mistake it for one. The shape of the saucer section from above doesn't quite seem sorted out to me, but I really like the shape of the bridge area, and all of the details you've included, and there are some saucer section details I'm interested to see in more detail, such as a CAD drawing or 3D model.
I'd definitely like to see more of it, like a 3/4 front view to get a better idea of how it looks in perspective.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Yeah, I really like this as well... it's clear you put thought into it, and the design works pretty well.

 

[Dac]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

That is probably one of the few designs i've seen that conforms to the in-game "design laws" so to speak. And its a good design too that reminds me of the Avenger class, especially in the saucer area. Personally, i'd have flipped the nacelles so the front angles up instead of down, but aside from that, I like it. It has a pretty good chance i'd say.

 

[Kaiser]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

This is my entry for the STO contest, which I made because I didn't see any designs at the time I started that I thought should be the next ship to carry the name Enterprise. I will admit that MadeInJapan1988's Perception-class served as quite an inspiration, though I also included elements from many other different designs that I thought were a good idea, then took some of my favorite elements from past Enterprises, added my own design features, and mixed them all together. The result was the Essex class, named after the aircraft carrier, Daedalus-class cruiser, Constitution-class heavy cruiser, and Ambassador-class heavy cruiser, ships that have carried the name. I thought since there are two vessels with that name that are canon alone, it was about time that the Essex got a name of it's own.
Now that I think of it, I kinda wish I joined a Trek forum before the contest, since it seems that my design hasn't gotten much attention. I would request viewers to vote for my design, but seeing as how voting is apparently over, that is apparently a futile act. Oh well... Maybe one or more of the judges will notice and take a liking to the design, since there seem to be quite a few hidden gems in the gallery that seemed to have gone unnoticed as well...

Note that the vessels listed were all aircraft carriers at least one time, as well as names of considerable reputation. I thought it would make sense to use names of repute for for the sister ships of the Enterprise.

This was my first sketch for the Essex-class, which I designed for the STO contest. Here, I fleshed her out. In essence, I started out with the Sovereign class (okay, and yes, the Perception class), which is one of my favorite designs, but the Essex is twice the size, has raised hull sections similar to the Akira and Luna classes, and both the primary and secondary hull sections are capable of independent warp travel, as well as quantum slipstream. The idea of putting warp nacelles inside the edges of the saucer section came from Gustavo Callisto's Arrogant-class, which I think is so brilliant, that I thought that many future vessels should and would utilize this feature.

Yet another idea originating from the Arrogant class.

These sketches show the underside of the Essex, and introduce the idea of integrating both hull sections more, which I put into my final design, because I thought that it better befit the idea that the primary and secondary hulls become more and more integrated with one another as time goes on for each Enterprise, as seen with the Enterprise J. Also, notice the yacht design, which is based on the new Starfleet insignia. The idea here is that there are two yachts; one for the captain, and one for the second-in-command, which I imagine as quite helpful if evacuation is necessary, with the yachts (as well as shuttles that make it out) acting as escorts for the lifepods.

Based on the idea pioneered by Malcolm Lu/Galen, and also on weapon designs by Joshua Samuelson/Madeinjapan1988, in this case, I decided to take a crack at designing my own weapons, as well as attempting to build on those designs. Hopefully, they will be flattered rather than offended, but if the case is the latter, I'll stop. I never got to sketching additional pulse phaser turret concepts and torpedo launchers, but if anyone wants to see more, I'll be happy to draft them.

Of course, any Federation vessel to carry the name Enterprise must be capable of some form of Saucer Separation, since all Federation vessels to carry the name have always been capable of this in some form, and the Essex-class is meant to be able to due just that. Dubbed Tactical Hull Separation, I imagine that hull separation at this point would be part of the standard tactical abilities available to some of the ships-of-the-line at this point in the early 25th century, which I also imagine was pioneered by the Prometheus-class.

The direct links are below just in case the above links do not work.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358541759/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358551263/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5359261690/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5359262120/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5359262558/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358649961/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5358650385/

Anyways, thank you for your time (and my apologies for the super long commentary).

And comments and advice is most certainly welcome. What do you all think?

Is she worthy of the name Enterprise? Is she even worthy of the name Essex?

I have a folder full of artwork and sketches, so I plan on posting one design a week starting from now.

Looks very nice to me

 

[JES]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Note that the vessels listed were all aircraft carriers at least one time, as well as names of considerable reputation.

Only three of the ships you listed were ever aircraft carriers. Indianapolis was a heavy cruiser. She carried one of the atomic bombs to Tinian. I don't know what Entrepreneur was but she wasn't a carrier.

Hmm... You have a point there. I clearly wasn't thinking there when I typed the statement at the very top. I probably should have made a double-take on the names that I chose before making that statement. It was my mistake for not remembering that the Indianapolis wasn't a carrier. As for the Entrepreneur, you are absolutely correct, she was never an aircraft carrier. I thought that Entrepreneur would be a cool name for a starship. I've wanted to use it for quite some time. In this case, the meaning of the word is meant to change from to taking chances for the sake of monetary profit, to the sake of gaining knowledge, and occasionally protecting the Federation, her allies, and its citizens.

@Erifah: Actually, the only image I entered was the detailed drawings on the drawing paper. The sketches on the lined paper was meant to give viewers an idea of how the rest of the ship was meant to look like from different angles, because I didn't have enough time to make detailed drawings of the rest of the angles in time for the deadline, due to finding out about the contest about 2 weeks before the deadline. That is also why I didn't do it in Illustrator, due to being relatively new to the program. Otherwise, I would have preferred to do just that, or at least make more enhancements in Photoshop. I have every intention of using programs such as Illustrator in the future.
As for my good sense of design, I have to admit that comes quite a bit from looking at all sorts of different ship designs that I find on the Internet. It is something that I love to do, and all the different designs that I have found have inspired me to come up with designs of my own, and share them with others, just like the people who have inspired me. That is the major reason I joined this forum.

@BlobVanDam: by 3/4th front view, do you mean a front view at an angle from the bottom, or the top. Sorry, I'm not very familiar with those types of terms. Any ways, I'll be happy to draft additional sketches; it will be good practice for me to flesh out more details. I can even do a detailed drawing like the first image, but with college, that will take much longer.

@BolianAuthor: Thank you, I'm glad you like her. I had actually thought on many occasions before the contest on how I would design the next Enterprise, but never really put it down on paper before the contest because of all of the different concepts that had existed before, such as the Century class and Perception class. Besides, I thought: "what right does a little mite like me have to design a ship with the name Enterprise?", especially when the Perception class was done in so much detail, and was apparently so well thought out. For me, the Perception class seemed to be the best candidate to be the next Enterprise. But when I by chance stumbled upon the contest, and couldn't find the Perception class among the entries at the time (or really any other entries that I liked), I thought "eh, why not?". My goal was to make a ship that was apparently strong, and could carry on the reputation of a formidable vessel like the other ships to carry the name, and yet was also graceful. A design that others could love and appreciate, similar to how I love and admire the Sovereign class.

@Dac: I can see what you mean by how the Essex shares quite a few features in common with the Avenger, if you mean the STO design (there are quite a few classes which carries the name-something that I find a little annoying, if you know what I mean). By flipping the angle of the front of the nacelle, do you mean giving the front an angle more akin to the Sovereign class, as opposed to the Vesta class and AU Constitution? Thank you for your kind comment, and I certainly hope she gets more notice before and during the judging stage.

To everyone else who I haven't directly replied to, thank you for your comments, and I'm happy to hear that others are enjoying my design.

 

[erifah]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

@Erifah: Actually, the only image I entered was the detailed drawings on the drawing paper. The sketches on the lined paper was meant to give viewers an idea of how the rest of the ship was meant to look like from different angles, because I didn't have enough time to make detailed drawings of the rest of the angles in time for the deadline, due to finding out about the contest about 2 weeks before the deadline. That is also why I didn't do it in Illustrator, due to being relatively new to the program. Otherwise, I would have preferred to do just that, or at least make more enhancements in Photoshop. I have every intention of using programs such as Illustrator in the future.
As for my good sense of design, I have to admit that comes quite a bit from looking at all sorts of different ship designs that I find on the Internet. It is something that I love to do, and all the different designs that I have found have inspired me to come up with designs of my own, and share them with others, just like the people who have inspired me. That is the major reason I joined this forum.

There's nothing wrong with sketches, BTW. Andy Probert could sketch his hairy butt, and most of us here would throw our own grandmothers down a deep well just to get a copy of it. (I know I would.)

Now, this is going to sound odd, but let's go with it: I think that your sketches on the lined paper are actually better than the image on the drawing paper. The sketches are cleaner, less busy, more to-the-point, more "fully-formed" and confident. Simple, yet elegant. They are nuggets of inspiration.

The final image on the drawing paper, on the other hand, looks... I'm trying to find the right words (dammit, Jim, I'm a visual artist, not a poet!)... over-wrought and a tad clunky. It is as though you loaded it up with too many details that try to explain it, whereas the simpler sketches speak for themselves and the viewer immediately "gets" what they are saying. Indeed, I think the viewers see your sketches of the parts, and their brains fill in the details of the rest of the ship.

I don't know, maybe you could lightly sketch the whole ship as a framework to guide your thinking, then focus on specific parts (which you are really, REALLY good at, I MUST say...) and then assemble them to look like the whole ship.

I found some success with that approach myself recently, designing my own Enterprise "F". I was having trouble with my bridge module, so I cut it out, blew it up 500%, and worked on it from there, then shrunk it back down and stuck it back on the ship.

 

[BolianAuthor]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

@Erifah: Actually, the only image I entered was the detailed drawings on the drawing paper. The sketches on the lined paper was meant to give viewers an idea of how the rest of the ship was meant to look like from different angles, because I didn't have enough time to make detailed drawings of the rest of the angles in time for the deadline, due to finding out about the contest about 2 weeks before the deadline. That is also why I didn't do it in Illustrator, due to being relatively new to the program. Otherwise, I would have preferred to do just that, or at least make more enhancements in Photoshop. I have every intention of using programs such as Illustrator in the future.
As for my good sense of design, I have to admit that comes quite a bit from looking at all sorts of different ship designs that I find on the Internet. It is something that I love to do, and all the different designs that I have found have inspired me to come up with designs of my own, and share them with others, just like the people who have inspired me. That is the major reason I joined this forum.

There's nothing wrong with sketches, BTW. Andy Probert could sketch his hairy butt, and most of us here would throw our own grandmothers down a deep well just to get a copy of it. (I know I would.)

Now, this is going to sound odd, but let's go with it: I think that your sketches on the lined paper are actually better than the image on the drawing paper. The sketches are cleaner, less busy, more to-the-point, more "fully-formed" and confident. Simple, yet elegant. They are nuggets of inspiration.

The final image on the drawing paper, on the other hand, looks... I'm trying to find the right words (dammit, Jim, I'm a visual artist, not a poet!)... over-wrought and a tad clunky. It is as though you loaded it up with too many details that try to explain it, whereas the simpler sketches speak for themselves and the viewer immediately "gets" what they are saying. Indeed, I think the viewers see your sketches of the parts, and their brains fill in the details of the rest of the ship.

I don't know, maybe you could lightly sketch the whole ship as a framework to guide your thinking, then focus on specific parts (which you are really, REALLY good at, I MUST say...) and then assemble them to look like the whole ship.

I found some success with that approach myself recently, designing my own Enterprise "F". I was having trouble with my bridge module, so I cut it out, blew it up 500%, and worked on it from there, then shrunk it back down and stuck it back on the ship.

Number one, how do you know his butt is hairy? Number two, why would you throw your grandmother down a deep well to get a copy of it?

Actually, you know what... never mind... the most disturbing part is that you probably actually have answers to those questions.

 

[erifah]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Number one, how do you know his butt is hairy? Number two, why would you throw your grandmother down a deep well to get a copy of it?

Actually, you know what... never mind... the most disturbing part is that you probably actually have answers to those questions.

You know, if you'd actually show up and pay attention during the break-out sessions at the Star Trek conventions, you'd have known these things.

 

[JES]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Even I don't think I want to know these types of things. My interest lies in science fiction. I guess that is one thing that separates me from more hardcore fans.

@Erifah: Actually, the only image I entered was the detailed drawings on the drawing paper. The sketches on the lined paper was meant to give viewers an idea of how the rest of the ship was meant to look like from different angles, because I didn't have enough time to make detailed drawings of the rest of the angles in time for the deadline, due to finding out about the contest about 2 weeks before the deadline. That is also why I didn't do it in Illustrator, due to being relatively new to the program. Otherwise, I would have preferred to do just that, or at least make more enhancements in Photoshop. I have every intention of using programs such as Illustrator in the future.
As for my good sense of design, I have to admit that comes quite a bit from looking at all sorts of different ship designs that I find on the Internet. It is something that I love to do, and all the different designs that I have found have inspired me to come up with designs of my own, and share them with others, just like the people who have inspired me. That is the major reason I joined this forum.

There's nothing wrong with sketches, BTW. Andy Probert could sketch his hairy butt, and most of us here would throw our own grandmothers down a deep well just to get a copy of it. (I know I would.)

Now, this is going to sound odd, but let's go with it: I think that your sketches on the lined paper are actually better than the image on the drawing paper. The sketches are cleaner, less busy, more to-the-point, more "fully-formed" and confident. Simple, yet elegant. They are nuggets of inspiration.

The final image on the drawing paper, on the other hand, looks... I'm trying to find the right words (dammit, Jim, I'm a visual artist, not a poet!)... over-wrought and a tad clunky. It is as though you loaded it up with too many details that try to explain it, whereas the simpler sketches speak for themselves and the viewer immediately "gets" what they are saying. Indeed, I think the viewers see your sketches of the parts, and their brains fill in the details of the rest of the ship.

I don't know, maybe you could lightly sketch the whole ship as a framework to guide your thinking, then focus on specific parts (which you are really, REALLY good at, I MUST say...) and then assemble them to look like the whole ship.

I found some success with that approach myself recently, designing my own Enterprise "F". I was having trouble with my bridge module, so I cut it out, blew it up 500%, and worked on it from there, then shrunk it back down and stuck it back on the ship.

The reason that I loaded my drawing with so many details was my way of saying "this is where everything is pretty much supposed to go", even though I expect that I will play a role in finalizing the design and saying what most things are supposed to look like and be placed during rendering process if my design wins. I wanted to lessen the chances or opportunity that the design would deviate away from my vision during the rendering process.
I suppose I could do the design in Illustrator, which would allow me to do individual parts on individual layers, though it would take a long time to do so, especially a ship her size. But if there is enough demand, I suppose I would be obligated to try it. I intended to do her in Illustrator if she was at least one of the prize winning designs.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

As for the Entrepreneur, you are absolutely correct, she was never an aircraft carrier. I thought that Entrepreneur would be a cool name for a starship. I've wanted to use it for quite some time. In this case, the meaning of the word is meant to change from to taking chances for the sake of monetary profit, to the sake of gaining knowledge, and occasionally protecting the Federation, her allies, and its citizens.

First - I quite like your design. It feels a tad conventional, but that's probably a bonus in a design contest for the Enterprise: they probably won't want to move too far afield, to something like some of Atolm's (excellent) designs, for example. Like others have said, your design seems to flow naturally from the -E. Bravo.

Now, regarding Entrepreneur - maybe a certain number of these ships (or at least, their hulls) are, for whatever reason, being built by the Ferengi on contract, and one of the terms of the contract is that they get to provide initial name suggestions. U.S.S. Entrepreneur, U.S.S. Venture Capital, and U.S.S. Windfall (as examples) might have been suggestions that weren't found to be in utter contradiction to the core principles of the Federation.

 

[JES]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Thank you for your comment. I'm glad you like her.

I would imagine that the name Entrepreneur stems from the American concept of "The Self-Made Man (and/or woman)", which made the U.S. so successful, and which many other countries successfully adopted. Add to that the fact the U.S. would have been one of the leading countries to help form United Earth, and later the United Federation of Planets, I think that it is reasonable that the word Entrepreneur would still find a place in a future where capitalism is considered obsolete.

Even though I think that the Ferengi will eventually become a member of the Federation, I don't think that will be for a loooong time, and considering that only member planets usually build Starfleet vessels, until the Ferengi do become members, I doubt they will get any contracts from Starfleet. Especially because the Ferengi have been a major nuisance at times in the past.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Even though I think that the Ferengi will eventually become a member of the Federation, I don't think that will be for a loooong time, and considering that only member planets usually build Starfleet vessels, until the Ferengi do become members, I doubt they will get any contracts from Starfleet. Especially because the Ferengi have been a major nuisance at times in the past.

Spoiler: about the Destiny series of books and beyond

They might not be members of the Federation - but they are signatories of the expanded Khitomer Accords. That might be close enough. Especially if, as I was saying, they were only being called upon to lay down hulls - not deliver completed ships.

 

[JES]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

A small update:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40445677@N06/5525648927/

This comes from the result of giving thought towards what I might of done differently for the Essex if I had found out about the contest earlier, and had more time. I have attempted in this case to give design elements that hint a little more towards the Congo and Universe classes.

Yes, I know that it is too late to improve the chances for my contest design, but still, I thought that it might be a good practice to improve my design. Besides, even if it doesn't come to fruition for the STO contest, I intend to recycle the design later on as a heavy cruiser, which is kind of what the Essex class originated from any how. Whether or not I will use design elements from this sketch will be determined by your reactions.

So, what do you all think?

 

[JES]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Wow, no responses? I'm currently working on the Essex in an Illustrator file, so I could use some opinions on whether or not the alternate design is the better direction to head in.

I can only keep working on the front for so long, so come on, I need to know which direction I'm going to head in soon!

 

[erifah]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

Wow, no responses? I'm currently working on the Essex in an Illustrator file, so I could use some opinions on whether or not the alternate design is the better direction to head in.

I can only keep working on the front for so long, so come on, I need to know which direction I'm going to head in soon!

I remember this thread - I commented that your parts and snippets of sections are amazing, and that where you seem to fall down, is in executing an entire starship.

Your update is wonderful. I like the bold shape of the front of the warp nacelle on the bottom left sketch.

Maybe if you keep designing wonderful parts... and then assemble them into a ship, instead of setting out to draw a starship..?

 

[JES]

Re: Essex-class Galaxy Exploration Cruiser (My Entry For the STO Conte

I remember this thread - I commented that your parts and snippets of sections are amazing, and that where you seem to fall down, is in executing an entire starship.

Your update is wonderful. I like the bold shape of the front of the warp nacelle on the bottom left sketch.

Maybe if you keep designing wonderful parts... and then assemble them into a ship, instead of setting out to draw a starship..?

Ah, that was quick. Thank you for your response. I have to admit, I like the direction that I'm heading in for the front of the nacelles too.
Maybe if I were to vector parts of the ship, focusing on doing them in sections after getting out the general shape, that would work? About the only problem I would probably have is when I'm indecisive about where to put stuff.

Okay, I'm still hoping that at least a few more of you will help me finalize which direction to head in. I could use more than one vote.