This one's pretty big. When I sketched this one in 2013 it was supposed to be a design for the Enterprise-F, essentially a more curvy version of the E-E, but since this year I made versions of all previous Enterprises, I thought I might as well assign it to the Sovereign. Turned out to be my biggest project to date. Enjoy. Components and information: Cutaway: I didn't bother doing the windows on the top view for now because... well, I'm very lazy.
Great work! Not a big fan of your take on the design (personal preference and all that - balance seems off, as is an issue in many of the neckless Starfleet ships), but I adore the thought that went into this as a part of the Intrepid / Post-Galaxy era. All the details and elements you've worked in are super cool. Always excited to see more of your work.
Balance is a bit hard to achieve, especially since I'm not working with 3D models. I can only imagine what it'd look like as a full model, but without actually doing it, it might end up a bit different than I planned. Perhaps in the future I'll be able to develop some 3D skills. If so, I'll try to come back to this one, as I think it's my favourite to date.
There are a lot of aspects of the design I really like. I don't know that I'd recognize it as an alternate to the Sovereign, but it's a great standalone ship. I think my only issue concerning the overall design is the nacelle pylons as their current iteration seems to throw off the lines of the rest of the ship.
IMO, the curve of the pylons should be reversed and blended into the hull a bit more. As they are now it just seems too abrupt especially in the top and bottom views. I think I can see, somewhat, how you derived them, but rather than getting an almost continuous single arc from the side view it would flow better as more of an S curve. That would open you up to more possibilities with blending the lines between the pylons and the hull. This is all just my opinion and observation, of course. Keep up the good work.
Well I thought something was off with the pylons anyway, so I've done a good update on the pictures in the opening post, lowering the nacelles and bringing them closer to center, and changing the pylon curve and angle, plus a few details. Hopefully it works better now. How about the bridge? I took someone's blueprint of the bridge from First Contact and altered it to my own taste. I merged the side consoles into one each, removed the middle consoles and replaced them with a wooden 'arc' like the one in TNG, since that was the one distinctive thing about that bridge, and I always was bummed that they didn't have it in the movies. I just split it in two to allow better access, same with the added steps. (credit in the image)
Looks cool. (I can only speak for myself, and I'm not sure about best practices/etiquette here on TrekBBS, but it would be great if instead of updating old pics, you added new ones so that 1) comments regarding the old pics still make sense and 2) we can compare the changes as to be able to respond to not just the new version but the changes themselves. Not sure if there's a reason for doing it the other way, maybe it saves space or makes perfect sense, but it's way less fun/interesting/practical to respond to.)
Love your 'arc' pieces. Agree that it was a great/distinctive TNG element. And your split approach is a great D-E compromise! Neutral on the merged side consoles. Not saying I don't like it, but I don't really get the change. Less busy? Just need fewer people on the bridge?
Less busy, yes, but mostly because, you know, on Star Trek the labeled consoles are the only ones we ever see or need, so the added ones seem superfluous. And I like the larger consoles of TOS. As for replacing the OP's images, it's that people reading the thread for the first time now won't have to deal with the inferior previous versions. They get to see the latest at a glance. I do understand your point, though.
I like your logic. Makes sense AND looks good, a great combo! I do understand your point, but it depends on what your purpose is in posting. If you are just showing "here are neat things I've done and would like to share", then it's fine for people to see just the newest version straightaway. On the other hand, if you're looking for feedback of any kind or want people to see any of your progress or process, at the very least it would be better to add to that top post rather than replace the old. In my experience around here, people tend to mark things as an UPDATE as to draw attention, clarify, and exhibit the process. It's the Gallery approach vs the Artist's Studio approach.