A trio of amazing bridges. You're spoiling us now 
3D interiors in Blender
- Thread starter Rekkert
- Start date
@Rekkert: Wow, that U.S.S. Lexington bridge looks like something that you'd actually see in TNG or Voyager. It's a nearly perfect bridge design. Only minor nitpicks I have are that the blue trim on the carpet needs to be a bit stronger and higher contrast from the rest of the carpet, and the edge of the side ramps around the horseshoe present a very minor tripping hazard. Might want to consider moving the start of the ramp up to the front of the horse shoe / back of the wrap-around side consoles.
The auxiliary bridge has a really good battle-bridge vibe, but I question the horseshoe in a bridge layout this small. It feels too cramped to justify a full-sized horseshoe, especially without those two side chairs like there are on the Galaxy-class bridge. Also, as you've probably heard me say before, I'm not a huge fan of lots of steps with no railings. I realize that, in the distant future, you're not going to have a lot of need for wheelchair access, but it seems to me that having lots of steps to navigate in the middle of a battle is going to result in concussions and twisted ankles, especially with a lack of railing. Also, if you're going for a tiered design, you might want to use different materials on each major level to visually distinguish each tier. For example, the helm pit could have grating or wood or metal or something. (Or perhaps some kind of trim between tiers.)
The U.S.S. Kumari bridge has rails, good, but unfortunately the rails squish everyone up against the sides of the bridge where it's hard for two people to pass each other. This means that at some point, someone it going to try to cross in the front, where they have to go around those bits of the consoles that stick out in the front, and trip over the part of that helm console that sticks up above the floor, and because there's no railing at the front, they're going to fall down the helm console and onto the helmsperson. An inevitable chain of events that can only end in tragedy!
Also, the rails and the pylons around the outside of the bridge give the impression of a polar coordinate system, but inside the railing, the tiers don't follow either the radial lines or the circular curves set up by the rest of the bridge. However, if you move the captain's chair forward to the center of the room, everything make much more sense. Then you can make that series of tiered step radiate out from the captain's chair and have the two side consoles (which I like a lot by the way) be more like circular arcs around the captain, and then you have a much more complete polar coordinate motif with the captain being the center of the bridge and his officers radiating out from him.
EDIT: Not that I think about it, you could probably get away with an offset polar motif inside the rails and still have the captain a little further back like you currently do.
(Actually, this could be a great way of narratively emphasizing the command styles of captains: one captain has a bridge where they're at the center and everyone else is around them but at a distance, facing away, whereas another captain has a bridge that has everyone seated together facing either the same direction or towards the captain, and perhaps there isn't even a dedicated command chair, but instead the captain fills in at one of the bridge officer positions like science or helm. Or perhaps the bridge is structured so that the captain can always see over everyone's shoulders, because they like to micromanage everyone. Or the captain is positioned physically over their officers because they stand in judgement of them.)
Really like the table in the back, though. Feels very "command and control" to me, like they use it to execute mission plans and the like.
I think if I were grading these in order, it would be: Great, good, meh!
The auxiliary bridge has a really good battle-bridge vibe, but I question the horseshoe in a bridge layout this small. It feels too cramped to justify a full-sized horseshoe, especially without those two side chairs like there are on the Galaxy-class bridge. Also, as you've probably heard me say before, I'm not a huge fan of lots of steps with no railings. I realize that, in the distant future, you're not going to have a lot of need for wheelchair access, but it seems to me that having lots of steps to navigate in the middle of a battle is going to result in concussions and twisted ankles, especially with a lack of railing. Also, if you're going for a tiered design, you might want to use different materials on each major level to visually distinguish each tier. For example, the helm pit could have grating or wood or metal or something. (Or perhaps some kind of trim between tiers.)
The U.S.S. Kumari bridge has rails, good, but unfortunately the rails squish everyone up against the sides of the bridge where it's hard for two people to pass each other. This means that at some point, someone it going to try to cross in the front, where they have to go around those bits of the consoles that stick out in the front, and trip over the part of that helm console that sticks up above the floor, and because there's no railing at the front, they're going to fall down the helm console and onto the helmsperson. An inevitable chain of events that can only end in tragedy!
Also, the rails and the pylons around the outside of the bridge give the impression of a polar coordinate system, but inside the railing, the tiers don't follow either the radial lines or the circular curves set up by the rest of the bridge. However, if you move the captain's chair forward to the center of the room, everything make much more sense. Then you can make that series of tiered step radiate out from the captain's chair and have the two side consoles (which I like a lot by the way) be more like circular arcs around the captain, and then you have a much more complete polar coordinate motif with the captain being the center of the bridge and his officers radiating out from him.
EDIT: Not that I think about it, you could probably get away with an offset polar motif inside the rails and still have the captain a little further back like you currently do.
(Actually, this could be a great way of narratively emphasizing the command styles of captains: one captain has a bridge where they're at the center and everyone else is around them but at a distance, facing away, whereas another captain has a bridge that has everyone seated together facing either the same direction or towards the captain, and perhaps there isn't even a dedicated command chair, but instead the captain fills in at one of the bridge officer positions like science or helm. Or perhaps the bridge is structured so that the captain can always see over everyone's shoulders, because they like to micromanage everyone. Or the captain is positioned physically over their officers because they stand in judgement of them.)
Really like the table in the back, though. Feels very "command and control" to me, like they use it to execute mission plans and the like.
I think if I were grading these in order, it would be: Great, good, meh!
^ ditto congrats on the jobs! Especially in these times!
All looking great!
All looking great!
@cardinal biggles: Thanks very much! BTW, your new Orson Wells avatar gave me a good laugh. 
@TrekMD: Thanks!
@137th Gebirg: Hahaha, nah the Captain should be off to one side, they're not important.
@Bry_Sinclair: lol, thanks!
@Matthew Raymond: A lot of very good comments, and I do agree with your feedback on the Kumari bridge, though as ever with commissions it's not really my decision at the end of the day. We did 3 or 4 different steps designs for the Kumari, taking into account different aspects and my client's design aesthetics, which eventually had the final say.
@scragnog: Thanks mate! It's a small project (heck, it's just an internal prototype at this stage, might never see the light of day), but it's a very cool concept to be involved with.
@valkyrie013: Thanks!
@Gibraltar: Haha, indeed, the Gibraltar bridge was certainly an inspiration for my client on that one.
More progress on the Lafayette commission. I've done the TNG-style chairs below the aft consoles, and started work on the ceiling. The chairs are of a different design than the Enterprise-D's, as the space is more limited, so they had to be shorter; I tried to make them obviously distinct yet in the same style. As for the ceiling, it's still very early, but it's going to be pretty much the same style as the Odyssey bridge.
You can also see the little MSD next to the Ready Room door now has the proper New Orleans shape.
On another note, you might have noticed things are looking different since I posted the final USS Ranger bridge renders; that's because I recently heavily reworked my workflow; I'm using a higher number of light passes than before, more noticeable spotlights (which create sharper shadows), and a higher contrast setting.
Due to the big difference it makes on renders, I've decided to slowly begin updating the personal projects listed on my portfolio to this new standard. I resisted going back to finished rooms in the past (with various degrees of success), as I'm always been tweaking my workflow, but now things have gone to a point where I really didn't feel okay leaving these up otherwise, due to various reasons.
I won't be showing them all here as most changes are rather small or only really noticeable on the lighting, however I did take the time to correct some issues with the materials or meshes. Here's a list of all the modified rooms ones so far:
Potemkin bridge
Potemkin briefing room
Potemkin shuttlebay
Potemkin battle bridge
Appalachia bridge
Yeager bridge
Cerberus bridge
Emmett Till bridge
I do plan on redoing some more whenever time allows (mostly the remaining Potemkin interiors, the Budapest bridge and Fontana Station's OPS), though some really are too old at this point and I'd have to heavily rework them, I might just end up removing them from the portfolio entirely.
The only ones with truly different stuff are the USS Appalachia and USS Yeager bridges. Both previously used TNG style LCARS keyboards, which didn't really fit as they were newer vessels, so I updated them with the newer LCARS designs I had created for the Cerberus bridge. I've also done a brand new panel for the conn/ops console used in both bridges, modeled after Voyager's LCARS instead of the TNG style it had before. The Yeager LCARS received a brand new color palette as well, mirroring the colors from the First Contact Enterprise-E bridge.
Here are a couple before/after shots (left is before, logically) of the Yeager bridge. As you can see the LCARS are the biggest change, but the new lighting and contrast are also noticeable. You'll see the glass at the back is also clear now instead of darker as it was before, that's not a change in the material, but rather due to the higher number of light passes, which makes transparent objects of higher quality, this is how that glass was always supposed to look like.
@TrekMD: Thanks!
@137th Gebirg: Hahaha, nah the Captain should be off to one side, they're not important.
@Bry_Sinclair: lol, thanks!
@Matthew Raymond: A lot of very good comments, and I do agree with your feedback on the Kumari bridge, though as ever with commissions it's not really my decision at the end of the day. We did 3 or 4 different steps designs for the Kumari, taking into account different aspects and my client's design aesthetics, which eventually had the final say.
@scragnog: Thanks mate! It's a small project (heck, it's just an internal prototype at this stage, might never see the light of day), but it's a very cool concept to be involved with.
@valkyrie013: Thanks!
@Gibraltar: Haha, indeed, the Gibraltar bridge was certainly an inspiration for my client on that one.
More progress on the Lafayette commission. I've done the TNG-style chairs below the aft consoles, and started work on the ceiling. The chairs are of a different design than the Enterprise-D's, as the space is more limited, so they had to be shorter; I tried to make them obviously distinct yet in the same style. As for the ceiling, it's still very early, but it's going to be pretty much the same style as the Odyssey bridge.
You can also see the little MSD next to the Ready Room door now has the proper New Orleans shape.
On another note, you might have noticed things are looking different since I posted the final USS Ranger bridge renders; that's because I recently heavily reworked my workflow; I'm using a higher number of light passes than before, more noticeable spotlights (which create sharper shadows), and a higher contrast setting.
Due to the big difference it makes on renders, I've decided to slowly begin updating the personal projects listed on my portfolio to this new standard. I resisted going back to finished rooms in the past (with various degrees of success), as I'm always been tweaking my workflow, but now things have gone to a point where I really didn't feel okay leaving these up otherwise, due to various reasons.
I won't be showing them all here as most changes are rather small or only really noticeable on the lighting, however I did take the time to correct some issues with the materials or meshes. Here's a list of all the modified rooms ones so far:
Potemkin bridge
Potemkin briefing room
Potemkin shuttlebay
Potemkin battle bridge
Appalachia bridge
Yeager bridge
Cerberus bridge
Emmett Till bridge
I do plan on redoing some more whenever time allows (mostly the remaining Potemkin interiors, the Budapest bridge and Fontana Station's OPS), though some really are too old at this point and I'd have to heavily rework them, I might just end up removing them from the portfolio entirely.
The only ones with truly different stuff are the USS Appalachia and USS Yeager bridges. Both previously used TNG style LCARS keyboards, which didn't really fit as they were newer vessels, so I updated them with the newer LCARS designs I had created for the Cerberus bridge. I've also done a brand new panel for the conn/ops console used in both bridges, modeled after Voyager's LCARS instead of the TNG style it had before. The Yeager LCARS received a brand new color palette as well, mirroring the colors from the First Contact Enterprise-E bridge.
Here are a couple before/after shots (left is before, logically) of the Yeager bridge. As you can see the LCARS are the biggest change, but the new lighting and contrast are also noticeable. You'll see the glass at the back is also clear now instead of darker as it was before, that's not a change in the material, but rather due to the higher number of light passes, which makes transparent objects of higher quality, this is how that glass was always supposed to look like.
I'm waiting on some feedback for the Lafayette bridge commission (still unsure if I'll have to redo the aft chairs), so decided to toy around with an idea I've had on my head for a while in the meantime.
In my never-ending quest to expand on canon ships which interiors we never saw, I decided to start working on the mess hall of the USS Appalachia.
Externally, the windows appear to be the same shape as those on the Enterprise-D, hence I started off from my already modeled TNG quarters. I extended the room to mirror the large external row of windows below the ship's registry number, and started modifying the details to be a mix of the Ent-D, Ent-E, and Voyager aesthetics, just as I did with the bridge.
As you can see most things are already in place, and other than the new tables all items are modifications of existing props I already had modeled. I still have to add more wall details; some new light fixtures (I know, those tables by the windows are too dark); modify the chairs to be their Voyager versions; and most importantly add a glass railing between the two floor levels to stop people from falling.
In my never-ending quest to expand on canon ships which interiors we never saw, I decided to start working on the mess hall of the USS Appalachia.
Externally, the windows appear to be the same shape as those on the Enterprise-D, hence I started off from my already modeled TNG quarters. I extended the room to mirror the large external row of windows below the ship's registry number, and started modifying the details to be a mix of the Ent-D, Ent-E, and Voyager aesthetics, just as I did with the bridge.
As you can see most things are already in place, and other than the new tables all items are modifications of existing props I already had modeled. I still have to add more wall details; some new light fixtures (I know, those tables by the windows are too dark); modify the chairs to be their Voyager versions; and most importantly add a glass railing between the two floor levels to stop people from falling.
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I've added the aforementioned rail between the two levels and some props I had, plus modeled a few more to add all over: Metal mugs and trays from the Defiant, and the light fixture we saw on several rooms from Voyager. I'll probably model a few more, these are fun to do. I'm not going for high detail or anything here, after all you'll never see them from up close (well, except in this render here, so excuse the segmentation). I welcome any ideas on other small props/decorations like these that would fit in here, either for the walls or tables.
It's a cool design but an awful lot of grey. Maybe change the carpet color?
Well. Star Trek is 50 shades of grey.. "Que Music!"
Have any wood? some wood paneling in the bar, maybe the tables?
Some areas the brown/tan from 10 forward?
Maybe chairs/tables a light cream color?
Wall tiles to break up the monotony?
Maybe some hanging glass tiles with some painting/etching of past ships? Ship Patch? Some other wall hangings
If it must be grey, do some lighter color tables, darker carpets, etc.
Looks excellent!
Have any wood? some wood paneling in the bar, maybe the tables?
Some areas the brown/tan from 10 forward?
Maybe chairs/tables a light cream color?
Wall tiles to break up the monotony?
Maybe some hanging glass tiles with some painting/etching of past ships? Ship Patch? Some other wall hangings
If it must be grey, do some lighter color tables, darker carpets, etc.
Looks excellent!
I'm just thinking there doesn't seem to be much room around those chairs at the window tables. If someone is in the middle seat, can they get out around the person seated closer to the bar? If they have to get up, why not remake those long table areas into booths?
I'm liking the layout, it feels appropriate for the size of ship
The lounge looks great Rekkert! Though I think there needs to be some bright colorful paintings on the wall to make the room "pop" a bit. Personally I would also add these acoustic wall panels to the front of the bar to give it some texture. The one behind Wes in this pic.
It depends on whether you're in a beige mood or a grey mood.
@Norsehound: Don't worry, I made sure there's enough room. The chairs are currently quite far away from the tables and there's still like 25cm from them to the walls. With someone sat at a chair and properly placed closer to the table, there's half a meter of space for someone else to pass through. Certainly not a lot, but more than enough. Also, I specifically didn't want them to be booths, that looks too much like a US diner IMO.
Did a few more props for the room: new versions of the hexagonal glasses and bottles I already had; and those small bowls with red marbles that all the tables had on Voyager's mess hall. Plus I modified the chairs to have the accurate Voyager fabric and details at the back; and added new lights next to the windows, to provide some more lighting on the tables directly under them. Not too much though, I do want those to be darker than the rest and a bit more cozy looking.
I experimented with some painting on the walls, but honestly I didn't like how they looked like here. I know the room's overly grey and 'no-nonsense looking', but given the Voyager inspiration I kinda wanna leave it that way in the big picture, just adding details and touches of colors; that whole ship was VERY grey.
I'm kinda tempted to do the mess hall for the USS Yeager as well though, and that'll be a smaller version of this room done in this aesthetic, so that one will have a lot more color and character. Still have more details to add here before getting onto that one though.
The chairs are currently quite far away from the tables and there's still like 25cm from them to the walls. With someone sat at a chair and properly placed closer to the table, there's half a meter of space for someone else to pass through. Certainly not a lot, but more than enough. Also, I specifically didn't want them to be booths, that looks too much like a US diner IMO.Did a few more props for the room: new versions of the hexagonal glasses and bottles I already had; and those small bowls with red marbles that all the tables had on Voyager's mess hall. Plus I modified the chairs to have the accurate Voyager fabric and details at the back; and added new lights next to the windows, to provide some more lighting on the tables directly under them. Not too much though, I do want those to be darker than the rest and a bit more cozy looking.
I experimented with some painting on the walls, but honestly I didn't like how they looked like here. I know the room's overly grey and 'no-nonsense looking', but given the Voyager inspiration I kinda wanna leave it that way in the big picture, just adding details and touches of colors; that whole ship was VERY grey.
I'm kinda tempted to do the mess hall for the USS Yeager as well though, and that'll be a smaller version of this room done in this aesthetic, so that one will have a lot more color and character. Still have more details to add here before getting onto that one though.
Looking great!
I believe that the floor of voyager had a darker carpet with a lighter shade around the edges. So guess just play with the shades of grey?
I believe that the floor of voyager had a darker carpet with a lighter shade around the edges. So guess just play with the shades of grey?
Here's a closeup of Voyager's carpet, if you want to recreate it.
http://voy.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/3x25/worstcasescenario260.jpg
http://voy.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/3x25/worstcasescenario260.jpg
I gave the two-tone carpet a try, but being darker it absorbs more light, so it ended up making the whole room a lot darker, and I decided to go back to the one-tone carpet. Thanks for the suggestion and reference though.
Added some more props and details to try and add some more contrast and variety to the walls. Firstly, I added a column at the end of the ceiling support beam next to the windows, just as Voyager's mess hall had on that space; though I added some blue lighting at the bottom of the column. Next to the replicators on the same wall, I added a small pattern of darker grey, in the exact same style as the TNG sickbay had.
Also, I finally got an idea I liked for some artwork on the walls. Well, it's not exactly artsy, but it's something I guess. The Quantum Cafe at Starfleet HQ, seen in 'In The Flesh', had this decorative glass panel with several ship silhouettes on it hanged from a wall. I did a similar panel, but with more starships (all of which I conveniently already had vectorized top views), and placed it above the sofas, inside a little inset of darker grey to provide more contrast and make the ships more visible.
Closer to the bar area, I've moved the light sconces that were previously above the sofas right next to the replicators, and added more details to the bar itself, adding thin extruded panels to it, just like Voyager's had.
Thoughts on all these added things?
Added some more props and details to try and add some more contrast and variety to the walls. Firstly, I added a column at the end of the ceiling support beam next to the windows, just as Voyager's mess hall had on that space; though I added some blue lighting at the bottom of the column. Next to the replicators on the same wall, I added a small pattern of darker grey, in the exact same style as the TNG sickbay had.
Also, I finally got an idea I liked for some artwork on the walls. Well, it's not exactly artsy, but it's something I guess. The Quantum Cafe at Starfleet HQ, seen in 'In The Flesh', had this decorative glass panel with several ship silhouettes on it hanged from a wall. I did a similar panel, but with more starships (all of which I conveniently already had vectorized top views), and placed it above the sofas, inside a little inset of darker grey to provide more contrast and make the ships more visible.
Closer to the bar area, I've moved the light sconces that were previously above the sofas right next to the replicators, and added more details to the bar itself, adding thin extruded panels to it, just like Voyager's had.
Thoughts on all these added things?
Half expecting a EVA-suited character to walk through the doors and report back to their ship that it looks like the crew just vanished...
