Coming Christmas 2008...
- Thread starter Professor Moriarty
- Start date
^^^ No one ever is, dear boy. 
I can't help you with the impulse engines, but the nacelle caps are a bit washed out here only because of the glare from the primary light source... they're not as washed out in other scenes.
I can't help you with the impulse engines, but the nacelle caps are a bit washed out here only because of the glare from the primary light source... they're not as washed out in other scenes.
I think I see where you're going with this.
The asteroid field we're seeing is at approximately 1 AU from the star... in other words, it's where Earth is in our own system.
In a "normal" space shot, you've have pure directional light... with very harsh shadows. however, in this case you have the large asteroid field which is reflecting the light in all directions... making it more "ambient" and less "directional."
That about right?
Well... I think that the effect would be better served (if that's your thought process) by lowering the intensity of the key light a bit. The thing is, the light wouldn't be hitting the ship at full intensity at that point, it would be filtered out by passing through a dense cloud of big rocks, little rocks, even littler rocks, and itsy-bitsy-teenie-tiny rocks.
By the time it got to the ship, honestly, I'd expect that it would be VERY dim.The only way you'd get this sort of luminosity in a recent debris field like we're looking at here would be if the orbit was somewhere between Venus and Mercury.
But, with that level of illumination, the "washing out" effect we see here would DEFINITELY be what you'd expect.
So, I guess we're talking about the local system's "Venusian debris field?"
Actually, I think the lack of shadows on Enterprise is more important, visually, than the color palette; I didn't have a problem with the latter, but I'd like to have seen shadows as a way of 'grounding' the ship in the environment.
And despite my previous goofball comment, it really is a magnificent bit of work, Professor Moriarty
.
And despite my previous goofball comment, it really is a magnificent bit of work, Professor Moriarty
.
Beautiful!!Professor Moriarty said:
I know I keep saying it, but I am going to finish this, dammit. I have to finish this or it will bug me forever.
Coming Christmas 2008 to an Internet browser near you.
There are definitely shadows... they're just very very soft. Which is what you expect with a lot of reflection sources (as is the case in a debris field like this, obviously). "Normal" space shots have harsh, sharp-edged shadows, but not a situation like this.
One nice trick that would really help "sell" the shot, anyway, would be to have the shadow of the Enterprise track across the surface of a nearby asteroid as it flys by. Not sure how well that would work given the "diffused" lighting that's present here, but even as a visual cheat it would make people think "Hmm... it's really there."
One nice trick that would really help "sell" the shot, anyway, would be to have the shadow of the Enterprise track across the surface of a nearby asteroid as it flys by. Not sure how well that would work given the "diffused" lighting that's present here, but even as a visual cheat it would make people think "Hmm... it's really there."
Everyone's a critic! 
You actually can see one of the asteroids cast a fleeting shadow on the inboard side of the port warp nacelle at the very end of the sequence. There are also other scenes (which you'll have to wait until December to see
) that show the Gray Lady casting shadows and being shadowed.
You actually can see one of the asteroids cast a fleeting shadow on the inboard side of the port warp nacelle at the very end of the sequence. There are also other scenes (which you'll have to wait until December to see
) that show the Gray Lady casting shadows and being shadowed.
It was a really BIG planet.
But not TOO nimble. Very nice. You add the perfect amount of detail to the old girl--lovely.
"Captain, I'm working as fast as I can!"
After watching the clip a few more times I think I see what Venardhi was talking about. Even though the camera and asteroid tracking is accurate, it comes out looking odd because of the way the camera is tracking the Enterprise as she banks through a 180 degree turn (70 degrees of which are covered during the duration of the clip). I've reworked the clip so that the Enterprise isn't quite so frenetic... the results are much better.
Too bad you'll have to wait till Christmas to see it... ...but the clip includes some clear views of the planet killer and I'm keeping that under wraps until the big reveal... but thanks for the crits!
Here's a sneak peek of the revised shot:
Too bad you'll have to wait till Christmas to see it...
...but the clip includes some clear views of the planet killer and I'm keeping that under wraps until the big reveal... but thanks for the crits!Here's a sneak peek of the revised shot:
