Donny's Refit Enterprise Interiors (Version 2.0)

[Donny]

You are probably correct on your last statement. Though, I have to say, the Director's Cut model has a lot of issues. Even with my liberties, which aren't that many, mostly small stuff, I would say mine is more accurate than that one.

I’ll have to take a closer look at it. The images I have on hand of the director’s cut model are from a distance so I can’t really tell how accurate it is.

Oh and please don’t take my statement that you’ve taken liberties as a knock! I totally respect you diverging!

 

[Viper]

I’ll have to take a closer look at it. The images I have on hand of the director’s cut model are from a distance so I can’t really tell how accurate it is.

I might be looking at the wrong images. But this should be it: http://www.leestringer.com/Images/MotionPicture/Enterprise_01_hr.jpg

You can see the torpedo launcher is very square, the bits around the deflector with starfleet logo (always forget the name) are the wrong shape, front of the nacelles are all sorts of wrong, hatch sizes are inconsistent and so on. I'm not trying to knock their work btw, just think there are better models. Even Dennis Bailey's version seems better.

Oh and please don’t take my statement that you’ve taken liberties as a knock! I totally respect you diverging!

No worries If people can look at mine and say, yeah, that's the Enterprise, I'm happy

 

[Donny]

I might be looking at the wrong images. But this should be it: http://www.leestringer.com/Images/MotionPicture/Enterprise_01_hr.jpg

You can see the torpedo launcher is very square, the bits around the deflector with starfleet logo (always forget the name) are the wrong shape, front of the nacelles are all sorts of wrong, hatch sizes are inconsistent and so on. I'm not trying to knock their work btw, just think there are better models. Even Dennis Bailey's version seems better.



No worries If people can look at mine and say, yeah, that's the Enterprise, I'm happy

Yeah, I guess that is the right one. I noticed that the saucer rim windows are too large / poorly shaped as well, and the deflector dish itself is wrong. Man, for a project that had access to the original model (or so I've read), there sure are a lot of inaccuracies. Granted that was over a decade ago, but wow.

Now that I'm looking at it, Dennis Bailey's verison is way better. Actually, I can't find much wrong with it. I could nitpick about some of the Aztec-ing, but then again you could nitpick some of my Aztec-ing too.

 

[Viper]

Yeah, I guess that is the right one. I noticed that the saucer rim windows are too large / poorly shaped as well, and the deflector dish itself is wrong. Man, for a project that had access to the original model (or so I've read), there sure are a lot of inaccuracies. Granted that was over a decade ago, but wow.

Now that I'm looking at it, Dennis Bailey's verison is way better. Actually, I can't find much wrong with it. I could nitpick about some of the Aztec-ing, but then again you could nitpick some of my Aztec-ing too.

And Dennis' model was released way before the DC was done. So they have no excuse really. It's pretty disappointing IMO, to have that much access and come up with that.

 

[David cgc]

And Dennis' model was released way before the DC was done. So they have no excuse really. It's pretty disappointing IMO, to have that much access and come up with that.

I just checked (thanks for still hanging in there, F3D!), and I was surprised that his version one was finished in September of 2001. I believe the DE was done well before it was actually released at the end of 2001, but I'd forgotten how close they were. Dennis's second version, however, was released in summer of 2005, and that's probably the one we're all looking at. It's still a little weird, considering that FI did have the original studio model right there. I guess it's easy to forget how much more complicated everything was back then.

 

[Donny]

FWIW, from what I'm reading in my ST: The Magazine issue regarding the Director's Edition, the FI model was originally built by Daren Dochterman, then modified by Rob Bonchune and Lee Stringer. Looks like a lot of collaboration went into it. I'm also wondering how much some of the changes were prompted by higher-ups. The larger windows may have been mandated by the producers or art director of the DE so that they were more visible from a distance. Still, some of the other changes, like the boxy torpedo launcher and the weirdness of the nacelle fronts really baffle me, as those shapes weren't any more complicated to model with 3D programs back then than they are today, and even without access to the original model or even the Christie's auction photos you can tell they're egregiously wrong.

Anyway, not trying to knock their work. Just pondering why some of those changes were made, or if they were mistakes why they weren't caught.

 

[Tallguy]

To be fair, it holds up on screen.

I also think Daren has built a new one.

 

[Rekkert]

Unless I'm missing some shots, the CGI model wasn't shown from the front, only the back or sides. So maybe they knew that and simply spent more time getting the aft details right.

 

[Donny]

To be fair, it holds up on screen..

Sorry, guys. I should be more forgiving. Lord knows I've got to make my fair share of concessions at my day job due to time/budget/administrative pressures. And if someone were to examine my model of the Refit above with a fine-toothed comb, I admit you'd find errors here and there. No replication is 100% perfect.

Unless I'm missing some shots, the CGI model wasn't shown from the front, only the back or sides. So maybe they knew that and simply spent more time getting the aft details right.

There were a few images of the model in the front, notably near the end of the film: http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=2142&fullsize=1
The torpedo launcher and the tops of the nacelle fronts aren't visible, but you can see the enlarged saucer rim windows. It's been a while since I've watched the DE so there may be more images of the model from the front, but I'm not sure until I do another watch.

 

[Rusty0918]

Unless I'm missing some shots, the CGI model wasn't shown from the front, only the back or sides. So maybe they knew that and simply spent more time getting the aft details right.

Yes it was twice...one when the "walkway" forms up to it and again when Kirk and company are on said walkway.

 

[Viper]

To be fair, it holds up on screen.

I also think Daren has built a new one.

The average viewer wouldn't bat an eyelash at those differences. For all intents, it's the same. Ship builders like us are used to paying attention to details, so we spot those things quite easily. And again, I'm not trying to put their work down. In a production environment there could be several reasons why those things weren't done correctly. That said, the original question was if Donny's version was one of the most accurate and the Director's Cut version came up as being one of the most accurate, but it's not.

Daren's new model is better, but not quite that accurate yet. It also doesn't hold up as well up close: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/d2vRA

 

[Donny]

Another material trick I employed tonight to fake interiors inside the windows. I took some screencaps of my corridor interiors and set them to blend with the window decals and gave them a bump offset so they move in 3D with the camera to give the illusion of depth. Works quite well! This technique is employed in many games featuring large cities like Grand Theft Auto or even the new Spiderman game to give the illusion of interiors in city buildings the player would otherwise never go into.

As I build more interior sets, I plan on swapping some of these out with images of other rooms just to vary it up a bit (and because I don't really want to imply that corridors circle the outer perimeter of the saucer, but actual rooms)

 

[Jesse1066]

Another material trick I employed tonight to fake interiors inside the windows. I took some screencaps of my corridor interiors and set them to blend with the window decals and gave them a bump offset so they move in 3D with the camera to give the illusion of depth. Works quite well! This technique is employed in many games featuring large cities like Grand Theft Auto or even the new Spiderman game to give the illusion of interiors in city buildings the player would otherwise never go into.

As I build more interior sets, I plan on swapping some of these out with images of other rooms just to vary it up a bit (and because I don't really want to imply that corridors circle the outer perimeter of the saucer, but actual rooms)

I would love to see this in motion!

 

[Donny]

I would love to see this in motion!

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[Jesse1066]

The illusion of depth works very well.

 

[Donny]

The illusion of depth works very well.

It's just like the displacement-mapped window decals: the illusion breaks if you get too close. But these details are more meant to be felt rather than inspected up-close.

 

[Rekkert]

Beautiful! Very clever use of texturing there, it's gonna look awesome in motion if you chose to reproduce shots from the movie or something like that.

 

[Mytran]

It's just like the displacement-mapped window decals: the illusion breaks if you get too close. But these details are more meant to be felt rather than inspected up-close.

For all the claimed limitations you mentioned, I think it holds up really well!

 

[Redfern]

Come on, Donny... We know you didn't model and texture that!

You have access to a spacefaring time machine, Likely a TARDIS, and you simply took photos of a real starship!

Seriously, that is some mind blowingly impressive work!

 

[Lt. Washburn]

Would love to see your interpretation of a room with windows from the inside. Do you imagine them to be public spaces as even Kirk's quarters didn't have windows?