Donny's TOS Enterprise Interiors

[GNDN18]

I've actually been consdering this craft or this craft as the TOS "workbee" equivalent and have one or two stored near the hangar deck.

I agree with the switch to using "space repair dock" or "space dock"

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So tonight I got the nacelle effect in working order. After studying more original footage, I've also tinted the nacelle domes themselves to bit a bit less orange and very much in the "peachy" range. I also did careful examination and count a total of 20 lights inside each collector, instead of the commonly depicted 10. There are 5 primary lights, arranged in a pentagon fashion, that are yellow/orange and are usually always lit. And then there are 15 blinking red, green and blue lights arranged in a broken circle behind the 5 primary lights.

Here's a video of the effect. Let me know your thoughts, please! This is a difficult detail to nail down. (EDIT: There seems to be a hickup in places where the frame rate struggles to catch up with the rotation of the inner spinning domes. This is not present in-game.)

I literally said “Oh, golly!” out loud when I saw that.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Looking at the video, it looks to me like the nacelle tips are spinning counter-clockwise and then shift to clockwise. Probably just an optical illusion. They might be spinning a little fast. Try slowing the rotation down a tad and see what that looks like.

 

[Michael]

I agree, they look a tad bit too fast to me as well, but otherwise they look completely like the real thing.

 

[Tallguy]

I'm going to say that you pretty well nailed it. Where I to have chimed in earlier I would have noted that one of the things that really "makes" it are the flashes of green and blue. But you didn't need me, you got it.

There is a shot in Metamorphosis (only used once) that I consider to be one of the definitive nacelle shots. The other one would be the one where the Enterprise is pulling away from K-7.

I'll chime in as well that the speed of this is amazing.

OH! Your grid lines are PERFECT!

 

[Donny]

Looking at the video, it looks to me like the nacelle tips are spinning counter-clockwise and then shift to clockwise. Probably just an optical illusion. They might be spinning a little fast. Try slowing the rotation down a tad and see what that looks like.

Yes, that's an optical illusion which is occurring due to the frame rate of the video being quite different that the frame rate of the simulation itself.

Sounds like the consensus here and on YouTube is that I should slow the spinning down. Is it just the spinning that's too fast? Or should I also slow down the blinking of the lights?

 

[GNDN18]

I agree that the vanes are just a bit too fast.

Since you asked, would it be possible to have the lights blink more randomly? Also, the bulb shapes might be a little more diffuse.

Okay, that’s enough. I’m telling da Vinci how to paint a proper smile.

 

[Tallguy]

I guess give it a shot. I think the spin looks OK, but I haven't pulled up reference to check.

 

[Donny]

Since you asked, would it be possible to have the lights blink more randomly? Also, the bulb shapes might be a little more diffuse..

Yes, I can make the lights blink more randomly. The way they're currently set up, they're all on a 2 second loop, and each of the 15 secondary lights is controlled by it's own unique sin curve over that two seconds. I should probably extend it to, say, a 5 second loop and add more variation to each of the sin curves.

There is probably another way to do the randomization of the blinking. I'll brainstorm and see if I can come up with a different system to allow for far more randomization if the 5 second loop doesn't improve the effect adequately.

More diffuse? I thought I'd made them a bit too diffuse, honestly. In the original effects shots the shapes of the lights are actually a bit more defined.

Go to 3:20 for a good shot of the effect

EDIT: Regarding the direction of spin for the nacelle caps:
At 2:55, it appears both nacelles are spinning counter-clockwise.
At 2:59, the starboard nacelle is spinning clockwise.
At 3:32, the port nacelle is spinning clockwise
At 4:58, the starboard nacelle is spinning clockwise while the port is spinning counter-clockwise.
At 5:28. the starboard nacelle is spinning counter-clockwise while the port is spinning clockwise.

In conclusion, looks like it's safe to say there's no right answer. However, I will be going with what we see at 4:58, since it's a season 3 shot and seems to be in line with the other unmistakable season 3 shots. I'm guessing this is why the latest Smithsonian restoration uses this configuration as well.

 

[GNDN18]

Go to 3:20 for a good shot of the effect

Well…

 

[Redfern]

Honestly, to my eye that doesn't look anything like Jefferies design aesthetic. Everyone wants to try to go backwards from the drydock designs done for the refit (Minor's and Probert's), but my gut says that's not what he'd have done.

Glad you stated it as you did. I addressed this notion some time ago, asking, "Imagine it's 1967. There is no 'Phase 2' or 'Motion Picture' being considered. Star Trek is still an active production. How might Matt Jefferies design a construction/repair facility for the Enterprise, given the constraints of the day?"

Here is that thread.

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/drydock-tos-style-thoughts.255052/

Jason "Vector" Lee presented us with some truly believable designs that might have been achieved for TV in 1967. Donny could do far worse than to take a few cues from Vector's designs.

 

[Racer_X]

Which is why I’m tempted to do Starbase 11.

Donny, are you aware that someone created a Starbase 11 mod for Elite Force years ago? It's been forever since I've installed it, but I recall it being a lot of fun. You may want to check it out for inspiration.

 

[Donny]

Donny, are you aware that someone created a Starbase 11 mod for Elite Force years ago? It's been forever since I've installed it, but I recall it being a lot of fun. You may want to check it out for inspiration.

Played it recently, actually! And its companion mod, The USS Star League. Was a big fan of both of those mods back in the day.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Yes, that's an optical illusion which is occurring due to the frame rate of the video being quite different that the frame rate of the simulation itself.

Yeah, I figured it was something like that. Like when you're looking at a spinning tire and it suddenly looks like it's spinning the other way.

Sounds like the consensus here and on YouTube is that I should slow the spinning down. Is it just the spinning that's too fast? Or should I also slow down the blinking of the lights?

I think it's just the speed, but I couldn't really say for sure until I could compare the two versions. I agree that more randomization in the lights would be a good idea.

 

[urbandefault]

Yes, that's an optical illusion which is occurring due to the frame rate of the video being quite different that the frame rate of the simulation itself.

Sounds like the consensus here and on YouTube is that I should slow the spinning down. Is it just the spinning that's too fast? Or should I also slow down the blinking of the lights?

Check out the restored model. At 0:25 is a good head-on shot of the spin direction and speed.

 

[Donny]

Spent the morning refining the windows so that they have depth and aren't pixelated, and also did some other finishing touches. The nacelle cap lights blink much more randomly now, and I modified the spin directions and speed so that they reflect what was seen in Season 3.

Here are some showcase images, as promised, now that the model is finished. I'm sure I'll make more tweaks in the future, but I feel it's in a good spot for now to move on to other things. I purchased a tweakable star-field and planet generator from the Unreal marketplace to use as a backdrop for these shots.

This first batch are some 4:3 shots to replicate some of the more traditional angles we remember from the show. (Note: this model is a pain to light. I can only imagine the frustration they had doing light setups when filming the original model)

 

[Donny]

Here are some 16:10 shots featuring different angles and details:

 

[Tallguy]

Good grief. I mean, seriously. *mutter mutter mutter mutter*

(Awesome and than you!)

 

[UssGlenn]

The lighting is amazing! Now granted, I'm looking on a smartphone screen, but in a few of those shots my brain is trying to tell me I'm looking at a physical model.

 

[Donny]

The lighting is amazing! Now granted, I'm looking on a smartphone screen, but in a few of those shots my brain is trying to tell me I'm looking at a physical model.

My brain is having the same problem as well. Because I stuck so true to the 11 foot filming miniature and did not embellish it with in-accurate hull paneling and such, it really does look like a model hanging up in space. My brain wants to see it as 3 different things: actual ship, filming miniature, and digital model.

 

[Tallguy]

Well, like your sets, it looks like the show.