PSP works the same way you are describing. You have to create raster levels for each item you add, so if I added 52 items to the plan, each item (if they were at different angles) would have its own raster level. My wife is better at using the PSP program, and I do not disturb her just to work the program for me. This is why I use Word to rotate the items, transfer them to the plan in MSPaint and then use PSP to place them where they need to go. I will see if I can figure out how to work Inkscape.
Has everyone looked at the Electra and Coeur De Lion deck plans? John Payne the creator of the Coeur De Lion loves the work I have been doing. I am doing these plans to share with people. I cannot upload any of the deck plans from Strategic Design or its takeoff, but I can upload the ones that I have created.
Is there a way to chose an item on the plan. You know clicking in one area and dragging thepointer to Thank you, I known that now.
Thomas Clifton; WOW, this is impressive work for using tools that were really not designed for this kind of work. I think its a great idea to be using elements from the Strategic Design plans - most of which I think are some of the goldstandard in deckplan design. You've done a DAMN good job of pasting stuff together seamlessly. Well done. It's something I've thought of doing myself: using preexisting plans and chopping and changing them around to get something that I desire, then redrawing them all up myself in my own style. Piggybacking off the talents of others... literally kitbashing!? Bah you're really inspired me to have a go myself now... I really like the USS Electra bridge module! Very unique design. As for the Excelsior? AHH!! I am loving the work you've put into it. It all makes a lot of sense and I can really see the gorgeous outer hull shape here. Very exciting stuff, and I am exceptionally pleased that you've attempted the design. Really looking forward to seeing more. Tip for people wanting to download from imgur easily: at the bottom of the album under the ... menu is a Download Album button that saves all images into a .zip
I noticed a few open spaces. I want to tell you what is in them. On deck three near VIP quarters on both sides and by the warp core, there should be two restrooms with the doors acing the short passageway. Deck 3 over by the transporter rooms there should be two restrooms on each side with doors facing the long passageway, all other open areas are grayed out. On Deck two near the U-shaped turbolift shaft, these two open areas are for future expansion rooms. On the Enterprise-B/Lakota these areas will be additional labs.
The areas on Deck 3 that are around the Phasers banks, these areas should be grayed out in light gray; they are void spaces and is part of the super structure of the ship. If you want, you can use dark gray and put lines that radiate outer from the inner ring to the outer ring, just like is done on Deck 9. With these minor corrections; this sheet is fully complete.
This deck is actually about 95% complete. After I posted it, I noticed a that there are a few minor corrections that I have to do. I will have the corrections done in a few days and will post the completed deck then. They are minor like grayed out areas, a few restrooms, some additional labeling. Nothing major. If you also notice, I have included a blowup picture of the bridge, if you notice some errors in the placement of stations, let me know. I will double check the labeling for the bridge and will change anything that I notice prior to posting the corrected sheet. I hope everyone is enjoying this project. Within a few months of me complete the Excelsior, the Enterprise-B deck plans should be completed. I have done the first four sheets already. Here is the url to the completed sheets for Enterprise-B. http://imgur.com/gallery/SO3BQ
I am busy doing some improved deck layout on the secondary hull starting at deck 9 (which is the sensor housing on the bottom of the saucer section). This partial deck and all the secondary hull decks will be part of the new layout. If you look at the secondary hull you will see fighters in the hanger bays. I put fighters on board because other starships have fighter shuttles on the deck plans. The Excelsior will end up having twenty-four fighter shuttles (8 of 3 types). I have also included the internals for each shuttle.
Ooh, interesting! Looking forward to seeing fighter shuttles... we've never seen anything resembling a fighter shuttle from the TOS Movies era, would be interesting to see what they look like! Make sure to keep em in style to the rest of the ship!
The Peregine is a fighter along with the Valkyrie and the Gyrphon. I think they are some nice looking fighters. The Peregine is more of a TNG fighter and is carried on the Akira. I have also put on Aqua shuttles, troop transport shuttles, VIP shuttle (Admirals Gig), Early Warning/Recon shuttle, and multiple others. The Excelsior will have nearly 100 shuttles on board, or very close to 100.
Here is the symbol chart for the deck plans that I make. I have included the internals of the shuttles and all of them is to scale with the deck plans that I make. Yes the workbees and double bees are to scale with how they are suppose to be when compared to other shuttles. Remember the Workbee is only large enough for a single man. Life support equipment is under the pilot seat and maneuvering thrusters are located behind the seat's back with a small fuel tank. The Workbee cannot escape Earth's gravity by itself and is limited in its range. http://imgur.com/gallery/abPd3
Update! Here is what the new layout for the secondary hull looks like. This is sheet 10 which shows the layout of the nacelles. http://imgur.com/gallery/ZFn72 Shows Nacelle internal http://imgur.com/gallery/CEEEf Shows Secondary Hull Internal for deck 8 to 13
Update I'm still working on the Excelsior Deck plans, laying out the 1701-B variant, but I have started on a third variant that I call the Excelsior refit not variant. I have found documents that state that the design underwent a major Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) and that 80 Excelsiors (30% of which are the1701-B variant) are still in service even after the Dominion War. Service life of 100 plus years, pretty damn good for a ship. My issue is this. 1. I figure that the quarters would have been changed out. 2. Recreational facilities would have been improved. (Holodeck, etc.) 3. And there is the 120 family members that the data that I have located on this SLEP refit did. Now I can see a military member wanting to have his or her family nearby when on extremely long missions, but isn't that like having Mom and the apple pie that she bakes nearby? The military members mind should be on defending the ship in times of trouble, not on his or her family. We do see in several TNG and DS9 episodes that the said non-military spouse was filling an important job on the ship (Miles wife was a botanist, some were teachers and some served in the "bar"). The main issue I am having with the inclusion of 120 family members is this: Making the family quarters fit. I think I have this answered. The family quarters will compose the internal areas of Deck 6 while the single person quarters and barracks occupies Deck 3, 4, 5 and the outer ring of Deck 6 and 7. The Labs will either be; reduced to half that shown on Excelsior or in case of the 1701-B variant, moved down to the secondary hull bulge. This updating the quarters to the new TGN quarters is creating some interesting corridors...LOL. I just have to calculate the placement of 600 military (500 non-pilots and 100 pilots), 120 family members. If I use a 3 to 4 member family concept, I will need 30 to 40 family quarters. In case of families of 5 plus, the children's beds could be bunked creating a 6 to 8 member family quarters. This 30 to 40 would eliminate some of the 600 military member quarter requirements by 30 to 40 people. What I have planned and done so far: I have already laid out 12 Senior Officer Quarters, and 46 Junior Officer Quarters. I plan to put 14 phaser strips on the ship, 8 on the saucer alone, and an Akira-style Quantum Torpedo system. This system will be composed of four three-tube facilities (3 forward, 3 left side, 3 right side and 3 to the rear). The Holodecks will be in the Neck and empty spaces caused by the placement of quarters will be allocated to machinery. The number of shuttles will be reduced and there will be 12 new fighters in place of the 8 Gryphon and 8 Valkyrie fighters. I want to do a double computer core in the saucer and the secondary hull, but if you consider that the saucer core is interrupted by the secondary bridge, there already is two computer cores in the saucer. The 1701-B Excelsior Variant The only changes done to the Excelsior deck plans in order to get the 1701-B Excelsior Variant will be the incorporation of the two impulse drives and the secondary hull bulges. This variant will be done quickly after I complete the Excelsior deck plans.
Ahhh, that's fascinating. I agree with all of your changes for the Varient. Love the secondary hull layout too.