Modular cargo ships

[The Axeman]

Hi all, been a bit quiet from me recently as I'm busy doing paid work making 3D pictures of wine cellars for a company. However, in between jobs I've been adding to a little idea I had last week.

I keep seeing things like kitbash toolkits for 2D guys to use to make iffy designs with. I thought the same thing might be a good idea in 3D as well. I wanted to make something that could be used to make a variety of ships from a number of interchangeable parts, creating a family of ships in tons of variants.

I started simple and went for a sort of near future ladder truss style ship, much like we've seen in a couple of episodes of ENT and in various movies and illustration. If you check out some of the parts you'll notice similarities to the DY-100 as well as the Discovery.

I plan to make a couple more parts in my down time, probably a docking collar, a spinning habitation ring and a comms array to be going on with. I dont know how detailed they'll get, but its a good start. What do you guys think, worth pursuing?

 

[largo]

yeah, 3d iffy designs! nah, definitely looks good, and the kitbash look is completely appropriate for the purpose.

 

[ILOVETREK1701]

Looks great!

 

[Redfern]

If you check out some of the parts you'll notice similarities to the DY-100 as well as the Discovery.http://www.flickr.com/photos/axeman3d/7486761336/

And maybe a nod to the Brian Johnson designs from "Space: 1999" (which, of course, can trace their lineage to the Discovery and other hardware from "2001").

I love the idea!

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Wingsley]

Are these all supposed to be rocket-based designs? Kinda like an asteroid shuttle/ferry?

 

[The Axeman]

Are these all supposed to be rocket-based designs? Kinda like an asteroid shuttle/ferry?

t
I dont think they'd be warp capable, just interplanetary at best. Perhaps its ion engines, or some sort of early nuclear drive that will get you to mars in a few weeks, and maybe Jupiter ot Saturns moons in 6 months or so.

 

[Unicron]

I always liked this sort of design myself. Nice work.

 

[publiusr]

I can almost see those in 100 years or so--like Nautilus X.

 

[The Axeman]

Never heard of Nautilus-X, I'll have to go look that up. Here's a new test with 3 new modules on show that I built this morning. From front to rear we have a new docking adaptor, a small comms array and a solar panel or radiator system, depending on preference.

 

[Wingsley]

^ Reminds me of the Ultra Probe from the SPACE: 1999 episode "Dragon's Domain".

Better, in fact.

Any side docking ports?

 

[The Axeman]

Yes, on either side of the module right behind the command module, in front of the comms booms. I decided to try out a much bigger configuration of the ship to see how it fits together. I quite like this one, I might texture it and make a flyby animation with it to see how it looks in motion


modular_vessel_test_by_axeman3d-d55xr9n by axeman3d, on Flickr

 

[Ziz]

Very cool system. I'm guessing that vertical section with the long pieces top and bottom is the habitation module?

 

[sojourner]

I like this except for the "command module". Something about the dome shape of it just doesn't work for me. It needs something.

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

Yes, on either side of the module right behind the command module, in front of the comms booms. I decided to try out a much bigger configuration of the ship to see how it fits together. I quite like this one, I might texture it and make a flyby animation with it to see how it looks in motion


modular_vessel_test_by_axeman3d-d55xr9n by axeman3d, on Flickr

If you do make a flyby animation of the cargo ship is there any chance you could set it to the music of Khachaturian's "Gayane's Adagio" heard in "2001: A Space Odyssey" or Albinoni's "Adagio in G Minor" heard in the "Space: 1999" season 1 episode "Dragon's Domain"?


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
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[Navigator_NCC2120]

I like this except for the "command module". Something about the dome shape of it just doesn't work for me. It needs something.

Something like this?


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
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[The Axeman]

I think Sojourner is right, the rounded cockpit section doesn't really gel with the rest of the design. I'll try and add a couple of more angular command modules tomorrow morning and then release what I have as a pack on my website. There's a couple of people want to play with these already.

 

[-SS-]

I love these. They're absolutely convincing.

 

[The Axeman]

If you do make a flyby animation of the cargo ship is there any chance you could set it to the music of Khachaturian's "Gayane's Adagio" heard in "2001: A Space Odyssey" or Albinoni's "Adagio in G Minor" heard in the "Space: 1999" season 1 episode "Dragon's Domain"?


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

Great idea, I will most certainly do that. Might be a couple of days, I have a lot of meetings at work today and then something on for a couple of hours tonight.

 

[Tiberius]

That looks great. I'll be very interested to see how you develop this idea further!

 

[The Axeman]

Well that's the parts pack released on my website, link below. It contains all the basic parts I've made so far, and also a new hexagonal shaped flight deck which fits the look a little more than the rounded ones. They're untextured at this point, I'll get round to that as soon as I can, and I will no doubt add more parts as I think of them. It might also work for space station style setups, and I suppose I could make a warship style set as well. We'll see how it develops, more to come...