Just sharing an update to my WIP vision of a new NCC-1701, where they simply reset the registry prefix. https://www.deviantart.com/pilotsteam12932/gallery/69322362/NCC-1701 Any thoughts welcome!
I don't know if publiusr was offering a criticism, or simply making a comment on the angular nature of the design. Proportionally, I like what you have modelled. It reminds me in some ways of the USS Discovery, a ship I think looks great. It also has something of the Enterprise J. If I have any advice, I would suggest focusing on ways to control your polygon subdivision (in 3DS Max, this is called the Turbosmooth Modifier, I'm not sure what it's called in other applications.) Once you can create more defined shapes using subdivision, the ship will start to look more like an object that was built in a shipyard, give it a greater sense of physicality. Are you thinking of texturing the ship? If so, I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Thanks SCE2Aux! I probably overly smoothed the mesh, and the materials used are basically coloured faces, obviously. I'm not experienced in Maya. I just wanted to design something where the neck and secondary hull blended but still had some separation, and the pylons swept into the leading edges of nacelles, which had some sort of mid-intake. I'd also wanted the Starfleet crest referred to in several places of the design language. I'd like the deflector to actually be a series of overlaid shimmering girls, with rippling gases and light rays unevener swirling out from it. That's a poor description, but meh.
This is an intriguing style, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. I vaguely recall seeing a similarly styled starship somewhere else - well, mainly the pylons merging into the front of the angular nacelles - Have you posted these or earlier designs elsewhere?
Hey Cyfa! I did and you commented! You'd mentioned perhaps slimmer nacelles - I've played with variations (shorter, narrow) and it may still come to that. A couple of users, uniderth and gerbil, had mentioned maybe thickening the pylons. You'd and I seemed to like needle-thin to evoke a sense of futurism/functionality, but I ultimately decided to buff them up with layered superstructure. I really have no clue how to start learning about fine tuning the model or materials so we'll see how this goes... thanks for more input!
Oh, thanks for prompting my (appalling) memory I've just found your previous post, and I'm somewhat relieved that it was nine months ago, and not nine days!