Shuttlecraft Design

[RichMerk]

Well, for one thing I really misjudged the size of the auto show bimbo. She's way too tall to fit in that shuttle. But if I scale up the shuttle, it would be bigger than a runabout. It's hard to tell because the grey hull bottom really blends into the grey showroom floor, but the hull really narrows a lot at the front.

I'm working on it now. Maybe by tomorrow I'll have the new version to show and y'all can render a verdict.

 

[JES]

Well, the knife-edge nose is a feature I actually kinda like, so it's not likely to change.

However...

It was brought to my attention elsewhere, and I completely agree with the assessment, that the headroom up in the nose is so low that you'd practically have to crawl into the pilot's seat. Therefore, I have scrapped the main hull and have started rebuilding it from scratch. The knife-edge and general lines remain, but there are new structural elements. I think it looks much better, and might even address the "there's something wrong with the front" comments that weren't related to the sharp angles.

Stay tuned.

Well, this is your design after all, and if you like the knife-edged front and don't want to part with it, who am I to argue?

As an artist, I respect, and understand your decision.

 

[RichMerk]

Okay- okay... Less shuttles. More WOMEN!

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/gallery/index.php?image_id=1288812&user_id=261896&np&np



Meanwhile... the new version I'm working on is being very stubborn. So I took a little time off from that to rework the size of the original. I measured the bimbo against the shuttle's rear hatch and repositioned her close to the hull to get a good sense of size. The Rush seems to be about the size of a runabout, though it probably looks bigger because it sits higher on its nacelles.

Meanwhile... work resumes on version 2.

 

[RichMerk]

Okay, I spent the entire day working on it and I think I finally got it all straight.

To make it so passengers can stand up in the nose, I added an undercarriage to the main hull and made the hatch in the back taller. The highly-trained female Starfleet officer was able to be increased in size 40% and still only need to stoop over a little when standing in the front.

I suppose it really needs a front landing gear now, but I'll leave that detail for tomorrow.

 

[LordSarvain]

I think you've done an awesome job with this, I really like the design. Looks fast and I like that it doesn't look overly cluttered. Really well done!

 

[RichMerk]

 

[Ensign Ro-]

Absolutely love your design. And it was so much fun watching you progress through the various aspects. Thanks for sharing this with us all. Truly outstanding work!

 

[RichMerk]

Thanks, guys.

 

[Patrickivan]

I like it except for the blobs on tips of the nacelles, and I'm on the wall about the impluse engines. I like them and I don't. I think it's the angular design of the shuttle overall. Like wearing the wrong shaped glasses on an squared off head.

Regardless- I certainly appreciate the ship overall.

 

[JES]

Well, she certainly has a distinctive front angle profile for the late 24th Century. One thing is for sure: it will be difficult to mistake her for another shuttle type.

 

[RichMerk]

 

[RichMerk]

Preserver obelisk built by me. Planetscape created in Vue 6 Esprit. Postwork in PSP 10.

 

[Potemkin_Prod]

Gorgeous!

 

[RichMerk]

 

[RichMerk]

One final image to show all the variations I had in mind.

 

[Kaiser]

Now that is one slick, sleek shuttle design