Suggestions Please: belivable CGI ships

[Gepard]

The Enterprise was also a model throughout the battle, with the exception of its entrance.

"its entrance" meaning this?

That's also the real model.

But all other ships, Defiant, Akira, Steamrunner, etc... are CG.

Huh. I could swear I'd heard that was the CG version. Then again, going by the DVD commentary, some folks involved with the film weren't even aware there was a model. So maybe I shouldn't trust what special features say.

 

[Set Harth]

CGI ships be livable.

CGI people be livin in them.

 

[ST-One]

The Enterprise was also a model throughout the battle, with the exception of its entrance.

"its entrance" meaning this?

That's also the real model.

But all other ships, Defiant, Akira, Steamrunner, etc... are CG.

Huh. I could swear I'd heard that was the CG version. Then again, going by the DVD commentary, some folks involved with the film weren't even aware there was a model. So maybe I shouldn't trust what special features say.

He's right, that's the 'miniature' (that thing was huge).
The warp-jump before the Borg-battle - that's the CG-Enterprise.
The initial intention for First Contact was to go all CG with the Enterprise, but the reference model they built for the CG-ship turned out so good that they used it instead.

Personally, I think the shots of the CG-Enterprise-B in Generations still look pretty good (the D, not so much).

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I prefer models overall. I believe that CGI should only be used when needed. If used too much, the human eye can see that the ships have no weight. also greebles look much better on models!

Below is the first EVER CGI ship in Star Trek (in the case, the big E-D)

 

[JarodRussell]

If used too much, the human eye can see that the ships have no weight.

Seriously?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

If I look at these images long enough

and

my eye somehow focuses on the artificiality of the first one.

 

[JarodRussell]

Which, I believe, is also a real model, just like the one below. At least all of the spaceships in Phantom Menace were real models.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

If used too much, the human eye can see that the ships have no weight.

It should help with the verisimilitude then, since those scenes are taking place in space.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

The first ship was from Sith, and was CGI.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I love both of these shots

and

but the first one feels like it has weight.

and yes, I know there is more weight in space. It's an expression. there's also no sound in space.

 

[ST-One]

If I look at these images long enough

and

my eye somehow focuses on the artificiality of the first one.

If you are going to compare shots, at least use some from the actual films in both cases.
Yes, the three Venators don't look all that good in this still, but in the film that shot isn't static and only takes a short moment.
The ISD picture isn't from one of the films (and the ship is actually very poorly comped onto that cheap starfield backdrop).

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

and yes, I know there is more weight in space. It's an expression. there's also no sound in space.

Well it's not a very good expression then. What do you mean exactly by "it feels like it has weight" when talking about the representation of weightless objects? Why does it feel that way to you? Why would that be a good thing? Why does it matter?

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

then how about this

the length of shot has nothing to do with what we are talking about.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

and yes, I know there is more weight in space. It's an expression. there's also no sound in space.

Well it's not a very good expression then. What do you mean exactly by "it feels like it has weight" when talking about the representation of weightless objects? Why does it feel that way to you? Why would that be a good thing? Why does it matter?

You miss my point. sure there's no weight in space. Yeah I got it. But in these movies, they should feel like they have weightiness, I guess. Like I indicated, in these films, they should feel a certain way. Ships also don't need to "bank" in space but it still happens. It's all for entertainment.

 

[ST-One]

I love both of these shots

and

but the first one feels like it has weight.

and yes, I know there is more weight in space. It's an expression. there's also no sound in space.

I don't know how you 'see' weight in either of these shots.

 

[ST-One]

then how about this

the length of shot has nothing to do with what we are talking about.

And here you can clearly see that it is a model and not a large spaceship - does that destroy the illusion for you too.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Well i obviously I don't. I don't have a magic scale. I'm talking a sense of weightiness. I'm talking about something that has a real sense of mass and texture.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

You miss my point.

I do, yes, that's a problem.

But in these movies, they should feel like they have weightiness, I guess. Like I indicated, in these films, they should feel a certain way.

Yeah, but if you can't manage to define it more accurately than that, it may lead one to suspect that "they should feel a certain way" is just another way of saying "I just like models better".

 

[TheSeeker]

I think saying they feel like they have mass rather than weight might be a more accurate description.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I think saying they feel like they have mass rather than weight might be a more accurate description.

It makes more sense as a sentence, but it still doesn't describe anything.