TAS made real....

[Warped9]

Basically there are two clusters of pods. A cluster of five on the left at one end and a larger cluster of at least twelve at the other end on the right. The vines look to be about the same thickness as the Enterprise's warp nacelles. The average size of those pods look to be a bit bigger than the Enterprise. Seeing how the pods and vines are laid out it doesn't look like you would have quick and easy access from one pod to another unless they were along the same vine or near to each other.

I also keep coming back to the impression that what we're seeing is not the ship's ideal configuration. Besides the pods being blown open I feel this ship is distorted in form due to the damage inflicted on it by the crew.

I have two options: model the ship in what I could interpret to be a more normal configuration (which would be interesting to see), or model it as we currently see it to photomanip it along with the Enterprise to give us a more realistic view of what this could possibly have looked like if done live-action on TOS. I'm inclined to go with the latter option

Note that I presently have not modeled the TOS E in 3D (although I will someday). What I do have is a conjerctural refit design based on an idea of what a refit E could have looked like if they hadn't gone quite as far as they did in TMP and retained something of the TOS aesthetic. I will use this as a substitute alongside the modeled alien ship to create some space scenes.

 

[Rekkert]

Interesting how you did the nacelles, starting cylindrical at the front and then changing to the TMP shape at the back. I never saw that before, it looks very good.

 

[Warped9]

Interesting how you did the nacelles, starting cylindrical at the front and then changing to the TMP shape at the back. I never saw that before, it looks very good.

Thanks.

I wanted to evolve the design to a degree yet retain something that still looked like it could fit in the TOS universe. There are subtle changes to the familiar design that are not immediately apparent. For example I tweaked some of the shapes on the saucer and secondary hull that alow for a bit of increased interior space. I also tucked the navigational deflector more into the secondary hull while retaining the spire even as I added a lighting effect to the deflector. I could see myself adding a touch more detailing to the nacelles, but not much. I deliberately avoided the plating and many other grid like surface details of the TMP version to retain what I feel is a rather exotic smooth look of realy advanced science and engineering. I also made the hull colour a bit more silvery than grey.

 

[Henoch]

For example I tweaked some of the shapes on the saucer and secondary hull that alow for a bit of increased interior space.

It looks like you expanded the Hangar area and raised those two misplaced windows up the the next level where they always should have been put in the first place. Neat ship.

 

[Warped9]

Okay. This is a rough approximation of the pods in place interpreted from the one image we have. Nothing is set in stone yet so I can still move the position and size of those pods. It also gives us a bit clearer idea of scale although I can tweak that a bit more.



I am pretty decided on keeping the pods ovoid shaped and just altering their shape and size as needed. I don't think I want to get into every pod being a distinctly different and overly asymetrical shape. We'll see how this goes.

My next task is to attempt to plot the paths of the vines. Although I will try to follow the general path we see onscreen I see myself tweaking it to make it somewhat easier to construct. The onscreen version looks just a bit too random for my liking and in some places doesn't make any sense. Once the paths are plotted it's basically a matter of forming a continuous tube shape along the paths.

It's also quite clear the Enterprise could fit inside some of those pods.

 

[Warped9]

Okay, I have started building the first couple of vines. I am simplifying the pathways a bit and it’s slow going so bear with me. Once I have the vines built I’ll post some images.

 

[Warped9]

Considering how few of these pods have reasonably quick access to other pods I really have to wonder what kind of vessel this was. What purpose could it have served?

 

[Christopher]

It looks like most of the pods on the right side (which I consider the forward end) are connected to at least two other pods each, while the five trailing pods are more disconnected. So I suspect the trailing pods are not meant to be accessed as regularly as the others -- as I think I mentioned before, they may be for cargo storage or for housing hazardous engine/tech components that need to be set apart from the rest of the ship.

Alternatively, perhaps they used to have additional connective tubes attached to the portions that are now blown open, so they were once closer in to the main mass but the remaining, curved connective tubes have now straightened out under tidal stresses. You can imagine how some of the curved tubes on the right side could straighten out in a similar way if some of those pods' other connections were broken.

 

[Warped9]

Very early going with the first vines and trying out the placement of the first pods. Two of the pods (the 2nd and 3rd from the left) are actually upside down at this point, but I’ll reorient them later. The vines follow their path more smoothly than how it’s drawn onscreen. Recreating all those irregularities would be more grief than it’s worth. Besides this is supposed to be a more of an interpretation of what we saw rather than a literal recreation.

 

[Christopher]

Why do I suddenly have "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" running through my head?

 

[Warped9]

While this can be modelled today in a computer and possibly/likely 3D printed I’m trying to imagine how something like this could possibly have been constructed on a television back in the late 1960s.

 

[Christopher]

While this can be modelled today in a computer and possibly/likely 3D printed I’m trying to imagine how something like this could possibly have been constructed on a television back in the late 1960s.

It could probably have been done with metal wires that could be bent into shape and would stay relatively rigid. Probably best to hang it vertically and rotate the image sideways, so it would sag less.

 

[Kor]

I'm guessing that the matte techniques for the opticals would have obscured the branches a little too much if it had been done as a physical model at the time of TOS.

Kor

 

[Christopher]

I'm guessing that the matte techniques for the opticals would have obscured the branches a little too much if it had been done as a physical model at the time of TOS.

Good point... it might've been easier to achieve with the kind of latent-image in-camera compositing used by Space: 1999 and Space Academy, but with the tradeoff that you couldn't put it in front of a starscape without the stars bleeding through the image. Bluescreen mattes had more versatility, but at a cost in image quality due to the difficulty of getting the matte lines to align perfectly.

 

[publiusr]

The coated wraps that some electronic ship toys used--I might have painted styrofoam penuts and stuck them on that and simply moved the bits around to have something organic--and then, you go and do this:

Okay. This is a rough approximation of the pods in place interpreted from the one image we have.

Wow--that's more symmetrical than I would have thought.

 

[Henoch]

The five pods in the "rear" of the ship could be the propulsion pods and power pods akin to the Enterprise's warp engines and reactor(s) in the engineering hull. Just a thought if you use standard Star Trek design philosophy.

 

[publiusr]

Variable geometry?

 

[Warped9]

Wow--that's more symmetrical than I would have thought.

It's a matter of making this manageable. But considering there is nothing symmetrical about the paths of the vines so it will still look plenty weird.

First test render for general effect.



This is a somewhat slow process. I plan out a pathway or two then put the pods in place. Then more pathway then more pod. And so on...

Even at this early point I can't help but feel this could use more surface detail given it;s so smooth skinned. And when this was fully operational perhaps the green parts glowed or were lighted. Glowed...hmm...

 

[Warped9]

Gradual progress. I have made some mistakes in executing this, but I am learning from it. If I ever revisit this subject again someday I have a better idea how to approach it. This is about half the ship so far and as I've worked out how best to build it things have started to proceed a bit more quickly and effectively.



My initial plan was to use one pod as a template and reshape/resize as needed, but I've decided to make different pods from scrath to try capturing more of the ship's asymmetry. When assembly is completed I will play with the textures and colouring more to get closer to the general concept I envision. I think I will also have to add a bit more surface detailing.

 

[Christopher]

Hmm... the pods are really supposed to be more ovoid in shape, like insect cocoons. You can see some other angles on them when the boarding party beams over, conveying a better idea of their shape and surface texture:

http://tas.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/blu-ray/101-BR/beyondthefartheststarhd0118.jpg
http://tas.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/blu-ray/101-BR/beyondthefartheststarhd0125.jpg
http://tas.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/blu-ray/101-BR/beyondthefartheststarhd0126.jpg
http://tas.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/blu-ray/101-BR/beyondthefartheststarhd0136.jpg

I don't think the green parts would be illuminated as you suggest; as you can see, the blue-and-green hulls have smaller hex-shaped windows through which you can see the purple and orange light from within. Plus a clearer look at the conduits, their size (I'd say the one the landing party is standing on is about 10 meters thick), and how they enter the pods.