TOS "Clipper Ship"
- Thread starter Klaus
- Start date
What about if the ring was bent? V-shaped from the side, going "back" from the saucer.
Those are all excellent suggestions, but the actual ring is such a part of it that I don't really want to cut it up. Part of my motivation for the style was heretical -- thinking that while beautiful, the classic Connie nacelle struts just don't look very practical. I know the structural integrity fields do the support work, but it seems to me you'd want a stronger connection for emergency situations. What I'm trying to do will be less fluid but perhaps more practical-looking, I hope.
I'm going to try a double-sweptback ring as a compromise, let's see what it looks like.
I'm going to try a double-sweptback ring as a compromise, let's see what it looks like.
YARN
Fleet Captain
Well here's a swept-back try...
That's more like it. Nacelles are further aft and the angled ring gives it a sense of direction.
Do you have more angles on this one?
Also, I think the beefier ring design is a good idea.
Moreover, if this had been on the screen during TOS, I think it could have fit the overall aesthetic of Trek at that time.
YARN
Fleet Captain
I picked the "clipper ship" description because the nacelles and ring reminded me of a big set of sails somehow... and because it'd be fast as well.
Here's the first try at detailing the ring and connection, some slight reproportioning... I also fixed the mesh issues - it wasn't a problem on the original but rather in the way Bryce was importing it. I opened them in C4D, exported them as .3ds files, and then Bryce handled them much more smoothly -- it was actually windows. Did the same for the nacelles as they were wonky too.
Hmmm, this one might be the best one of the bunch...
Alright, that's looking very nice, the only thing I have to add, a this point, is that you may want to flip the lower nacelles vertically to add some vertical symmetry. Otherwise this is extremely promising.
Except for the fact that the rings would have been thin and delicate, like the pylons and neck on the Enterprise.
Hmm, neat idea. 
I think I like the earlier version, though. the newer ring seems to have TOO much detail, kind of out of place for TOS, you know?
Still awesome, though.
I think I like the earlier version, though. the newer ring seems to have TOO much detail, kind of out of place for TOS, you know?
Still awesome, though.
The only issue I now see is the same thing that sparked a lot of discussion when we saw the Oberth class - are those pods top and bottom inhabited/manned, and if yes, how do you get there?
On first glance, yes, the ring structure seems thick enough to house a turbolift or three (judging from the relative size of the lift housing behind the bridge), but I can't help getting the image that you enter the lift standing from the saucer but end up in lying position upon arriving in those pods. Which, mind you, is a very entertaining image
On first glance, yes, the ring structure seems thick enough to house a turbolift or three (judging from the relative size of the lift housing behind the bridge), but I can't help getting the image that you enter the lift standing from the saucer but end up in lying position upon arriving in those pods. Which, mind you, is a very entertaining image
^ Not too different than the Gateway Arch really, and that's 20th century tech.
If the ring is thick enough, a turbolift could keep it's orientation somehow.
If the ring is thick enough, a turbolift could keep it's orientation somehow.
If you think about it, when a turbolift is going sideways, it's in an odd shaped tube, so diagonal or arched shouldn't be a problem.
^Sure you thought that through? It's the transition that's the problem. Going through an arc the turbolift either has to follow the curve of the tube and end up on it's side or it has to be a shape that is neutral to the shape of the shaft as it changes in cross-section. Like a sphere.
