(WIP) Enterprise D Interiors
- Thread starter Mr. Phraust
- Start date
It was. But now I’m realizing I should drop the ‘s’.
Thanks for catching that.
EDIT: I did a little research and it could be theorized that by this time there are several different methods for navigating the stars - so I might leave the S. Oh the plight of the indecisive.
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Good morning, afternoon, evening -- whatever the case may be for you.
Another update!
I still have a lot more to do on the main hallway leading into C. Ops, but I needed a break and thought I'd go ahead and tackle the more daunting part of the project. I pulled a lot from Probert's designs for this part of the project - he did create the Enterprise D itself, so his concepts - in my mind - are pretty much canon, though never shown.
I did change up the ceiling a bit. Added large LCARS over areas with no lower interface stations. Also added a few access panels with lights, looks like there could be a lot of stuff behind there to help regulate everything.
The inner wall to the right is going to undergo a lot of changes, and I'll probably make it look more like Probert's design in the image below. I have plans for the area on the other side of that wall.
An issue to figure out...
I'm trying to tackle an issue where Probert's concepts and what I've found for deck by deck blueprints don't correspond to one another. Where C. Ops is on the blueprints doesn't actually allow for this 360 view. It doesnt allow for any view of water at all as it appears to be surrounded by hallways. The only area where this room is possible is what, according to blueprints, is wet/dry access - which is at the end of a long hallway, surrounded by water. This area extends down from deck 13 to deck 14. Which gives me an idea of making the wet/dry access and C.ops one area across two floors (deck 13 is c. ops navigation lab, deck 14 is wet / dry access.
Maybe I'm just looking at the wrong blueprints or I'm missing something.
To the renders!
- Main C. Ops (WIP)
- Probert's original concept - for comparison.
- Closeup of the overhead LCARS and access panels. Will have LCARS later.
And now...
Alright - I need to get some stuff done, I've been working on this for about 7 hours now. It is so easy to get lost in these works. Dangerously easy.
More to come. And if anyone knows more than I do about blender - I am going to need some water caustic lighting effects for this scene at some point - and I have tried various tutorials and techniques and I'm not entirely happy with them - so if anyone knows a way to achieve that look - I'd love the help.
Everyone have a great day!
Another update!
I still have a lot more to do on the main hallway leading into C. Ops, but I needed a break and thought I'd go ahead and tackle the more daunting part of the project. I pulled a lot from Probert's designs for this part of the project - he did create the Enterprise D itself, so his concepts - in my mind - are pretty much canon, though never shown.
I did change up the ceiling a bit. Added large LCARS over areas with no lower interface stations. Also added a few access panels with lights, looks like there could be a lot of stuff behind there to help regulate everything.
The inner wall to the right is going to undergo a lot of changes, and I'll probably make it look more like Probert's design in the image below. I have plans for the area on the other side of that wall.
An issue to figure out...
I'm trying to tackle an issue where Probert's concepts and what I've found for deck by deck blueprints don't correspond to one another. Where C. Ops is on the blueprints doesn't actually allow for this 360 view. It doesnt allow for any view of water at all as it appears to be surrounded by hallways. The only area where this room is possible is what, according to blueprints, is wet/dry access - which is at the end of a long hallway, surrounded by water. This area extends down from deck 13 to deck 14. Which gives me an idea of making the wet/dry access and C.ops one area across two floors (deck 13 is c. ops navigation lab, deck 14 is wet / dry access.
Maybe I'm just looking at the wrong blueprints or I'm missing something.
To the renders!
- Main C. Ops (WIP)
- Probert's original concept - for comparison.
- Closeup of the overhead LCARS and access panels. Will have LCARS later.
And now...
Alright - I need to get some stuff done, I've been working on this for about 7 hours now. It is so easy to get lost in these works. Dangerously easy.
More to come. And if anyone knows more than I do about blender - I am going to need some water caustic lighting effects for this scene at some point - and I have tried various tutorials and techniques and I'm not entirely happy with them - so if anyone knows a way to achieve that look - I'd love the help.
Everyone have a great day!
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I think this is off to a very awesome start! 
Using Probert’s concept sketch as a starting point makes sense. Although I would probably try to have this turn into a design that’s more realistic as something the set designers would actually have built for show. I’m possibly weird that way, but even though these super thin LCARS panels look pretty sleek, had they done this on the show, they would probably have made them way thicker, to include either backlit Okudagrams or even some bulky 80s CRT monitors behind them.
Also, I wonder if the walled area in the middle of the circular room could actually be either an entrance to the underwater area or a floor window.
Sorry, but I couldn't help photopashing some quick ideas. It’s just too much fun …
Using Probert’s concept sketch as a starting point makes sense. Although I would probably try to have this turn into a design that’s more realistic as something the set designers would actually have built for show. I’m possibly weird that way, but even though these super thin LCARS panels look pretty sleek, had they done this on the show, they would probably have made them way thicker, to include either backlit Okudagrams or even some bulky 80s CRT monitors behind them.
Also, I wonder if the walled area in the middle of the circular room could actually be either an entrance to the underwater area or a floor window.
Sorry, but I couldn't help photopashing some quick ideas. It’s just too much fun …
No, you aren't missing anything. Probert came up with that sketch when he was doing design work for the original version of Star Trek Online back in the mid-2000s. Since this would all be done in CGI, he was presumably encouraged to 'go big' and show those areas on the ship that TNG couldn't show due to budgetary reasons, and the VFX of the day might not have been able to do justice to. So this is more of a "dream version" of Cetacean Ops, whereas what's depicted in both the Ed Whitefire and Rick Sternbach blueprints is closer to what they might have been able to portray on the show. (Or, maybe this isn't the Enterprise; maybe it's another Galaxy-class ship, or what C-Ops would look like after a major refit.)
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To add a bit to @cardinal biggles's comment, while from a modeling standpoint I like what you're doing, using the Probert concepts from STO by definition make it not feel like TNG and the Enterprise-D. Another Federation starship years later, sure; but not TNG. It's a hard balance to get right, you don't want it looking just like everything else we did see on the show; but to me this is too much in the other direction.
Agreed, I think what @Mr. Phreez has going on the previous page is excellent — it shows us something new, but still fits into that late '80s/early '90s TNG aesthetic. I also like that he's trying to tackle Probert's concept for C-Ops, but it doesn't fit with the Enterprise-D that we got. More like the Enterprise Probert wishes we could have had if there'd been infinite budget.
Loving the renders as usual, @Mr. Phreez ! Nice touch bringing in more of the Probert aesthetic.
If I remember Probert's renders for Cetacean Ops correctly, I think he moved the department from deck 13 to deck 7, which allows for more room. Here's the floorplan I still have kicking around in my archives:
If I remember Probert's renders for Cetacean Ops correctly, I think he moved the department from deck 13 to deck 7, which allows for more room. Here's the floorplan I still have kicking around in my archives:
That's what my preference would be as well, since the design aesthetic for the 24th century is based in the language of the limitations of construction budgets. But, seeing how the Galaxy class could grow and develop in the direction of the 25th century aesthetic, which is opened up by the advent of green screen set extensions is rife with possibilities.
I think adding the central pool is a good idea, and ties the design language in with the version we see on the California class. When I see the original version that just has the corridor wall, it actually gives me Enterprise-J vibes instead of the Galaxy class.
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Thank you everyone for your input.
As a mass answer - the information you all are providing is wonderful and very helpful, thank you!
Now, more specifically…
You make an excellent point. And by the way, you are superb at photoshop. Wow! I love those curved designs. They had a nice weight to the room and make it more official. You have made me rethink my design on them.
This is awesome information. So I can break this project up a little bit and extend it beyond it’s original scope. This could be a possible refit, and is perhaps how it looked
Or it could just be bringing Probert’s
Concepts to life.
I can extend the project so that once I finish this version I’ll go and do one that fits accurately the locations on the Enterprise D during the 2360’s.
You are absolutely right - which makes me feel even stronger perhaps this could be, like @cardinal biggles suggested, a refit much later in the future.
The hallways leading in definitely have that TNG feel, it this whole round setup is a bit too contemporary in design for TNG. It feels so strange though to have a C. Ops with no access, not even a window, into the cetacean tanks. But - it is the way the blueprints have it.
I second this feeling. I will admit the Probert concept is very un-TNG. I’ll dabble with this and play around with some other designs I have whirling in my head.
To end…
I am going to spend the weekend having a second look at my approach to this - as my initial goal was to create an 80’s/90’s era version of C. Ops as it might have looked on set.
This version will remain, but proceed on as a realization of Probert’s concept. But that may end up being back burnered to allow this project to move forward the way it was intended. Then I’ll finish up this Probert concept piece.
Thank you everyone, and if you have any more ideas or suggestions. Let me know!
Keep Trekking!
As a mass answer - the information you all are providing is wonderful and very helpful, thank you!
Now, more specifically…
You make an excellent point. And by the way, you are superb at photoshop. Wow! I love those curved designs. They had a nice weight to the room and make it more official. You have made me rethink my design on them.
This is awesome information. So I can break this project up a little bit and extend it beyond it’s original scope. This could be a possible refit, and is perhaps how it looked
after Geordi rebuilt her.
Or it could just be bringing Probert’s
Concepts to life.
I can extend the project so that once I finish this version I’ll go and do one that fits accurately the locations on the Enterprise D during the 2360’s.
You are absolutely right - which makes me feel even stronger perhaps this could be, like @cardinal biggles suggested, a refit much later in the future.
The hallways leading in definitely have that TNG feel, it this whole round setup is a bit too contemporary in design for TNG. It feels so strange though to have a C. Ops with no access, not even a window, into the cetacean tanks. But - it is the way the blueprints have it.
I second this feeling. I will admit the Probert concept is very un-TNG. I’ll dabble with this and play around with some other designs I have whirling in my head.
To end…
I am going to spend the weekend having a second look at my approach to this - as my initial goal was to create an 80’s/90’s era version of C. Ops as it might have looked on set.
This version will remain, but proceed on as a realization of Probert’s concept. But that may end up being back burnered to allow this project to move forward the way it was intended. Then I’ll finish up this Probert concept piece.
Thank you everyone, and if you have any more ideas or suggestions. Let me know!
Keep Trekking!
Not likely (IMO).
Even though the D ended up going back into action, Geordi was restoring her for the Museum, so any repairs he made would have been to try and make the Enterprise like she was — to the point of installing an older bridge module rather than one with the layout we saw in Generations. I'm sure anything he did to C-Ops would have been handled similarly.
Good point. Then this version, with the 360 glass view, will be a realization of Probert’s concepts. Which gives me the wonderful task of creating even more than I originally set out to do, which is honestly, very exciting!
Wow - I really need to make myself a profile image...
Anyway.. UPDATE TIME!
Renders:
So I've only been dropping one photo updates for a few days now. I've gotten enough of the hallway into cetacean ops done that I feel I can reveal a bit more of it. Also - at the very end - is something I am very proud of. With that, some renders...
- Facing the hallway entrance to the Cetacean Ops facility.
- I am very pleased with how this turned out. Like @Michael said - I really want to just stand there and stare out those windows...
- The large sliding doors leading to the main ship hallway outside. These panels will eventually have LCARS of some sort on them. Nothing important, mainly general access LCARS.
- Facing towards the anti-chamber entrance to Cetacean Ops.\
- A little closer now.
I first have to say how wonderful your work is on the TNG corridor set. Really well done. If I had lots of time, I'd throw out some suggestions for this Cetatin Ops project, but I'd end up going rabbit-hole and spending hours thinking about it. My only superficial suggestion is that the room, as it stands now, doesn't give me an Enterprise D/TNG feel. it gives me more a Voyager feel - this was especially true in your initial render of the empty hallway all silver, and I think the reason is the lack of beige struts on walls and/or orange doors - I think those were a big part of what made the D visually appear as as the D.
The rectangular arches in the first and second image especially seem like they should perhaps mirror the design of the ones in the main corridor. Perhaps the walls of the alcove where the glass doors are could be beige like the turbo alcoves in the main corridor, and the solid door could be orange instead of silver.
Perhaps you already plan to do these and I'm just too early for your final colourings, but those were my thoughts. Well done.
Why thank you! Doing stuff in Photoshop is one of my favorite things to do.
And I appreciate you saying that it might influence your thinking on this. That said, I’m on board (wink, wink) for whichever way you’re progressing with this. I feel like you’ve got a very interesting vision for your sets.@TheHYPO’s comment above taking more cues from existing TNG sets like for example the orange doors led me to think about some of those more unique and obscure sets we saw on the show that didn’t follow the formula of the more prominent sets at all. I think during this whole process it might be worth realizing that there were a lot of seemingly outlandish sets on the show we just accepted as really being on the ship as well. So one should probably not get too hung up about trying to make it fit some idealized notion of what TNG sets “really” look like. I mean, look at all this variety!
By the way, I think your Cetacean Ops set so far very much reminds me of the Stellar Cartography set from Generations. It’s got a very similar “widescreen” movie vibe …
EDIT: Looking at that Stellar Cartography set now I think it’s super simple, almost to a point of being uninteresting, but BOY, did I LOOOVE that set as a kid when I saw the movie in the theatre. Something about that floating circular console was just SO cool to my child brain.
Fully agree about the SC set. It's also quite silly, but it serves it's purpose very very well - in terms of storytelling production design, not "realistic functionality". Moreover, while all your examples are quite... off the TNG norm and were pretty easily accepted, they all have at least one major element and several minor elements that tie them directly back to the overall production design (or another set). But even with that, my hunch is that the biggest reason we accept them without thinking much about it is that there are bright uniforms front and center that we notice first that really tie them all together.
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Yeah I imagine if it was built for the TNG show it'd have been more like Voyager's
Either is better than the actual Stellar Cartography lab we saw in TNG. You can tell it's Stellar Cartography because it has something that's almost a celestial globe in the center.
