Yes, another TOS Constitution reboot

[Hunter-G]

Some more unnecessary detail on the nacelle innards and behind the dish:

Pylons are done too. I took some part from the previous nacelles I made for this one, since they're mostly the same (just optimized geometry). I just need to finish the warp grills to finish up the nacelles.

 

[publiusr]

Stout

 

[Santaman]

I like that deflector..

 

[Professor Moriarty]

It’s sculptural. And I quite disagree with you that your detailing is “unnecessary”… you’re adding details that are human-sized in some cases and that, to me, is what adds the realism. And I agree with @Santaman; that’s a tasty dish!

 

[JR TREK]

The ironic thing is that if we ever get to the point where we can actually build a real Enterprise, our materials technology will have advanced to the point where it’s unlikely we would have visible seams, exposed bolt heads, variations in color between adjacent panels, whether there would be such a thing as panels versus one giant single continuous material, etc. But if we tried to depict something like that on screen, it would look really, really fake! After over a century of human flight, we know what contemporary spacecraft and aircraft are supposed to look like. Our brains are wired to look for details like panels, bolts, etc. to subconsciously assess scale and realism—even if, from a scientific point of view, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

You know how classic movies like Metropolis look ridiculously hokey and outdated to our 21st-century eyes? That’s what nerds on the TrekBBS will be saying in 2120 about the best of the best starship VFX depictions we are cranking out today. And that’s OK.

Bringing back this old comment - I would agree, but SpaceX went and built the Starship out of stainless steel of all things. So much for seamless carbon fiber construction.

 

[Hunter-G]

Bringing back this old comment - I would agree, but SpaceX went and built the Starship out of stainless steel of all things. So much for seamless carbon fiber construction.

We could say the materials these ships are made of are extremely difficult to build without using panels, even when seamless building tech exists. I like thinking that as time progresses the hulls continue to smooth out, and by the 25th century panels are mostly a thing of the past. Except for accessing stuff underneath of course.

All the 25th century ships I'm designing have this in mind. I've thought a lot about how to make the ships look real and big without the normal kind of paneling and greeblies. I know it can be done, it will just take some trial and error

 

[JR TREK]

I would have made the Enterprise-J entirely holographic, and by the Discovery season 3-4 era they're all proto-Q and don't need ships anymore.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

I would have made the Enterprise-J entirely holographic, and by the Discovery season 3-4 era they're all proto-Q and don't need ships anymore.

But then everything would be so disconnected from our own day-to-day reality that it would no longer be Star Trek. Part of the charm of the series is that we the audience can visualize ourselves in the future and the ship that’s depicted. Sure, there are some technologies that don’t exist right now (and they may never exist), but for the most part the various installments of the franchise have at least had a grounding in real-world physics and science.

I already have enough trouble with disconnected nacelles and magical Tardis ship interiors—ships that aren’t even really there would be a bridge too far (for me, at least; YMMV).

 

[oberth]

But then everything would be so disconnected from our own day-to-day reality that it would no longer be Star Trek. I already have enough trouble with disconnected nacelles and magical Tardis ship interiors—ships that aren’t even really there would be a bridge too far (for me, at least; YMMV).

why bother with a series anyway - but them in a zoo and be done with it

 

[JJohnson]

Well, here we go again. As a Trek fan who's learning CG (Blender), what better way to do it than making the old Connie? Back when I started this project (2011) it SUCKED. I was just a freshman in high school doing an after school Blender class, (which I loved). By the time I got to version 5, it was coming along okay, so I posted it over at scifi-meshes.com. You may have seen it there. Now I am on version 10, which I started in August. I wanted to get some more opinions from more Trek fans, so I decided to post it here.

Here is the current state of the model.

With this version, my goal is to reboot the Connie, but keep the same basic shape, but also to not go crazy on the detailing and greebling. I also have plans to make some interior stuff.

Here is a mash up of versions 1-9 to see my improvement, starting from when I first started learning CG (I didn't get very far on 7,8, and 9, so not worth rendering):

You've made some really great progress on this ship. Keep up the great work!

For the most current version, I don't know if it's the angle, but the nacelles seem to be bulging a bit - not cylindrical, but a bit bigger somewhere in the middle vs at the ends.

 

[Hunter-G]

I do agree on future tech being so far out it would be ridiculous. Which is why I would never want a Star Trek series so far in the future, it would just be a constant battle between trying to ground it and making it realistic toward a far out future.

You've made some really great progress on this ship. Keep up the great work!

For the most current version, I don't know if it's the angle, but the nacelles seem to be bulging a bit - not cylindrical, but a bit bigger somewhere in the middle vs at the ends.

There is a slight curvature on them, so it might appear that way. The cutout on the bottom might also have that effect from some angles.

I made some more of the innards. I'm not going to make all of the inside, unless I decide to do a construction shot down the line.

Here's a full shot of where she's at so far. Currently planning the grids

 

[Hunter-G]

Nacelles are finished. Though I might add small details here and there.

 

[publiusr]

Sturdy!

 

[Santaman]

Damn nice design, still has the lines despite the changes you've made. (yeah it IS sturdy)

 

[Hunter-G]

I do want her sturdy, especially since I want to do a 3D print! I'll have to optimize her for printing though, which will not be fun.

Anyway, here's the top sensor dome, the bottom will be the same, with slightly different internals:

 

[Santaman]

Loving the details, all is still familiar but with a twist.

 

[Hunter-G]

Boom

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Damn, that is one sexy intercooler.

 

[Santaman]

Oeh.. another shiny part and it isn't even Tuesday!

 

[Hunter-G]

The finished warp grill:

Also, nailed down the bussards finally. I've been continuing to tweak them: