It's actually the very first thing I modeled in CG, using Imagine 2.0 for DOS, back in 1995. That mesh long ago disappeared, but last year I found the blueprints for it and recreated it in Lightwave out of sentimentality. Say, is 3D Gladiators still going? If you ever do anything with the Venture I'd love to see it.
3D Gladiators schismed off from the old "Sci-Fi Art" site that was one of the first places I posted on the web. Glad to hear that it endures.
I, uh...wanted to give you a boost. Yes, that's it! I knew it was CG the whole time! Really! Seriously, even taking a second, closer look at that image I'm having a hard time telling. Fabulous job. Now that does bring up the question...who will be making a model kit? Forbin? Anyone?
The biggest problem I see would be trying to find models where the warp nacelles from the TOS Enterprise and the warp nacelles from the NX-01 are the same diameter. Good luck with that...
Actually the nacelles only borrow detailing from the NX-01 - in shape and proportion they're a good deal closer to the engines on the TOS ship. In terms of hull contours, the basis for most of the rest would be the TMP ship rather than the TOS ship.
ST-One, did you order the model directly from Art Asylum? Your comp work is amazing and the environmental lighting is spot on, imho. For a moment my son and I thought that Dennis granted a production license to AA. Good job, ST!
They'd actually need a license from CBS - and if they had that, nothing I did to come up with the "Phoenix" would give me any real legal claim to the design.
The only thing that gave this away was the lack of blue in the highlights of the ship. I really couldn't tell otherwise. Incredible work.