Apparently the original thread for this project has expired so I am starting a new one. Most of you should remember the Kiaga, a brilliant original design by Aridas Sofia: I was sufficiently inspired by the design that I decided to tackle it as a 3D modeling project. Here are a couple of the most recent WIP images from the last time I worked on it: Over the past few days, I've been trying to revv things up a little by revisiting some old, unfinished projects like my modified TOS Enterprise and, of course, the Kiaga. The Grandeur is still my priority but I'm starting to have strange dreams about the shape of her warp nacelles so I figured it was time for a little break. I did a bit of modeling and texturing work on the Kiaga over the weekend. I also converted it for use with the Mental Ray renderer, switching over to Architecture & Design materials, adjusting the light sources, exposure control, etc. Here's a short list of other changes and additions: I made the hull material darker per some earlier design notes from Aridas and added a "sensor scattering/absorbing" surface texture. I finally got around to fully modeling and texturing the bussard collectors, including "bulbs," spinning blades, a reflective back plate, and a dome with an A&D Frosted Glass material for that oh-so-important diffuse translucency effect. Looks decent at this point but I might tweak it further. I re-worked the impulse engines a bit, again per Aridas' design notes, making the circular apertures on either side the actual thrust ports while the rectangular grid between them is now a softly glowing heat dissapator. On my own initiative, I altered the nacelles slightly, reworking the four fins into TOS-style intercoolers complete with diamond patterned grills. Aridas hasn't seen these yet so whether or not any of these changes survive to the next iteration will be up to him, but I'm liking them so far.
I think it predates the Akira. IIRC it was mentioned by name in Ships of the Star Fleet (1988). Marian
FWIW, to my eye the NX-Class enn on ENT seems to have been inspired by the Akyazi class perimeter action ships (structure as well as general size)seen in "Ship of the Star Fleet Vol. 2" which was published at least a decade BEFORE the premiere of ENT. Messrs. Guenther and Nielsen deserve credit for prescience at the very least.
You'd have to ask Aridas to know for sure, but don't be so quick to assume that it was inspired by the Akira or any other existing design as if no one could have possibly come up with it on their own. That's probably not what you meant to imply but it's a point I feel compelled to make regardless.
As I recall, wasn't this 'inspired' by a duster of some sort? I think the secondary hull was the handle, with the saucer being an expansion of the head of the duster. I know I've got one I use on my car that is similar to this geometry. BTW, the new changes look great!
I believe it was. I myself have a lint brush that looks very similar to the secondary hull. Never can tell where your ideas are going to come from.
The bump mapping seems a smidgen too high for certain places, but all in all I'm sure he'll be pleased with the work you've done.
I hadn't intended to use bump mapping at all originally but after I tried it, I really liked the look of it. I'm rationalizing it with the notion that the uneven surface has some sensor scattering/absorbing properties consistent with the ship's stealthy profile. Along the same lines, I've also been thinking about those big, bright bussard collectors. This ship doesn't even have windows to make it harder to detect visually, which makes the bussards seem counter productive. I have an idea for some baffles that would surround each collector dome and minimize their visibility, and would also be retractable for those times when maximum efficiency outweighs stealth. I need to get back to work on the Grandeur soon but I might just take a crack at those before I do.
Good Lord that is cool. I'm just starting to tinker with this (3D modeling) and can see I have a long ways to go. Very nice though, I'd hate to be the Klingons on the other end of that when it was firing.
Again, Aridas can answer this for sure, but regardless of whether or not the name was mentioned in Ships of the Star Fleet, I believe this particular design was conceived by Aridas relatively recently, like within the last couple of years. In which case, the Akira would definitely have come first, but that doesn't automatically make it the inspiration for every similar design that came after. There are only so many ways you can put together a primary hull, secondary hull and two warp nacelles. To cite another example of what I'm talking about, I did my first hand-drawn sketches of my USS Vanguard design almost 15 years ago, long before the Akira debuted, but to this day I still have people comment that it must have been inspired by the Akira.
I'll say what some have probably been thinkin': This should have been the direction for the NX Enterprise on the show.
It was mentioned I think in both of the Ships of the Star Fleet books, I know it was in the one dedicated to the Akyazi-class. I do so miss books like those and Jackill's, great stuff.