Lotus Fleet Forums

This thread will serve as a display of the 3d model work I'm doing to visualize USS Hoshea and USS Horizon. The images in this thread will be very heavily works in progress, and will also contain the efforts of Star Trek 3d modelers who have been gracious enough to post their models for anyone to use or modify. The original Luna-class is by David Metlesits, as is the original Galaxy and Excelsior bits and pieces I'm referencing for USS Horizon.

For me this is an experiment. I was a professional 3D artist before, but that was a long time ago, and that was for architecture. Entirely different lighting systems and almost entirely different modeling techniques. But I'd like to see if I can get to the level where we can start advertising the fleet again using 3D images to help capture people's imagination, much as we did during the Borg Invasion.

The first post displayed the Copernicus refit USS Hoshea's general shape. That image was several days old, but I like it for its general feel.

This post focuses instead on the progress since that image, and the creation of some of the must-have assets any Federation 24th/25th starship has: Bridge, RCS, and phaser strips. The Luna class has two RCS modules on the primary hull, one on either side of the saucer (port/starboard). In an attempt to stay true to the Luna, I'm also building only two RCS modules. Luna has one long phaser strip on the dorsal side, very much like the Galaxy class. Hoshea has 3, arranged in the same basic shape, tripling the total potential output towards threats from above.

The bridge you see in this image is a placeholder. It's from the David Metlesits mesh. It's the same basic shape however, and I'm able to place it so I can better plan out how to cut up the geometry to extrude the Hoshea's bridge. It'll sit on a footprint that hopefully evokes a sense of the original Luna-class saucer.

That's it for now, just got called in to take care of a client early. The shapes will continue to be crude for a few more of these iterations before I can take the time to smooth them out and give them their final textures.

One more for the night of USS Hoshea's work in progress. In this image, I'm testing out the main deflectors. Hoshea has two deflectors, one right on top of the other. This is done so that scientists and engineers can tinker with one, while still maintaining one functional deflector even in the case of a burnt out deflector assembly. During normal ship's operation, both deflectors are active, running in sync, each at 50% of total potential output. They are identical deflector arrays.

As for the rest of the image, you'll note I'm starting to extrude shapes out of the ventral saucer section. You can see an aerowing and a sensor dome in this image as well. These, as well as the secondary hull and the warp nacelle struts, are from the David Metlesits mesh. The aerowing is being replaced with a diplomatic Captain's Yacht. I believe the yacht is going to be named "Spanner-of-Gaps" - an obvious naming done by Speaker-of-Names.

Two new images for Hoshea today of my own doing, plus one done by someone who isn't me, to show off Hoshea's Captain's Yacht. The Yacht is something I found online while looking for other Star Trek 3D models. To me, the thing was an absolutely perfect little ship to complement the Hoshea.

...one more. I realized you couldn't easily see the registry from the angle I had.

 From the looks of the captain's yacht design, it appears to me that the warp nacelles seem to be able to retract into the hull, possible a space saving feature for docking.
 Regardless, a nice looking yacht for sure.

This is USS Hoshea's ventral "sensor dome". Advances in scientific instrumentation and miniaturization allow it to pack far more than usual within the domes, and that dome is then further encased in a series of additional sensors.

And with near final texture map. (Just needs panel lines and details) ...hmm. I might make the dome's enclosure much much more shallow, though. Any thoughts?

I've been getting feedback from the Trekyards community on this sensor dome. It's going back for a rework. Definitely looks too "old" to be 25th century, and just squashing the thing down is doing wonders for its look. Coupled with other suggestions, I think this'll turn out even better.

That dome is looking good now I think. It doesn't protrude into the navigational deflector arc at that thickness.