D3 progress thread

[skyhawk223]

Decided to start my own thread on the D3 since Ashrak is working on the D4.

Updated image follows:
http://hometown.aol.com/~skyhawk223/d3_11_16.jpg

[Masao]

Wow, the head on that thing sure is ugly. Excellent!

The nacelles could probably be constructed in three parts. The center third is a rounded rectanglar block, the back third is a rounded rectangular block slightly inflated, and the front third is a rectangular cone whose base is a rounded rectangle and whose front end is the same rectangle made smaller. At least that's how I drew it. I think the front part of your nacelle narrow too quickly.

Looks cool so far.

[skyhawk223]

I have been trying to get the rear to look something like Masao's drawings. Here is what I have been able to do so far.

http://hometown.aol.com/~skyhawk223/d3_11_21.jpg

[Thomas P]

I really like the way you post these perspective-in-progress shots. Can't wait until these baddies get done. I tried the D3 a ways back and gave up - it was too tough for me.

[Masao]

Skyhawk, have you seen the new drawings posted in the other thread. They show more details about how I pictured the engineering hull. If you can't get those long things to sit right, you might try rotating the outward.

[skyhawk223]

.

[skyhawk223]

An update. Did some work on the engines. I know the middle sections are too dark. Will fix that later. Textures are of course just thrown on at this stage.

http://hometown.aol.com/~skyhawk223/d3_11_26.jpg

[Thomas P]

Keeps getting better and better!

[Masao]

It's coming along nicely. It's got the bulldogi-like, overmuscled look I was going for.

Feel free to dress up the ends of those engines a bit. The simple shapes a drew look a bit bare now. Also, I think you've made the front of the engines a bit too sharp: they narrow too quickly, I think, and should be wider at the front.

[skyhawk223]

I can widen the front a bit.
I did notice the bareness of the engines yesterday. Perhaps I will add some ridges or something to them.

[Masao]

Cool. By the way, are you using the new Federation greenish-gray Thomas7g found for us? It looks nice, but I'm don't know if Klingon ships used it as well. What colors are the rest of you guys using for Klingon ships? I've just used shades of pure black (greys) with no tint by default.

[skyhawk223]

The gray I was using looked sort of blah, so I added a tinge of greenish blue. Does it look bad? Should I revert back to shades of gray?

[skyhawk223]

The very latest. Hot off the proverbial presses. Masao, what are your thoughts on windows and panel lines? Add them? Don't add them?

Now I have to figure out how to do the Klingon insignia.

http://hometown.aol.com/~skyhawk223/d3_11_28.jpg

[Thomas P]

Snazzy!!

[Masao]

Light panel lines, as you've already put on the neck, are fine. Also, see Greg Jein's version of the D7 he did for DS9. He added some light "feather" lines on the top of the wings, which can be seen in the ep but not in these pictures http://members.aol.com/WMccullars/JeinsKlingon.html As for windows, Klingons ships don't have many. The D7 only had a few on the front of the hat and the side of the head and one or two or the neck. You could put a few on the head, maybe, but those surfaces are probably too sloped for anything except Galaxy class type overhead windows, which might look sort of funny. A few on the neck might be ok. Remember, Warriors don't spend their time looking out windows!

The front part of the engines still look to narrow. The front surface of the tip is actually flat with slightly rounded corners. The decrease in cross-section from the back to the front should be constant. The way you have it, the cross section first rapidly decreases, then gets decreases at a constant, lower rate.

I was reading the article about the creation of the D7 in the new ST magazine. Matt Jefferies says the top was painted greenish grey and bottom light grey. Sounds like they might have used something similar to the Enterprise color on the top.

[skyhawk223]

The constant cross section decrease will be a little tricky. The way it looks now is a result of the modeling technique I had to use. I will try to correct it today if I get the time.

Feathered panel lines sounds like a texturing job. That will be tricky since I don't do textures that well. Again, let me see what I can do.

I will keep the windows to a minimum. Still have to figure out how to do the insignia and how to apply it to the hull.

[skyhawk223]

Forgot to ask you. Is there a deflector on this baby?

[skyhawk223]

edited

[Masao]

That new nacelle is a lot closer to what I envisioned. The front face should be a bit smaller, though.
Windows would probably be limited to a few on the neck and a few on the front bridge tower.
No deflector. Klingon ships don't seem to have visible deflectors, for some reason.

Who can help Skyhawk with the insignia?

[skyhawk223]

ACK! I worked on the nacelle last night to a more pleasing front shape, but cant show you because the disk I saved it to is not recognized. I think that NT 4 doesn't really like to talk to Win98. What a pain! I guess I will just work on the windows and panel lines today.
Sorry for the size of the image.
http://hometown.aol.com/~skyhawk223/d3_11_30.jpg

[Masao]

Looks good. But a bolt seems to have come loose! Watch out that it doesn't get sucked into an engine!

[skyhawk223]

I was wondering where that window cutter went... :)

[skyhawk223]

Here's a shot of the re-worked nacelle. What do you guys think?

http://hometown.aol.com/~skyhawk223/d3_12_3.jpg

[Masao]

That looks nice. Is the front surface narrow enough from the top?