This could be the next Enterprise!

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 17th, 2011, 04:20 PM

Star Trek Online is holding a contest to "Design the Next Enterprise." This is the 1701-F, (the next after Picard's.)

After two months of very hard work I am finished with my entry.

Animation here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEUf9UfRpSU

4x bigger version here:
http://crossovercomic.com/media/extr...1701f_huge.jpg

Feel free to vote, but I'm really here for your dependably brutal critz. Please nit-pick and be blunt. Tear me down so I can grow back stronger. It's the only way I'll improve

**Uncharted_Artist** · January 17th, 2011, 05:52 PM

Its a really nice picture man, Good luck on winning. I can't say nothing bad about it, other than i would have put some mad guns on the mother f'er lol, but it does look like a ship from star trek. good job man.

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 18th, 2011, 03:19 PM

Thanks Uncharted, but, c'mon now, I know you fine folks can find fault :p

**ScottDotNet** · January 18th, 2011, 05:30 PM

Looks too much like the prometheus IMO.

Saucer section is not robust enough, it looks a little flimsy compared with the 1701-D and E.
The struts connecting the necelles to the body look a little wide also.

All just opinion but I thought I'd say what I thought. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks great, and it's executed very well.

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 18th, 2011, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by ScottDotNet

Looks too much like the prometheus IMO.

Saucer section is not robust enough, it looks a little flimsy compared with the 1701-D and E.
The struts connecting the necelles to the body look a little wide also.

All just opinion but I thought I'd say what I thought. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks great, and it's executed very well.

Thanks

Wasn't the Prometheus the one that split into three different ships?
My saucer is indeed not as thick as that of the D or E, and I wish it were a little more dome shaped. Perhaps I should have given the nacelle struts a bit of an hourglass? Thick as they are now at the base and the end where they connect, but maybe 1/2 the thickness in the middle?

**ScottDotNet** · January 18th, 2011, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Modem

Thanks

Wasn't the Prometheus the one that split into three different ships?

It was indeed.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Modem

My saucer is indeed not as thick as that of the D or E, and I wish it were a little more dome shaped. Perhaps I should have given the nacelle struts a bit of an hourglass? Thick as they are now at the base and the end where they connect, but maybe 1/2 the thickness in the middle?

Give it a try. I know that the 1701-E struts taper outwards from the base to the necelles rather than tapering in towards the middle and then back out again towards the strut. I think if they taper and curve too much then it may spoil what you already have, as it may look too 'out there' (if that is possible on a star trek ship concept).

I must admit that it is growing on me though, but I guess you want it to have an immediate impact if it is to win a comp. Look forward to see what you do with it.

**Jason Ross** · January 18th, 2011, 07:16 PM

My opinion is that the opening shot is not as revealing as the second shot. The opening camera shot makes my head heart from all the turning and spinning. Also the camera is moving way too fast for an object of that size. I wish the video started at about :43 and slowing came out of the clouds. If you opened with the second shot and slowed camera down I would like it a lot better. But great work on the design overall and great music selection.I heard "two steps from hell" from a mini star trek montage and loved that song ever since. Good luck.

**Benissimo** · January 18th, 2011, 09:51 PM

Very exciting. Good luck!

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 19th, 2011, 01:47 PM

Thanks for the analysis Jason, and the kind words Benissimo

I got a bit too close to the hull in that opening shot. My textures look blurry and stretched, and it's obvious I'm using bump maps on a single low poly object rather than dynamic displacement maps or individual objects. Also, at the end of the shot, the angle makes it look like the ship has kind of a hunch back, which it really doesn't.

The nebula/clouds in the second shot came out nice, but I'm unsatisfied with the angle of the shot. I should have swung it under the saucer and to the side more to show the intersection between the hull shapes.

"Two Steps From Hell" is actually the name of the band. "Freedom Fighters" is the song. They are pretty great if you like movie trailer type music (I do. Too much.)

**Jason Ross** · January 19th, 2011, 02:33 PM

Yeah I have the album and I first heard that song on youtube montaged with the Star Trek movie. So the minute I heard your song selection I liked it already. Great work. Also to add...even the song seems sped up by like 10-20 %. Was that intentional? Dude I really gotta say...that scene coming out of the clouds to the music is fucking awesome...I wish it started that way.

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 19th, 2011, 02:48 PM

I did speed up the music slightly (you're the first to notice, good ear) and I dropped the frame rate substantially to get it rendered in time for the contest. If I had cut the opening shot I would have had more time to render the others, though as you might expect those clouds take forever. If I had a bit more knowledge of particle physics and hard body interaction I could have actually had the ship push the clouds out of the way. So much yet to learn...

**ScottDotNet** · January 19th, 2011, 03:38 PM

I just watched the vid for the first time, looks pretty good to me. The bit where the runabout goes in to dock is a little bland in comparison with other shots especially the intro which is great (but you do get a little too close to the ship which shows the bump mapping as you pointed out).

What are you using Maya/LW/3ds or something different?

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 19th, 2011, 03:51 PM

Maya, Photoshop, Premier, After Effects.

**Fuzzy Modem** · January 19th, 2011, 04:53 PM

Voting has closed and I am in 1st place!!!
http://www.startrekonline.com/enterp...y?filter=rated
The judges could still override this decision, so I haven't won yet- but THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED!

Winner is announced in April. It's gonna be a loooong wait...

'Till then, any more critz? This is all poly extrusion modeling. Maybe someone can offer some pointers?

**Fuzzy Modem** · May 9th, 2011, 04:09 PM

I did not win. Not even an honorable mention

Winners here: http://www.startrekonline.com/node/2415

**Fuzzy Modem** · May 31st, 2011, 04:15 PM

Andrew Probert was kind enough to have a look at my 3D model, give me some notes, and exchange doodles, which I hope he won't mind me posting here:

His primary suggestions were struts in a U shape rather than a V shape, a larger deflector, and a rounder saucer.

I'm toying with the idea of whipping up a new model based on these changes, this time with actual saucer separation.

Thanks for the assist Andrew

It felt like jamming with Bruce Springsteen

**JasonLuper** · May 31st, 2011, 07:32 PM

well thats depressing that you could come in first in voting and not get a mention from the judges. I like the ship, although I prefer the original, more delicate style to the more modern examples. For instance the stretching of the saucer into an oval is something I would rather not see. However your rendering and general concept seemed really good.

very surprised you didnt get more pub from the judges.

**Fuzzy Modem** · June 1st, 2011, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by JasonLuper

well thats depressing that you could come in first in voting and not get a mention from the judges. I like the ship, although I prefer the original, more delicate style to the more modern examples. For instance the stretching of the saucer into an oval is something I would rather not see. However your rendering and general concept seemed really good.

very surprised you didnt get more pub from the judges.

Could be worse. I've done four of these contests now for CGtalk, StarCraft 2, Eve Online, and now the Enterprise F, and it occurred to me the other day that I'd rather be "fan favorite" in the Enterprise contest than win all out in any of those prior contests, so there is that.

**Velocity Kendall** · June 1st, 2011, 07:43 PM

I think its fantastically well presented, but, and I hate to say this, I think its a little dull. Picard/Proberts Enterprise had loads of badass attitude because it was really wide and had those lovely swooping arms reaching up to the engine nacelles. And the cool cobra neck that you saw just before the end of the start credits. Its a lovely shape for what is basically a box of plumbing with a motor at the back.. (I loved that show as a kid and studied the ship from all angles.. what a nerd)
Id love to see a really strange take on the Enterprise, like, the saucer has a large piece of countryside under a dome on its lower surface, or the engines have some wierd asymetric-but-elegant soft-kill-option arms supporting them..
All that said, the fact that you nailed the voting and didnt even get a mention is ridiculous..

**Fuzzy Modem** · July 21st, 2011, 01:39 PM

It's taken me a day to digest Cryptic's final draft, but I can now say that it's a far more appropriate Enterprise F than my own.

Bigger:
http://www.startrekonline.com/dyncon...creen_main.jpg

She's intimidating, having a very mature stature. My design looks rather adolescent by comparison.

Her curves are a good deal more fluid. Very organic yet purposeful. No doubts as to her structural integrity.

She's not a great leap forward in design philosophy, a safer choice, probably wise. I have no doubts she'll be seamlessly accepted by the majority of fans, which is all they could ever have hoped for.

I do wish they'd add a few more poly's to her nose.

**Fuzzy Modem** · July 22nd, 2011, 07:41 PM

Lots of new Enterprise F pics from Cryptic:

http://www.startrekonline.com/dyncon..._072211_01.jpg

http://www.startrekonline.com/dyncon..._072211_02.jpg

http://www.startrekonline.com/dyncon..._072211_04.jpg

http://www.startrekonline.com/dyncon..._072211_05.jpg

http://www.startrekonline.com/dyncon..._072211_07.jpg

I'm liking her more and more

[edit] More pics: http://startrekonline.com/gallery

[edit] I do hope they work on the textures a bit more. In some area the shapes seem purposeless or misapplied. Especially on the nacelle struts, which also don't blend with the other objects very well.

**Fuzzy Modem** · February 4th, 2012, 01:57 PM

Star Trek Online has released the Enterprise F.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgkwtuH5_QQ

Gotta admit she's a real beauty.

-

I added a little more polish after getting Andrew Probert's help. Mostly she's just smoother around the neck/strut area.