Akyazi/Akula

[Basill]

Thanks for the comments. To answer some questions...

Countdown5 and Backstept- Akula is indeed the one with the "fugly giant dangly deflector thingummy" (My least favorite feature actually, and I won't include it) I think I leapt before I looked on that one. I guess I should have said Akyazi-Arbitor-Akula in the title because there are indeed elements from all these ships that I adore. At least in the schematics. (There are some crazy paint jobs I don't care for) She is indeed a total mix and match
Some quick examples:

Akyazi has the nacelle pylons spot on perfect, and I prefer her bridge to the successor classes.

Akyazi and Arbiter have longer central aft sections to their primary hulls. The more space the better I say.

I prefer the upward slope of the primary hull on the Arbitor and Akula to its opposite on the Akyazi (though I don't consider either "superior") I may even make a variant someday.

One version has a shuttle that rides along permanently docked in the little gap between the saucer and engineering sections. NEAT! I'm Thinking about going that route.

Phaser and Torpedo placement, hull plating arrangement and hatch details etc... Its like shopping at Ikea or customizing your car! Mix and match what you want!

Dallidas- About the shields. As far as I know, the ships that my mesh is modeled after are heavily enforced all over with shields this and deflectors that. in fact I think that is what that little fins on the connector-tubes do. The book that these ships come from have several different designs (and sub-designs) each with its own special little shield/deflector to protect certain areas (each with its own little brand name and model number) Its certain that if shields fail the ship is in trouble regardless, but strangely enough some even have contingencies for separation from the warp section of the ship! Backup impulse engines and the like. Its a total fan publication and the passion shows.

As for my clean modeling Starship... Its all smoke and mirrors. There are quite a few edges that need fixing, and some basic modeling chores that I still have yet to figured out how I am going to do.

Here are a few updates. I removed a piece of stand-in bridge I didn't realize was there when I rendered (forward angle), and I took out some colored hull plating I was experimenting with while trying to fake a little more sophisticated Aztec. All still a possibility Added a few of the limited number of view ports these designs allow for in the aft view. And finally gave a peek at the underside which is the last frontier for this ship. So far all the details are modeled not textured. I don't even want to think that far ahead.

[MichaelS]

Oh, I like this one! I'm glad that somebody finally models it - it doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves.

[exodus2310]

So beautiful.

[aridas sofia]

Oooo... I like that first composition a lot:

http://www.scifi-meshes.com/forums/a...yazi_exp33.jpg

It reminds me of Guenther's painting of one of those ships -- "Echo at Station Keeping".

Your ship is true to the spirit of the book, and sticks to the design vocabulary established for those ships. It's a harmonious blending of details that looks like it could fit in with the other ships.

Good work Basill!

[Basill]

Thanks. Not familiar with those paintings but I LOVE "design vocabulary"

I have been working on her steadily for a week now off and on. I have some update shots, but I'll get those uploaded later when I get home from work.

[Eoraptor]

Will be great to see this finished... my poor Akazi mesh from ST:Australia just doesn't hold up under modern render standards. (same with my Cheyenne hint hint)

[Basill]

Well, as promised, a few updates...

The first 2 were rendered using global lighting techniques. Took a good while to render each of them, but boy the difference. The 3rd was an on-the-fly just so I could show some of the details added to the underside since last week. That and the bridge is where most of the work has been.

Still some greeblies to add But most of the big stuff is modelled in some 1st stage at least. Textures... well... heh... later.

Some errors showing up around the bridge area... light seeping through some of the angles or something. I haven't nailed it down yet.

Enjoy. I'll try and get some shots of the details, but they don't hold up to scrutiny quite as well on Zoom mode. And some of the errors show up a lot more.

[aridas sofia]

Originally Posted by Basill

Thanks. Not familiar with those paintings but I LOVE "design vocabulary"

I have been working on her steadily for a week now off and on. I have some update shots, but I'll get those uploaded later when I get home from work.

Todd Guenther, who designed the Akyazi etc and was the author of Ships of the Star Fleet, Volume 2, did this painting in the mid 1990s, the old way (no 3D modeling).

[evil_genius_180]

Yes!! Akyazi rules!! I've always been a fan of this beauty, ever since I first saw it in a book years ago. And your model is definitely beautiful. Nicely done so far.

[Basill]

Oh darn! aridas sofia Your picture's not showing up! I may never get to see your inspiration for my model! Being that he is the guy that authored that book (I totally didn't make that connection like a goober) I'm sure its great! Despite my love for 3D, I still love good-ole conventional methods.


Thanks again all for comments. She is coming along in strides and fits. right now I anguish over "greeblies" and I am wanting to do those lounges inside the windows, but I must stay on task. My true hope is to have her alongside Lt. Kevin Riley's Phobos someday. (I'm a big fan of "rendezvous imagery")

Here are some more images done up for a few new features- Ends of the nacelles, phasers on the upper impulse pod, and the greeblies on the forward torpedo area. They are definately still wip.

I am wondering if I should enlarge the recessed areas around the warp coils as they are very hard to distinguish in the images even though there are little "sockets" on either end of the blue glowey things... in most images they look like they butt up against their housings rather blandly. Bridge is still giving me grief too. Oh well. Enjoy till next time.