Modeling the Enterprise in Cinema 4D

[startrekfan001]

how does one delete a post? the stuff i wrote here was written wrong...

[spsmyth]

Originally Posted by Professor Moriarty

???????

Something looks very, very wrong on that last picture. You shouldn't have a seam at the apex of the scalloped-out part of the hull curvature.

You are right Professor, I am working on it, and I hope to have a rev here in the next couple of days. The spline doesn't want to cooperate

Thanks for the help.

[spsmyth]

Originally Posted by scifieric

Yes, but the lower section is now much closer. If it was a tad smoother to transition it would be just about perfect!

That's quite a compliment coming from you scifieric, as I lurked on this board for a couple of weeks before posting. I honestly think you have done the most with the least (modeling a 1701 in TRUESPACE--egads man, get me the laudinum...)

Yes, all transitions could be smoother, possibly because there are STILL TOO MANY POINTS in the spline.

I hope to have a final beta here in a few days.

Steve

[spsmyth]

Still working on those splines, also working on a tutorial for the bridge and upper deck structure. Learning more all the time. Soon...

Steve

[spsmyth]

Okay, here's the latest...

Dorsal



Ventral



This spline based lathe brought to you by Adobe Illustrator. There are NO points in the "scalloped" areas in order to ease the transitions. Used the lower sensor from my other file, and threw all into one null for easier handling (called null "1701"). It is in a sky dome on a floor, but I did not add any shaders or materials to this example.

Any comments are welcome. Hopefully now I can get to the next step.

Steve

[scifieric]

Well, those are almost thumbnails but the look good!

[spsmyth]

Sorry about the size. I am going a little bigger next time. I have been having some issues with Cinema 4D crashing on renders, hence the small size. Hopefully I have it fixed and will provide some bigger examples later tonite.

Steve

[spsmyth]

Sorry for the delay between posts, I have upgraded to C4D 10 and I am getting around in there. Hopefully I will have more for you as I am just learning too.

Steve

[scifieric]

You can do it Steve!

I have the same sort of issues with TrueSpace 7.

[dan1701a]

Well, I'm back...and after fighting with Blender (don't get me wrong, it's great for a free app, but it's like learning to drive with a side-stick controller instead of a steering wheel - while sitting sideways in the car), I've decided to give C4D another shot. After beating my head against Blender, I've actually discovered some different ways of doing things in C4D. For instance, I've discovered the joys of free-form distortion (FFD). Even though it can be a bit of a pain at times, it actually produces much cleaner (and quicker) results than trying to spline model or Boolean a structure (such as the B-C deck). Here are some thumbnails:







A few things I learned from my previous attempt:

1) I found it was easier to use the Alan Sinclair JPEGs and draw the shapes on top of them. In some cases, I used the Sinclair Illustrator files and manipulated them as needed, but for the larger shapes (like the saucer, the secondary hull, and the nacelles) it was easier to draw them.

2) It was easier to keep the windows as consistent sizes by drawing them (as rectangles and circles) then extrude them. I still had to do two Boolean functions, though - one to cut the holes in the hull (A subtract B) and one to create the windows (A intersect B).

3) FFD is a powerful tool - once you figure out how to do it.

I also used ScifiEric's tutorial on the bussard domes to create my bussards, but the lights inside don't seem bright enough. If I drop the transparency on the domes, though, too little color shows on the dome. Still have to work on that.

I also learned that, to keep polygon count down to a minimum, it helps to connect each of the shapes in the secondary hull (once you boil out the basic parts after you do your Boolean functions).

Perhaps once I get some time again, I'll continue my tutorial, but it may focus more on modeling in the windows and the markings. But it appears that my dockworkers are back on the job, and more efficient: It took me about half the time to do this model than it did to do the previous version. And that's starting from scratch.