How to build the Starship Enterprise in TrueSpace 3

[scifieric]

Hello. A couple of users here at SciFi-Meshes have asked about the free version of TrueSpace (version 3) and how to use it to build a simple to moderate 3D model like the USS Enterprise.

I'm not an expert but I can pass along a few tips.

Let's get acquainted with your new application. I may use my own terms for a lot of this, so bear with me.



The defaults for TrueSpace should be pretty much as you see in the image. I'm going to call the main screen your main work area/screen or window. The toolbar in default configuration will open along the bottom of your work area and the viewing options are on the lower right hand side of the screen.

I'm going to use Alan Sinclair's Enterprise blueprints because IMHO, they are the best out there but you may use whatever you choose.
Alan Sinclair
Charles Casimiro
Franz Joseph (I think these are the plans Vektor used for his excellent Constitution Class starship!)

We're going to start with the spline tool, object subtraction tool and lathe tool create the saucer section hull. There are multiple ways of doing this and mine is not necessarily the best but it will give you ideas as to how to use these toolsets in TrueSpace 3.2.

To use a set of blueprints, you could map the plans to a correctly proportioned primitive plane and tell TrueSpace to render everything with textures in place in 3D mode so that you can see the entire set of plans at once but if you're working with little RAM, this might be a rather sluggish option.

I started by viewing and making a screen capture of Alan's drawing of the saucer section.



After cleaning up the image, I saved it as a .bmp and right mouse clicked on the Show Background icon.


This will give you access to the Show Background toolset.



Click on the blank input box to the right of Background, click the Show Background button and select your correctly proportioned plans. I run my monitor at 1280 x 1024 so the background image I use is 1280 x 1024. This avoids distortion.

[scifieric]

Next, choose the spline tool.



Now, when you draw a spline in TrueSpace 3, you have several options. You can make your spline have sharp curves, smooth curves or VERY smooth curves. To draw this spline, I'm just going to leave the default but change the number of spline points throughout the drawing. So, to start, I set the number of spline points to "1".

I click in the upper left hand corner of the drawing to place a green dot on my background. Make sure that the grid mode is toggled off or your point will not be in the place you want.

I think click at the end of the straight line that starts the upper hull and then change my spline points to 5 and keep clicking at the beginning of every curve change in the hull until I get to the bottom. Dont' worry, I know it won't look right yet. Neither did mine!



Argh. I just realized I skipped a step. How am I viewing my plans? Simple, where you select the plans for the background is also where you tell TrueSpace you want to see the background at all times.



Now I open up three New Perspective Views and position them around my work area and make all of them Top views.



Next, I zoom in on the largest trouble spots and change how the splines act. Such as, the top left area where we started, the very upper curve of the bow of the ship and the lower curve to the saucer hull.

[scifieric]

Once you have your spots "targeted" you can start changing the spline points.

By clicking on the "Move spline point" button, you can switch into edit mode. That's the top left button on the Spline Toolset.



Ignore the fact that the screen grab above shows the "New Spline Point" icon highlighted, you want the left most! LOL!

Now, when you click on the green point on the top left, you will be shown "handles" for your spline.



We want this area to be a right angle, so you can right mouse click on the spline tool icon in the toolbar and you can choose the "Hard Angle" tool if you like.



At least this one shows the Change Spline Point and the Hard, Smooth and Very Smooth tools!

I jump from here to the bow of the ship because this sort of thing worries me no end.

[Jedilaw]

Nice tut, should be moved to 3d questions and answers, not sfm support.

[scifieric]

I haven't clued you in to the fact that we're basically making a template and we have to figure out how to fix this strange loop.



Make sure you are in Spline edit mode by clicking on the Move Spline Point icon.

Next, grab the end of the lower green spline handle and push it until it lines up with the front of the saucer, then make it shorter and you will see the curve of the transition start to line up better. Repeat with the top end spline point. When I made this section, I chose 10 spline points for the curve so that it will look like a curve and not a sharp edge.



This is a little closer to the result we want.

If TrueSpace has gone freaky on you and made everything a Hard Angle, just click the point you are going to adjust and choose something else. When I edited these two points on the curve of the bow, I choose the Very Smooth option.

Next, I scrolled down to the lower section of the bow. This angle is too jagged for our purposes.



I adjusted the size and angle of the handles until the curve looked a little more reasonable.

At this point, you can look at your overall view and you may find that many of your spline points are close, but not on the outline exactly as you wish. Make sure you are in spline edit mode and move each of your controling spline points (green) until they are on your outline.

TrueSpace 3 has a strange artifact that occurs here and leaves "chalk marks" on your "board" or work area. You can get rid of them by left clicking on the window's "WireFrame Display" icon.



The chalk marks will disappear.

[scifieric]

Originally Posted by Jedilaw

Nice tut, should be moved to 3d questions and answers, not sfm support.

Thanks! Aceman is creating a new section and I thought I would just get started and then ask him to move this thread when he's done.

Something along the lines of "Modeler's Workshop". I can't wait.

Sorry for the wrong forum. You're right, I should have put this elsewhere.

[scifieric]

Thanks to Aceman and Jedilaw for putting this thread in the correct spot! I appreciate the opportunity to post here.

[Tallguy]

Nice start SFE. Heh. Most models of the E tend to peter out after that first saucer spin. I hope this tute isn't that same way.

[backstept]

Nice tut
now where's the rest of it!? haha

[scifieric]

Now that we've moved the spline edit points around, the spline curve matches the outline of our plans a little closer.



However, it is certainly worth looking at each point before continuing. I use one of the three smaller windows since I don't want to loose my plans and changing back to the correct viewing size would be difficult if not impossible.

It was well worth it. Along the top of my spline is another artifact from overlapping spline edit handles. Here is what it looks like:



Enter spline edit mode again and click on one of the surrounding spline edit points. Shorten the handles and correct their angles. Check your main workspace window and erase chalk marks to view your progress.

When you are done, you should have a nice, smooth surface curve.



When you are satisfied with the outline of your template, you want to convert your spline outline to an object. Simply click the object selection tool but once you do this, you can no longer edit with the spline tools! You can still edit the template but you will have to do so point by point and that takes a LOT longer.

This would be a good point to save your scene to preserve all your hard work and if you want to be extra careful, safe the template as an object.

Next: The Dreaded Lathe!