The Next Generation ship is a fairly complex model to tackle as it has some quite difficult curved surfaces. However if it's broken down into component parts and good reference is available then it should be no problem. I have chosen Form.z for this model as it can easily handle any of the modelling tasks required for this kind of project. For reference I am using the 'StarTrek The Next Generation Technical Manual' by rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda. This is a superb source as it contains many cross-sections and technical drawings of the ship.

Stage 1.

First I used Adobe Illustrator to create all the various colour/bump/transparency maps, decals and logos that I would need for the job. These were then taken into Photoshop to produce high-res tiff files ready for the textures. Here's a pic of the illustrator bump map for the saucer section. This was also enhanced and used for colour and transparency maps, and imported into Form.z as a guide underlay for the model.

Stage 2.

Starting with the saucer section I imported a profile created in illustrator then simply lathed this around an axis.

Stage 3.

In the plan view I have scaled the model non-proportionally to get the elliptical shape. Then cut away sections for the impulse engines and engineering hull join. This last bit is just in case I need a rendering of the saucer section on its own. It's always important to think ahead when modelling, i.e. don't simplify it now if you think you may need complexity later.

Stage 4.

The Shuttle bay and Bridge parts are simply profiles that have been extruded then rounded. The rear of the shuttle bay has also been trimmed to form the sides of the approach to the door. The door itself is an extruded arc. All these are then unioned into the saucer section.

Stage 5.

The various textures for the saucer are put together. The basic colour is a matte grey to which bump and colour maps are added. The glowing lights are put on as a decal that only has transparency and a 'constant'setting. This means I can change the colour of the lights very easily without affecting the main saucer colour

Stage 6.

The final bit of texturing on the saucer is putting on the decals such as logos and text. This is an easy process in Form.z as it allows up to 32 decals on any one surface. The picture shows the 'NCC-1701D'logo going at the rear of the saucer section (It's the little blue rectangle in the centre of the dialog, see it?)

Stage 7.

I always like to do a test render after a big texturing session just to make sure everything is going ok. With this done its time to move on to the next part. The warp nacelles

Stage 8.

I've started with a rounded profile of one nacelle, this is then extruded and rounded again to get the shape shown in the picture

Stage 9.

The nacelles are a little bulged in the centre and from the top, are tapered towards the front. This is easily done using the deform mesh tools. I have added mesh lines to the original object to allow for smoother deformations.

Stage 10.

Next I made an internal offset surface (this could be done using scaling also). This will become the warp glow. It is important to do this here as the next stage is to trim the outer surface into two halves from the side and also some styling trims from the top. You can see where in the pic. Note the smaller internal surface at the front. This will become the glowing Bussard Collector.

Stage 11.

The nacelle textures are now added including a bright blue glow for the warp object and bright red for the bussard collectors. Then a test phong rendering is done to check everything. The second nacelle is just a copy of this one.

Stage 12.

The next part is the engineering hull, this is the bit that connects the saucer section to the main body. To generate a complex shape like this the best way is to draw cross-sections and then generate a control mesh. When doing this it is useful to draw some guides in the various views to ensure that each point lines up with the correct one in the next section. This makes meshes much more predictable.

Stage 13.

Having meshed the cross-sections I've added the 'ridge'that runs down to the main impulse engine by extruding a rectangle along a line that was snapped to points on the hull. Another thin ridge along the back is added for the 'stripe'. I then made the upper section, where the hull joins the saucer, by drawing cross sections snapped to points on both parts then meshing between them

Stage 14.

The hull texture maps are added, including bump maps for the secondary shuttle bays and transparency maps for the lights on the back and sides. Then a test rendering is done

Stage 15.

The last part is the main body and the 'wings'that hold the nacelles. The body is constructed from cross-sections much the same way as the engineering hull. The main deflector at the front is derived from the outline of the 'hole'at the front of the body, which is copy scaled and meshed. The wing is made from three extrusions; one for the middle bit then two for the curved sides. These bits are then unioned together.

Stage 16.

Almost there now, all the component parts are now put together and the lighting is set up. This is fairly high contrast so it looks 'spacey'. The last thing to do is set up a view in the 'edit cone-of-vision' dialog and render a high-res version at full raytrace, complete with alpha-channel.

Stage 17.

I have taken the rendered image into Photoshop for final compositing.A starfield is added by repeatedly using the KPT Grime Layer filter (free tip there!) and a planet is put in as scenery. If desired a better effect could be achieved by rendering a planet sphere with a few clouds etc to get a better sense of 'roundness.'

The final image

website: www.rogerharris.net

All images/text ©1996 Roger Harris. Not to be used for any purpose without permission.