Stopover

Lt Donovan · July 9th, 2008, 06:25 PM

A beautiful blue-green ball rotated serenely below as the ships of the fleet began to settle into orbit. Advance recon indicated no evidence of the Thirteenth Tribe, so they knew their journey was not yet at an end.

Nontheless, it was a chance to rest, to breathe fresh air, and feel the warmth of a sun on their faces once more, if only for a short while...

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...n/stopover.jpg

Dawg · July 9th, 2008, 09:00 PM

Cool.

And welcome to the Fleets, Lt. Donovan!

I am
Dawg

Kronus · July 9th, 2008, 09:27 PM

This is great work...very good job!

gmd3d · July 10th, 2008, 12:01 AM

Welcome aboard .... great seen some new artist showing there talent...

Lt Donovan · July 10th, 2008, 01:55 AM

Thanks for the complements everybody...it was harder than I thought to get all these ships put together and come even CLOSE to the real things...

gmd3d · July 10th, 2008, 02:12 AM

welcome to that club too

.. but given time and practice you will get better as I did ..

What program do you use ??

Lt Donovan · July 10th, 2008, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taranis

welcome to that club too

.. but given time and practice you will get better as I did ..

What program do you use ??

I use a free/shareware program called DOGA. It isn't a true "geometry up" program, but rather a "box of pre-generated parts" that can be manipulated (size, dimensions, etc) and a set of pre-generated textures that can also be manipulated to a certain degree. It's VERY primitive by any reasonable standard. You'll never see DOGA meshes being used on-screen.

But it's the right price for me (free, since I don't use the animation function), the right system requirements (VERY basic, as my computer isn't much more than a Net surfer), and the right skill level for the amount of time I have to spend on this hobby (~1-2 hours/week).

gmd3d · July 10th, 2008, 02:50 AM

never heard of it .. (that means nothing .. there is lots I have never heard off

)

There is another free program called Blender ...
http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/

I don't use it myself but I have seen some great work with it..

again its free

Kronus · July 10th, 2008, 08:20 AM

I will look at both of these, I am just starting out in this and these look like they are right in my budget!

Lt Donovan · July 12th, 2008, 03:54 AM

Another image of my RTF, featured are the Galactica, Mineral Ship, Colonial Movers ship, freighter Geminii and the Rising Star, as well as several ships of my own design: a Pican liner (upper left corner), Scorpion survey Vessel (upper right), and Caprican colony transport (lower right).

In a "Foundation moment" I also slipped in a homage appearance by my interpretation of a DY-100 (the Botany Bay from Star Trek's "Space Seed") near the Geminii.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...novan/rtf2.jpg

Also, I had a bout of inspiration, and did up the following:

Quote:

In the final days of the Thirteen Tribes on Kobol it was decided that new worlds must be sought, that the people were to survive.

Thus it was that people of twelve of the tribes gathered together in ships and prepared to set sail, for they knew of worlds in a certain area that would suit their people well.

The Lord of the Thirteenth Tribe, however, purposed himself and his people towards a different end, declaring that his Tribe would seek out a world for themselves far off in a distant region, on a planet known as Earth.

So the Thirteenth Tribe bent itself towards the labor of constructing a mighty vessel, utilizing all the knowledge and skill of the craftsmen of Kobol.

It's length was fifteen thousands of metrons, it's bredth six thousands and three hundreds of metrons, and it's height one thousand and eight hundred metrons. It's hull was made of the strongest of metals known in those days, and did gleam under the light of the homestar as if of burnished gold and polished silver. No finer vessel had been crafted by the hand of man.

Unto this ark was taken of the seed of the field, the fruit of the tree, and of the fish of the seas and fowl of the air as well as that which walked upon the land.

Taken also was the knowledge of Kobol, of arts, science, rhetoric and politic. Great works were boarded: writings, sculptures, the produce of the great and the small alike in every field of endeavor possible.

And the Lord of the Thirteenth Tribe looked upon the vessel, work of his people, hope of his heart, and named it Eden. And the people of the Thirteenth Tribe did board the ark, and it set sail into the blackness of the void.

Thus did the Thirteenth Tribe, the Lost Tribe, pass from the knowledge of men.

Book of the Word, Chapter 3 Verse 1-9

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...ovan/Eden1.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...ovan/Eden2.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...ovan/Eden3.jpg

Lt Donovan · July 19th, 2008, 03:40 PM

Another shot of the RTF. Visible here (left top to bottom, then right top to bottom) are the Firstorm (former Arean Defense Force vessel), Heracles (Sagitteran heavy transport, converted to industry ship), Fortune Smiles (Arean short hauler), a Virgon Heavy Cargo hauler, the Platarch (Scorpian survey vessel type 1), the Guildmaster's Pride (a Tauran merchantman), and the Carcadonia (a Pican militia cruiser.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...novan/rtf4.jpg

In this shot, you can see (top left to right, bottom left to right) the Sagitteran modular cruiser/fueler configuration Tanker 335, a Colonial military SIGNINT vessel, the modular cruisers/tender configuration Tender 467, 533, and 104. Also the Tauran bulk hauler Strongback, the Scorpian exploration vessel Delphi, and Tanker 212 (also a Sagitteran cruiser/fueler).

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...onovan/fl7.jpg

Finally, we have the Pican luxury liner Warm Seas (top), Autolychus (an Arean merchant vessel type 1), and the Windrunner (a Sagitteran light transport).

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...novan/rtf5.jpg

As a bonus, here are the major ships (both canon and mine) to approximate scale:

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...fleetscale.jpg

Chart One
1 Firestorm (Arean defense vessel)
2 Heracles (Sagitteran heavy transport, now industry ship)
3 Rising Star (starliner)
4 (mineral ship)
5 Geminii (freighter)
6 Platarch (Scorpian survey vessel type 1)
7 Odyssium (Scorpian survey vessel type 2)
8 Autolychus (Arean merchant vessel type 1)
9 Gabrielle (Arean merchant vessel type 2)
10 Colonial Movers (frieghter)
11 Guildmaster's Pride (Tauran merchentman)
12 Sweetwaters (Pican tanker)
13 Warm Seas (Pican luxury liner)
14 Noble Burden (Leon freighter)
15 (Columbia/Nova class battlestar) [for scale]
16 Delphi (Scorpian explorer)
17 Cetatian (Pican commercial transport [DY-100 homage])
18 Horizon (Caprican colony transport)
19 Carcadonia (Pican militia cruiser)
20 (Virgon heavy cargo hauler)
21 Forturne Smiles (Arean short hauler)
22 Windrunner (Sagitteran light transport)
23 (skybus)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...ovan/comp2.jpg

Chart 2
1 Elysium (Sagitteran modular cruiser)
2 (Sagitteran modular cruiser) [tender config]
3 (Sagitteran modular cruiser) [fueler config]
4 (Columbia/Nova class battlestar) [for scale]
5 (Colonial fleet SIGINT vessel)
6 Strongback (Tauran bulk hauler)

gmd3d · July 21st, 2008, 03:37 AM

Thats some work there . nice fleet

Lt Donovan · July 21st, 2008, 04:33 AM

Thanks!

It all got started when a bout of boredom led me to try my hand at the Galactica herself and one thing led to another...I've been working on these for about 6-7 weeks, averaging 3 ships or so a week plus occasional tweaking on existing ones. Plus, a few of these started out as ships for other projects entirely that just seemed to fit in.

The real fun for me (besides the actual modeling) is working up the backstory and such.

gmd3d · July 21st, 2008, 04:51 AM

yeah I know about the boredom part .. but it a good body of work mate

Lt Donovan · July 26th, 2008, 12:50 AM

The heart of the Fleet, as every Colonial knows, lies not in the formidible defensive vessels that face off against the Cylons time and again, but rather the handful of agronomy ships that provide badly needed foodstufs for the population. Synthetic protiens and manufactured carbs can only do so much for the humanoid form. Real foodstufs provide needed vitamins and trace nutrients as well as a much appreciated flavor break from standard rations.

Seen here are the Tauran Class-3 agronomy ships Green Valley and Red Fern, as well as the smaller Class-2s Cournocopia, Hearthstone, and Boutiful Harvest. These five ships are considered the "safest" assignments in the Fleet, being kept at the center of the main formation at all times, guarded by militia vessels that escaped the Holocaust.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i.../Agroships.jpg

Athene · July 27th, 2008, 09:27 AM

VERY NICE!

Lt Donovan · July 27th, 2008, 05:57 PM

Updated Comparison Chart 2

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...an/comp2-1.jpg

Chart 2
1 Elysium (Sagitteran modular cruiser)
2 Tender 467 (Sagitteran modular cruiser) [tender config]
3 Tanker 335 (Sagitteran modular cruiser) [fueler config]
4 (Columbia/Nova class battlestar) [for scale]
5 Green Valley (Tauran agronomy ship Class 3)
6 Cornocoupia (Tauran agronomy ship Class 2)
7 Comstar 17 (Colonial fleet SIGINT vessel)
8 Strongback (Tauran bulk hauler)
9 Homesteader (agronomy ship Class 1)
10 Scorpion Heavy 295 (Scorpion cargo ship)
11 "flattop ship"
12 Sphynx (Gryphon class destroyer/escort)
13 unknown ship
14 Fruitful Shoals (Pican tanker) [converted into aquaculture ship]

Lt Donovan · August 15th, 2008, 06:52 PM

Comp Chart 3 (ships with asterisk in legend are my interprestations of canon ships)

1 unknown
2 unknown transport*
3 (Columbia/Nova-class battlestar)*
4 unknown (tanker/refinery ship)*
5 Olympic Transport (liner)*
6 unknown*
7 unknown
8 Astral Queen (prison barge)*
9 Spartara (Colonial Escort)
10 Abram's Strike (Leonid asteroid prospector [converted tanker])

Lt Donovan · September 1st, 2008, 08:03 PM

I did some experimenting and was able to give my mesh of the Eden the "burnished" look I was shooting for. I used a NASA photo of Earth as a background and this was the result:

At long last, the mighty vessel found safe harbor. The Lord of the Thirteenth Tribe awakened from his long slumber to look upon the new home of his people. Beautiful and blue, the shining planet rotated serenely beneath them...