Designing ships [possible BFG scale]

[Malika]

For years I've been wanting to create my own ships. I started scratchbuilding some Ork ships (see some of those results here), but after that I stopped building ships for a long time.

Now with the wonderful opportunities of 3d printing and CNCing, I decided to give it another shot.

I've always been in love with the Homeworld ships, so I started designing something inspired by it. But I kinda notice the design has become something different...

Here a very wide picture.

[mangozac]

Welcome to RA, Malika!

Did you draw those sketches yourself? They look very cool! It's a great start and I can see the Homeworld influence, but as it currently stands I think the design is a little too much like a flying slab. I'd like to see some kind of protruding structures to give it some interest from the side view. Otherwise it might end up looking like a Firestorm Armada ship

Actually, you know what it reminds me of: the battlecruisers in the Fifth Element!

[Islacrusez]

Hah, Fifth Element! What a movie

I do believe that the "drawn" effect is some sort of render/export/filter/thing.

[mangozac]

Hah, Fifth Element! What a movie

It's a classic!

I do believe that the "drawn" effect is some sort of render/export/filter/thing.

Now that I look carefully I do believe you may be right!

[Malika]

Did you draw those sketches yourself? They look very cool! It's a great start and I can see the Homeworld influence, but as it currently stands I think the design is a little too much like a flying slab. I'd like to see some kind of protruding structures to give it some interest from the side view. Otherwise it might end up looking like a Firestorm Armada ship

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I drew these myself using SketchUp, the program allows to add some effects to the drawings. Kind of like to do that so it gets a bit more feel, rather than being a dry 3d model. As for the protruding structures, I've been thinking about it a bit, but I'm not so sure how to make it look cool enough. I'm not too fond of the idea of it having some control deck/tower on the back, I would imagine this ship to work very much like a submarine when it comes to that. So no outside windows and such. If you have any suggestions for the protruding structures, I would love to hear them because I do feel the ship might need that extra spark of awesomeness.

[Blindhorizon]

Communication's array, antennae and the such.

[Malika]

But if the ship itself is meant to be around 1km long, wouldn't such an array then be way too small to model in such a way, or wouldn't it then look super oversized when done in a more conventional way?

[mangozac]

Here's some very quick sketching I just did. I think some fins near the read and breaking up some of the surface shape along the length would help a bit. Some antennae and sensor masts like Blind suggests might be a good idea too.

[Malika]

Hmm, I might try out a fin or something. I've always had a soft spot for bottom fins on the BFG ships (especially the Chaos cruisers). I might try something like that out.

[Islacrusez]

If she's only about 1km long, she's barely bigger than an Imperial Cobra-class destroyer D= Will be tiny if you're going BFG scale ^^

[Fleafa]

The thing about fins on spaceships is, I don't understand why they are there. Aerodynamics aren't really a... oh, hold on a minute... I forgot...

I follow one rule...the rule of cool.

[Malika]

If she's only about 1km long, she's barely bigger than an Imperial Cobra-class destroyer D= Will be tiny if you're going BFG scale ^^

I guess if the model would be used in BFG it would be 4km long. However, it's originally not designed for BFG.

The thing about fins on spaceships is, I don't understand why they are there. Aerodynamics aren't really a... oh, hold on a minute... I forgot...

Thing is that I'm quite fond of the shape as it is now. A fin would be the only thing I'd add to it if it would need more. Not too fond of towers and what not on it.

[Islacrusez]

Huh, checked my sizes and can't even get a reliable figure for the length of a goddamn cobra xD
I have measures of ~900m, 1500m, and ~2700m. Anyone know which of those is accurate, if any?

[Malika]

BFG doesn't have a single set scale. Could have it that for me own project the ship could be 1km, but that same model in BFG would be a 4km long grandcruiser sized colonisation ship.

[Islacrusez]

It could have a set scale, they just haven't bothered to tell us what it is

But indeed, if your model is to be cross-system, it can be whatever you say it is at any given time ^^