Drunkard's Walk Forums

So, unlike the several of us who've been doing fun stuff with Poser and DAZ and such, I decided to go in for a different field. I've been working so far with Google Sketchup, although I'm tempted to give Autodesk Fusion a try since they offer a free one-year renewable license for hobbyists.
So I've been doodling some spaceships, had a test print of one run from Shapeways and it came out pretty darn good.
Caledonia-class CL:[img]http://i.imgur.com/bzyViS1.jpg?1]
Epidii-Class CL:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/zI9ie2o.jpg?1]
Orkney-class CL:[img]http://i.imgur.com/QpU9rMr.jpg?1]
Picti-class DD:[img]http://i.imgur.com/z5gq247.jpg?1]
The destroyer design has changed slightly since this picture and still has one update to go through, I think, as I need to clean up the hull-edge trim properly so it will print in WSF.I'm working on a frigate to go with these but at the size it's coming out it will only be able to print in FUD (though it won't cost much even for that).I've also posted a heavy cruiser design that I don't have a picture of right this minute.
Meanwhile I've started work on another set of ships:Khitai Principality Bai Ying CA:[img]http://i.imgur.com/lA5Math.jpg?1]
Khitai Principality Koujaku CA:[img]http://i.imgur.com/DqwxHr5.jpg?1]
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Nifty!

Does Autodesk Fusion have the ability to import and export Wavefront OBJ files? (That's pretty much the default format for 3D models, the way TXT is for documents.) If it does, then those of us playing with Daz Studio could put your models into our art.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Hmmm, not quite sure, but probably. I know it can import them.

Annoyingly the website doesn't seem to have a comprehensive list of what it can export to.

Sketchup's free version can only export its own format, or Collada .dae files - which are at least one of the formats Shapeways accepts, so far.

OTOH, there are utilities that can transform them.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

A Bit Of Historical Fluff Text:

The Kingdom of Hyborea

In the early decades of Terra's expansion into space, several colony expeditions are known to have gone missing. Some have been found later, surviving as they can. Others have left only wreckage, or distant radio signals suggesting fascinating mysteries.

Until recently, the Howard Expedition was thought to be one of these. When intelligence agents brought word of an apparently-human polity on the far side of the Draconian Empire, however, the Terran Confederacy had to take notice.

The spatial rift the Howard Expedition fell through sent them not only hundreds of light-years off-course, but also centuries through time. They were extremely lucky to find a habitable planet within reach of the far end, and landed there to start building their colony. Over time they built cities and industry, eventually reinventing the hyperdrive almost from scratch. By the time they encountered the Draconians and their other neighbors, the Tharkad Imperium, they controlled over fifty inhabited systems.

Neither neighbor took their presence well, however, seeing them as a relatively weak power, ripe for conquest. Over the course of a decade the Hyboreans were pushed back, first to their homeworld, then even that was conquered. Several squadrons of ships and a number of large refugee fleets made it to their more distant colony worlds, however.

The Hyborean Kingdom in Exile spent the next fifty years building up the industry and fleet strength they would need to reconquer their worlds and liberate their people from their oppressors. An entire new generation of warships and weapons were built in those faraway colonies, and a new generation of warriors were born and raised and trained.

Those worlds and people have now been liberated, and the Hyborean Kingdom Navy stands strong and proud.

The Principality of Khitai

An early schism among the Hyborean colonists lead to about a quarter of their initial number departing to found their own colony. They used the still-functional colony ship to ferry some thirty thousand dissenters (mostly of various Asian extractions) to a newly-located planet several dozens of light-years further outwards from the direction of Terra.

Khitai and Hyborea fought several minor skirmishes, mostly over access to resources in the intervening systems, over the next few centuries. By the time the Draconians overran Hyborea, Khitai had settled a dozen worlds in the same region as the distant colonies to which the Hyborean refugees fled. At first disinclined to assist their old rivals, appeals to common humanity and shared history (and trade) had a strong influence. In the end the Princes of Khitai decided that a strong, independant Hyborea would serve as a valuable buffer between them and the two alien empires.

Khitaian shipyards would aid in constructing the fleet that would carry out the war of liberation, and Khitaian officers would assist in training the many Hyborean volunteers to man that fleet. Several squadrons from the Khitai Navy would accompany the Liberation Fleet and take part in the war, as well.

Today, Khitai is a valued trade partner of Hyborea, and while the two star nations have their differences, they see the value in those differences - and their similarities.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Here's the Hyborean frigate I've been working on. These small patrol and escort craft were built in huge numbers for the Liberation War, and provided many vital roles including convoy escort, raider, and scout. A generation later they are simply too small and fragile for general fleet work and their primary roles have been overtaken by the Picti destroyers and their descendants. The Navy maintains several dozen for training, courier, and other roles, but most are operated by system governments as local patrol vessels. They serve as the Kingdom's "coast guard", serving sailors in distress, handling customs and other mercantile enforcement duties, and so on. Dozens more have been demilitarized and sold to the general public. 
Most system-patrol vessels have had their Fusion guns replaced by additional sensors and graser emplacements, but not all.  A tiny handful designed as carrier escorts have extra graser mounts and an expanded shuttle bay replacing the fusion guns; these were intended to be able to provide repair and resupply to one or two fighters at a time to lighten the load on the carriers. Some of these are still used by the Navy for pilot training, but pity the poor pirate who things to slip past a customs frigate only to find a pair of fighters pouncing from behind an asteroid...
Welcoming suggestions for class names.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/zxczbyE.jpg?1">

Because of the small size of the sculpt - less than 29mm long as printed - this model will only be available from Shapeways in Frosted Detail plastics. Even then it will be under $10 per model.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Added several additional models to the Shapeways store, and corrected some flaws in the Picti and its bretheren (wall thickness issues that made printing in WSF problematic). 
Also added a third faction:

Zingaran Republic

One of several smaller refugee groups that fled the Draconian conquest of Hyborea would eventually encounter the planet of Zingara. Populated by a previously-unknown near-human species (theorized to have been 'Zingaraformed' humans settled there centuries earlier by unknown aliens), the world was disunited and at a level of technology roughly equal to Earth's 1960's. (They had, in fact, several satellites in orbit and had launched their own lunar mission mere months before the refugees arrived.)

Contact with the refugees prompted the disparate nations of Zingara to unite in the knowledge that they were not alone in the universe. Knowledge that there were powerful, hostile empires nearby spurred quick development. Their speed increased by technology transfers from the refugees, they quickly fielded a small fleet of primitive hyper-capable vessels. An international global defense force was created to keep these (comparatively) powerful assets from use in internecine conflicts and persists to this day as the defense force of the Republic. 

Planets in six nearby solar systems were explored and colonized by coalitions of Zingaran nations, advanced industry and infrastructure constructed, and the starfleet expanded. All expansion was made well away from the known direction of the Draconian and Tharkad borders in order to avoid contact. A small network of tripwire sensor stations was established to watch for an incursion, but none came.

No contact was made with outside parties until a Khitaian survey ship came across the fledgeling Republic nearly a decade after the War of Liberation. By this time many of the adult refugees were in their eighties or older. Many of their children were now high-ranking officers in the Zingaran starfleet. The national governments of Zingara were of mixed feelings on opening contact with Khitai and Hyborea, but pleased to hear that the Draconian threat had been driven back and that there were powerful allies available. 

The Republic has since been recognized as an independant star nation by Hyborea, Khitai, Tharkad, and the Terran Confederacy; relations with Draconia are cold and stiff. There are frequent rumors of Draconian agitators making contact with one or more of the Zingaran internal governments to try to suborn allies in the Republic. So far as is known, none of these have succeeded.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/S6MHBgf.png?1">

The most modern ship in the ZRN, the Mariposa-class cruiser combines several homegrown technologies developed from imported examples. The hyperdrive coils, for example, are based loosely on Khitaian compact coils, developed from a set purchased early after recontact. The grasers are identical to those used on Hyborean cruisers, and are in fact produced under license from O'Connell High-Energy Systems. Forward, the main deflector/sensor unit is a homegrown version incorporating Hyborean and Khitaian techniques along with some picked up in trade with the Tharkad Imperium. Instead of fusion guns, the Mariposa uses a quartet of Tharkadian heavy particle blasters, arranged with two on either flank.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Just added to the Zingaran fleet, the Pena class destroyer:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/KGAO5am.png?1">

The Zingaran Pena ('Feather') class destroyer is a somewhat older vessel than the new Mariposa cruisers. It is, in fact, a point of pride for the young Republic. The Pena is their first vessel built entirely out of their own industry and resources, without having to import components or materials, or leasing space in Khitaian or Hyborean shipyards. 
A pair of bow-mounted particle cannons, based on Tharkad designs, are the destroyer's primary weapons, backed up by a quartet of anti-shipping grasers. Point-defense emplacements provide at least two turrets able to fire on any incoming threat, and a single gravitic projector allows for cargo towing and projectile deflection. 
The slender form and the twin hull-mounted hyperdrive coils give the Pena an almost starfighter-like appearance, and it has been known to be mistaken for one by those who have never encountered one before. Powerful EM Pulse thrusters replace the primitive chemical rockets of the early Zingaran space program, letting it maneuver almost like one as well.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Some more worldbuilding:

Draconian Empire

The Draconian Empire was first contacted by the Terran Confederacy in the early 24th century, about a century after the development of the hyperdrive and the diaspora to the stars. For Draconia, this was shortly after the Hyborean Liberation, and they were rather surprised to see yet another human polity pop up so far from the ones they knew (Hyborea and Khitai, of course). After a few skirmishes, they decided that an immediate attempt at conquest would be too expensive, and settled in to play the waiting game. The Empire and Confederacy would become economic rivals in dealings with the many minor powers and independant worlds near their border.

Draconian ships tend to be well-armed, with a large battery of medium-grade grasers and a number of relatively light particle cannons for heavy guns. They typically supplement these with a small number of missile launchers propelling atomic warheads at FTL speeds. Compared to the Confederacy, their technology is robust but unsophisticated. Before - and during - the Occupation, Hyborean and Khitaian traders had dominated the market for consumer electronics and similar items among the Empire's civilians. With trade cut off following the Liberation, Terran merchants filled the void and even invested in Draconian corporations that wished to match their products.

The Draconian government is capped by a council of fifteen Great Houses, divided into three factions. The 'Chromatics' - Houses Crimson, Azure, and so on - dominate the military, with a suspicious and agressive view of outsiders. House Crimson held the council chair during the Hyborean conquest and occupation, for example. Following the Liberation, Crimson were displaced by Azure, who were in turn displaced by Emerald as the need to focus on the internal economy came to the fore.

The second faction is the 'Metallics' - Aurum, Argentum, &c. - who are traditionally responsible for the internal security of the Empire. It is they who deal with rebellions, spies, and such issues as labor unrest, as well as investigation and punishment of criminal actions. They control the (criminal) courts and train many of the Empire's judges and prosecutors.

The third faction, known as the 'Gemstones' are responsible for economic matters and serve as arbitrators between the other factions. The name supposedly comes from their wealth having purchased seats on the council, rather than having been raised to the nobility in battle. Corporate law, judges in civil court (which is entirely separate from criminal courts), business regulation, and the like are the Gemstones' purview.

The Gemstone houses initially supported the Hyborean conquest because of the intrusion of foreign traders into Imperial markets. Ejection from Hyborea - and from control of Hyborean manufacturers - caused economic chaos in the Empire. Ironically contact with the Terran Confederacy proved to be their salvation. While both the Metallics and Chromatics remained suspicious of the humans - just as nosy and interference-prone as their cousins - their larger economic base and willingness to invest in Draconian businesses, rather than just take over markets, propped up the faltering economy long enough for it to recover.

Relationships:

Terran Confederacy: Economic rivalry and interdependance. The two are closely tied now despite the occasional border skirmish that still happens. They compete for influence among many smaller polities and rarely directly confront one another.

Tharkad Imperium: Tharkad and Draconia were never really so much allies as having a mutual enemy. Conquering Hyborea was not so much a joint effort as it was Tharkad taking advantage of the smaller nation's distraction with Draconia. Today they share the same uneasy peace they had before, punctuated by low-level trade and occasional border raids and 'pirates'. Both consider themselves to have more important borders to defend and that the other cannot attempt conquest without weakening themselves against other enemies, such as the Nevinyrral Hegemony.

Hyborea: Cold War. At this time Hyborea refuses to re-open relations with Draconia, conducting all diplomacy at two removes - their embassy on Zingara talks to the Tharkad embassy there, who provides an informal channel to Draconia. No trade crosses the border, which is patrolled heavily by both sides.

Khitai: Limited contact. Khitai's princes prefer to keep Draconia at one remove diplomatically as well as physically, though their diplomats have been known to meet with their counterparts from the two nations' embassies to Tharkad and Zingara on occasion.

Zingara: Cool and strained, with very limited trade. The Zingaran nations remember the stories from the Hyborean refugees well. They did not know of Tharkad's involvement in the conquest, so have more open contact and trade there. Draconian agents of the Chromatic houses do indeed continue attempting to play on the Republic's internal rivalries and subvert one or more of their national governments.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Diverging back to the Zingaran Republic for a bit, we have the Arrano ('Eagle') cruiser. Production of the Mariposa required an entire new shipyard to be built, to handle such a large hull. Between the cost of the yard and the amount of labor and materials required, it ended up costing about five times as much to build one Mariposa as it did a Pena destroyer. Several member nations of the Republic proposed an alternative, and constructed a prototype as a demonstration. The Arrano was built in three sections, each of which could be built in the same yards that built the Pena, and then connected. It ended up costing a little more than three times as much as one Pena-class - a savings of almost forty percent over the Mariposa. 
It had one fatal flaw, however - the increased mass imposed a much greater strain on the hyperdrive coils and EMPulse thrusters. The Arrano prototype struggled to keep up with the older Halcyon cruisers, retired Khitaian vessels of a previous generation sold off as surplus. 

In the end, the designers went with a rather simple fix. One of the largest portions of the Mariposa's cost was the large hyperdrive coils, a new design that strained the Republic's manufacturing capabilities. While enlarged EMPulse thrusters were well within their grasp, the FTL drives were to prove a sticking point. In the end the designers simply utilized four of the same coils used on the Pena-class. With this redesign the Arrano would be only a 25% savings over the Mariposa - and rather less fuel-efficient. The power systems were also strained during combat operations at high FTL speeds due to the quad hyperdrive system. The cost savings was still worth it in the end, however, and the Republic Defense Council ended up ordering eighteen Arranos and six Mariposas for the first production run. 

[img]http://i.imgur.com/BTp92D6.png?1">
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

The Barachan Raiders

Every society has its outcasts, its renegades. Sometimes they come in organized groups, as the Khitaians split away from Hyborea. Sometimes they come in dribs and drabs, individuals and small groups, that end up gravitating towards each other.

There are no habitable planets in the Barachan system, but there are a great deal of mineral resources. There have been several attempts over the centuries to explit these resources, but all have foundered on one fault or another. The distance from other, inhabited systems, leaves supplying a mining base difficult. Some corporations used the system as a "dumping ground" for intractable workers and troublemakers, a punishment duty for those who had offended management. It should come as no surprise that worker revolts were common.

Decades before the Draconian conquest, one last attempt was given up as a bad job. The company was going to pull its administrators and guards out and abandon everything else in place - including thousands of workers.

Somehow, one of the worker organizations got wind of the plan. Shift Foreman Daniel Barnes was the leader who brought the disparate small groups together with a plan. Hours before the final pull-out was due to leave, they stormed the docks. After a pitched battle they managed to seize the evacuation ship, and the security vessel (a surplus Navy destroyer, re-armed by a PMC) that had been sent as escort.

The Hyborean media - primed by the corporate PR flacks - condemned the revolting workers as pirates. Daniel Barnes tried to contact the coast guard and government of nearby systems to beg help for the stranded workers, only to learn that warrants had been issued for his arrest, as well as other prominent leaders among the workers. In the end, desperate for his people's survival, Barnes raided a shipfitter's repair yard and stole dozens of hydroponics fittings, air recycling systems, and other critical components. 

With their life support aboard the mining stations temporarily secured, the Barachan workers declared their independance from the corporations and from Hyborea. They managed to trade some refined ore for other critical supplies, dealing quietly with Khitaian merchants.

A token attempt was made by the Hyborean navy to put down the revolt some weeks later. The pair of frigates and single destroyer dispatched discovered that the mining equipment left behind had been converted into surprisingly effective weaponry. Shocked, the small squadron withdrew, having suffered fairly minor casualties.

Over the years since, the Barachan settlements would survive as best they could. Sometimes by raiding, sometimes by trading, sometimes by sheer improvisation and willpower. By the time Draconia and Tharkad rolled over Hyborea they'd repelled two fairly serious assaults by the skin of their teeth. Cunningly-designed sensor-stealth equipment, taking advantage of the unique stellar environment, masked the location of the mining stations from even the best of sensors.

Several light warships, leading a small refugee convoy, made their way to the system fleeing the Draconian conquest shortly after the fall of the Hyborean homeworld. The senior naval officer - a Lieutenant Commander Laborn - brokered a deal with the Barachan leadership (now headed by Barnes' twin daughters, Taylor and Emma). The Barachan system would become a lynchpin of Hyborean resistance to the conquerors, raiders turning their trade to guerilla warfare against a new oppressor. 

In the end, the system would serve as a forward operating base for the War of Liberation. A full amnesty was offered to all for their efforts in winning Hyborea's freedom.

Today, the Barachan system is recognized as an independant minor polity. They maintain a policy of an open port, welcoming traders and visitors from Hyborea, Draconia, Khitai, Tharkad, and any other who wishes to visit. Raiding still continues, but rarely particularly intensely. Political pressure and balances between the various realms keeps any of them from mounting a serious expedition to hunt down the raiders' base stations, which are - almost certainly - still somewhere in the system. Or perhaps somewhere else nearby, there are several other, equally uninhabited, systems within a couple of parsecs.

Complicating things further, the Barachan Raiders still hold a certain popular mystique among those who romanticize their early struggle against first corporate oppression, then Draconian conquistadors. It is generally considered unlikely that a permanent solution to the problem is likely in the near future.

The Barachan Raiders make use of whatever ships they can get their hands on. A number of older, pre-war Hyborean warships are still in service, and the Raiders have gotten their hands on a number of more modern Dumnonii frigates in the RHN's surplus sales. The remaining ships are mostly armed merchant vessels, although a few custom-built hulls have started to appear.

The Barachan (official) Navy is in rather similar shape. Hyborean Dumnonii frigates and a few Picti destroyers supplement the pre-war craft, along with a few Khitai-built light cruisers. They also maintain a number of captured Tharkad and Draconian hulls, taken during the Occupation and Liberation. The number of these has been dwindling with the rarity of parts to maintain them, but trade has been picking up of late and rumor has it they have obtained a source. The pride of the BSN is the Sekhmet's Claw, a Tharkad-built heavy cruiser (formerly TIV Ruthless).

Pictured below is one of the new hulls that have been witnessed in raiding operations. Her type has been assigned the reporting name Corsair by Confederacy Intelligence. About the size of a large light cruiser, the Corsair-type carries a fairly standard suite of grasers and point-defense turrets for its size. Two Hyborean fusion guns are slung under the nose, while the projections to either side - possibly intending to appear to be Hellrails - actually contain light plasma projectors. The Corsair's most dangerous weapon, however, is the six docking ports on the lower hull. These allow the Corsair to dock and carry a full squadron of gunboats, capable of only short FTL flight on their own but heavily armed. 

[img]http://i.imgur.com/6HPxLF6.png?1">[img]http://i.imgur.com/kqk562B.png?1">
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Speaking of the Terran Confederacy: I haven't got any ships yet for them, but you can imagine the standard TOS sort of thing for now.

Here's some background writeup:

The Terran Confederacy owes its birth to the early days of Earth's space exploration. With the development of fusion power and improvements to the EM Pulse thruster in the mid-21st century, the path to the rest of the solar system was opened. By 2060 robotic probes were being dispatched to other nearby star systems. The first reports were received back by 2070, and by the end of the century four habitable planets had been detected and manned missions dispatched to each of them.

It was not until 2084, however, that the decision was made to commence a massive colonization effort. Earlier in that year, a kilometer-wide asteroid slammed into northern Brazil, flattening the city of Rio de Janeiro and killing millions. Finally awakened to the danger, and now capable of the technological effort, the decision was made to no longer keep all of humanity's eggs in one comfortable basket.

Throughout the 22nd century, EMPulse powered STL craft spread out from Earth, carrying hundreds of thousands of colonists to new worlds. No living alien sapients were discovered, but the relics of past visits to the region were found in several systems. The most famous of these, of course, was the "Gardener Station", floating in an oxygen-rich layer of the atmosphere of a gas giant at Eta Cassiopea.

Colonization and trade would continue in this manner for decades, with the STL ship-crews becoming families and clans nearly independant of outside authority. Conflict erupted more than once as various colonies sought to assert their independance, and Earth to reassert her authority over them. The sheer impracticality of waging war at such great removes limited the extent of any such struggle, however. Further, the requirement that colonies be as self-sufficient as possible due to the massive expense of supplying them from outside left Earth with limited reigns with which to hold them.

The eventual result was the Confederacy, a loose association of semi-independant polities including Earth, the various colonies, and a representative group elected by the ship-clans. The development of Tachyon-Radio (spurred by some hints in an ancient spaceship wreck, found half-buried on Tau Ceti 4) allowed communication, at least, to be more effective, and coordination and negotiation between Confederacy members possible.

The advent of Hyperdrive in 2234 merely increased the speed of the diaspora. Intra-Confederate conflict was almost unheard of by that point, and Earth's billions provided plenty of capital investment for new starships. Early hyperdrive probes actually met many of the STL ship-clans en route, providing them the data and plans needed to perform their own upgrades, driven by their (often quite canny) agents back on Earth. New, dedicated FTL ships were built as well, and the increased rate of trade and communication tied the Confederate worlds more closely together even as exploration and colonization drove the borders further out from Earth.

With this increased spread came the inevitable first contacts with other races and star nations. Contact was made almost simultaneously with the Nevinyrral Hegemony and the Draconian Empire, both contacts sparking brief skirmishes that eventually calmed down as diplomats and merchants got involved. Brief wars with both polities would erupt again over time, but rarely lasted long or changed borders greatly.

It was not until the War of Liberation was well underway that the first hints of the existence of Hyborea made their way to Confederacy Intelligence. The idea of a human polity on the far side of Draconia caused a certain amount of confusion, until one of the ship-clans got a trading vessel out that far and was able to verify Hyborea's origins.

While there have been wars with Draconia and other powers, the Confederacy is well aware of the value of trade as a binding factor between cultures and nations. Extensive trade contact with their neighbors has gone a long way to reducing conflict. The greatest theater of ambition between the various star nations, these days, is the competition for trade and influence among the numerous independant star systems and small polities that exist amongst and between the greater nations.

One prominent example of this is the People's Democract Republic of Tamar, a breakaway Tharkad county currently being courted by Hyborea, Draconia, the Confederacy, and other powers nearby. The Barachan system, formerly home to a variety of pirate clans after a worker rebellion, is another, maintaining an open port policy and welcoming traders from all realms. Most recently (and somewhat surprisingly), the Terran-settled world of Donegal announced its secession from the Confederacy. The elected President of Donegal was shortly thereafter ennobled as a Baroness by the Tharkad Imperium and the system brought under the Imperial flag.

Perhaps the most recent news of conflict within the Confederacy is the Battle of Kentares. The light cruiser TCS Dependable was hijacked by a ship-clan separatist group who sought to restore their peoples' monopoly on Confederate trade. The Dependable engaged from ambush the famous TCS Endeavor, then on a training cruise with a hundred cadets aboard. The two ships skirmished across the lightly-settled Kentares system for three days until Endeavor firmly gained the upper hand, at which point the separatists chose to scuttle the ship to avoid capture.
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

So, yeah, I did a Thing.
I've been on a bit of a Macross kick lately, and Sketchup has been sorta cooperating, so!

Ad Astra Per Ardua

To The Stars, By Struggle

In the early 21st century, humanity came very close to oblivion after a massive alien invasion. With considerable luck the aliens were defeated and a large number chose to remain as Earth's allies. Determined to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again, humanity has taken to the stars. Massive colonization fleets have been dispatched, each one carrying millions of people of all races and nations in giant city-ships. Naturally, these giant ships and their precious cargo need protection. Which is where the Fleet comes in.

(Note: No gun turrets are provided with the models. This is because they are not likely to print properly in WSF. I recommend selecting a turret you like (I have one provided here) and print that in Detail material for best results.)

Ships of the Fleet:

Banshee Destroyer
Armed with a small gun battery and a large barrage of missiles, the Banshee was designed for an offensive role. Fleet doctrine would have it engage enemy ships alongisde the cruisers, while other ships remained behind to escort the colony fleet. It is capable of planetary landing, and the small fighter hangar can also used to deliver a full company of troops to a planetary battlefield - or Marines to board an enemy vessel.


Aldebaran Destroyer
This all-gun destroyer is the defensive counterpart to the Banshee. A heavy gun barrage picks out incoming fighters and missiles before they can reach the ships under its protection. A powerful electronic warfare package lets the Aldebaran blanket the battlefield in EW or punch through enemy electronic defenses to lay her guns on them.


Pleiades Cruiser
With an even larger gun barrage than the Aldebaran, and a single massively powerful Nova Cannon, this cruiser forms the core of the Fleet's attack forces. A fleet might have the resources to field only a tiny handful of massive battleships, but these swift cruisers can be deployed in large numbers and their power is respected wherever they are found.


Arcturus Carrier

A pure carrier, the Arcturus devotes its considerable volume to the administration, servicing, maintenance, and deployment of multiple fighter wings. While the carriers rarely face combat themselves, using their fighter wings as their primary offensive arm, they do carry defensive emplacements to protect against attackers. Powerful sensor equipment and extensive CIC facilities make them excellent nodes to coordinate fleet activities from. 

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Samuel Clemens
The 'Samuel Clemens' class luxury transport vessel is designed to give passengers on the large colony fleets a place to Get Away From It All, relax, and enjoy themselves. The large domed area encloses a kilometer-long park, complete with a small stream and a pond. Below it is the hotel and shopping center - courtesy of holographic wall-screens, every room has an external view if the resident wants one. Forward of this is the casino, with huge bay windows letting in the sight of space to a multi-level gaming palace. Options here range from poker, roulette, blackjack, and the like, to arcades full of the latest in video games, and even a massive library of virtual and real board games. The mid-decks, the widest part of the ship, conceal the engines, manufacturing, kitchens, storage, and other facilities required to support such a vast enterprise. Beneath all of this, at the very bottom of the ship, is the Crew Deck, a separate resort space set aside for the crews who work the various ships of the fleet to relax in privacy from their passengers. It has all of the same facilities as the upper decks, on a smaller scale.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/awxxfED.png?1">

All but the Sam Clemens are available in my Shapeways store, and I'll be ordering samples to paint up as soon as I have some spare cash. 
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Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

So this sort of thing continues apace. I've done some Draconian ships! They're Not Klingons.
The Draconian Empire's warship production is heavily decentralized, with more than a dozen major yards across the Empire's expanse. Each of these produces their own selection of designs, sometimes complementing another's output and other times in direct competition. Each also has hundreds of factories, sub-contractors, and other subordinates supplying parts, assemblies, and sometimes even entire ships - especially shuttlecraft and fighters, but even frigates and destroyers.
Draconian weapons suites tend towards a varying mix of options. There are several variants of the ubiquitous Type 46 cruiser, for example - some armed primarily with disruptors and grasers, others adding a heavy antimatter torpedo launcher in the bow. Another common option is guided missiles carrying shaped-charge fusion warheads. A limited supply of advanced grasers is available, comparable to modern Confederacy designs - these are typically reserved for capital ships, although they are slowly starting to appear on lighter craft in small numbers.
The Stinger is something of an oddity among Draconian warships. Somewhat sluggish to maneuver for its size, it is not an escort vessel but a dedicated ship-killer. With a relatively light graser suite (two standard grasers and two point-defense units), the Type-42 carries two particle blasters and no less than _four_ antimatter torpedo tubes - equal to the main battery of a Confederacy Heavy Cruiser. This is what causes the loss of maneuverability, the diversion of antimatter flow from the main reactor to charge the torpedo warheads reduces power available to other systems. The torpedoes are thus less than popular among other Draconian designs, which typically field only one tube and use grasers and particle blasters as their main battery.

---

Draconian Imperial Space Service Type-418 Destroyer
The
Draconian Empire's decentralized shipbuilding arrangements have one
natural consequence: a lack of regularity among the Empire's various
ship classes. Each shipyard builds its own designs, sometimes licensing
them to others. Shipyard Complex 4, for example, designed the
now-ubiquitous Type-46 and its successor, the Type-47, the most common
cruiser classes in the Draconian Imperial Space Service. Even so there
are several other classes still appearing, most of them still built by
SC-4.
Another of SC-4's designs is the Type-418 destroyer. A
somewhat more conventional design than the Type-42, yet still not as
'regular' as the common Type-65, the -418 is designed to mix it up with
enemy squadrons. To this end its blocky, armored hull is joined with a
command boom and a pair of shortened hyperdrive coil nacelles. The main
forward armaments include four medium-caliber, wide-angle grasers and a
pair of particle blasters. The rear arc sports the unusual innovation:
in addition to a pair of grasers, the -418 carries a single antimatter
torpedo tube here. The destroyer is designed to cut through enemy
squadrons in rapid slashing attacks, using its forward guns to batter at
the foe and the tail torpedo to punch out the rear shields before it
comes around for another firing pass. This can often result in multiple
enemy craft damaged or crippled in a few passes.
  

---

And the infamous Type-1115 "Invisible Stalker"Carrying the most sophisticated electronic warfare and sensor equipment
the Draconian Empire is capable of mass-producing, this destroyer-size
scout ship is more expensive to build than the average cruiser. Despite
this, hundreds have been built, with an entire squadron assigned to each
of the Empire's battle fleets.

The expansive 'wing' structures not only provide ample antenna surface
for the electronic equipment, but also help to muffle the signature of
the Stalker's single hyperdrive coil. While not as effective as the
semi-mythical "shadow" device, the stealth features incorporated into
the ship's hull and engines still make her a very difficult target to
detect.

This is perhaps fortunate, because the extensive sensor gear and small
reactor leave little space or power for weaponry. The Stalker carries
four graser turrets and only a single particle blaster. (There are
rumors that recent models have managed to refit an antimatter torpedo
launcher into the oversize pillar supporting the hyperdrive coil, but
Confederacy intelligence has not been able to verify them.)

[img]http://i.imgur.com/MMOvpY8.png?1]

---

And finally:The Type-410
('Audacious') is the newest and most powerful battlecruiser in the
Draconian Imperial Space Service's inventory, succeeding the infamous
Type-38 ('Terror'). Designed as a response to new-generation warships
such as the Confederacy's Endeavor class or the Hyborean Albion, it is
well-protected and heavily armed. A quartet of particle blasters and
fore and aft heavy antimatter torpedo tubes provide the main punch,
while more than a dozen grazers - ten class-one or -two multipurpose and
four point-defense mounts, most hidden under 'pop-up' covers for
additional protection when not in use. Her shields are some of the most
power-efficient and resilient the empire has ever built, with specially
reinforced generators and extensive cooling systems to enhance their
performance.
A design revision after the first dozen vessels were
commissioned expanded the main hull and shortened the command boom
somewhat, making room to expand the battlecruiser's company of marines
to a full battalion and add extensive flag command facilities. A part of
this process restored the familiar center-aft 'deckhouse' which had
been minimized in the original design for the -410. All of the class-two
graser mounts were replaced with class-one mounts, comparable in
performance to the Confederacy's own top-line weapons. Few would
question its status as one of the most formidable warships the Empire
has ever produced.

--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

The Invisible Stalker will probably need a thicker "wing" or a reinforcing bar across the bottom of the deep cutout or something to keep from breaking if you produce it as a 3D printed item - that's not much material to support the weight of the engine pods and (especially) handling to paint and use it in play. I'm guessing these are made for 1in/25mm scale miniatures? The Aldebaran stuff from February look a little light on detailing even so aside from the Macross expies, but the rest give that general feeling.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

I've been printing in 1/3125 to fit with my growing collection of Starline 2500 minis, so the Stalker is about 60mm long. It printed without problems, no need for reinforcements.

And yes, I explicitly design around the limitations of Shapeways' WSF process, so fine details are not exactly on the table.
(Wait, engine pods? The Stalker is a one-nacelle ship...)
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

The type-418, then, I guess. I read the name of the ship under the picture, scrolling back up to see which one it was. The horizontal rules added between ships makes things much clearer at a glance!
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

So, I'm revisiting some of the early Hyborean ships as I've decided I Do Not Like the warp nacelle design.
How does this look?
[img]http://i.imgur.com/YUDdiSS.png?1">
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Only thing I can see wrong with it is that you use sketchup.

For some reason its 'it looks like I drew it even though its 3d' bugs me. Yeah, Personal Problem, I know...
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

The original ones did seem a little small, but these go too far and look too big. Maybe if you just use two inner prisms and a tighter (oblong or 8-sided?) sleeve to hold them? I'd say vertical stacked like the inner pair of what you now have, but either way can work.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

Star Ranger4 Wrote:Only thing I can see wrong with it is that you use sketchup.

For some reason its 'it looks like I drew it even though its 3d' bugs me. Yeah, Personal Problem, I know...

It might be a bit much to expect folks to export a model as Wavefront OBJ, import it into Blender / Poser / Daz Studio / whatever, texture it, and render the results just to get something that doesn't look like a draftsman's drawing...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Mmmm. I'm using two vertical/stacked for another faction, don't really want them to be quite identical. Maybe I still need to rework. Or go for a rounded overall cap, a la TNG Galaxy-style nacelles...
(Hrm. Or I could swap these for the duals.... these'd probably look better on those hulls anyway. Let me gin some examples up tonight....)
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

I actually like the cel rendered style of these images quite a bit, but after years of learning Blender's interface and shortcuts I have no desire to start on another, less capable tool when I could find a "render in cell style" guide with a quick search and have hacked up a node system that did something close (and then multiplied on a shifting background like TFG1 Energon Cubes or the awash-in-golden-power scenes from GaoGaiGar) on my own a while back.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

So, okay, third rev of the warp nacelles. Let me know what you think.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/8yeguBI.png?1">
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Quote:ClassicDrogn wrote:

---

I actually like the cel rendered style of these images quite a bit, but after years of learning Blender's interface and shortcuts I have no desire to start on another, less capable tool when I could find a "render in cell style" guide with a quick search and have hacked up a node system that did something close (and then multiplied on a shifting background like TFG1 Energon Cubes or the awash-in-golden-power scenes from GaoGaiGar) on my own a while back.

Blender is certainly powerful, but I have so far found its interface to be utterly impenetrable. Is it capable of parametric drawing? Can I tell it in a trivially easy manner things like "I want a line from this point, in that direction, exactly this long, perpendicular to that other line along the existing face"?
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

I like the new nacelles, they're groovy. I don't know about your other question, I only use it for artsy stuff where if it looks good it is good so I've never tried. It is rather known for having a steep learning curve on the interface and not much similarity to other modeling suites, though if that's gotten significantly better over the last decade.

A bit of searching finds that the answer is mostly no, though there are some addons that move in that direction. Quoting from a stackexchange answer:

Quote:Blender is not a CAD software. It is a very weak NURBS/Parametric_surface modeler. In Blender you would be making everything from polygons.

You are also looking for procedural workflow which Blender generally does not offer. Blender is a 3d software with most of it's actions being destructive.

There are no work-planes or sketches. There is no easy export into technical drawing. It is time consuming to constraint geometrical elements (parallel, tangent, etc. relationships) with the constraint system Blender has.

Blender can be used for engineering, but it's not designed for it. As such engineering workflow with Blender is slow and full of workarounds.

There is Sverchok addon that can create geometry procedurally - it is simmilar to Rhino's grasshopper.

There are addons to make precise measurements and to help with other engineering tasks, but they cannot change what Blender is.

Blender modifiers are procedural (mirror, revolve, array, boolean,..).

There are just much better alternatives for free CAD software, then to use Blender for CAD:

FreeCAD, NaroCAD, SolveSpace, and I am sure many others.

edited May 24 '16 at 21:19

http://blender.stackexchange.com/quest ... ngineering
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows