My old buddy from Foundation Imaging days, Brandon MacDougall, just sent me this extremely cool rendering of the timeship, U.S.S Relativity, from Voyager. He rendered it anew, especially for you guys! Click for a better look at Brandon’s outstanding work.
(Below) And thank you Rick for sending your original plans along. Continued on the next page.
Please pass along him, our thanks for the work!
THE DC
Is that greenish, glowy section in the middle Borg tech?
Nice!
m.
Thank you Doug and thank you Brandon! She’s an absolute beauty.
OH Doug, You should have sent me an Email, I will have the “Relativity” drawings from Rick, Scan Next week!
Great, Joe! Send them on, and maybe Rick will write up a commentary, and perhaps Brandon would render some elevations. Brandon? Rick? Pretty please?
Wow, that looks awesome! Cool to see the Relativity with a planetary background instead of space and stars. Thanks for the shot Brandon and Doug!
Oh my god… Just what I needed! You think you could get Brandon so far to render the underside of the ship? And was there ever talk of doing different classes? Any concept sketches floating around his desk? Are those glowing leading edges bussard collectors?
Gee… That’s a lot of questions eh?
I would love to hitch a ride on this way-back machine! Go back forty-some-odd years, punch my ticket for the five-year trip on the original “Enterprise,” and boldly go.
Wow!!! What a ship!! My jaw just dropped down to my feet! I would love to hear the ship’s specs!
Very cool. Thanks for the blog, Doug!
As soon as this sucker hits warp 88, you’re gonna see some serious shit.”
Way-cool, nice render, dude.
LLP,
deg
Very nice, sleek ship.
Wonder why it reminds me of the (also very, very cool) GI Joe stealth fighter?
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q115/indy_little/GI Joe/GI Joe vehicles/PhantomX-19StealthFighter1.jpg
It looks like it a LOT. That ship isn’t much of a stealth craft, but it’s cool nonetheless…
Now that’s a beauty shot!! Thank you Brandon, and can’t wait to get more info next week!
Heh. Doug needs to email me before posting some of these renders. Original designs count, too, don’cha know.
The Relativity was an outgrowth of the smaller timeship Aeon that Henry Starling stole. The “Bussard” collectors (roundy blue things that were supposed to be watermelon color) and other design elements were meant to be evolved parts from the 24th century shapes that we know. There are escape pod hatches, Starfleet pennant/stripes, etc.
I love the Relativity, and I can’t wait to see Rick’s sketches.
Ooh, Doug’s in truubul! JK!!
I’d love to see the originals, Rick. And it look like I’ll be getting that chance. I hope you’ll write that commentary that Doug mentions above and fill us in on the great details and such!! From the top here it looks thin and blade edged. I can’t recall much from Voyager, so I’d like to see the rest. BTW, I like weapon looking ships, and this could do serious damage on the business end of a spear or, well, anyway it could be thrust!
DeanneM – There’s not really much more to tell about this one. The dorsal shapes near the front were scaled from the bridge set blueprints, there was a nose cannon similar to the one intended for the Aeon, and generally the thing really was supposed to look sharper and sleeker while retaining a Starfleet feel. It’s kinda hard to make 29th century technology unique when it looks sooooo much like 28th century technology.
Thanks a bunch for the new render (although, like most files that old, the textures seem to be a bit corrupted) and especially for the original blueprints from Rick!
Since this model has always been Lightwave, and was not translated like the FC files, there is no real reason it would be corrupted. Brandon, being the guy who built it, would have noticed that something was amiss.
Oh yes, color me surprised at the revelation that this thing has a deflector dish!
Rick, maybe by the 28th century they’re nearing perfection on that design and techology. Ya, that’s what I’ll go with.
Thanks for the drawings and added info, much appreciated by both of you! I’m glad it wasn’t hiding anything underneat ’cause it looks cool just like that.
Nothing hiding underneath? I think a deflector is as big as a surprise for a lot of people
Not for me, though: I have this schematic from the Relativity that has tags on it what is what, like the “temproal impeller” tail…
I agree with AresB, I was immediately reminded of the GI Joe stealth fighter when I saw this slick design.
Oh, I’m not insinuating that he’s a liar! I just noticed that when this was used in “Relativity,” the coloration was different, the hull being a shape of green and the glowy bits being red.
Like so: http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2953/relativity8393278210.jpg
Perhaps the VFX team at the time used odd shaders or colored lighting?
Mariner! Never thought you were! Truth is that once a shot goes to post, they often dial colors around. It can happen again before broadcast. Happens all the time on BSG. We are regularly surprised.
I guess it looks good either way.
Assuming the proportions of the drawings remained correct after the scan, I get 623 feet (+/- 3 feet) for the length; maybe Brandon MacDougall can double-check the number in the final model, just in case the proportions ended up being slightly different.
Rick, thanks for the blueprint scans.
Cool image.
I’m curious, are Rick’s drawings here what were used to build the model?
LLP,
deg
many Thanks!
Yes look like the same plans, Rick made some fantastic artwork for Voyager it was a pleasure working off his designs!
To me, it reminds me of the X-Men Blackbird than the G.I.Joe X-19.
But from a Star Trek perspective, the Relativity has a feel of Klingon in it’s design (After all, Klingons are supposed to be part of the Federation at this point in time, right?) The Bow being like a cross between a Nova and a Vor’cha or Negh’Var. And the wings are reminisent of a Bird of Prey.
Too bad we didn’t get to see much more of her.
/Perhaps the VFX team at the time used odd shaders or colored lighting?/
I made the color shades to give the glowing rainbow effect when at warp speeds..
the new ship image i rendered shows the relativity at impulse power.
Some new rendering software will make the ships look a little cleaner without NTSC 720X480 blurring. Not a bad thing its been 9 years and that a long time in 3D
/I get 623 feet (+/- 3 feet) for the length;/
This sounds right I check it for you..
Rick – is that four warp drives that I see?
And just how fast is she?
Yes, I know that she can move through time, in a timely matter, but using conventional warp how fast?
Doug, are there any CG ORTHO views?
Boris,
I get 1240″ long x 810″ wide x 220″ Tall, based on a 5 man brige size, So she a good size..
John N. Ritter – Oh, Warp 9.999999999999999999
Warp speed might not matter a whole lot if they fiddle with the temporal drive properly. They might even be able to appear in two places at once if you think about it. The conventional warp drive might hit a few decimal 9s, though I suspect that the temporal warp drive does most of the heavy moving about for those guys.
Thanks for answerin’ my Q, Brandon. Again, nice work, eh.
LLP,
deg
The drawings were done with the scale at the bottom, so I get ~640 feet for the length. Doesn’t mean it isn’t bigger than that.
Oh, the agony.
I know,what size is always a can of worms! we always will use a 6′ gage and ask size to Voyager as to final in view.
Oh, I looked at the LW shader and it’s called “thin film” lets you give a rainbow film “like oil” reflection to the ship outside hull. Cool stuff.
That’s a beautiful render and it’s fantastic to see yet another Trek alumnus posting on here.
Brandon – Well! If Peter Lauritson (or one of his minions) said it should be a certain size, who am I to argue?
Awesome render, Brandon! You guys (Doug, yourself, Pierre, et. al) really give aspiring 3D artists like myself inspiration!
Love the design, Rick!
Awesome to see this updated with Rick’s drawings! Thanks for the comments, Rick!
Thanks so much guys, Rick, Brandon and Doug. I feel so spoiled with all the stuff Doug has put on his blog this week.
Is the ship bigger on the inside?
Thanks, folks. No, the ship isn’t a Tardis.
Those sketches look even more beautiful then the final model. I love the, well, you could almost call it ‘art deco’ style of the wings and the curved back. It’s not hard to believe that certain strong design styles make a comeback in the future. Also, it looks slightly less organic then the final model, especially the backside; I can see the evolution.
The sketches are absolutely beautiful Rick!
How much time did you had to complete them? And was the first sketch accepted or did you go through some preliminary ideas first? I can imagine the producers wanting either something that looks exactly like a 23rd century vessel, or something that looks so completely alien that we wouldn’t recognize it at all.
Thanks, Brandon. If you mean 1240 feet, it looks like it was scaled up by a factor of two from Rick’s drawings (1240 feet / 2 = 620 feet).
Really interesting stuff on this future-of-the-future ship. Thanks to Brandon MacDougall, Rick Sternbach for thoughts and clarifications, and Doug Drexler for MCing. The design is a credible relative to the Aeon, though the points of similarity to the 24th-century Starfleet ships are many.
It’s a shame we never really got to see a clear view of the underside of the vessel. I would have liked to see how the navigational deflector came out…
I absolutely love the new rendering. Thanks Brandon and Doug!
And I would like to second the request for orthos.
Forgot to ask you chaps. What does NCV stand for?
I guess only 31st century ships are bigger on the inside
Oooo… That’s really cool!
I really wasn’t expecting Starfleet design to evolve quite like this but then by the time this episode aired they had been selling saucers and secondary hulls to us for 30-something years. I don’t suppose there’s any pics/concept art/photos of the Relativity’s bridge kicking about your hard drives to add to this? – Please??
Thanks Brandon/Rick for submitting these and thank you Doug for posting them!
Oh and I third the request for orthos!
Thank’s Rick.
I my self figured that the class, when going no where slow would travel warp 9, with a high cruise of 9.9, and dash of warp 9.99.
but I also figured that they would would use the temporal core to go from here to other places near by like Andromeada – 2.2 million light years away. You know for over the week end trips… Hot dates…
Blip, blip, and you are then/there.
You know, I think we’ve gotten more behind the scenes and starship related info out of this blog than we have from “official” sources in the last ten years! At least since the last encyclopaedia or tech manual was published. Great stuff!
I really like the subtle oily effect used on the hull, it somehow reminded me of the shiny green texture you get on certain breeds of beetle. It really gave the impression of some new exotic material, or a special coating bonded to the outer hull.
I like the idea that the temporal drive would effectively give them transwarp without all that pesky rapid evolution malarkey, though I have to wonder if there would have to be new Starfleet regulations to stop ships answering transmissions five minutes before they’re made and whatnot.
Hey guys, just saw the thread. Many thanks to all the discussions, Without prompt, and for over a year now, I have been developing interior deck plans for a 20 deck version of the Wells Class, I now refere to it as a Super Wells. My ship is named the USS Pabilli, I also intend to scale down the equipment to the 9 Deck version we see here. I still have a few decks to design. You can find my work in the Okudagrams Forum. It’s all intended to aid with the TCARS panels I have been reproducing from the episode. The deck plans were to aid in the final design of the MSD portions of the TCARS panels. I’ve nearly completed the TCARS panels, but of course I cannnot be 100% accurate from just screen caps. Rick and Doug have an outstanding imagination, and the designs of this ship remind me of my days performing maintenance on the F-117 and B-2 Stealth aircraft durring my Air Force Career. I’ll use this information to improve my interior designs. I hope to post all my work on my website soon, but for now please enjoy my posts in Okudagrams. In the words of Bob Hope “Thanks for the memories”
I agree; having participated on various forums since 1997, this particular blog is undoubtedly the most efficient source of behind-the-scenes Star Trek information yet, especially with all the different people stopping by to provide first-hand insight, which is hugely important in this hobby. I see a true revival of tech discussion here, and the best part is that it has nothing to do with the hype around the new movie (as much as I like the movie and do not care how it relates to the old universe).
DiS – The design took a few days to doodle up and then draw for real in the ortho views. No revisions were necessary; that happens when a) the producers were too busy to argue about it, or b) there was no time to consider anything else, or c) they liked what they saw in the first place. There were a few places on the CG model where I would have liked some slightly sharper breaks or closer adherence to the small details in the drawings, but it turned out really fine.
Images of Work In Progress
TCARS
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/tcars/mvs%20012%20main%20view%20screen%20assembly.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/tcars/briefing%20room.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/tcars/capitans%20console.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/tcars/con-nav-ops_full.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/tcars/rear%20station%20%231&3%20msd.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/tcars/rear%20station%20%232&4%20msd.png
Ship Deck Plans
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/wellsclass/ext_bottom-01-01.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/wellsclass/ext_top-01-01.png
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/wellsclass/master_all-01.png
MSD which is also the side view for my orthos…
http://www.h-10-k.net/downloads/wellsclass/master_side.png
Disclaimer: These are all WIPs and are my own works, based on works by Rick Sternbach and Doug Drexlar, I acknowledge the copywrite by Paramount/CBS, commercial use of these images is forbidden, but I hope you enjoy them none the less. The reproductions are made without permission, and are fan-fic in nature. Just trying to keep the spirit alive.
Could you explain the tech behind the “aft temporal impeller”, “temporal warp core” and “matter intake”?
Boris – It’s all very electric and dangerous. And classified.
or you could have said “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” – The Doctor.
Classified…well, then maybe you can _guess_ as to what the classified tech does; something tells me it will be a pretty good guess. Here’s one: the “matter intake” is an advanced form of Bussard ramscoop, meaning the ship no longer needs its deuterium stores. The temporal warp core…well, it…it doesn’t actually warp anything, same as the regular warp core, it’s just powerful enough to create the temporal distortion. The “aft temporal impeller”…it pushes the ship along through time?
Boris – Oh, I suppose it’s something like that, yeah. There is one bit on the underside labeled “temporal rift emitter,” which might have originated with the script; the emitter would project some fancy visual effect and the impeller would push the ship through. The big matter intake probably is some new fancy Bussard, though I suspect the fractionating equipment is looking for specific things like chronitons during the temporal move.
I’ll go with that, Boris! I don’t want Rick to have to compromise his security clearance!!
Oh, too late! Thanks for putting yourself out there like that!!
Up next: the Dauntless?
(1240 feet / 2 = 620 feet)./
Boris,
Yes.
/Up next: the Dauntless?/
I ran across a cool but very strange ship designed by master Dan C, rendering it now but it’s up to Doug if we show it.
I will send it when finished..
Brandon… That really is a wacky ship, and I will run it soon! Dauntless would be great! Please send!
Ok Dauntless. let me check her for duty.
Sketches…hmmm…got lots sketches here, yup.
Oh, sorry. Though you meant Prometheus. Got some Dauntless stuff, too.
Brandon – Bet you’re talking about a weird curvy-blobby ship for “Tinker.” I’ve got some concepts for that one as well.
Rick, Shoot ‘em to me with a few comments, and a-posting I will go!
yes! looks like a golden Tibetan owl or a blobby pumpkin, I would love to see more art om it 2!
Darren Hensley – Just checked out your links. Keeping the spirit alive indeed! Mike Okudas graphics is one of my favourite design elements of the 24th century. Your 29th Century extrapolation of his designs are very well done and clearly show you’ve been putting in the hours.
) that includes the Relativity in any kind of detail, your interpretation of the Relativity is probably about as close to the cannon as someone from the outside can get!
I particularly liked your master systems display cross section schematic for the Relativity. If I may be so bold and say that until Rick publishes a detailed summary of all the ships he’s designed for Star Trek (imagine that Trek fans! Haha!!
Stu – “until Rick publishes a detailed summary of all the ships he’s designed for Star Trek (imagine that Trek fans! Haha!!
) that includes the Relativity in any kind of detail, your interpretation of the Relativity is probably about as close to the cannon as someone from the outside can get!”
Heck, that would be like actual work. Got to get some paying gigs before I can sit back and do anything like that. It would be nice, but the days of the Trek tech publications are behind us, with the new regime making the movies. We can still yak about it here, though.
The design looks awesome, but looks like a d’k tahg (or daqtagh) sheath.