Not-Quite Render Gallery - The Chase Skiff Renders

Not-Quite Render Gallery

The exterior shape of the Skiff has ALWAYS given me a problem in rendering; ideally this craft would be capable of performing well in both space AND atmosphere, which of course, would require a nicely streamlined look. Making matters worse was the need for wing-tip weaponry as well as an air intake system for a 24th century version of a air-powered thrust system. Combine THAT with the need to make it match as close as possible to a specific internal structure and system arrangement...

Well, I'm sure you can see just how annoying this project could get. Still, significant improvements have been made to the overall design since I started it in '96, even getting to the point where I did several specialized test renders and movies. (Again, Geocities space and bandwidth limits prohibit me from posting most of that material here. Sorry.) Please note the version numbering scheme has been revamped from previous postings.

Chase Skiff MRN 001-2 - Exterior

VE-1

Consisting entirely of primative shapes connected via the boolean object, this version of the skiff makes me cringe when I see it today. Shapes were not properly aligned, use of the mesh edit modifier was haphazard, and the wings were hardly aerodynamic. Still, this basic mesh helped define the general look of the skiff for years to come. This is a pretty rare shot as most of the VE-1 renders were lost in hard drive crashes or simply deleted.

VE-2

The VE-2 was pretty much a simple oval lofted along a straight line - in fact, were I doing it today I would have likely used a cylinder and just hand-crafted all the curves. This was also the first version of the skiff to recieve a genuine hull material, though I never could get the blasted thing to apply a separate map for the bottom of the hull until shortly before I gave up on the VE-2. VE-2 featured a new set of wings as well as a makeshift phaser-point/air intake housing on the tips of each wing.

VE-3

VE-3 was a rough descendant of the VE-2 in that it was once again a lofted object, though the basic construction was pretty much the loft object, two wings, and a twin tail system. Unfortunately, this just seemed to look like a giant photon torpedo with wings, so it was eventually abandoned in favor of the VE-4.

VE-4

VE-4 featured a new hull - I can't remember whether it was lofted or lathed - that was quite photogenic and met with my approval for some time. VE-3 abandoned the air intake housings and all visible signs of weaponry - and its tail - though it gained a swept-forward wing design, improved hull mapping, cut-in cockpit windows, and most importantly, the landing gear and cargo elevator. This render of the VE-4 was from a test I did to see if I could do a "parked in a foggy battlefield" scene for the skiff - it actually came out nicely, except for the lighting. VE-4 was abandoned because its body was far too long and narrow for the interior sets.

VE-5

The latest effort, the VE-5, is actually a dual-construction project. The exterior of the mesh has been created with a hollow inside, allowing for co-building with the interior set. Plans were made to develop the exterior to a certain point, then the interior, and using that as a reference, create special meshes for interior and exterior shots, with the reference point being used for generic shots requiring a bit of both inside and outside images. (Panning through windows, holes in the hull, etc.) To date, basic construction and hull mapping is complete.

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Last Updated: November 8, 2002

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Not-Quite Render Gallery
	The exterior shape of the Skiff has ALWAYS given me a problem in rendering; ideally this craft would be capable of performing well in both space AND atmosphere, which of course, would require a nicely streamlined look. Making matters worse was the need for wing-tip weaponry as well as an air intake system for a 24th century version of a air-powered thrust system. Combine THAT with the need to make it match as close as possible to a specific internal structure and system arrangement... Well, I'm sure you can see just how annoying this project could get. Still, significant improvements have been made to the overall design since I started it in '96, even getting to the point where I did several specialized test renders and movies. (Again, Geocities space and bandwidth limits prohibit me from posting most of that material here. Sorry.) Please note the version numbering scheme has been revamped from previous postings.
Chase Skiff MRN 001-2 - Exterior
	VE-1
	Consisting entirely of primative shapes connected via the boolean object, this version of the skiff makes me cringe when I see it today. Shapes were not properly aligned, use of the mesh edit modifier was haphazard, and the wings were hardly aerodynamic. Still, this basic mesh helped define the general look of the skiff for years to come. This is a pretty rare shot as most of the VE-1 renders were lost in hard drive crashes or simply deleted.
	VE-2
	The VE-2 was pretty much a simple oval lofted along a straight line - in fact, were I doing it today I would have likely used a cylinder and just hand-crafted all the curves. This was also the first version of the skiff to recieve a genuine hull material, though I never could get the blasted thing to apply a separate map for the bottom of the hull until shortly before I gave up on the VE-2. VE-2 featured a new set of wings as well as a makeshift phaser-point/air intake housing on the tips of each wing.
	VE-3
	VE-3 was a rough descendant of the VE-2 in that it was once again a lofted object, though the basic construction was pretty much the loft object, two wings, and a twin tail system. Unfortunately, this just seemed to look like a giant photon torpedo with wings, so it was eventually abandoned in favor of the VE-4.
	VE-4
	VE-4 featured a new hull - I can't remember whether it was lofted or lathed - that was quite photogenic and met with my approval for some time. VE-3 abandoned the air intake housings and all visible signs of weaponry - and its tail - though it gained a swept-forward wing design, improved hull mapping, cut-in cockpit windows, and most importantly, the landing gear and cargo elevator. This render of the VE-4 was from a test I did to see if I could do a "parked in a foggy battlefield" scene for the skiff - it actually came out nicely, except for the lighting. VE-4 was abandoned because its body was far too long and narrow for the interior sets.
	VE-5
	The latest effort, the VE-5, is actually a dual-construction project. The exterior of the mesh has been created with a hollow inside, allowing for co-building with the interior set. Plans were made to develop the exterior to a certain point, then the interior, and using that as a reference, create special meshes for interior and exterior shots, with the reference point being used for generic shots requiring a bit of both inside and outside images. (Panning through windows, holes in the hull, etc.) To date, basic construction and hull mapping is complete.
	Return to Skiff Gallery Menu
	Clicking this link will return you to the Gallery Menu, where you can select other galleries to view.
Last Updated: November 8, 2002