Star Trek CGI Video: "U.S.S. Enterprise Fly-Bys"

[jtschau]

Incredible and beautifully done. If I were a studio exec, I would give you the contract to do the FX for the next Star Trek.

[buckaroohawk]

@jtschau Thank you! I appreciate the compliment, but a job that big shouldn't go to a semi-professional working from his dinky little home computer. Now, if ILM asked me to work for them, that would be another thing entirely! Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment!

[kb7rky]

She's a lovely lady...no matter what era she's in.

[buckaroohawk]

@kb7rky True dat!

[luigi19987]

there is a bit of news going about that the enterprise is to be redesigned for star trek xii or whatever the title is

[buckaroohawk]

@luigi19987 Roberto Orci, one of the screewriters for the new Trek films, did say that there might be some changes to the Enterprise in the next film; but he later clarified his statement, saying that most of them would be to the interior sets and new areas of the ship not seen before. We'll just have to wait and see what they have up their sleeve.

[Actionguy1]

Beautiful! Very well done! I'll take either one of these designs over that "thing" Ryan Church came up with for JJ Abrams' embarrassing romp in film making any old day!

[buckaroohawk]

@Actionguy1 I liked the new "Star Trek" movie, but I will admit that the Enterprise seems a bit...overdone. Her new look takes some getting used to, but if you check out the images and CGI videos made by some fans, there are some angles where the new ship looks really good. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for writing!

[katakisLives]

I loved the refit Enterprise with the glowing blue deflector array and the compact nacelles! the whole idea of the Enterprise refit is cool because it ties in with the Navy tradition that starfleet is based on, just like the way we refit battleships and aircraft carriers now.

[buckaroohawk]

@katakisLives Sorry it took me so long to respond. Somehow I missed seeing your post until tonight. I recently learned just how extensively the Navy actually refits many of its ships. I'd long believed they just kept building new ones as the technology advanced. It is neat to know that the filmmakers used that same tradition for Starfleet. That also explains why we kept seeing older versions of ships on TNG and DS9, too. Thanks for writing!

[buckaroohawk]

Many fans speculate that some of the TOS Enterprise superstructure may have been kept when the ship was refitted, but for all intents and purposes it is a brand new vessel. They are both great designs, though. Thanks for writing.

[KlingongBane]

God I love that version of the original theme.

[buckaroohawk]

It actually sounds a little too smooth for me, but it's not a bad version of the theme at all. It is nice to hear it performed by a big orchestra, though. Thanks for writing!

[thecopykidofthestarz]

@buckaroohawk I Would Agree The City Of Prague Phil is always doing that to reproductions,, they try to make it sound Inspireing epic and bold.

[YourPhilOfCanada]

First, I'd like to comment that these look great! (I HAVE to learn 3-D studio animation - LOL)

Second, sort of off topic, but I'd really like to know where you got the music for this. I really like this version of the classic theme.

[YourPhilOfCanada]

I see my question was already answered below... my apologies.

[buckaroohawk]

Not a problem. I'm not sure if the CD I have is still available, but a new CD from the same orchestra was recently released. I suggest looking for it in the Soundtracks section of your favorite music store. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for writing!

[drew51nm]

Very nice clip!! I would love to have either of those as my screen saver!

I have always felt the the Movie version was the best looking of the ships. Don't get me wrong, I love the original Enterprise, but the design of the refit Enterprise was just cooler. I, however hated the "JJprise". Ugly, and a complete disregard for the original Enterprise.

[buckaroohawk]

While I liked the new Enterprise design in JJ Abrams movie, it doesn't hold a candle to the ship as she first appeared in The Motion Picture. It's the pinnacle of perfect design and function, pure and simple.

Thanks for writing!

[jrc99us]

I think the Constitution-Class Refit was the most elegant of all Enterprises under the command of James T. Kirk

[buckaroohawk]

I agree wholeheartedly! Thanks for writing!

[jrc99us]

No sweat! Nice job on the animation. X-)

[lcmorgan1221]

I love the original Constitution Class, I would've loved to see it redone with modern technology. I liked the JJPrise a lot too, but IDK why they had to F with a classic design? I give it to the original Constitution Class, but only barely.

[buckaroohawk]

I like the design of the JJPrise a lot, too, but they really messed with the ship's scale in the new movie, making her bigger than even the Ent-D from TNG. Hopefully, they'll scale it back a bit for the sequel. Glad you liked the video. Thanks for writing!

[lcmorgan1221]

I agree, if I'm not mistaken, the new Enterprise is over 1600 meters long. That's as long as an Imperial star destroyer, I seriously doubt ships would have quadrupled in size over one random battle, am I wrong?

[buckaroohawk]

No, you're not wrong. I think the filmmakers went with a "bigger is better" attitude for the ships, but didn't bother fixing the exterior details when they scaled up the ships. Hopefully, they've heard the fan outcry over this problem and will correct it in the next film.

[freid001]

i prefure enterprise A but the TOS is just so origanl that it is cool and the new one in the new film wow. it just gets better.

[buckaroohawk]

The new Enterprise is very cool looking, but the TOS and Movie versions are still the best. Thanks for writing!

[piplupsingularity]

where can i get this version of the tos theme?

[buckaroohawk]

The music comes from a CD I own named "The Star Trek Album." It was performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine for Silva Screen Records, Ltd. I'm sure a quick internet search will help you find it. Thanks for writing!

[rurbert]

Two beautiful designs....unlike Enterprise D which looks like a flounder with lights.

[buckaroohawk]

The Enterprise-D has her good sides as well, but the size of the saucer held it back a little. Thanks for writing!

[kayAbee]

The ol' girl still looks good to me. My heart belongs to the TOS model. The story of how her design came to be is interesting. Do you know it?

[buckaroohawk]

Well, I know the story Matt Jefferies has told about the evolution of the design and how Gene Roddenberry didn't want the usual "rocketship" or "flying saucer" look. Is there more?

[007InMiami]

Although Jefferies fused both rocket and flying saucer together to make up the Enterprise. I also believe one of the biggest groundbreaking elements was that no exhaust came out from behind the ship. They could have done that coming out of the nacelles. This omission made the Enterprise feel more like a real navy vessel.

[buckaroohawk]

Yeah, I can see that. Thanks for writing!

[TwistedWillowTree]

the enterprise a refit was always my favorite :)

[buckaroohawk]

It's one of mine, too.  Thanks for writing!

[blackops555]

Not bad. Not bad at all.

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you very much.

[gabrielpedersen]

the NCC 1701-D is the best and stronges starhsip ever

[buckaroohawk]

The Ent-D is a great ship but she wouldn't exist if it weren't for the ships that came before her. Hope you liked the video. Thanks for writing!

[kayAbee]

I must disagree. If you've watched most of the TNG episodes, it just seemed like she got damaged too easily for a ship that's supposed to be bigger, stronger and more advanced. The original always seemed to take more of a beating and do it gracefully. Geordy's cool, but the "D" model needed Scotty.

[buckaroohawk]

I'll have to second that. Along with weapons power, the integrity and strength of the shields seemed to get much weaker after TOS. Perhaps the writers felt it would be more dramatic that way, but the original Enterprise could seemingly take much more of a beating than the later ships.

[battousai1889]

There is just something so simple, yet so elegant about the Constitution-class design. However, the Enterprise ended up being 2 distinct ships. It would seem that Space Dock ripped out everything but the hull and replaced it. That being considered, the difference isn't too bad. Great job.

[buckaroohawk]

Trying to honestly reconcile the changes between the TOS and TMP versions of the Enterprise is difficult. Inside and out, the TMP design is so vastly different that it really is a stretch to say that the ship was just refitted. I would have preferred that they just said they built a new ship instead. That being said, it was fun to try and nudge the TOS design a little closer to the TMP version. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for writing.

[battousai1889]

You have a good point. Something akin to a Constitution-class version 2.0 or something like that.That would be logical because the Klingons were probably trying to get any advantage over the Constitutions by upgrading the D-7. Starfleet would have to push all new tech on existing ships. The Excelsior class wasn't even a working prototype by TMP.

[abaddon5]

Mixing the two turned out nicely. At first I thought you just had a bad eye for detail (Read the discription? I should give that a try!) Very nice video.

[buckaroohawk]

I'm very happy you enjoyed it, and I'm especially happy you took the time to read the description. Too many people don't bother, then I have to deal with "you got this wrong" and "that doesn't look right." Thanks for taking the time to write.

[abaddon5]

No problem. And I'll admit...I ALMOST WAS one of those people. And plus, a lot of people who build the Enterprise model kits put details like your's in (such as the nacelle inboards).

[albion432]

very nicely done!

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you!

[KevinJC1989]

hey, where did you get the enterprise A model? I've seen it alot

[buckaroohawk]

Actually, I built the model of the TMP Enterprise seen in this video from scratch. It's not (yet) available for download anywhere. There are other great CGI models of the ship out there, though, so you probably saw one of them instead of this one. If I can get the file size down to something more manageable, I may release it somewhere, but I haven't had time to work on it.

Thanks for writing!

[Fretslayer]

Your 1701-A looks a lot like Dennis Bailey's version. Take that as a compliment.

I have that same Constitution mesh that you used for the TOS pass. What software did you use to render this with?

I've been converting a lot of LWO and MAX meshes to work in Carrara and D|S.

[buckaroohawk]

Thatnk you! Comparing my model to Bailey's is high praise indeed. I appreciate it.

I use 3D Studio Max 8 for my renders. The Constitution mesh is another nice model, very well made.

Thanks again for the compliments. Glad you liked the video!

[Fretslayer]

Bailey's work is breath taking - no doubts there. I've been using that Constitution mesh myself - I'm converting it to Carrara (and D|S & Poser). It renders really well. The only things I don't like about it are the back of the nacells and the impulse engines. If you check my posted videos you'll see a short Trek Bridge test I did. I was testing my Mimic software.

[buckaroohawk]

I will check out your videos. Thanks for writing back and good luck with your CGI projects!

[Jayfive67]

I think it looks like a garbarge scow...or rather it should be hauled away as garbarge...

[buckaroohawk]

Klingons?! Registered on YouTube?! What is the galaxy coming to? Ah, well...There goes the neighborhood.

[BreakawayPaul]

Nicely done! 5 stars.

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you very much!

[shotojukukai]

Where did you get this version of the sound track music; do you have the address?

[buckaroohawk]

The music comes from a CD I own named "The Star Trek Album." It was performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Nic Raine for Silva Screen Records, Ltd. I'm sure a quick internet search will help you find it. Thanks for writing!

[GilmourD]

The TOS enterprise is almost perfect except for the wrong arrowhead on the side of the secondary hull behind the deflector dish. Otherwise absolutely stunning!

[buckaroohawk]

I redesigned the TOS Enterprise slightly to match some of my own ideas of her capabilities and updated her markings to bring her closer to the TMP design. Sharp eyes on you for spotting them. Thanks for writing.

[GilmourD]

Yeah, I noticed the TNG nacelle glow, too, which TNG seems to have retconned into all the TOS era ships. Definitely very nice work. :)

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I appreciate it.

[AgentTrek]

Love the video, you obviously have some skills i 3D animating. I still think I prefer the original Enterprise Refit though. Nice try!

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to write.

[henkman00]

my fav ship class. -to me- its the most realistic one, very nice job.

[buckaroohawk]

I agree! It's my favorite, too. Thanks for writing!

[henkman00]

i hope they respect this beauty in the next movie. she's a legend.

[buckaroohawk]

I have feeling the "new" old Enterprise will have a lot in common with this design, especially if the teaser was any indication.

[henkman00]

the ''new'' original Enterprise! (Archer's ship?) at first i thought ''skip it'' after i heard about this movie, for one why not a TOS spinoff in the 1990s? (Sulu, Enterprise-B, young Kirk, or something!) i mean there are 3 shows (526 eps) and 4 movies set in the TNG era. but now i see how this movie will return Trek too my fav era: the Star trek era (TOS) now i hope we get a new TOS era show too. and maybe just maybe a return of Shatner Kirk story too.

[buckaroohawk]

I have a feeling that this new film will surprise a lot of people. I can't wait to see what the new TOS Enterprise will look like. We'll find out in just over one year. Thanks for writing again. Cheers!

[ChrisRodSB]

Most impressive! i definitely like this video!

good Job !!

\\//_

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for writing.

[Rashaed]

Well done.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I appreciate it.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for writing!

[Firefox13A]

Nicely done!

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you very much!

[Jayfive67]

The Enterprise to me always looked like it was designed like a garbarge scow-everyone in the galaxy knows it, thats why they're learning to speak Klingonese. On second thought, maybe the Enterprise should be hauled away AS garbarge!

[buckaroohawk]

Actually, in the original quote from "The Trouble with Tribbles," the Klingon language was called "Klingonee."

As for the "garbage scow" quip; I'll be sending your comment to Scotty. I'm sure he'll want a word with you.

[jsf525]

scott here. I heard that and I didn't thro the 1st punch but then again I did have a drink so I don't remember you klingon basterd.

[buckaroohawk]

See! I knew you wouldn't let anyone besmerch the name of your fine lady, Mr. Scott. Thanks for chiming in!

[Sulyaman]

I think it's pretty kewl. I didn't see the first series star trek, and when i was about 7 I only probably knew about star trek TNG and The voyager, I used to think that TNG was the only Startrek show. So yeah, however my dad says the old startrek shows and movies looked boring and not as good as TNG, Voyager and DS9

[buckaroohawk]

The orignal Star Trek series and the movies based on that series may be products of earlier eras (the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s), but they're far from boring. Take some time and check them out. I think you'll really enjoy them. Thanks for writing!

[treknerd11598]

Me thinks this was good

[buckaroohawk]

Me thanks you for saying so!

[diburning]

It looks like the stuff they did when they did Star Trek Remastered

[buckaroohawk]

So, do you think that's good or bad?

[diburning]

It looks a little better than star trek remastered

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I think the stuff CBS-D is doing with TOS Remastered is pretty good overall. I appreciate the compliment. Thanks for writing!

[azjessem]

Will you be doing the U.S.S. Titan?

[buckaroohawk]

Probably not. I'm not really into the design of the 24th century Trek ships. I'm pretty much a TOS guy. Thanks for writing!

[matthew1976]

Dude! You made this?! AWESOME!!

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! It was a lot of work, but the model came out looking great. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for writing!

[Buckmizer]

You did a better job with 1701 than the people who did the TOS: Enhanced that is on TV and DVD.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks. I appreciate the compliment. The crew at CBS Digital are going for a more traditional look for the Enterprise, where mine has a few "after-market upgrades." I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for writing!

[Za7a7aZ]

I have no clue what CGI is other than animation...but did you make this with a computer program? If you did, you did a fantasic job.

[buckaroohawk]

The video was made with 3D Studio Max, a CGI animation program used for films like Star Wars, Final Fantasy, and even TV shows like Heroes, Jericho, even South Park. I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for writing!

[teemuruskeepaa]

My god! They are really perfect! Can't you send them to a production ?

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I appreciate the compliment, but most actual production models are far more detailed than these ones. I'm glad you liked them, though. Thanks for writing!

[SGTBizarro]

Beautiful CGI models! I'm very impressed.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I appreciate that you took the time to write.

[RedUncle]

this is awesome!!

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

[svaran]

excellent work, imho I prefer the refit.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I love both versions, but if you put a phaser to my head, I'd go with the refit as well. Thanks for writing!

[Dogbandit]

Great stuff.

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you!

[NewFrontiers01]

What Program did you use?

[buckaroohawk]

I use 3D Studio MAx for all of my animations.

[Chuck1701]

Nice work. IIMHO, mistakes were made in the TMP version. First and foremost, removing the glowing Bussard collectors. In the original series, we didn't even know that that's what they were. It just looked properly cool. Interesting that when TNG came around, they brought that effect back sans the spinning "fan blades." I'd love to see you do some extreme perspectival beauty shots, like eye-level at the front of the saucer or at the rear end of a nacelle. Keep up the good work.

[buckaroohawk]

I never missed the glowing Bussard Collectors on the TMP Enterprise. Their absence sets the ship apart from all the other ones and I like that. You'll be seeing more (hopefully very cool) shots of "The Big E" in future videos. Thanks for writing.

[djallfiredup]

Wow that was incredible, actually I like your thinking outside the box like that, I think the TOS bumped up like that is a good thing, not detracting at all.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks. It will be interesting to see what the Enterprise looks like in the new movie. Hopefully, they'll update it without changing too much. I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for writing!

[hulkzilla]

Absolutely fantastic....very well done!!!

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate the comment. Thanks for writing!

[DilfaxVideos]

very nice ships and good filming

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[haisaid]

That was really cool! Did you modify the model of the original or refit? Thanks for you work, by the way...

[buckaroohawk]

I've modified both of the models to bring them closer to my own visions of the original and refit Enterprise. It's a time consuming process, but the pay-off is worth it. I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks for writing!

[haisaid]

Thanks for the info. It would be interesting to know exactly which parts you have enhanced. I can see some changes - on the warp engines etc, but could you elaborate?

Cheers!

[buckaroohawk]

I'll send you an e-mail with the details of my modifications (at least the ones I can remember). Thanks for writing again!

[MrDobilina]

where are b, c, d, E and J enterprises? :(

[buckaroohawk]

I didn't include them because they were completely new ship classes, where the TOS and movie Enterprise was supposed to be the same ship, just refitted. Still, I'll think about doing one with all the ships. Thanks for writing!

[MrDobilina]

hehe np

look forward to seeing a full lineage

nx-01 -> 1701-J soon :D

[buckaroohawk]

I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the suggestion.

[patrickw123456789876]

wooo..there was a "j"??

[buckaroohawk]

Yes. It was seen briefly during an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise when Captain Archer was transported into the 26th century. You can find photos of it online fairly easily. Thanks for writing!

[patrickw123456789876]

oh snap!

[buckaroohawk]

Not surprised that it's not well-known. There were only about a dozen people watching "Enterprise" by the time this particular episode aired. I find the design of the Ent-J a bit lacking myself.

[comicbookjunkie1]

wow. that looks totally real and convincing. well done!

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I appreciate it. Thanks also for taking the time to write.

[dylanayrey]

I did the E class a while ago, I can send you the model if you want to add it to this video

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks, Dylan, but I recently picked up a model of the Enterprise E online. I just haven't done any animations of it yet. Thanks for the offer, though, and thanks for writing!

[trekkie48455]

Great Video! Almost like the acutal ships!

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! I;m glad you liked it and I appreciate that you took the time to write.

[kendunn3]

Very impressive. I like your work. I am an amateur 3d artist myself. I use Cinema 4D and love it. A Star Wars fan myself, I'll always have a soft spot for Trek. The Enterprise bridge you did on one of your other videos was a labor of love. Keep up the great work!!!! Check out my [criticized as boring] Short film DROID RAGE here on youtube, and I'll check out the rest of your stuff now!

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks for writing, kendunn3! I'll be sure to watch your stuff, too.

[portland182]

NICE!

I hope the guys making the new movie see this, and realise the MJ enterprise is fine without major messing about.

[buckaroohawk]

I don't think JJ Abrams and his crew will do too much tweaking to the Enterprise. She's an iconic image and tampering with an icon usually backfires. Thanks for writing!

[nickrohn93]

{i dont think it posted this so ill write it agian...}

Looks great! almost finshed with voyager. Forgot to make different surfaces though. So its all grey. To be this good and have 3d max i asume you do this for a living?

[buckaroohawk]

Although I have done some animations semi-professionally, I'm really just an amateur with a very expensive toy. Who knows, maybe someday it will be my FX up there on the big screen, but not quite yet.

[nickrohn93]

nice animations. ive been working on a 3d model of voyager in light wave and its a real pain. The details amazing how the heck did you model that so well! I never thought much of 3d max untill i saw this and final fantasy the spirit within. {worst movie in the world} but great graphics

[buckaroohawk]

Actually, the TOS Enterprise is a model I downloaded from a website, then modified myself. The movie Enterprise is built from scratch. Lightwave and 3DS Max both have their positives and negatives. I still get very frustrated sometimes and I've been at it a while. Just stick with it. Experience helps ease the pain, believe me.

[jerryaltman]

May I sak you what softwares did you used for create those nice CGI models?

[buckaroohawk]

I use an older version of 3D Studio Max for my animations. Thanks for writing!

[hinesriley]

Wow- Very tight- and smooth moves on the camera angles...Sweet!

[buckaroohawk]

Thank you very much! I like getting the cameras as close as possible to give the ships real scale. Thanks for writing.

[NCC1701J]

Overall: Pretty good - Nice!

One downside though: The original Enterprise didn't have warp grills to see blue light.

[buckaroohawk]

Good catch! The original filming model didn't have those grills. I added them to bring the TOS design closer to the design seen in the films. They also add some much needed color to the warp engines. Thanks for writing!

[NCC1701J]

Oh I see, your idea was bringing the TOS as close as possible to the films, if that is the case, then your idea could in fact spring a few ideas to some people, even me. Nice one! :-)

[buckaroohawk]

Exactly. My idea was to update the look of the TOS Enterprise without changing the basic design Matt Jeffries created. Glad you liked it, and I hope to see some of your ideas realized here soon.

[wkndsquire]

I never get tired of watching this thing fly, especially fly-bys. Thanks for the effort. Great job.

[buckaroohawk]

Thanks! The designs are beautiful. The ships have such a grace about them. Thanks for writing!

[uselessman73]

Nice work! What software do you use?

[buckaroohawk]

I use 3D Studio Max for my animations. Thanks for asking, and for taking the time to write.

[youmilanek]

I see you are working on the stobe FX. Very Nice!

[buckaroohawk]

Yep. I'm trying to make them look like airplane strobes so they can be seen at a distance or when there is very low light on the ships.