Starship Enterprise Solid Model

I created a solid model of the U.S.S. Enterprise from the movies. The model represents how the ship appeared in the first two movies. The solid model is limited in regard coloring and has no markings. However, it can be (and has been) used for 3D printing and for generating accurate plans.

This shows how an individual part (Warp Engine) is created.

This shows how sections are created from parts.

This shows how the plans are created.

Other Parts

This shows how the engineering hull is created.

This shows how the impulse engine is created.

This shows how the lower bridge is created.

This shows how the sensor is created.

 

All of the dtails are physically incorporated into the model. There is nothing drawn. The image below shows the grid lines in the saucer. You can see that they are cut into the the solid.

Here is another example.

Parts

The solid model is composed of a number of components that are composed of parts. This image shows the bridge component. It is composed of about 40 smaller parts.

This is an exploded view of a warp engine showing the major parts. There are thirteen pieces visible. The final warp engine had about 80 additional detail parts.

 

Creating the Model

I did not have acces to the original model. Fortunately a large number of reference photographs became available when it was auctioned. I created the solid model by analyizing photographs. I draw lines and measured angles from various views. These are some sample images I used for comparison.

3D Printing

The solid model has been printed out. The picture below shows some of the printed parts.

Here is the printed engineering hull after priming (middle) compared to commercial kits. The kit in the back is 1:350. The printed parts in the middle are 1:240 scale.

Rhino Conversion

I have converted the model to Rhino so that it now uses NURBS surfaces rather than ACIS solids. The result is a much clearner shape. Unfortunately, Rhino for the Mac does not yet have a means for creating plans from the surfaces. That is expected in the next version. When that comes out, I should be able to create what I expect will be the final version of the plans.