USS CYGNUS---has anyone ever built it?

L8wrtr · Jul 14, 2011

I may have died and gone to heaven. I had to join just so that I could post after finding this thread.

I was 7 when TBH came out, and for about a half year, it was my absolute favorite movie, above even Star Wars. Nothing brings me childhood joy like this film, and of course the visual centerpiece is the Cygnus.

Nwerke and Star-art, your 3-D models are jaw-dropping beautiful. I've always dreamt of being able to see an accurate and detailed image of the Cygnus, and these are just staggering. I've always tried to imagine the inner layout of the Cygnus to scale of a person, it would be fascinating to add what detail could be imagined of the inner-structure.

Jedi Dade, Disney has green-lit a remake/reboot of The Black Hole (not a sequel like Tron Legacy). Screenwriter Travis Beacham is writing the script and it will be a more science-based reality than the original (I guess no breathing in open space for starters!). Disney very subtly placed Black Hole merchandising in Tron Legacy as a soft nod to the upcoming release.

Even better is that they have already acknowledged that the Cygnus is such an iconic image that it will be maintained. Nobody has said just how faithful it will be to the original Cygnus, but hopefully the won't really change a thing (you can't improve on perfection). And also, Max is confirmed to be in the story, but there has been no word at all regarding Vincent or Old Bob.

Anyhow, nice to know I'm not alone in my obsession with TBH and the Cygnus.

Nwerke · Jul 15, 2011

Ha! Thanks, L8wrtr, and I know exactly what you mean. USS Cygnus is a visual feast and a nostalgic hook that doesn't let go. She brings back the sights and sounds and smells of my childhood somehow in a way that even Star Wars doesn't, any more - too burned out there.

Charles and I have some good ref for these projects. When done, our models will be close to 100% accurate. Reference-quality accurate, and that isn't something I say lightly.

I'm actually hyped for the remake. It isn't as if the original had much going for it beyond gorgeous visuals, after all! So things can't get much worse on the story/acting front, and it sounds as if the producers understand the need to keep the ships unique.

I do however expect that their Cygnus will differ significantly from the original. It'll be CGI, obviously, and I suspect they'll retain the basic concept but make it far larger, and up the level of detail a lot.

I could live with that!

Weazel1 · Jul 15, 2011

Love this film. I've always felt that TBH was a big budget sci-fi version of the classic American International Pictures "lost travelers wandering through the big castle" films.
Interesting thing about TBH, if you read the novelization, not only is the ending drastically different, but Durant gets killed by Maximillian gunning him down with lasers rather than blending him. Thats right folks, the Disney movie is actually MORE violent than book adaptation.

GKvfx · Jul 15, 2011

I enjoy this film for various reasons - mainly the design work, VFX, and how mind numbingly bad the dialog is. Definitely a Guilty Pleasure. If you take a look at the end of the "Making of Star Wars" book by Rinzler, there's an interesting epilogue. He writes about how, in the wake of SW, all the studios scrambled to get similar movies into production and that BH was the film Fox was afraid they were getting when they were first pitched STAR WARS by Lucas, Kurtz, and Alan Ladd, Jr. Hmmm, I see the point. (What's ironic is that the initial story for BH was percolating at Disney well BEFORE there was any sort of formal deal between Fox and Lucas for SW. BH just took that long to evolve.)

Gene

PS - I'll believe the reboot rumors when I see it on their production schedule.

Nwerke · Jul 16, 2011

Yeah. It started off as "Space Probe", didn't it? Development hell for years.

Given what happened with TRON, I fear you are right.

Nwerke · Jul 20, 2011

I've been laid up with an injury, so am using the time to get on with rebuilding my old Rhino model. More or less starting from scratch due to new reference material - I have the stern deck about 70% done, with just a few of the lights in place, but I think it's starting to come together. Whaddyareckon?

Jlewis · Jul 20, 2011

I remember seeing a metal construct of the model in one of the Home Town shop windows when visiting Disneyland back in the 80s. I was fascinated by the detail put into that model. It was about twice the size of the MPC model being sold.

J

star-art · Jul 21, 2011

WOW!! You are giving me a run for my money. LOL

Hope you get well soon!

Nwerke said:
I've been laid up with an injury, so am using the time to get on with rebuilding my old Rhino model. More or less starting from scratch due to new reference material - I have the stern deck about 70% done, with just a few of the lights in place, but I think it's starting to come together. Whaddyareckon?

Nwerke · Jul 21, 2011

Thanks Charles, coming from you that means a lot!

Yeah, I fell through a roof and broke my back, so I'm going to have a good bit of time on my hands. 6-8 weeks all up, apparently. Yeesh.

Here's another couple of pics, sorry for the hijack. OP, any progress?

star-art · Jul 21, 2011

Good Lord! And I thought I had back problems. I sure hope you will be OK!

Nwerke · Jul 22, 2011

Thanks! So far so good.

I just cracked the memory problem. Trying to do everything with NURBS is stupid. Much better to mesh the bits I'm happy with - now I can render the full stern deck. It's still not complete, a few more trusses and frames yet to go. I'm much happier with this than with my original version. Still working out the shapes of the lightboxes in the stern - they seem to do some complicated things.

Now...where did I leave that command tower model...?

jedimaster · Jul 22, 2011

It may help to talk about it Martyn.... Turn ya bloody phone on!

star-art · Jul 22, 2011

Here's another idea. Isolate any details that repeat (such as the antenna towers) and make them block details. A block detail exists only once and is repeated many times. Best of all, if you want to change it, you just make the changes once and they are automatically applied to each instance. This helps with the memory issue.

But, there is still no practical way to model the entire ship in one file. Not at least in Rhino. . .

DaddyfromNaboo · Jul 22, 2011

star-art said:
...
But, there is still no practical way to model the entire ship in one file. Not at least in Rhino. . .

Except for a 64bit machine and OS and software.Additionally to what Charles said I´d say using Xrefs might help even more. You can switch them on and off for modeling and have them on for rendering, and they should clog up even less memory.

Michael

Nwerke · Jul 22, 2011

Yeah yeah yeah, Simon.

Good tip, thanks, Charles! Had been copy/pasting, that'll help for sure.

Ah, there it is, found the tower. Needs rebuilding though.

Nwerke · Jul 23, 2011

Michael, thanks but I can't find any reference to Xrefs in my documentation. What are they?

Charles - I've just been screencapping and trying to ID and correct all the flopped shots, and shots where models were substituted. Not to mention stills.

Rather a lot, aren't there? Even the poster image!

PrimitiveDave · Mar 5, 2012

Hi -- my name is Dave, I just signed up here after finding this thread. I got the idea of using 3d printed parts to build the Cygnus. There are more details on a thread I have on Hobbytalk (is it okay for me to post the link?), but here are a few pics of some proof-of-concept pieces I've done. I don't want to go much further without tracking down some better materials -- blueprints and/or working drawings. I'd really appreciate any help I can get!

Dave

knightdriver2001 · Mar 6, 2012

PrimitiveDave said:
Hi -- my name is Dave, I just signed up here after finding this thread. I got the idea of using 3d printed parts to build the Cygnus. There are more details on a thread I have on Hobbytalk (is it okay for me to post the link?), but here are a few pics of some proof-of-concept pieces I've done. I don't want to go much further without tracking down some better materials -- blueprints and/or working drawings. I'd really appreciate any help I can get!

Dave

Now THAT's just plain cool! That will be one impressive model when completed. Nice work.

Nwerke · Mar 6, 2012

Dave, wow. I'll PM you about reference. Good material does exist for some parts of the ship. I can't provide it as such but I can point you in the right direction. For other parts, like the tower, the models by Charles and myself are pretty much about the most accurate material in the public domain that I know of. They are more or less extrapolated from original materials but aren't original materials in themselves, so I don't think I'd be breaking any agreements to run off some ortho renders for you if you like.

This is really exciting stuff. Got to admit, I didn't think results this good were possible yet. Glad to be wrong!

Cheers,
Martyn

Nwerke · Mar 6, 2012

PS this would be what, about a 40-inch model? 1/700-ish? Very manageable and totally worth doing in that sort of scale with the finesse the technology allows. I'm completely blown away.

USS CYGNUS---has anyone ever built it?

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