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This is the first ship I've designed entirely within Blender, no reference to photoshop drawings - didn't even do paper sketches for this. It's been one of the hardest ships I've done, not because of lacking a reference to work to but because there are so many curves on it that it's one of the most complicated models I've done - there are nearly two million faces on this model, more than there are on the Kororra class battleship.

The ship is a large transport craft, with various versions having different internal fits. It's got a three deck internal layout, maximum endurance of about 50 days if it goes nice and slow (nice and slow being 30 kc, as opposed to the maximum 80). I originally had something much sleeker in mind, something loosely based on a 747 or C-5 Galaxy, but as I played around with the hull I came to quite like the dumpy little bugger. It's sized so it will - just - fit heightwise into the boat deck of a capital ship.











Of course, since it operates over long range and long durations it's often away from outside help, and so it has an interesting feature... a 32 person lifeboat.





It can also carry two rows of one man lifepods, which are the things under those little yellow hatches on the bottom. Only two on this particular ship, but passenger-heavy models can have dozens.

At about 133 feet long, it's hellish big for a glorified shuttle :

OK so it's a "cutter" as in a jolly boat or gig, not a "cutter" as in an interdiction vessel. I'm fascinated by old-style naval nomenclature, but it sure is about a bitch sometimes.

I like the "dumpy" (your word, not mine) look - I appreciate it when someone remembers that aerodynamics count for F.A. in space. Now, since this lacks some of the main design features that account for propulsion on your cap ships, how does this thing move?

Actually it has all the things a ship needs, except the inertial compensators now I think about it. Dammit, I hadn't noticed that, lol.

The two rounded bulges at the rear are the power reactors, with the cylinders behind them ZPEX/power tower units. The two bulkier cylinders below are the midspace shunts, with sublight propulsors at the rear of them. I'll have to rework it to add inertial compensators somewhere.

As for the name, I basically wanted something that wasn't "shuttle". I thought Pinnace, but they're used in the Honor Harrington series. I thought Longboat, but Cutter sounded better. According to wikipedia, one of the meanings of cutter is "Cutter also sometimes refers to a small boat serving a larger boat, to ferry passengers or light stores between larger boats and the shore. This type of cutter may be powered by oars, sails or a motor."

Seemed to fit.

Indeed, "cutter" can be a launch or gig; a fast inderdiction boat of its own class; or, Stateside, any ship of the USCG. Naval terminology can be rather frustrating.

I beg your pardon, I hadn't noticed that the bulgy bits on the rear were the same type of proulsive equipment as on the larger ships.

Basic quick and dirty layout of the power and drive systems :



See here for what each part is.

And now with a pair of compensators added :

Didn't like that odd crinkling around the front windows, so I backed up and made some better ones. This is the first time I really went all-out on making actual windows on a ship - previously I've just used glowy white panels on the hull, but this time I cut holes in the hull and then turned the material at the back to glass. Then I used some flat panels to make a room inside the hull, coloured the grey person in the scale pic above and stuck him inside with a light source over his head, and here we go. I rather like the results!

That is awesome; I really must find the time to learn to use this thing.

If you do, I'd be more than happy to share what I've learned so far.

Thanks, GK.

The single person lifepods carried by the Bessel :







Launch sequence :

Wow, those pods are really just flying coffins, aren't they?

Mikey wrote:Wow, those pods are really just flying coffins, aren't they?

That was exactly the idea.