Just a thought..what's the word that comes after Science? it's Fiction!..;) I think you're overthinking this some. It's your imagination that will make it work or not. What do you think it should look like?

The wonderful thing about Sci-Fi is that no one knows what it's supposed to look like..;) After decades of Star Trek, the follwing exchange took place..

How do the Engines on the Enterprise work?

Very well, thank you!..;)

You can include (or not), all the detail you want. For example, you can get Blender, (a program I suspect has unnecessary detail..;) and use the discombobulator on simple primitives to get some very detailed objects. Blender's free, and out there.

There is a school of Star Trek fans that go to (probably excessive) detail in designing the control surfaces, called LCARS. Check those out

In the Wings tutorials, I have a tut on making greebles and nurnies (at least I seem to remember doing one..;) hardly the last word on it, but maybe helpful.

when they first sat down to do Star Trek (the Original Series), Roddenberry and his cohorts put some thought into making the bridge, where people would sit, etc. Sounds like what you're up to now. The Studio heads said (in effect), "what's all this? put some rocket fins on it, and let's go!"..;)

Your answer probably is between the 2.

I seem to remember someone asking something like this recently. If that thread's still up, check it out as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I'd said that.. The Staircase Wit

anahl nathrak uth vas betude doth yel dyenvey..;)