Hey all, I'm looking for some "critical comments" on how I can make this ship look better then it is. I'm not worried about the textures at the moment, but would like to know how to make it look both more realistic and cooler.

I think it looks quite detailed already.  A really good texture, with some good displacement or normal mapping, will make it appear very complex.  But if you really want to add some more detail to the geometry, then I'd suggest adding some more greeble to the body of the ship.  Most modelling software have plugins or addons, or scripts, which could do this automatically.  Don't know exactly what software you used here, but I know Blender, 3dsmax, Maya, Lightwave, and Cinema4d all have some kind of greeble or nurnies plugin.  That is usually what most people do to quickly create detailed panels, grids, and all kinds of small sci-fi details on a ship.

That top tail fin seems to have good paneling and detail. Maybe do that same kind of modelling on the sides of the ship, and it will add another layer of interest.  In the end, the highest level of realism will come in the textures and materials.  You can get away with less geometry if your textures are outstanding.

I would consider hardening some of the edges, particularly towards the front end of the ship.  There are lines along that dark strip at the top which could benefit from some edge hardening for more realism.  Portions of the model appear soft and organic; this may be intentional, but will likely lend the object a more toon-like appearance in the render.

I've done a bit more work on her and this is what I have so far, Still need to do some more work to her like I need to add a side hatch for the pilots to get in and out. After that I'm going to look at building up the interior. But I'd love to know what you think of her so far.

Now you've shown the steps, I'm questioning the scale of the whole thing. The jet engine thing looks to be about 4' diameter. It's pleasannt but lacking a beleivability factor.

Wow! That's pretty cool. I wish I could achieve some sort of 3D designs on one of my infographics.

Great job!

:]

I've done a bit more work on her and this is what I have so far, Still need to do some more work to her like I need to add a side hatch for the pilots to get in and out. After that I'm going to look at building up the interior. But I'd love to know what you think of her so far.

What's really needed is a lit wireframe render. General appearance and such is worth critiquing, of course, but in order to truly get down to the nitty-gritty, 3D'ers need wire renders. :)

For instance, you're getting some smooth-shading issues, especially at the nose region of the space-craft. Why is that? I don't know, since I don't have a wireframe render in order to figure it out. It's likely due to either too little mesh there or tris and quads. Or, it could be a diamond, which Firefly doesn't handle well in inorganic models and smooth-shading. (At least, not always.)

Artistically, one thing I notice is that you have a lot of detail on the wings, but none on the body of the craft. Was this assembled from parts or scratch-built? You've got some extruded/beveled panels on the wings which make them look nice and "spacey", but the body is just a tube. OK, that sort of inconsistently in detail makes for a strange impression. What you need to do is to add some of those panel-like details to the body of the craft, so it matches its wings in general design.

Take a look at this space-fighter: http://eng.x3tc.net/screenshot/ship.php?NTk2MzIxNTU

That ship would look perfectly at home with a smaller version of your wings on it, wouldn't it? See how the details are similar?

Or, what about this: http://maxand3dsmax.blogspot.com/2013/11/imperial-shuttle-model.html (A walkthrough of designing a Star Wars "Imperial Shuttle."

See how that Impy shuttle has greebles/panels on the main body of the ship that are consistent with those on the wings? That's sort of cohesive artistic impression you want to create.

 I'd first go with what is the purpose of the ship,  what form of engine would it have,  It seems to have an intake vent used in jet engines.  From the looks it seems you would use it in outer space, and for use in landings where there is an atmosphere.  The top tail fin looks to large, the large rear door would make me think it is made to hold  a large amount of cargo,  possibly move the cargo door to the side where it is flat and make the rear smoother, more rounded.  The enlarged nose of the ship makes me think of an insect,  I'd like it more if it did not get narrower. Also I'd think it needs some type of identification letters and or numbers.  I'm actually new at the 3D stuff, I've been working with a 3D avatar used with an AI chat bot and I'd like to get a higher poly count wire mesh into the character.  I'd say you put a lot of work into this, hope I haven't been to critical, take it for what it's worth to you and I wish you luck with your project.

Carl 

Just want to say thanks to everyone who has commented on this. You have given me a lot to think about. I'm still working hard on this vessel and after reading some of the things you have put I've started to change a number of issue with the vessel. I'm hoping to have an updated image for you all soon. Once again thanks for your help

Cool renders are 25% modeling, 25% texturing, and 50% lighting. Decide what cool is for each of those three.

I'd like to thank everyone for there comments on this post. New Dawn is now completed and is in the marketplace https://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/new-dawn/111334

Just need to UV that thing and slap some textures on. Mesh itself doesn't need to be much fancier at this point. But it does look like a plastic kit model that hasn't even been touched with a paintbrush. Yeah, I know getting around to texturing is the hardest part for me too. Good news is that programs like Blender make it fairly easy, as you can paint right on the model instead of guessing what every bit on the map template is. (But when UV'ing making "human readable" maps when possible is still considered good practice.)