Not a very realistic design. Looks like you grabbed a box primitive, pulled a few vertices, and threw on a few textures. The domes on top are too reflective and seemed to serve no discernable function. What are the domes for? There seems to be no coherency to the design of the ship. I know it's fun having 3dsmax. I have it, too. But, put some more thought into the designs. Really.

I have had this ship in my head for 14 years, so I have given it quite a bit of thought. The reflective domes are solar collectors, the part with all the lights are the crew quarters and the other decks containg the labs, recrational areas ect. The space below that is the hanger, with the launch tubes for the fighters on either side. There are 100 laser cannons 23, pers side and 4 from and back. The middle section is a huge cargo area that opens from the bottom, and the back third is where the engines are housed. There are two sensor strips on the top, and the whole ship is streamline because its capable of atmospheric entry and indeed landing. I have been using 3D Max for over a year, there is something to be said about not overdesigning a ship, just because you can make something complicated, does not mean that you should.

Dude im sorry...but damn !! This in comparison to the Viper model is...well falling short. The Viper model you did from Battle Star Galactica was awsome and shows you can really model...and model well. This looks like you just hurried it. And as far as landing on a planet...I would guess it would crumble under it own weight. More stuff Like your Viper and Your character scene's.....I Just Love em !!

The turrets retract, and skyscrapers dont collaps under their own weight. Thanks for liking the other stuff though.

I like the idea and the scale of the ship. The guns and the landing deck look really nice also. Since you have had this in your head, I'm not sure how you would take suggestions for change, but I think I will give you some suggestions anyway. The ships shape is fine, although, I might add some indentations and not keep all the surfaces that flat all around the ship. The streamlined shape is a very good idea and having a simple shape in space doesn't matter because there is no air resistance. I have some problems with the cannons, the solar domes and the placement of the crew quarters, however, that I think you could benefit from thinking of changing. The crew quarters are neat like they are, but I think their placement is not the best from a military standpoint. This looks like a rather large military ship to me. Most crew quarters, save the officers, have their quarters nearer to where they work. Also, having all of the crew up front would be lethal in the event of a successful hit to the front, if you follow me. The gun turrets are pretty cool and they have a good range, so you may be able to either cut down, or make the gun batteries more staggard than they are. Again, I think haveing a small indentation where the guns go, could not hurt. It would give your ship a less cumbersome look. The solar domes are a really neat idea, but I might suggest a movable solar panel system. This can be targeted to the nearest star. Having matching panels on the bottom can be used if the closest start is below the ship. I would personally make them less reflective, or use a fresnel reflection with a bluish color, so you get the reflection, but it doesn't look like a pink sphere on the top of the ship. A good example of this is the enemy ship at the beginning of MIB II. I hope my comments stir your interest. I think the minimalist approach to building ships is refreshing.

Thanks, I appreciate all your comments and the time you took to make such a lengthy suggestion. Some of the things are imposible to change, as this ship hasnt just been in my head, but also has stared in storied I have written the equivilent of 5 novels in length, so changing some of the details like crew quarters, gun emplacements and the like would involve changing entire plot points. The gun turrests are normally retracted right inside the ship and covered with an iris, they only come out in times of battle. Also in times of battle the crew wouldnt be in their quarters, so any hits there wouldn't kill any crew. Because for much of the story the ship is landed in Nevada having panels on the bottom of the ship would be of no use, and while the ship is in orbit of a planet is a simple enough matter to angle the ship with the top towards the sun. I may do something about the reflectivity of the panels, although they too are mentioned as mirror like in the books, they are only a secondary power system anyway, used when the main engines are powered down, when travelling faster than light no light would reach them anyway. If you would like to read some of the stories the ship stars in, they are online here http://www.slipstreamunderground.com/forum/index.php In the fan fic section, under "the adventures of Bob" Books 1 - 5