Update, July 2009: For those of you who have already visited this article before, I have updated the gallery with a number of images of the model rendered without profile edges and with additional background, lighting and shadow tweaks. This gives the model a much more distinctive, realistic look, almost like the real thing. If you're interested, please see Extra images below.
Catamarans are double-hulled ships. Usually, they are somewhat small designs, which is why I decided to go for something big. An aircraft carrier roughly the size of USS Nimitz, with one clear distinction - a double hull. I was thinking a lot about the feasibility of this concept and could not find anything wrong. Twin hulls meant better stability on rough seas, better redundancy of all critical systems, higher survivability, and whatnot.
So I decided to create one.
It's another Google SketchUp thingie, lots of clean, straight lines and basic rendering. So if you've liked the others, you'll this one, and if not ... Anyhow, let's rock ... eh ... float.
As always, a nice cozy isometric view to get you comfy with my latest madness.
The carrier has two completely identical hulls, connected by gigantic spars, which also double as connection ways between the hulls, allowing people and materials to be shuffled back and forth. The isle is stationed centrally, minimizing the impact on the two V-shaped landing decks.
Looking from above, you can appreciate the grace and beauty of the carrier - and all the classic must-have
elements that modern carriers sport. Notice the six aircraft elevators, all mounted inboard to prevent possible
damage from missile attacks.
From the bow and stern, the carrier strikes a menacing, solid silhouette. The service cranes toward the rear nicely offset the powerful lines of the twin hulls.
From the side (starboard, if you will), the carrier is the classic example of a floating airbase.
I've paid quite a bit of detail to weaponry. While American carriers carry relatively little weapons, relying on its air wing and the supporting task force of cruisers and destroyers to enforce and impenetrable air defense net, I've made my carrier slightly more Russian and armed with lots of guns and missiles.
First, let's take a look at the R2D2-like Vulcan Phalanx-sque CIWS guns, sprinkled about the deck like wild mushrooms. We can see the outboard R2D2 defending the waterline flanks:
Then we have a pair, mounted centrally and facing toward the stern:
A closer look:
There's another pair of guns on the isle, complementing the "low" pair; other domes belong to various radar units. There are more units positioned on the flight deck forward, for a grand total of 12 cute little robots.
I also gave my ship some cruise missiles in vertical launchers, known as VLS, and quad anti-shipping units sporting Harpoon. And there's also a big automatic 127mm dual anti-aircraft anti-shipping gun mounted on fore isle.
You must admit the pristine white of the weapon tube hatches and radar domes contrast the dull navy seagull-gray paint scheme in a rather pleasing way.
The big gun:
Airplanes are another important element in this gallery. When I first created the carrier, it was a bit boring, especially due to its unique symmetry. So I imported my Su-35 wannabe model and placed some four units on the landing deck, breaking the boredom. The planes are positioned randomly on the deck and their bright yellow-brown camouflage is a good addition to the dreary palette.
Oh, they are another Ruskie element here, being Su-27 lookalikes.
A more intimate look of the elevators supported to service aircraft in and out of the belowdeck hangars.
And a wild shot of the various radar domes. Mushrooms, indeed. But if you take a look at a few real images of combat warships, you'll notice I have not exaggerated that much.
I've also created a few screenshots of the complex flight deck. The actual landing strip is painted gray so that it can be more easily spotted from the air. I believe it's too narrow, but it does not matter really.
Another angle:
And a daring, sharp look of the catapult rails and the jet exhaust deflectors, currently lowered. Notice the two R2D2s framing the TO section.
I've noticed that real carriers have messy, crowded sterns, so I tried to recreate this. I've added the service cranes to make things look busier. I think the overall effect is nice.
Connecting the two hulls is a massive mid-section, almost a third hull, with powerful spars that also counter-act against any bending forces on rough seas, as the two hulls might not be experiencing the exact same strain. I do not know if this could work in reality, but it sounds better than a rigid link.
Lastly, a few screenshots of the isle - or the tower if you will. Lots of wires, lots of activity.
This one is pretty decent, you must agree:
A long shot, with command bridge windows adding life to the model:
And just before we part ways, one last bird's eye view from amidst the many lines of antennae high in the electronic forest on top of the isle.
I guess that's it. I think this is a quite decent 3D model. Hopefully, you've enjoyed it watching as much as I did creating it. Took me some 10 hours, I think - and it's definitely better looking than my first model: DD 71.
Cheers.
Here you can find the ultra-realistic looking images of the model, tweaked to look their best with improved background colors, lighting and shadows. Almost like in real life.
OK, so here we go:
Notice how cool the planes look. Much better than when outlined with thin profile edges:
Here's a lovely side shot with a manually processed oppresive summer sky:
And here's the carrier without any "sea" at all:
And here's it with a sea-like bluescreen background:
Damn sexy, ain't it? You'd think it's real. I do. That's it. Enjoy!
