"Examples of asymmetrical spaceship design?" Topic

The most famous one I can think of is the millennium falcon picture and that one really just has an off center console.

I have been looking over hundreds of spaceship designs and the idea for a race that favors the asymmetrical design might be interesting…but there in be dragons…how to design an ship that has such odd lines? Whatever is made will look "off".

For example, the derelict alien ship from Alien picture that is one odd design, looks more like a plant or a mollusk

That is why I ask. Hopefully there are some references that I may have missed.

I seem to remember some of the designs in the Eve MMO being nicely lopsided… not sure though. I've never played the game but somewhere online there are pictures of loads of the ship designs.

Most of the Eve Online ships are asymmetrical. They're also pretty interesting designs too.

Many of the GZG Spaceship minis are, or were.

I especially like their old NAC BDN's, and other large vessels.

Asymmetric along which axis?

What about the ones from Battlestations!

They have floor plans and even metal minis and can be 'built' accordingly…(modular)

link

and the ships

battlestations.info/figures

they also have crew figures and stuff

link

don't the Kilrathi ships in the Wing Commander PC games have such designs?

Somewhere on the web is a web site devoted to asymmetrical aircraft, literally hundreds of photos and write-ups. Included in the site are examples of What-If and Spacecraft.

I'll try to find it.

Tony
dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com

Heres one;

link

Tony
dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com

The problem with designs like the Millennium Falcon or the old GZG NAC ships was that the hull was asymmetrical, but the engine placement wasn't. You need the thrust to go through the centre of mass, otherwise you're going to rotate.

From Star Wars, in addition to the YT-1300 (i.e. the Falcon), there's various other YT-series light transports and the B-Wing and TIE Bomber fighters.

Star Trek had the Breen ships from Deep Space Nine

Of course, as Cog Comp states, almost all starship designs are asymmetrical front/back and top/bottom*; why should left/right be any different? It's just a holdover from thinking in seagoing navy terms. If you arrange the decks so that they're at right angles to the thrust, instead of parallel, there's no difference between being asymmetrical "left/right" and "top/bottom".

*The only popular exceptions I can think of are the Borg from Star Trek and the Cylons from both versions of Battlestar Galactica (although the new Cylon Base Ship is rotationally symmetrical top/bottom, not reflectively).

The Breen in Star Trek had asymmetric ships.

Top Gun Ace, those were my favourite NAC ships too – Nobody elses, as it turned out, though the new school ones like the Midway Class CVL and the new BDN are doing well I understand.

I put some of my homebuilt NAC assymetrics on the forums at star-ranger.com/Home.htm

The Death Star! No, hang on..

@Tony Fun site, but the topic DOES say 'spaceships'… ;->=

@AP 'The problem with designs … hull was asymmetrical, but the engine placement wasn't. You need the thrust to go through the centre of mass, otherwise you're going to rotate.

…almost all starship designs are asymmetrical front/back and top/bottom*; why should left/right be any different?…'

Of course! However, given the right placement of multiple thrusters, you can get 'asymmetrical'. And, of course, even a single engine can be, IF the center of mass is not visually obvious. Think of those bird toys you support by the beak with one finger.

I'm pretty sure some of the new GZG sculpts are not visually symmetric on the vertical axis. To me, sure looks like some of the dropped nose ones would spin.

Hardly unique, mind you.

They can't help still looking 'kewl'.

Doug

Snickies! With more than a month to go, will this show in the TMP 'hand made spaceships' contest? *gasp*

Doug

The problem with designs like the Millennium Falcon or the old GZG NAC ships was that the hull was asymmetrical, but the engine placement wasn't. You need the thrust to go through the centre of mass, otherwise you're going to rotate.

Some of that can be explained with non-uniform density, for example, the fairly heavy hyperdrive is a little to port and balances out the light and fluffy command pod to starboard.

EVE's designs really bug me. They were designed with absolutely no attention to physics. Yes, I know it's the far future but you just can't have engines thrusting like that unless they're purely decorative.

@Lampryidae You just aren't recognizing the superdense paint on the 'outer' portion of the engines. Perfectly balanced… ;->=

Marketing jingle: It's singularity-studded!

The_Beast

Really a "comparative dimensions" page, but some asymmetric ships here

merzo.net/index.html

Very cool stuff guys, thanks.

As for axis I would say that I was speaking of the x axis. That left to right oddness that seems to unsettle the eye.

Great links all!

Several races in the Space Dreadnought 3000 line (Kallistra) are non-symmetrical -- the Talliscians, Kaylons, and some of the Altarans. kallistra.co.uk

Slightly OT, the Germans had an asymmetrical reconnaissance plane in WW2.

link

Look at the B-wing. Most of the mass of the ship appears to be in the engine pod. If you assume constant density, it's about balanced (I've done way too many weight-and-balance problems…)

I can point out a lot of ships that are 'top-bottom' asymmetrical, but there are fewer that are 'left-right' asymmetrical. The only ones I know of off the top of my head have already been mentioned.

I've found the link that I was writing about earlier in this thread, a huge recourse of asymmetric aircraft (some spacecraft included as well).

I hope that you enjoy the images and that it offers some inspiration for spacecraft design.

Check out;
link

Tony
dampfpanzerwagon.blogspot.com

Here's the Blohm + Voss 194

YouTube link

Some of the Entomalians from Galactic Knights are asymmetrical: link

So is the Terran carrier, if not quite as much: link

Back to sapeships, all the first released FSE ships from GZG were asymetric to a lesser or greater extent; The newer versions are a little less so, but it still is a common thread.

Some of those Eve Online ships are quite interesting, as noted picture pic expands, I love it when you can not tell which end/side is up/forward :)

As for axis I would say that I was speaking of the x axis. That left to right oddness that seems to unsettle the eye.

That's because you are mounting it wrongly. The long axis is the vertical one.

It is filmed rotated 90° in Star Wars because our screens are wider than they are long.

Problem solved.

Actually, the B-wing rotates. For landing, the long axis is horizontal, but in flight it's vertical…

Many ships in EVE Online are assymmetric, in fact, assymmetry probably outnumber symmetry.
link

I have some which are slightly asymmetrical:

link

and, of course, with a modular construction system, the sky's the limit…

link

Actually the B-wing's 'wing' rotates around it's body in flight, rather than staying vertical below the cockpit. According to the X-Wing novels and other source books etc