Intra-Fleet Tug Update:

     While I've certainly had fun working on my Hard SF Rec Room, I haven't forgotten about my main task of working on the Intra-Fleet Tug.  Things are moving forward.  As I hinted at in a previous post, I have decided on five major pictures for this series: Assembly, Boost, Life on board, Docking, Cargo Transfer, and then orthos and conventional deckplans.  Already, this is a job of work that will take a fair amount of time.  Add to that, however, that each of these images will be a composite of multiple elements that have to be drawn, assembled, colored and laid out.  The Assembly image, which will show the tug inside an assembly hangar being mated to it's rocket motor and fuel tanks, which are towed into place by Cygnus rockets fitted with manipulator arms.
      In order to make that one image, I need the following:

• The exterior cageworks of the hangar, which is multiple elements all on its own,
• The habitat modules, which are also made up of multiple elements,
• The empty Tug, which is itself made up of command module, saddle truss, cargo pods, and manipulators,
• The fuel tank stack,
• The rocket motor,
• The Cygnus with arms, which will probably be repeated a couple of times

     For one image.
     But its not all bad, RocketFans.  I've gotten the tanks, and motor done already and just today, finished the empty Tug composite. First I sketched out and inked the individual elements:

     I claened it up, which required replacing the rings on the top and bottom of the truss and on the command module as well.  I also took that tiny cargo pot and duplicated it, placing it around the CM:

     Once that task was done, I took the manipulator arm and used some cut-and-paste and re-sizing to add it to the CM.  Once that was done, all that was left was to assemble the composite:

    And there we have it, RocketFans, the assembled empty Tug with its attendant Cygnus.  Now I just have to finish the base elements, put it all together, color, and voila! All finished!   

      On the first picture. Of five...

     Anyway, I'm also working on more of the Common Compartments images, because they are much faster.  I will probably finish up the Keel Segment image I started with, I've got a Wardroom compartment started, and a couple of other ideas.  I'll probably do a Tug image and Common Compartment image and alternate, to have some variety.

     Next time I hope to have at least the assembled uncolored image finished.  See you then!