United States Space Force Light Cruiser - LC14 Sacramento

The USSF Sacramento is a light cruiser designed to patrol, escort, and protect US and allied assets and shipping in the Earth-Moon System, as well as parts of the inner Solar System.

The vessel is powered by a magnetically confined fusion torch drive with liquid droplet radiators for heat management. She carries a compliment of VLS-type rack-launched kinetic kill vehicles and missiles, as well as a pair of electromagnetic railgun turrets.

Beyond the main munitions, there are also cargo hard points for standardized container cells and laser/kinetic point defense turrets to protect the ship.

Idea:

Work on the Sacramento started some time after I wrapped up work on the ICT Horizon Clipper. Both ships exist in the same thematic setting that started with my work on the Cargo Lunar Lander a long while back. After having worked on a logistics vehicle, I was keen on returning to work on something more military in nature. Having tackled something similar with the Shenandoah years ago, I wanted to focus more on furthering realism this time, and spent more time doing some research. Also with my proficiency in Blender having improved, I felt it was time to give something similar a try.

Process:

The process to make the Sacramento began much like the Horrizon clipper and made use of very similar techniques. Some new inclusions this time was more use of UV mapping and textures in the model. Following making the model, I also spent some time focused on animation, with a focus on the missiles and the railgun turrets.

Conclusion:

This project was a nice continuation and gave me a chance to delve further into both the setting and its aesthetics, as well as honing my skillset and knowledge in Blender 3D. I plan on continuing with this setting and building out more vehicles and objects in the world.