Although I've been using Anim8or since at least 2009, I've never posted here (Shame on me!)
The reason to go to Anim8or was to create some starships that would fit in the Star Trek universe.
The first one was the "USS Caronte" which evolved as my skill with Anim8or improved.
For those who might be interested, here is the ship's background:
Type: Destroyer
First commissioned: 2269
Length: 226m
Width: 70m
Height: 45m
Decks: 11
Complement: 30 officers + 120 crew
Speed: Warp 6.1 (cruise), Warp 8.5 (max.), Warp 10 (max. emergency)
Armament: 1 forward firing torpedo tube + 6 twin phaser mounts.
Defense: Standard shields
In the 2260's new advanced fire control systems were being developed based on the latest computer technologies. It was expected that this will allow phaser fire to be targeted to specific locations with a high chance of hitting. In an attempt to counter this high precision fire, two ideas for starship design were proposed.
The first called for a much more compact design, reducing and eliminating if possible vulnerable areas, like the neck and pylons. The smaller ship was also expected to be able to avoid being hit altogether, and have improved maneuverability.
The second group thought that even a compact ship will still be hit, and that any shot missing it's intended target would just hit the ship somewhere else. In a very compact ship, another critical system was likely to be there. Therefore, their proposal was a ship that was "stretched", separating critical areas as much as possible. That way, a single shoot could never damage more than one critical system. Advanced field control software, taking advantage of the new powerful computer cores was anticipated to compensate for warp field cohesion problems caused by having the warp nacelles at the very far back of the ship.
Unfortunately, the failure of the multitronic computer architecture forced the use of a more limited control software, that was unable to perform as required. In trials, the first ship of the class was unable to reach the design top speed, and maneuverability at warp was poor for a ship its size.
It was decided then to cancel the series. The advanced fire control system and good low-speed maneuverability did not justify the continuation of the class. The ships were too slow for scouting roles (although they did have a very good sustained cruise speed), too small for most science missions, and expensive for most other roles. After the lead ship completed trials, the second and third one - which where in advanced stages of construction - were finished with modified configurations that tried to improve performance, and the 4th one, about 60% completed, was stored for spare parts.
The Eris was launched in 2269, and after trials, was assigned to R&D, before being decommissioned 11 years later. The Caronte and Ceres had limited front line service for 5 and 6 years respectively, before being transferred to R&D too. Both were destroyed in 2286 near the Klingon border while performing advanced equipment tests.
NCC-1791 Eris
NCC-1792 Caronte
NCC-1793 Ceres