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Risa Talks - Camouflage
fovrel
Member Posts: 1,448 Arc User
The new Vorgon carrier has a camouflage pattern, just as the escort has one. You may say it is not camouflage, it is a tiger patern, well, the tiger has its patern so it can hunt better. It can disappear among brushes and trees. Its fur does, what camouflage does, because of the stripe patern. In the wild, there is no Pink Panther.
The patern made me wonder. Why a camouflage patern on a space ship? Does it make any sense? The only reason one can think of is because of looks. The Vorgons like it that way. That may be the case, but then I wonder, what does it need to paint a huge star ship? What kind of resources are involved, just to make something looks nicer?
Is the ship painted in an atmosphere where there is gravity? Or can we paint in space and how does one paint in space. Paint is liquid and has to dry out. The most logic theory I can make, is that a paint job in space is done with transporter technology. The paint molecules are put straight to the surface of the ship with a transporter. No need to dry out and you can make any pattern, any colour scheme you want.
The patern made me wonder. Why a camouflage patern on a space ship? Does it make any sense? The only reason one can think of is because of looks. The Vorgons like it that way. That may be the case, but then I wonder, what does it need to paint a huge star ship? What kind of resources are involved, just to make something looks nicer?
Is the ship painted in an atmosphere where there is gravity? Or can we paint in space and how does one paint in space. Paint is liquid and has to dry out. The most logic theory I can make, is that a paint job in space is done with transporter technology. The paint molecules are put straight to the surface of the ship with a transporter. No need to dry out and you can make any pattern, any colour scheme you want.
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Comments
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Intelligent paint is a thing in the here and now - there are some special car paints that change colour depending on temprature. [/quote]
Nontheless, the ship has to be coated, or is it 'baked' into the hull material. Intelligent or non-intelligent, is the paint only for looks? Also, who sees it? Only when the ship is in dock like ESD you can have a good look at the ship.
^ This...
Plus it isn't really much different from Starfleet adding the insignia and ship identifications onto their vessels.
Racial preferences and such...like why are Klingon and Romulan ships green...Borg ships black...Vulcan brown...while Human/Starfleet ships are generally on the light grey or white side? Because is how they want it I imagine...
Sure a tiger's fur pattern can help the tiger conceal itself for hunting in it's various habitats, but the pattern on the Vorgon ships are not considered camouflage. What practical purpose would tiger like stripes serve in space?
If a starship were to have camouflage, then it would likely just have a black paint job and maybe some white specks here and there to visually blend into the blackness of space with pinpoints of light from distant stars. However, if seen against a nebula in the background the ship would be visible.
The best "camouflage" for starships would actually be a cloaking device. But they are not infallible since cloaked ships can still be detected as long as you are using the correct detection methods.
Intelligent paint is a thing in the here and now - there are some special car paints that change colour depending on temprature. [/quote]
Nontheless, the ship has to be coated, or is it 'baked' into the hull material. Intelligent or non-intelligent, is the paint only for looks? Also, who sees it? Only when the ship is in dock like ESD you can have a good look at the ship.
[/quote]
Electroplating, that tech has been around for decades, but the time of the game they wouldn't need to put it in liquid, just charge the hull, and spray the colors at it.
We come in peace, SHOOT TO KILL!
Unless this is all just you guys forming some head canon... in which case.. *backs out slowly*
Nontheless, the ship has to be coated, or is it 'baked' into the hull material. Intelligent or non-intelligent, is the paint only for looks? Also, who sees it? Only when the ship is in dock like ESD you can have a good look at the ship.
[/quote]
Electroplating, that tech has been around for decades, but the time of the game they wouldn't need to put it in liquid, just charge the hull, and spray the colors at it.[/quote]
Electroplating is different then a pigmant system and uses acid baths with metals in solution Nickel plating is done this way. What you are thinking of is POWDER COATING a technology that has been around for 2 decades and it isn't metal platinglike electroplating is. It works like this you put a charge on the material you are "painting" then spray a dry powder that is a thermoplastic based material onto it. They two materials have different charge polarities so the dry powder sticks in a uniform layer. You then bake it and some you expose to UV light and it then bonds to the surface and "melts" into a tough layer of color. It can be done in a vacuum as there is no vehicle to flash off like "normal" paint or boil off like an epoxy or ureathene based paint would before it cures.
Well you are thinking of a different technology paint. The one you are thinking of only turns two colors from a light to a dark and has been around since the 60's Hot wheels and MAtchbox had toy cars with it that you ran under hot water to change the color. The Paint that shifts color is Chroma-Color and was invented by and trademarked by Dupont paints over 30 years ago and was showcased on several Jeff Gordorn NASCAR racers back then. It shifts color from the angle of the light hitting it or how your angle is looking at it. From one angle it can be gold then shift your view or light and it can cross the spectrum to green, red, purple and black. An early form of this was first used by Dodge on the Shelby CS and ES Daytonas from 1989 and up in one base color called Black Cherry Chrome Metallic. My own Shelby was in this color and it would shift from pure black to a deep purple almost black then dark cherry red. Very striking color it was a premimum option at the time.