I’ve been mucking around with the Rucker-class model again in POV-Ray. I wanted to use the large curved ‘saucer’ section to my advantage to help show off some sort of flames as the craft skips into the atmosphere of a planet, starting it’s re-entry decent.
The planet and starfield is first genrated in Bryce and used as a background which is then imported into POV-Ray and rendered with the Rucker-class model. After adding some flames with some filters, I’ve got the result pretty much as I wanted. I could have spent some more time on the background I think, but its more of a proof of concept to get the flames and sparks experienced during re-entry.
Edit: Just released by Gypsy Knights Games is ‘Wonderous Menagerie: Uplifts in the Clement Sector‘, now available for $9.99 from Drivethru RPG. I’ll be taking a look at this soon!
Alegis Downport 
Awesome! Proof of concept – WINNER! Finished product – CAN’T WAIT!
Thank you! I’m pretty happy with the flames and sparks, the hardest part has been trying to get the background right. Something to spend some more time on ;o)
“Did the primary buffer panel just fall off my gorram spaceship for no apparent reason…?”
Ah, are you keeping to the specified maintenance schedule? Your dealer may charge you extra for any parts such as the primary buffer, which have gone beyond their replacement schedule. For your nearest Rucker dealer, please consult your owners manual. ;o)