Known Space: The Future Worlds of Larry Niven

This page displays some of the ships and vehicles from Known space. Click on the thumbnails to view larger images. If you have any images you'd like to contribute, please email the webmasters.

Speaker Hits The Brakes

Bill says of his creation "The wasp-waisted General Products hull of the 'Lying Bastard' is almost dwarfed by the oversized delta wing and all its attendant material and equipment. The fusion drive discs, at Speaker-To-Animals's behest, rotate out of the wing to retard 'Bastard's' approach to the ringed star." Bill continues "It was the piece I did for a [Program Book] cover for Radcon [4C, 2007 over the Presidents' Day Weekend], Larry was GOH and I was AGOH...only it was printed in B/W and as a small picture on the cover." Larry reportedly said that it was the most accurate representation he has ever seem. Bill reportedly has done some interior design work on the interior of the "Lying Bastard" too. He adds that "Larry signed some color copies [of the "Lying Bastard" art] I intend as gifts and for sale ... very few available for sale ... but said he wanted one."

	This image continues the "Flaring" pictures series by Django Shagnasty see Ringworld from Space for the other image. I feel that this image shows the Ringworld Sun, in its post-firing phase just after it has burned off the wings of the Liar. Of course, this wasn't what this image was intended to show. Read the previous page for more information.
	This image of the Lying Bastard approaching the ringworld was rendered by Schuyler Horn, created using POV Ray. Schuyler says that the Liar is supposed to be about 200 miles from the surface of the Ringworld. We know that it never got this close with its wings still intact, but it's a clever rendition nevertheless. Schuler's next in the sequence can be seen below.
	Another image by Schuler Horn, showing the back of the Ringworld and also the shadow squares. Schuyler may be contacted at this or this address.

Lying Bastard approaching the Ringworld Closeup of Lying Bastard	Original artwork by Edwin A. Reck. Edwin used to paint in acrylics but he has combined his interests in art, computers and Larry Niven's work to produce these images.

	This image was painted by Paul Marquis, a science fiction artist, who has his own website at Pmarq.com. This picture represents the scene in The Ringworld Engineers where Chmeee and Louis investigate the enormous spacecraft parked at the spaceport on the ring walls. Other works of Paul Marquis can be found on the Dangerous Creatures page.

	Steve Sloan II has rendered all the General Products Hulls using POV 3D Rendering Software. If you want the POV object files for these images go to his website: Chmeee's Science Fiction and Computer Graphics Page
	Steve Sloan II has also rendered the flycycles used in Ringworld. If you want the POV object files for these images it is available on his website: Chmeee's Science Fiction and Computer Graphics Page

These three pictures, showing the Lying Bastard and the Ringworld were created by Perry Papadopoulos. These images are taken from an animated movie, also available on the site in the Media section.

More images from the movie can be found at http://members.optusnet.com.au/~fragomatik/ur_graphics.html including a close-up of the interior of the cabin.


		The image, also by Perry Papadopoulos is from an early painting he did of the long slow, leisurely crash into the Ringworld surface which you can clearly see through the invisible walls of the crew section of the Lying Bastard. Click on the image to enlarge to full size.

		This image by Tom Gordon depicts the scene where the crew leave the wreckage of the Lying Bastard and venture out onto the Ringworld for the first time. On the right are Nessus, Teela Brown, Speaker-to-Animals and Louis Wu.

		(Far Left) The Lazy Ass, a ship designed by Kutyo which he used in his Ringworld fan fiction story. (Left) Another shot of the Lazy Ass, this time approaching the Ringworld
		(Far Left) The Lazy Ass approaching the Shadow Squares. (Left) Final shot in the series by Kutyo.

The following three images were taken from original paintings by Bill Spitak.
	Bill Spitak's variation of the Liar over the edge of RingWorld. Bills says "I assumme the General Products hull has a high refractive index and thus looks like glass, though some of the book implies otherwise. The mirrors are flat stasis fields used to reflect the forward fusion exaust at right angles to the ship. The small tube on the side is a thruster, not a gun. All the boxes on the lower ring are scientific insturments".
	"This next picture is the Liar after it crashes on RingWorld. This was a later picture where I corrected the shape of the hull to match the dimensions Niven gave in one of his books. The shape of the ring and the shadow seperation was calculated from the dimensions given in RingWorld, this is an extremely wide angle lens so that the vertical field of view is over 45 degrees. Notice that the shadows cover exactly the same angle of view vertically all around the ring, this can be proven with high school geometry".
	"The last picture is the Long Shot on the moon around Neptune. It seems Niven got the moon names reversed because he named them wrong as to which one is further away, but I forgot the names of the moons anyway. My sphere is significantly smaller than 1000 meters or whatever he said, I think any practical and realistic movie would have to do this. I also see no reason why the GP company would not make many more shapes than 4 of the hulls. The small ship is a more typical ship made of a GP hull, the wing is for heat dissapation. This picture won me the "Best Amateur Spaceship" at the 1985 Boskone convention in Boston, MA".
These three pieces of art by Bill Spitzak were produced during the period 1985 to 1987. The original paintings were sold at science fiction conventions, however the original copyright still rests with Bill Spitzak and is used here with his permission.

Known Space: The Future Worlds of Larry Niven

Ships and Vehicles