Hi Steve, yeah when you've got shapes that are sort of flowing and blending in multiple directions at the same time sub-d smoothing often tends to be better suited for creating stuff like that.

That's when you're getting to areas where the parts that you are creating are less structured, they're less defined just by profile curve and then the profile-curve driven paradigm that MoI is focused on doesn't match with them as well as it does with other kinds of shapes.

Sometimes though the underlying profile curves are there but are really coming from a larger extended surface that is cut off at a certain point.

A lot of times vehicles are in a kind of gray zone having some aspects that are good for NURBS like cut out areas but then other things like melty blendy areas that are good for sub-d.

- Michael

Many thanks to all !!! I am in awe at the expertise brought into play on my behalf.

It's now 11:30pm here ( in the model aircraft design office ) and my brain hurts - so I will sleep on it and follow your suggestions tomorrow.

My normal method when faced with such problems, is to keep trying different approaches until something clicks - I don't have to work to any deadlines - but sometimes this leads to brain-fade.


Thanks again


John

Hi Michael - I like the approach !

Sadly, from the side elevation the circular openings are not in a plane.

But it is always useful to learn new techniques.


John

Hi BurrMan ,

Many thanks for your feedback - it looks pretty good. I just would never have thought of doing it that way.

There is one very slight issue, the surfaces of the cowl itself does not quite flow smoothly into the surfaces of the front fuselage. If you look at the "Top View" you can see it

Following your example, I shall try to create a smoother blend

John

Hello StevMacc !

Any chance of seeing a picture of your Sub-D Typhoon ? What modeling software did you use ?

The only experience I have of this type of modelling, (if I have understood) is a trial use of "Sculptris"

It may be me - but I couldn't seem to control the surfaces created with any precision.


John

At last - the near-perfect surface model of the TK4 front engine cowl !!!!!

With thanks to Michael and BurrMan - who both pointed the way for me.

My mistake. It's actually a Tempest. I haven't actually finished it but here is a screen shot of the fuselage. This is in Modo. The part I had difficulty with in MoI is the fuselage forward of the wing where the air intake is blended to the engine cover. If you have the chance to see a real one, it is made of fairly small pieces of aluminium bashed with a hammer and riveted together. There are a fair few gaps.

Nice model Steve !

I have no experience of Modo.

How does the user interface compare with MOI ?

What do you plan to do with the model when finished ?

John

PS: UK aircraft of that era were all made by skilled sheet metal workers doing things by eye and touch.

It was quite common to see notes like "Blend smoothly between ribs" on manufacturing drawings.

I only model aircraft as a hobby, so I am not going to do anything with it other than render, print and maybe hang it on my wall!

Modo is a very different type of modeller to MoI so the UI requirements are very different as well. There have been many threads on here where Michael discusses the difference between a Nurbs modeller like MoI and sub-d polygon modellers like Modo.

For ease of use, MoI stands out amongst Nurbs modellers. I also use Alias Design, which is far more powerful than MoI in the Nurbs surfacing field, but is probably the hardest UI I have ever had the misfortune to learn.

Modo is designed to have a very fast workflow when modelling in sub-d but because of that, it is not as easy to learn as Cinema 4D.

Good point. When the real ones were made. the metalworkers were essentially sculpting in sheet aluminium. That, I think, is why it is difficult to do in a Nurbs modeller. Sculpting type operations are better done in Sub-D.

Here's one attempt



I think I'll try one with a thicker area for the blend...

Tightened it up a bit.. Working on blending it into the body towards the back.