I've built a lot of airplanes. The technique I usually use is to go to the side view (or occasionally the front or top views) and draw lines to define the windows. Then you can either extrude those lines so they pass through the surface and then use Trim, or you can project the curves onto the surface and Trim. I used this technique on my Messerschmitt Libelle model which you can see a few threads down from this one. Note that when viewed from the side, the lines I had to draw were just straight lines.

I normally don't bother adding any thickness to the windows. Unless you're planning on doing an extreme close-up shot, you'll never notice the difference.

Here's a B-17 I modeled in Rhino a long time ago. For most of the windows I drew the lines in the side view. For the two front windows that the pilot and copilot look through, I switched to the front view. A few of the windows needed to be drawn in the top view.



Steve S.

Hi!

Thanks, Michael, for your detailed reply. I am getting much better results now. I have a pretty good fillet now that I will go with. I think I read that you might include a variable radius fillet in v. 2, which I think would be perfect for this sort of shape--the front of the canopy is a sort of loose "S" shape, while the sides are fairly tight. I did have a chance to try this with Rhino's VariableFilletSrf, but I ended up having to slice the shapes and mirror and was left with a visible seam and some grunge I had to trim off. So I will stick with MoI's cleaner fillet and wait for v. 2. From what you've done so far, I am sure it will exceed Rhino's commands in the same ways MoI currently does.

Thanks also to you, Steve. That's a great Flying Fortress. As you can see from my attachment, I am working on an old Buck Rogers rocket that I haven't seen modeled before. However, since I will eventually add a lot more detail than I have in my reference image, I found a ton of B-17 reference images for inspiration. So it's neat to see that plane in particular. I will be doing a ball turret for my rocketship shortly, too. :)

I think I see pilots in your B-17. Am I to understand that you just float them inside the plane and they are visible by virtue of the transparent material you applied to the window area, or did you "carve out" (Boolean or shell) your cockpit area?

Anyway, thanks a lot!

>>>I think I see pilots in your B-17. Am I to understand that you just float them inside the plane and they are visible by virtue of the transparent material you applied to the window area, or did you "carve out" (Boolean or shell) your cockpit area?


The planes fuselage is completely hollow. It's just a surface so there's no need to boolean anything. I projected the window curves onto the surface and used them to trim the surface. Don't Remove the windows when trimming.

I did some googling and found a photo of the rocket you're modeling. Using the Project Curve to Surface should work for your window.

Steve S.

Hi Steve,

Thanks, I guess I was trying to ensure everything was solid. It will be much easier if I can just put down surfaces for some things. The rocket is from "The Misadventures of Admiral Cornplaster: Part 1 -- Voyage of the Golden Spaceship El Dorado (Series II, Strips 181 to 216)."

Formerly I couldn't find any pics at all of it online, so I got the plastic modeling book I remembered it from when I was a kid, Famous Spaceships of Fact and Fantasy. I believe there was an Estes rocketry kit of it that I made when I was young, too, but haven't seen that online yet. I rechecked and I did find this version from eBay (attached).

If you have found a similar looking one could you remember what you searched for?

See you, --M

This was the one that I found. It's similar, but not exactly the same.

http://billzeman.blogspot.com/2006/05/buck-rogers.html

For the one you posted, the side windows can be projected from the side, the front ones from the front, but for the one right on the corner you may need to rotate the ship and then project the circle. If you tried to project it from either the side or the front it would become distorted.


Steve S.

an another one :)
http://www.andersonauctions.net/images/Fall_2004/buck%20rogers1.jpg

Hi, thanks Steve and Frenchy. I will try that out and maybe post back sometime when things are more together. I am doing engines now and the probably tricky wings next. See you later, --M