P38 Lightning

[kevjon]

After a quick google.

Here is one that I found http://cybermodeler.com/aircraft/p-38/p-38.shtml

[bazze]

thanks Kevin

[bazze]

update.. working on the basic shape:

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060101.jpg

[kevjon]

Nice start Bazze


You will need tighten up the mesh around the front of the canopy as your fillets are looking to large in this area.

It might be best to model the nacelles in one complete flowing mesh and do the cut outs for the superchargers at a later stage. ATM your nacelles have a bad dip around this area. Anyway just a thought.

Everything else looks good.

[bazze]

You will need tighten up the mesh around the front of the canopy as your fillets are looking to large in this area.

I will probably cut out the canopy when I freeze the mesh. Then I can make the canopys mesh denser without affecting the rest. I think that is the best way to do it (?)


It might be best to model the nacelles in one complete flowing mesh and do the cut outs for the superchargers at a later stage. ATM your nacelles have a bad dip around this area. Anyway just a thought.

Yes you're right - I'll make the cut outs after I freeze the mesh. Don't know what's causing the dip (but I see it) because it isn't visible when looking from the side.

[bazze]

The mesh is now "frozen" and I have begun with some of the details. Next things will be cutting out the area around the turbo chargers, air intakes unter the propellers and separating the cockpit canopy.

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060102.jpg

[kevjon]

I think the dip on the nacelles is a bit of a optical illusion. It will probably be fine.

Very nice progress, its looking really good.

Here is some crits which hopefully will prove useful.

Tailplane needs a airfoil shape and the back of the cabin has a bad step in it that shouldn't be there but I know your only using the cabin area as a rough in which will be cut away after freezing so it could look ok once this all done.

The rear intakes would look better with a bit of fillet between them and the nacelles but I guess it is easier to keep them seperate (from a modelling point of view) or perhaps they can be added after freezing.

The airscoops on the top front of the nacelles need to taper to a point at the rear

The top of the front of the nacelles should be flatter and so should the nose of the aircraft forward of the cockpit.

The fillets at the rear of the wing where it joins the nacelles also look a little large.

The fillet at the leading edge of the wing where it joins the fuselage also needs to be bigger and flow more forward.

[bazze]

"Tailplane needs a airfoil shape"

It looks flat from this angle but is thick in the front and thin in the back but I guess I need to make it more round.

"the back of the cabin has a bad step in it that shouldn't be there"

Yes you're right - I'll fix that

The rear intakes would look better with a bit of fillet between them and the nacelles but I guess it is easier to keep them seperate (from a modelling point of view)

Making these seperately is a deliberate quick solution. I'm not sure I would be able to make a nice mesh If I would extract them instead. This probably will not be visible in the final renders.

The airscoops on the top front of the nacelles need to taper to a point at the rear

Yepp, you're right - I'll fix that

The top of the front of the nacelles should be flatter and so should the nose of the aircraft forward of the cockpit.

Yepp, you're right - I followed the cross sections but those areas look flatter on photos.

The fillets at the rear of the wing where it joins the nacelles also look a little large.

The fillet at the leading edge of the wing where it joins the fuselage also needs to be bigger and flow more forward.

I'm not sure that I understand. Do you mean that the fillet in the rear should be tighter/sharper angle (and the opposite on the front fillet)?

[bazze]

Worked a bit on the canopy and added air intakes under the propeller hubs. Reworked the nacelles a bit and made the front of the top flatter (did the same to the top of the nose). I also tightened the polygons in the fillet where the wings meet the nacelles and added a couple of details.

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060105.jpg

[danvers]

hey looks quite good! its a nice technique on how to create the reference blueprints!
i've found a site about the p38, maybe you already saw it but here it is http://p-38online.com/
hope it helps a bit to get some informations you want!
cya dan

[bazze]

thanks for the link danvers - you can never have to many reference photos! I'm still looking for some references showin the turbo charger (the item on top of the nacelles)..

[bazze]

Built and added the superchargers and separated movable parts like flaps, ailerons, rudder and the elevator. Built an undercarriage compartement and hatches and started building the undercarriage.

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060107.jpg

[bazze]

Cockpit interior and undercarriage finished.

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060108.jpg

[woutb]

looks great .. no comments from me. Love the render .. war program and renderer are u using ?

[bazze]

thanks woutb -> C4D

[kevjon]

Good going bazze....look forward to your textures.

[GallenWolf]

Nice render, reminds me of scale models that are just primed :) Look forward to your textures.

Alvin

[bazze]

thanks for your comments. I'm now in the progress of UV-mapping the model. I also haven't decided which color scheme I'll be using..

[danvers]

how do you map it? with bodypaint? or do you have another way? so i saw your other models they look fantastic!

*ah now i've read how you work :)

[bazze]

Done UV-mapping and now playing around with texturing.

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060110.jpg

[danvers]

wow thats a fantastic model! but a little more dirt/smoke would be fine, i think

[kevjon]

Really nice progress bazze.....textures are looking very good so far. l'm looking forward to further progress.

[bazze]

Here's an update - the metal shader has been reworked (+ added some smalled details in the texture)

* Shader illumination settings changed (from "Phong" to "Blinn")
* Replaced the texture in the specularity color channel with a painted texture (made up of panel lines + a wavy black & white pattern) to make the metal surface look a bit bumpy.

http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060111.jpg

[slice56]

where did you get those plane prints?

very nice :)

[jjcoolio]

I really like it. Really good reference and great model. One thing bothers me is the color of the background. I hope it could be a bit different from the plane.(just my thought). I hope to see more. good luck!

[bazze]

@ slice56 ->
the blueprints are from www.airwar.ru.

@ jjcoolio ->
"One thing bothers me is the color of the background. I hope it could be a bit different from the plane"
Of course. This is just a wip of the model. Once finished it will be placed in an environment - on the ground or in the air.

[bazze]

testing environment settings
http://www.colacola.se/pix/p38_wip/p38_wip_060115.jpg

[Primo_itch]

I think you should work the plane texture a little more. WW2 planes had, 99% of them, Pin-ups and names.
Also, its this a real painting scheme used on that plane ? If not, you should try researching those. There where some really nice paintings on those planes... :)
And for a fighter, unless this one has come out of the factory right now, it should be a lot more "weathered"... Painting would chip down, the parts around the gun would come black from shooting, etc...

btw, the model is great! :D

[retardedmonkey]

I agree with Primo_itch....it needs more wear and tear, I doubt planes keep their perfection very long. But the m0del is very nice, looks very accurate too! Great job :thumbsup:

[bazze]

Primo_itch:
yepp a lot of planes had pin-up painted on them (like the P38 tangerine version). I used such a theme on my previous plane (P47, version "My gal sal").

I haven't seen many silver painted P38s with pin-ups ("the hitchhiker" uses a figure but not a pin-up).

The paint scheme in this image is a real one with some minor changes.

In some of my previous images I have over-done the weathering and dirt in the texture. Looking at photos there really isn't that much paint chipping and hardly any dirt around the guns. I don't think I will add more but I'll try to strenghten the existing (paint miscoloration, dirt layers etc).

[danvers]

hey how did you make the motion blur? i guess you added a motionblur tag to the props
did you use many samples maybe you can give me some advice, those stuff is also useful to
fake a driving car by putting motion blur on the objects, but my results have been very bad
cya dan

[Silverdog]

Bazze, You've done it again! Another great aircraft model. Very nice modeling
and textures. Look forward to the final version! Beautiful!! :thumbsup:


Kent

[bazze]

@ Danvers:
You could do it in that way but I used a different technique.
The spinning propellers are 2 simple discs with 2 textures:

* Color channel: Color texture with radial motion blur
* Alpha channel (transparency): Attached texture

Pros: Easier to control the result than using motion blur
Cons: May look flat when looking from the side

@ Silverdog:
Thanks!

[petz]

Great plane model. Can't wait to see the final image! :bounce:

[danvers]

hehe very nice and clever fake! as i said, i tried to add motionblur on a rim, its not easy to control with a few samples, so thanks for that advice!!

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