kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 04:58 AM | Reply with quote #1 |
|
As there has been some interest in 3D aircraft modelling I thought I would start a basic mini tutorial, which shows how to create a cowling, fuselage and wing of a Nieuport 11 using the free 3D program blender. I will also give some guidance on how to uvmap so you can create some textures for your aircraft.
I've never used blender before so some of the stuff in this guide might not be the best way to do it.
Step 1
Download Blender 2.45 & install. Download Python 2.5 for your operating system & install. Note: Python allows full functionality of the software.
Step 2
Download these 3 PDF files which teach you the basics of the interface, keyboard shortcuts and have some tutorials that are well worth going through before you start modelling aircraft.
Step3
Download Nieuport 11 Plans.
Once download I opened the blueprint in photoshop and saved it as greyscale jpg file. I then extracted from that file the top, front (with cross sections) and side views and saved them as seperate files which are then loaded into blenders windows as background images for modelling.
Step4
Divide up your blender interface into 4 3D view windows + 1 buttons window (on the right). The first of the PDF's in step2 shows how to split up windows. The way to do it is to right click on the joints between windows and split them by dragging the cursor which creates more windows.
Set the view of each window as follows. Upper left (top view), Upper right (front view), Bottom Left (side view), Bottom Right (perspective view). The top, side and front views should also be set to orthographic.
You can maximise any of those 4 views to fill the screen by hitting the Ctl+up arrow and then go back to 4 view by Ctl+up arrow.
Once you've done that you go to file menu and save as default so that all new blender files you create will look like this, which saves setting it up all the time.
The attached image show how it should look.
Attached Images:
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 05:08 AM | Reply with quote #2 |
|
Step 5
Setting up the blueprints is relatively straightforward. This tutorial shows how to do it. Top view of aircraft is inserted as a background image in top 3D view. Then do the same for the side and front views. I moved the background image using the X and Y offsets so the centre of the fuselage is in line with red, green and blue viewport dividers.
Place the 3D cursor on the tip of the centre of the propellor in the top and front views (red and white circle in the image above). Then move the background image of the side view to align the tip of its propellor with the 3D cursor. This ensures that all 3D views are aligned in 3D space so when you start modelling objects it should align with the blueprints.
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
NeilF92
Crewdog
Registered: 11/20/06
Posts: 2,911
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 04:11 PM | Reply with quote #3 |
|
Ok - I cropped the 3 views to exactly the nose /tail/wing tips and have the three background views positioned as shown -i.e. with the cursor aligned on the prop spinner centre in all three .
I also cut and repasted the fuselage section views into the front view .
__________________
 |
| Loading... | |
PeteWenman
Moderator
Registered: 10/29/06
Posts: 1,011
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 05:39 PM | Reply with quote #4 |
|
I've got the three views plugged in, but I can't download the pdf. tutorials and so am having a bugger of a time try to work in the windows.
P
__________________
 |
| Loading... | |
NeilF92
Crewdog
Registered: 11/20/06
Posts: 2,911
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 06:01 PM | Reply with quote #5 |
|
Hi Pete - I couldnt download the PDF either for some reason. I used the manual from the Blender Help instead
I only " think" I have achieved the initial set up - we shall see!
__________________
|
| Loading... | |
kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 06:46 PM | Reply with quote #6 |
|
Not sure why you guys are having trouble downloading the PDF's but not to worry as all the info that is in the PDF is available on the same web page in html format which is a lot easier to navigate than the PDF as all the links are there to take you straight to where your want to go.
If you scroll further down the page where the pdf's are you'll see the section called beginners tutorial. Click on the link titled "Learn the blender window system". This teaches you how to split up the Blender interface into several windows.
Dividing up the blender interface is indeed a bit of tricky business till you get the hang of it but without instructions I doubt anybody could work it out...so Pete I can fully appreciate your frustration.
Neil...good to hear you got that part all sorted.
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
NeilF92
Crewdog
Registered: 11/20/06
Posts: 2,911
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 07:54 PM | Reply with quote #7 |
|
Hi Kevin
One simple thing bugs me - I can't find how to delete two blend files I created but no longer wish to retain.
I tried to save a version as a JPEG but it automatically sticks ."blend" onto the end and I want rid of the two screw ups.
also
I have the tip of the prop in the top view resting on the red line - yours runs through the middle of the plane . The green line bisects the fuselage as in yours. Does this matter as long as the cursor is located at the spinner in all three views?
cheers
Neil
__________________
|
| Loading... | |
kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 09:41 PM | Reply with quote #8 |
|
Neil
Go to windows explorer and navigate to the directory where you saved the blend files, highlight them and delete.
You should save your work as *.blend not as jpg.
If the 3D cursor lines up with the same spot on the plans in all 3 Views it still should be ok. It is good practice though to align your blueprints centrally on the grid (which is the green, red and blue lines). It sometime makes mirror and transform operations a bit easier.
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
felixdk
Moderator
Registered: 10/21/06
Posts: 2,961
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 10:05 PM | Reply with quote #9 |
|
Guys,
I'm runnin' on empty tonight, but I'll catch up ASAP. Hopefully others will join in and we can have a squadron of N.11s.
__________________
Don
"Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!."
 |
| Loading... | |
kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/10/07 at 10:55 PM | Reply with quote #10 |
|
Felixdk
No Problem. I'll post a new update every now and then and when you guys get a chance to have a go in blender, just post any questions you might have. There is no need for us all to be working at the same pace which is always going to difficult with busy lives etc.
The tyre
Rather than start with cowling I decided to start with something a bit easier...the tyre.
Align your 3D cursor with centre of the wheel in the front and side views.
Spacebar->Add->Mesh->Torus. I chose 1 for dia and .15 for inside dia and then 8,8. I can't seem to find a way to modify the parameters of the Torus once it is created so it is best to make it proportionally the right size from the start. May require a couple of goes.
Note: For circular items like wheels and cowls, I usually make them 8 sided but you could go down as low as 5 which will still give a nice smooth circle once subsurf is applied.
Once the torus is created go back to object mode and scale wheel to dia of wheel on blueprints. (See Image). Note: how the blueprints fit neatly inside my 8 sided torus, this is required because the subsurf modifier tends to pull everything in. Then click on add modifier from button panels and choose subsurf and set levels to 2. This will then give us a nice smooth tyre. Attached Images:
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/11/07 at 03:06 AM | Reply with quote #11 |
|
The Wheel Hub
Wheel hub is a pretty easy thing to model. For the tyre we used subsurf to round it all out and make it smooth. I'm going to model the hub without using subsurf just to show other techniques that can be used to model details. Not everything you model needs subsurf applied to it.
Go to side view Space->Add->Mesh->Cylinder. I chose 48 sides, 1 and 0.2 for the paramenters. Go to front view and select all the faces on the outside face of the wheel hub and extrude 4 times with the E key. Go to the side view and scale the cylinder down to match the dia of the wheel hub. Select the tyre and press the H key to hide the tyre while your work on the hub. Alt H will unhide the tyre later on. Go to front view and select the two end rows of vertices with the B key. and scale them down to the dia of axle protrusion. Unhide the tyre and then Move and scale vertices as required for the rest of the hub until they match the blueprint and tyre. Attached Images:
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
PeteWenman
Moderator
Registered: 10/29/06
Posts: 1,011
| |
kevjon
Moderator
Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 1,432
|
| Posted 11/11/07 at 09:40 AM | Reply with quote #13 |
|
Pete
It appears your side view is set to front view.
If you look at my side view you'll note the cursor at the bottom left of the window is green and blue while yours is red and blue (like the front view).
Its quite odd the way blender works in this regard so easy to get confused.
__________________
Kevin |
| Loading... | |
felixdk
Moderator
Registered: 10/21/06
Posts: 2,961
| |
PeteWenman
Moderator
Registered: 10/29/06
Posts: 1,011
|
| Posted 11/11/07 at 10:00 AM | Reply with quote #15 |
|
Guys hi
Ok I'm sorted with the axis, and did manage to create a wheel. 
I'm stuck on the cylinder however.
Quote: Go to front view and select all the faces on the outside face of the wheel hub and extrude 4 times with the E key.
Sounds so easy, however I have not yet worked out how to select, and when I push E I get further options. Still it's kinda fun
P
__________________
|
| Loading... | |
