Adding the Stabilizer and Rudders

Modeling an Airplane

Creating the Gondola

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials >  Modeling Tutorials > Modeling an Airplane > 

Creating the Sponsons

The P-38 was a rugged aircraft because it had twin sponsons that supported the tail, housed the engines and superchargers and contained self-sealing fuel tanks. The airplane could sustain damage to either side, and still fly, thus presenting a formidable challenge to any opponent in a dogfight.

In this lesson, you'll model the sponsons using the same techniques you've already practiced on the wing and tail section. You'll also use the Bevel tools to create the engine exhaust gates.

Create the starboard sponson:

1. Continue from the previous lesson, Adding the Stabilizer and Rudders or open p38_wing_and_tail.max from the \tutorials\p38_lightning folder.
2. On the Create panel, click Cylinder.

   The Cylinder button turns gold, showing it is active and ready to use.

3. In the Front viewport, drag a cylinder out over the left sponson so the radius approximates that in the background image.

   Don't worry about the height, you'll adjust that in a moment. Drag the height to any value.

4. Edit the Cylinder parameters, as follows:
   • Radius=0.558m
   • Height=10.0m
   • Height Segments=6
   • Cap Segments=1
   • Sides=12
5. On the Name and Color rollout, change the name of the object to starboard sponson.
6. In the Top viewport, move the cylinder so it is over the sponson on left side of the background image (this is actually the right side of the plane, hence “starboard”). Position it so the rounded cap at the end, called the propeller spinner, is visible.

   

7. Go to the Modify panel. From the Modifier List, find the Object-Space Modifiers group, and choose Taper.
8. In the modifier stack, expand the Taper hierarchy so the Center and Gizmo are visible, then click the Center to select it.
9. In the Top viewport, move the center so it is at the front of the cylinder.

   

10. In the stack, click Taper to turn off sub-object selection.
11. Now adjust the taper Amount to 0.8.

    

    Tapered sponson aligned with the background image.

    (The front of the sponson is just behind the propeller spinner.)

12. In the Front viewport, rotate the sponson about 15 degrees about its Y axis so the left and right sides are vertical.
    TipAlternatively, for greater precision you could enter 15 into the Y-coordinate field at the bottom.

Later in this lesson, you'll further shape the sponson by repeating the same technique as before: converting to Editable Poly, selecting rows of vertices, and moving them into position over the background image.

But first you'll create the propeller cap, or “spinner,” at the forward end of the cylinder using a hemisphere and AutoGrid.

Add the propeller spinner:

1. Zoom into the Perspective viewport so you have a close view of the front end of the cylinder. Right-click the viewport label, and set the shading mode to Smooth + Highlights and Edged Faces.

   

2. Open the Create panel. In the Object Type rollout, click to turn on Sphere.
3. Turn on AutoGrid, the check box below Object Type. Now move your cursor over the surface of the end of the cylinder.

   An axis tripod follows your cursor, showing you where the sphere will be drawn.

   

4. In the Parameters rollout, turn on Base To Pivot.

   This lets you draw a sphere off the end of the cylinder.

5. Move your cursor over the end of the cylinder, and draw a sphere.

   It doesn't matter what size; you will adjust the parameters after you draw it.

6. Edit the Parameters, as follows:
   • Radius=0.558m
   • Segments=12
   • Hemisphere=0.5

     Now instead of a sphere, there is a hemisphere.

7. Rotate the hemisphere so the 12 segments of the cylinder and the hemisphere are at the same angle. Fifteen degrees about the Y axis.
8. On the toolbar, click the Align button, then click the cylinder. In the Align Position (World) group, turn on X Position and Z Position. This properly aligns the hemisphere and the cylinder. Click OK

   

   The spinner is aligned to the end of the sponson.

9. Rename this object starboard spinner.
10. Save your scene as myp38_sponson.max.

    You'll be converting the sponson cylinder to an editable poly so it's a good time to save your scene.

Finish shaping the sponson:

1. Select the sponson cylinder object and right-click. Choose Convert To: > Convert To Editable Poly from the quad menu.
2. In the Selection rollout, click Vertex.
3. In the Left viewport, select a column of vertices and then on the toolbar, choose Non-Uniform Scale from the scale flyout. Non-uniform scale them closer together, watching the bitmap as a guide. Then right-click, choose Move from the quad menu, and position the row.
4. Repeat this process for all seven columns of vertices in the Left viewport, so the outline of the sponson matches the background more closely.

   

   Select one column at a time, scale, then move.

5. Click the Vertex selection button to turn it off, then select the spinner hemisphere in the viewport.
6. Move the propeller spinner away so you can see the end of the sponson in the Perspective viewport.
7. Select the cylinder again and turn on Vertex selection.
8. Select the vertices in the forward end of the cylinder and non-uniform scale them about the X axis only. Use the Transform gizmo X arrowhead, and watch the coordinate display in the status bar. Scale down to 60 percent along the X axis.

   This returns the end of the cylinder to a more circular shape.

   

9. Turn off sub-object selection by clicking Vertex again in the Selection rollout, then move the hemisphere back into place. Change its radius so it fits over the end of the sponson again.

Finish the propeller spinner:

1. Collapse the hemisphere to an editable poly by right-clicking, and choosing Convert to: Convert to Editable Poly.
2. In the Perspective viewport, select the vertex in the center of the hemisphere.
3. In the Soft Selection rollout, turn on Use Soft Selection and adjust the Falloff so the second ring of vertices turns yellow, but the last rows do not. Move the selection forward along the Y axis.

   

4. Lower the soft selection so only the vertex at the tip is selected, and move the tip forward to form the bullet shape.

   

5. Click the Vertex selection button to turn it off.

   The sponson is almost finished. There is a blister on either side of the sponson that serves as the exhaust waste gate outlet. You'll create this next, using the Bevel features.

6. Save your scene as myp38_sponson2.max.

Create the exhaust gate outlet:

1. Select the sponson.
2. Turn on Vertex selection for the sponson.
3. In the Top viewport, select the third row of vertices from the top and move them down so they are at the end of the exhaust gate.

   

   Select and move these red vertices down.

4. Select the fourth row and move them up, so they are positioned at the start of the exhaust gate.

   

   Select and move these red vertices up.

   The vertices now line up in the top view, but need adjustment in the left view.

5. In the Left viewport, scale the selected vertices smaller along the Y axis, as necessary against the profile of the background image.
6. On the Selection rollout, choose Polygon.

   This lets you select polygons instead of vertices.

7. Make sure the Select Object button is turned on. In the Left viewport, drag a selection window over the polygons shown in the illustration below.

   The selected polygon displays in red. If you don't see a fully shaded polygon, only surrounding edges, right-click the Left viewport label and choose Configure. In the Rendering Options group, turn on Shade Selected Faces.

   

   Dragging the selection window over these three polygons in the Left viewport also selects the three polygons on the opposite side of the sponson.

   NoteIt's important to have Select Object active here. If Select And Move were active instead, after making the first corner of your selection window you'd start dragging the polygon around, giving you undesired results.
8. On the Edit Polygons rollout, click the Bevel Settings button to open the Bevel Polygons dialog.
9. Set the Height setting to 0.152m. Set the Outline Amount to -0.095m. Click OK.

   

10. Region Zoom around the exhaust gate in the Left viewport.

    Because you have Lock Zoom/Pan turned on for the background image, you might see a dialog warning that some amount of memory is necessary to redisplay the background. Click Yes.

11. Once again, use a selection window to select the newly created polygons at the front of the exhaust gate, and then hold down the Ctrl key and drag another selection window across the polygons at the rear.

    This will also select the polygons on the opposite side of the sponson.

    

12. Click the Bevel Settings button and set the Height to -0.1m and the Outline Amount to -0.025m . Click OK.

    

13. In the modifier stack, click Editable Poly to exit the sub-object level.
14. Save your scene as myp38_sponson3.max.

    Next, you’ll clone the starboard sponson and spinner to make the port sponson and spinner.

Clone the sponson:

1. Select the sponson, if it isn't selected already.
2. Hold down the Ctrl key and click the propeller spinner.

   Now both objects are selected.

3. In the Top viewport, hold down the Shift key and move the selected objects to the right.

   The Clone Options dialog appears.

4. Name the clone port sponson and click OK.
5. Select the new propeller spinner on the port side and rename it to port spinner.
   TipFeel free to change the colors of all the objects so the plane looks more realistic.

   

   The P-38's wing, sponsons, and tail

6. Save your work as myp38_nogondola.max.

   All that remains is the central gondola and canopy detail.