Douglas DC-9-20

[tomten_alle]

Hello,

I am currently developing a high detail blender dc-9. This is the progress that I have made of the fuselage.

http://pici.se/pictures/AthpTIscN.jpg

http://pici.se/pictures/jLtZeIXYV.jpg

(sorry for the bad renders!)

I have also started a bit with the cockpit. But I need more data on the aircraft, I am modeling the cockpit from this poster http://www.esscoaircraft.com/v/vspfiles/photos/12317-2.jpg, but I need it  in higher resolution. I also need more drawings of the wings. Can anyone here help me?

This project will take a while to finish since I am still learning, but I spend most of my weekends modeling.

The plane will be availible for sale when I finish (or freeware if I fail).

[Kaphias]

If you'd like some of the experts here to give some tips, I'd recommend posting wireframe views instead of what you have up there now.

Looking forward to seeing what you can do!

[tomten_alle]

If you'd like some of the experts here to give some tips, I'd recommend posting wireframe views instead of what you have up there now.

Looking forward to seeing what you can do!

Thank you for you quick reply!

Ok, here is a wireframe of the front part of the fuselage:

http://pici.se/pictures/khBtyRfpW.jpg

And a picture of the progress in the cockpit:

http://pici.se/pictures/ajXRTXdMF.jpg

[tomten_alle]

Today I started to model the overhead panel.

http://pici.se/pictures/BaTvpsELw.jpg

Sometimes i wish I was making an airbus. This plane has MILLIONS of knobs, switches and buttons!

Update:

http://pici.se/pictures/elFYphWNt.jpg

Update 2:

http://pici.se/pictures/lrjcwKqmM.jpg

Are there any good tutorials covering plane/car interiors? It doesn´t have to be blender, I just need the concept.

[tomten_alle]

I decided to make a new post for this since this is big news. I just received  some very high res scale drawings from the guy who built this: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208512. I will rebuild the whole fuselage including the cockpit exterior.

Progress:

http://pici.se/pictures/YmTOdnMbJ.jpg

May 24:

Right now I am having some difficulties making the transition from fuselage to nose/cockpit. Are there more good tutorials than danklaude?

May 26:

I just made huge progress. The problem with the transition I mentioned earlier is solved. I will soon give you a screenshot. Please comment on my work!

May 26 update 2:

Just the eyebrows left now. http://pici.se/pictures/oHQcoGylb.gif

June 8:

I am sorry for my slow progress. I have made a site for the aircraft, http://tomtenalle.kicks-ass.net/content/dc9.php. I will still update here anyway.

[tomten_alle]

June 18:

Hello again! I have made quite a lot of work on the plane. I now have windows, wingbox and engines!

http://pici.se/pictures/XByVRwWHx.gif

But I have a very big problem. I have no drawings or data of the wings! Where do I get that information?

[Goran_M]

June 18:

Hello again! I have made quite a lot of work on the plane. I now have windows, wingbox and engines!

http://pici.se/pictures/XByVRwWHx.gif

But I have a very big problem. I have no drawings or data of the wings! Where do I get that information?

Try to google the technical specs of the aircraft.  It should list the airfoil in the tech specs.  Then google the airfoil and see if you can find a cross section for it and model against that.  If the airfoil is not in the planemaker library, you will have to make it using x-planes airfoil maker or javafoil.

[tomten_alle]

June 18:

Hello again! I have made quite a lot of work on the plane. I now have windows, wingbox and engines!

http://pici.se/pictures/XByVRwWHx.gif

But I have a very big problem. I have no drawings or data of the wings! Where do I get that information?

Try to google the technical specs of the aircraft.  It should list the airfoil in the tech specs.  Then google the airfoil and see if you can find a cross section for it and model against that.  If the airfoil is not in the planemaker library, you will have to make it using x-planes airfoil maker or javafoil.

Okay, I did find the name of the airfoil used on the aircraft.

Wing root: DSMA-357/-358

Wing tip: DSMA-359

But they do not exist on google or x-plane! What do I do now?

The boring part of this project is to get all the drawings etc and since this is an old aircraft even the real drawings of it are inaccurate!

[Goran_M]

Something you have to understand about payware, on top of it having to be as accurate as possible, you are going to have to spend money on documentation.  Although X-Plane has a decent library of airfoils, it doesn't have them all.  You're going to have to try to find documentation on the airfoils and make them in airfoil maker.

You could opt to go the basic route and use a default airfoil and basic systems implementation.  It all depends on how realistic you want to go with it.

Goran

[tomten_alle]

Something you have to understand about payware, on top of it having to be as accurate as possible, you are going to have to spend money on documentation.  Although X-Plane has a decent library of airfoils, it doesn't have them all.  You're going to have to try to find documentation on the airfoils and make them in airfoil maker.

You could opt to go the basic route and use a default airfoil and basic systems implementation.  It all depends on how realistic you want to go with it.

Goran

My focus is on the visual model, so I really don´t need full data on the airfoil at this time.

Of topic: I Fond this very interesting book about Douglas jetliners. http://books.google.se/books?id=xAM5OpUZNswC&lpg=PA29&ots=ohG0XKZeiK&dq=dc-9-20%20wing&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

[clavel9]

If it's just the visual model that you're concerned with I doubt the 'foil section is that important right now: it should be possible to give a good approximation based on visual references.

Real aerofoil data are, of course, a different matter. I certainly agree with CaptainG37 though: I've spent in excess of €400 on documentation for a project I'm involved with, not to mention real-life sim access, access to real aircraft, etc. I'd guess research and flight testing (in X-Plane) will have taken at least ten times the amount of time building the visual model took. Maybe more.

[Cat]

I certainly agree with CaptainG37 though: I've spent in excess of €400 on documentation for a project I'm involved with, not to mention real-life sim access, access to real aircraft, etc.

This sounds like the trend of Aircraft Development these days... There is so much time, effort and expense that a developer can input that the aircraft has to be payware. I just hope end users will appreciate all the resources going into these projects. I certainly do and will pay accordingly.

My two cents...

Cat ~

[tomten_alle]

Hi,

Well I think I have made a quite accurate wing based on pictures. So I have this airfoil in blender, i place it over the wingbox and then I use retopo to place the vertices accurately. Do I really need to merge the objects, or can the wing be a separate object in blender? What do you say?

[Goran_M]

It depends on what it looks like.  Many aircraft, 747-400 for example, have the wing smoothly merging into the wingbox, whereas the Sundowner I made, do not. 

It is good practice to make a wing, wingbox and fuselage, all 1 object and then split them each accordingly to make UV mapping easier but without ruining the shape of each object.

Of course, you don't have to go that way if you don't want to.  But it is the proper way to do it if it looks that way in the photographs.

[tomten_alle]

It depends on what it looks like.  Many aircraft, 747-400 for example, have the wing smoothly merging into the wingbox, whereas the Sundowner I made, do not. 

It is good practice to make a wing, wingbox and fuselage, all 1 object and then split them each accordingly to make UV mapping easier but without ruining the shape of each object.

Of course, you don't have to go that way if you don't want to.  But it is the proper way to do it if it looks that way in the photographs.

So I merged the objects and this is what it looks like:

http://pici.se/pictures/twOOsjssY.gif

Does that look good enough?

[Goran_M]

I'd have to see a close up of the join on the real aircraft.

It appears to be ok, though.

You will learn more through building.  Keep going.

[tomten_alle]

I'd have to see a close up of the join on the real aircraft.

It appears to be ok, though.

It appears to be fairly accurate.

The nose section has some geometry that is hard to model.

This is how it is now:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5023/47642462.gif

As you can see, I have modeled some geometry that does not show up when I set it smooth.

But if I mark the seams as sharp the geometry shows up.

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3363/16260604.gif

Should I just set the edges to sharp and live with that or should I take care of that later in a bump map?

[clavel9]

Some of the edges in the second image look too sharp. I think it would be worth loading the object into X-Plane to see how it deals with the geometry. That's where it's going to be seen, after all.

[F40PH]

There's some very rough drawings here for the 717, which uses identical airfoils.

http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~mason/Mason_f/B717PresS07.pdf

[tomten_alle]

Hello again!

Nope, the project isn´t dead! I took a little break for the summer. Today I made the rudder. No moving surfaces yet, but it is coming.

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/3002/fulll.gif

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3946/tail.gif

[tomten_alle]

The wings are now all done, just the animations and the landing gear left (plus texturing and the vc).

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6233/renderjpg.jpg

[tomten_alle]

I ran in to some issues today when I tried to skin the interior of the cockpit because the windows should be rounded, mine where not rounded. So using some subsurf and mad skill I now have round windows suitable to create a interior.

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6044/renderx.jpg

I also modeled the landing gear doors, they look fantastic!

[Cameron]

Looks like you're having fun.

Keep up the good work!

[tomten_alle]

Looks like you're having fun.

Keep up the good work!

Thank you!

[samen]

You are a very good 3D modeller!