Stirling 3D/4D Model

Awesome work…..

I know what you mean about being too busy!

Hi All

Finally I have the facility to generate 360 spherical images and soon stereoscopic, videos and Virtual Reality.

Till then do take the pilots seat and have a look around. This is just a trial to see if it works – the quality and content should be so much better soon – sadly I am a little busy with the rest of life.

https://360player.io/player/tHUsbg/

Cheers
James

Some work to go yet on the rear turret ammo feed system. Apparently the MKI’s had the system fitted but didn’t use it until a later turret type was fitted! I suspect that the reason for the very long feed rails was to keep the weight of al the ammunition close to the centre of gravity.

Cheers
James

Hi James,

I hear that Cinema 4D “lite” is now bundled with the Adobe cloud so I guess that the software could end up being “adobfied”…. Not sure if that is good or bad for its future!

Anyway your work is stunning and totally agree with your aproach using a more “artistic” package rather than a technical CAD package.

Hi Paul

I wasn’t aware of that development – I know that other such packages have been absorbed by bigger companies and er, ‘improved along corporate lines’ Hopefully it won’t happen to Cinema – though in theory I should be able to use my current version ad-infinitum!

Thanks for your kind comments too.

James

Hi James,

I hear that Cinema 4D “lite” is now bundled with the Adobe cloud so I guess that the software could end up being “adobfied”…. Not sure if that is good or bad for its future!

Anyway your work is stunning and totally agree with your aproach using a more “artistic” package rather than a technical CAD package.

Hi Martin

I’ve been diverted a lot by damp in a friends house and other building work – but I made a good fist of some new flashing I am pleased to say!

Still working on a video showing all the holes along the top surface of the Stirling – met some issues with the way the modelling software smooths over the fuselage which involves a lot of ‘fiddling’ to get smooth.

Added a request to you on your facebook page for some dimensions :eagerness:

Cheers
James

Sorry…been away in Glastonbury James…will check the FB page ASAP !!!

This is extraordinary – very well done James – a work of art and engineering.

If you don’t mind me asking, how is this done? What software etc? You talk about being able to trace diagrams/plans? Surely they are 2D?

Many thanks, Don

Hi Don

I use a program called Cinema 4D, it’s one more D than 3D as you can animate virtually everything about the model in time – as I plan to make an animated ‘film’ of the Stirling (in about 15 years time…!) the animation is essential. The program isn’t a technical drawing package like Autocad as that doesn’t give the opportunity for the essential artistic effects necessary to provide photrealistic results. Using Cinema will allow me to have flames, smoke explosions and stereo sound. The model is still just the physical ‘parts’ at the moment – there is still a massive learning curve relating to painting or ‘texturing’ of the model. It’s possible with this program to ‘paint’ a surface in rusted paint work, rubber, gold, ice, what ever…

The program converts 2D (in one window) into 3D in another, so if I know an item is a cylinder I can adjust its diameter in the 2D image against the 2D drawing in the background while the 3D model does its thing in the other window. I can make the object partially transparent so that I can see the background image. You can also position the items in one 2D plane using the background image, but you need a drawing in another plane to get them correct in 3D space!

Things that are not runing in the XY plane are exactly the pain that you might imagine, however you can manipulate all the points that make up an item readily with a number of tools. In reality I’ve probably thrown away more work than I have left! Usefully though, you can make invisible parts you are happy with and work uncluttered on new parts.

The model can be covered in pictures too – some of the instruments have photos of a real instrument on them – they look the best. The hardest part of this model is to come – for example painting oil trails from the engine – really you need an artist for this! However I can ‘copy’ a single rivet head and ‘paste’ that hundreds of thousands of times so some jobs are a breeze. Look at the floor for a simple example of this.

The animation lets you see what was never filmed – so one day the wing bomb bay doors will open in flight and you’ll be able to sit in the bomb aimers position in a landing – in reality I’m ages away from getting this model finished but I’m really enjoying all the processes and research so it’s just great all the time!

Cheers
James

This is extraordinary – very well done James – a work of art and engineering.

If you don’t mind me asking, how is this done? What software etc? You talk about being able to trace diagrams/plans? Surely they are 2D?

Many thanks, Don

Any updates James??

Hi Martin

I’ve been diverted a lot by damp in a friends house and other building work – but I made a good fist of some new flashing I am pleased to say!

Still working on a video showing all the holes along the top surface of the Stirling – met some issues with the way the modelling software smooths over the fuselage which involves a lot of ‘fiddling’ to get smooth.

Added a request to you on your facebook page for some dimensions :eagerness:

Cheers
James

Any updates James??

MkI – Mid Upper ladder pulled forward and pivoted down – hatch has been opened by the external handles held under the door in the fuselage next to the hatch.

Nice day – crew off for a walk I guess!

James

Thanks Turretboy

Next set of images will be a walk up the back of the Stirling to see the many holes and items too hard to see on the grainy pics of that period.

James

Incredible work James!! 🙂

Hi Hindenburg

Thanks for the offer, I’ve got the bomb doors pretty much in place now, next items are the roof emergency hatch, and the rear gun ammo runs, the escape ladder and that ood step thingy for the crew to exit from the Astrodome – dimensions of parts of that would be great!

Cheers
James

[ATTACH=CONFIG]244516[ATTACH=CONFIG]244517[/ATTACH] looking fantastic James…as regards dimensions,I have some bomb door parts if you need and shapes or measurements.

This animation shows what it was like to be a gunner in the FN25. Still loads of work to do on the texturing – but that’s for later.

It’s very hard to reproduce what you would actually see – It’s interesting to note that human eyes can see through more than 180 degrees and in fact the edges of your vision is the shape of a big oval! Your vision is only limited by your skull! So I’ve widened the field of view to try and get to a human view, agaian getting that closer will be for later.

https://youtu.be/halriSTAii0

Cheers
James

Hi

As promised this is a link to an animation of the FN25. I don’t think that this was ever filmed.

https://youtu.be/RUBqaqqvk2o

James

a few more…. Video to follow

more shots

Some images of the FN25 installation and pipework.