FlightGear wiki - User contributions [en]

User:Owenpsmith/BristolFreighter

2021-02-22T23:34:13Z

Owenpsmith: Minor grammar fix

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}

 

The '''Bristol Freighter Mk.31''' was developed late in WWII as a military transport, but it did not go into production in time to see wartime action. Instead it saw postwar military service with numerous air forces, as well as civilian service as a car/passenger air ferry, in later life it served as a bush plane into the 1990s. It was developed from the Mk.21 and later developed again into the lengthened Mk.32.

This FlightGear model is under development by Owen Smith.



== Release Summary ==

20161218.01

* Basic 3D model with animated flight controls including flaps, basic interior, and animated nose doors.
* Simple FDM with good basic handling characteristics aside from a high stall speed.
* Castering tail wheel
* 6-pack instrument panel with tach and flap indicator.
* 2-stage prop effects and cranking smoke effects.
* Temporary texture mapping with Trans-Provincial C-FDFC livery.

== Aircraft help ==

=== Startup ===
#

=== Take-off ===

#

=== Landing ===
#

=== Speeds & limits ===

Landmark Wish List

2021-02-22T23:00:05Z

Owenpsmith: Added Vancouver landmarks

This page provides a list of landmarks which are not currently in the FlightGear scenery that the community consider important and would like to see modeled.

If you are a FlightGear modeler and are looking for something to model, please consider something on this list.

Feel free to add to this list.

__TOC__

{{note|
If you are modelling a landmark, please change the "Completed" column from {{tl|no}} to <nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[:Template:n/a|n/a|Claimed]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki>, and when done change to {{tl|yes}}.}}

== Africa ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmark !! City !! Country !! Completed
|-
| {{wikipedia|Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro}} || Yamoussoukro || Côte d'Ivoire || {{no}}
|-
| Pyramids || Cairo || Egypt || {{yes}}
|-
| Victoria Falls || Victoria Falls || Zimbabwe || {{no}}
|-
| Ikoyi Bridge || Lagos || Nigeria || {{no}}
|-
|-
| Millennium Tower || Abuja || Nigeria || {{no}}
|}

== America ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmark !! City !! Country !! Completed
|-
| Adler Planetarium || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Alex Fraser Bridge}} || Vancouver || Canada || {{no}}
|-
| Bank of America Tower || New York || USA || {{yes}}
|-
| Brooklyn Bridge || New York || USA || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Canada Place}} || Vancouver || Canada || {{no}}
|-
| Christ the Redeemer || Rio de Janeiro || Brazil || {{yes}}
|-
| Chrysler Building || New York || USA || {{yes}}
|-
| Empire State Building || New York || USA || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Golden Ears Bridge}} || Vancouver || Canada || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Hoover Dam}} || Boulder|| USA || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Lions Gate Bridge}} || Vancouver || Canada || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Machu Picchu}} || Aguas Calientes || Peru || {{no}}
|-
| Marina City || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| McCormick Place || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Millenium Park || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Milwaukee Art Museum || Milwaukee || USA || {{no}}
|-
| National Congress || Brasilia || Brazil || {{yes}}
|-
| Navy Pier || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Nazca Lines}} || Estudiantes || Peru || {{no}}
|-
| Oglivie Transportation Center || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Panama canal}} and some boats pls|| Panama city - Colòn || Panama || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Port Mann Bridge}} || Vancouver || Canada || {{no}}
|-
| Shedd Aquarium || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Skunk Works|Skunkworks aircraft] hidden in the mountain of KXTA || Area 51 || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Smurfit-Stone Building || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Soldier Field || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Space Needle || Seattle || USA || {{yes}}
|-
| Union Station || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| United Center || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| United Nations Headquarters || New York || USA || {{yes}}
|-
| U.S. Cellular Field || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Verizon Center || Washington, D.C. || USA || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Windsor Atlantica Hotel}} || Rio de Janeiro || Brazil || {{n/a|Claimed}}
|-
| White House || Washington, D.C. || USA || {{no}}
|-
| Wrigley Field || Chicago || USA || {{no}}
|}

== Asia ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmark !! City !! Country !! Completed
|-
| Akashi Kaikyo bridge || Kobe || Japan || {{yes}}
|-
| Azadi Square || Tehran || Iran || {{no}}
|-
| Bank of China Tower || Hong Kong || China || {{yes}}
|-
| Bitexco Financial Tower || Ho Chi Minh City || Vietnam || {{yes}}
|-
| Burj al Arab || Dubai || UAE || {{yes}}
|-
| Burj Khalifa || Dubai || UAE || {{yes}}
|-
| CCTV Tower || Beijing || China || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Kai Tak Airport|"Checkerboard Hill" (VHHX approach)}} || Hong Kong || China || {{no|No, see [[Talk:Landmark_Wish_List#VHHX request| talk page]]}}
|-
| Great Wall of China || Huairou, Peking / Jiuduhezhen, Huairou, Peking || China || {{no}}
|-
| [[Talk:Landmark_Wish_List#Singapore| Marina Bay Sands]] || Singapore ||Singapore || {{yes}}
|-
| Milad Tower || Tehran || Iran || {{no}}
|-
| [[Talk:Landmark_Wish_List#Singapore| One George Street]] || Singapore ||Singapore || {{no}}
|-
| [[Talk:Landmark_Wish_List#Singapore| One Raffles Place]] || Singapore ||Singapore || {{yes}}
|-
| [[Talk:Landmark_Wish_List#Singapore| One Shenton Way]] || Singapore ||Singapore || {{no}}
|-
| Petronas Towers || Kuala Lumpur || Malaysia || {{yes}}
|-
| [[Talk:Landmark_Wish_List#Singapore| The Pinnacle@Duxton]] || Singapore ||Singapore || {{no}}
|-
| Ryugyong Hotel || Pyongyang || North Korea || {{yes}}
|-
| Sigiriya || Matale District || Sri Lanka || {{no}}
|-
| Taj Mahal || Agra || India || {{yes}}
|-
| Lotte World Tower || Seoul || South Korea || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Baiterek Tower}} || Nur-Sultan (Astana) || Kazakhstan || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center}} || Nur-Sultan (Astana) || Kazakhstan || {{no}}
|}

== Europe ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmark !! City !! Country !! Completed
|-
| Big Ben || London || UK || {{yes}}
|-
| St. Peter's Basilica & square || Vatican City || Vatican City || {{no}}
|-
| Colosseum || Rome || Italy || {{yes}}
|-
| Lapan || Oldenburg, Niedersachsen || Germany || {{no}}
|-
| North Pole (flag and light) || North Pole || World || {{no}}
|-
| Oeresund Bridge || Copenhagen-Malmo || Scandinavia || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Oslo Plaza}} || Oslo || Norway || {{n/a|Claimed}}
|-
| Porta Westfalica/Hermans-Denkmal || Bückeburg (ETHB), Minden || Germany || {{no}}
|-
| Schloss || Oldenburg || Germany || {{no}}
|-
| Schloss || Neuschwanstein || Germany || {{yes}}
|-
| Stade de France || Saint-Denis || France || {{no}}
|-
| Westminster Abbey || London || UK || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Stuttgart TV Tower}} || Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg || Germany || {{yes}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Strépy-Thieu boat lift}} || La Louviere || Belgium || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre}} || La Louviere || Belgium || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Ronquières inclined plane}} || Braine-le-Comte || Belgium || {{no}}
|}

== Australia and Oceania ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmark !! City !! Country !! Completed
|-
| Ayers rock || Uluru || Australia || {{no}}
|-
| {{wikipedia|Q1 (building)|Q1}} || Gold Coast || Australia || {{no}}
|-
| Sky Tower || Auckland || New Zealand || {{n/a|Claimed}}
|-
| Sydney Opera House || Sydney || Australia || {{yes}}
|}

== Related content ==
* [[FlightGear Scenery Designer]]
* [[FlightGear Scenery Database]]
* [[UK Scenery Wish List]]

== External links ==
* [http://forum.flightgear.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2390 The forum topic]
* See [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/ FGFS Scenery Object Database], for more on models for [[Scenery]]

[[Category:Scenery]]
[[Category:Community]]
[[Category:Contribution requests]]

User:Owenpsmith/BristolFreighter

2018-08-28T15:29:42Z

Owenpsmith:

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}

 

The '''Bristol Freighter Mk.31''' was developed late in WWII as a military transport, but it did not go into production in time to see wartime action. Instead it saw postwar military service with numerous air forces, as well as civilian service as a car/passenger air ferry, in later life it served as a bush plane into the 1990s. It was developed from the Mk.21 and later developed again into the lengthened Mk.32.

This FlightGear model is under development by Owen Smith.



== Release Summary ==

20161218.01

* Basic 3D model with animated flight controls including flaps, basic interior, and animated nose doors.
* Simple FDM with good basic handling characteristics aside from a fast stall speed.
* Castering tail wheel
* 6-pack instrument panel with tach and flap indicator.
* 2-stage prop effects and cranking smoke effects.
* Temporary texture mapping with Trans-Provincial C-FDFC livery.

== Aircraft help ==

=== Startup ===
#

=== Take-off ===

#

=== Landing ===
#

=== Speeds & limits ===

User:Owenpsmith/BristolFreighter

2018-08-28T15:29:11Z

Owenpsmith:

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}

 

The '''Bristol Freighter Mk.31''' was developed late in WWII as a military transport, but it did not go into production in time to see wartime action. Instead it saw postwar military service with numerous air forces, as well as civilian service as a car/passenger air ferry, in later life it served as a bush plane into the 1990s. It was developed from the Mk.21 and later developed again into the lengthened Mk.32.

This FlightGear model is under development by Owen Smith.

<--
<center>[[File:Dc3c47-01.png|300px]] [[File:Dc3c47-02.png|300px]] [[File:Dc3c47-03.jpg||300px]]</center>

<center>[[File:DC3Swissairlines.png|300px]] [[File:DC3engineout.png|300px]]</center>
-->

== Release Summary ==

20161218.01

* Basic 3D model with animated flight controls including flaps, basic interior, and animated nose doors.
* Simple FDM with good basic handling characteristics aside from a fast stall speed.
* Castering tail wheel
* 6-pack instrument panel with tach and flap indicator.
* 2-stage prop effects and cranking smoke effects.
* Temporary texture mapping with Trans-Provincial C-FDFC livery.

== Aircraft help ==

=== Startup ===
#

=== Take-off ===

#

=== Landing ===
#

=== Speeds & limits ===

User:Owenpsmith/BristolFreighter

2018-08-28T15:28:35Z

Owenpsmith: Created page with "{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}} The '''Bristol Freighter Mk.31''' was developed late in WWII as a military transport, but it did not go into production in time to see wartime a..."

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/info}}

 

The '''Bristol Freighter Mk.31''' was developed late in WWII as a military transport, but it did not go into production in time to see wartime action. Instead it saw postwar military service with numerous air forces, as well as civilian service as a car/passenger air ferry, in later life it served as a bush plane into the 1990s. It was developed from the Mk.21 and later developed again into the lengthened Mk.32.

This FlightGear model is under development by Owen Smith.

<center>[[File:Dc3c47-01.png|300px]] [[File:Dc3c47-02.png|300px]] [[File:Dc3c47-03.jpg||300px]]</center>

<center>[[File:DC3Swissairlines.png|300px]] [[File:DC3engineout.png|300px]]</center>

== Release Summary ==

20161218.01

* Basic 3D model with animated flight controls including flaps, basic interior, and animated nose doors.
* Simple FDM with good basic handling characteristics aside from a fast stall speed.
* Castering tail wheel
* 6-pack instrument panel with tach and flap indicator.
* 2-stage prop effects and cranking smoke effects.
* Temporary texture mapping with Trans-Provincial C-FDFC livery.

== Aircraft help ==

=== Startup ===
#

=== Take-off ===

#

=== Landing ===
#

=== Speeds & limits ===

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T02:59:00Z

Owenpsmith:

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the opacity of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its opacity to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new layer with 50% opacity on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy of the layer, flip it horizontally, then move it over to the other side to fix it as well. This gives us the following image. We can also have a look for other issue when comparing with the reference image. We can see that the main gear wheels are way to big (tundra tires on a Tutor?), the nose ahead of the canopy is too rounded, and the point of the nose at the nose light is too high. These were better aligned in the top and side views so we will use those for the nose along with cross sections which we will do next.

[[File:Tutorial114.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Finally we will hide the reference in the master image and save it as a jpeg for importing into AC3D

[[File:Tutorial115.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Cross sections ==

I will do one cross section as an example, the others can be added similarly. The plans I have been using so far have very basic "outer skin" cross sections, but I also have some from the maintenance manual that show the internals. The one problem is that they were photographed rather than scanned, so there is a good possibility they have some perspective issues.

[[File:Tutorial116.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

The darker portion of the image was not sitting as flat as the lighter section, so we will work from the lighter section as it will have less distortion. Use the rectangle select tool to select the left half of the cross section, up to the center line. Copy it, paste it as a new layer, then flip it horizontally. Move it over to the right side and line it up on the center line. By setting the opacity to 50%, we can see that the new layer extends significantly past the original lines for the right side. This is due to the paper not being flat, but we have fixed it now by using the better copy from the other side.

[[File:Tutorial117.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Set the opacity back to 100% and merge the layers. Crop the image tightly to the edges of the cross section and we're done. The aspect ratio may not be perfect, but we will look at that once we import it into AC3D.

[[File:Tutorial117.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

. . and we're done! Please see my next tutorial to see how I use these drawings in AC3D.

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T02:33:07Z

Owenpsmith: /* Front View */

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy of the layer, flip it horizontally, then move it over to the other side to fix it as well. This gives us the following image. We can also have a look for other issue when comparing with the reference image. We can see that the main gear wheels are way to big (tundra tires on a Tutor?), the nose ahead of the canopy is too rounded, and the point of the nose at the nose light is too high. These were better aligned in the top and side views so we will use those for the nose along with cross sections which we will do next.

[[File:Tutorial114.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Finally we will hide the reference in the master image and save it as a jpeg for importing into AC3D

[[File:Tutorial115.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

File:Tutorial113.jpg

2018-08-25T02:29:42Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

=={{int:filedesc}}==
{{Information
|description={{en|1=Example for tutorial}}
|date=2018-08-24
|source={{own}}
|author=[[User:Owenpsmith|Owenpsmith]]
|permission=
|other versions=
}}

=={{int:license-header}}==
{{self|cc-by-sa-4.0}}

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T01:34:00Z

Owenpsmith: /* Front View */

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy of the layer, flip it horizontally, then move it over to the other side to fix it as well. This gives us the following image. We can also have a look for other issue when comparing with the reference image. We can see that the main gear wheels are way to big (tundra tires on a Tutor?), the nose ahead of the canopy is too rounded, and the point of the nose at the nose light is too high. These were better aligned in the top and side views so we will use those for the nose along with cross sections which we will do next.

[[File:Tutorial114.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T01:32:51Z

Owenpsmith: /* Front View */

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy of the layer, flip it horizontally, then move it over to the other side to fix it as well. This gives us the following image. We can also have a look for other issue when comparing with the reference image. We can see that the main gear wheels are way to big (tundra tires on a Tutor?), the nose ahead of the canopy is too rounded, and the point of the nose at the nose light is too high.

[[File:Tutorial114.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T01:32:37Z

Owenpsmith: /* Front View */

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy of the layer, flip it horizontally, then move it over to the other side to fix it as well. This gives us the following image. We can also have a look for other issue when comparing with the reference image. We can see that the main gear wheels are way to big (tundra tires on a Tutor?), the nose ahead of the canopy is too rounded, and the point of the nose at the nose light is too high.

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T01:31:48Z

Owenpsmith:

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy of the layer, flip it horizontally, then move it over to the other side to fix it as well. This gives us the following image. We can also have a look for other issue when comparing with the reference image. We can see that the main gear wheels are way to big (tundra tires on a Tutor?), the nose ahead of the canopy is too rounded, and the point of the nose at the nose light is too high.

[[File:Tutorial114.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

File:Tutorial114.jpg

2018-08-25T01:31:19Z

Owenpsmith: Owenpsmith uploaded a new version of File:Tutorial114.jpg

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T01:22:35Z

Owenpsmith:

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial112.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

To fix this, I will free select the wing and run the selection through the simplest part of the landing gear leg.

[[File:Tutorial113.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

I will then use the shear tool to shear it vertically, so that the width stays the same. I will then need to reposition it a little vertically to line up with the reference image. I will make a copy

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

File:Tutorial114.jpg

2018-08-25T01:22:19Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial112.jpg

2018-08-25T01:22:19Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T00:12:25Z

Owenpsmith:

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model in AC3D. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square or symmetrical. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate!). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface except where I feel it is necessary. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Straighten and Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view since length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok".
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square and symmetrical. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case it is pretty close, but there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing. Note that all photos will have some perspective distortions and parallax, so not all misalignments with a reference photo are bad.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ratio option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimensions. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

Aligning the side view can be a bit more tricky since it does not have a center line and may not have any other reference line. We usually want the fuselage frame members (formers) to be vertical, as these sometimes correspond to internal structures, as well as paint lines. For the Tutor, it looks at first glance that we could use the stripe down the side of the Snowbirds aircraft as a reference, however it is actually not perfectly perpendicular to the formers. In this case, I will use try using the ground lines under the landing gear and then verify the formers are vertical. I will straighten the image using the Straighten and Crop tool again. The rectangle select tool is very handing for giving both vertical and horizontal line references, and looks like the formers are now vertical.

[[File:Tutorial107.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

== Front View ==

We will process the front view similarly to the top view, with a symmetry and reference image check, but like the side view we won't worry too much about height. I'm really only including the front view in the tutorial because it has some major inaccuracies that we will fix in the scan itself.

This is the drawing after I have straightened it and added a reference image as a new 50% transparent layer on top. As you can see the wings have waaaay too much dihedral. I didn't need a reference image to know the dihedral was a bit off, but it will help us set it straight (so to speak).

[[File:Tutorial111.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Which gives us a straightened side view.

[[File:Tutorial108.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Before moving on to comparing against a reference image, lets move some of the cross section references inside the fuselage area so they don't get cropped off later. You can copy/paste them and then use the arrow keys with the move tool to move only on one axis. We'll also take this opportunity while we are manually editing to clean up the extra drawing lines.

[[File:Tutorial109.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

There is no need to check for symmetry for the side view, so lets move on to verifying the accuracy against a reference image. Import the reference image as a new layer and move and scale as necessary to align it with the drawing. Here we can see the same nose issues we saw in the top view, but also see some canopy and exhaust issues. We will make note of these for later and keep the image as a layer in the master copy so we can show it again when we are working on these areas.

[[File:Tutorial110.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now crop it tight to the outside of the drawing, keeping in mind we need the same buffer ahead of the nose as we did in the top view.

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-25T00:07:06Z

Owenpsmith: /* Side View */

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T23:59:34Z

Owenpsmith:

===== In this tutorial, I will cover how to use a set of drawings to start a 3D model in AC3D. =====

Before working through this tutorial, see my previous tutorial [[User:Owenpsmith/Preparing_drawings_for_modelling]].

== Top View ==

Start a new file in AC3D and select the Top view. Create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length (x axis) and wing span (y axis). Position it at 0,0,0 for now.
Set the texture for this image to the plan view image created in the previous tutorial using Object -> Texture -> Load Texture. Ensure the image has the nose of the aircraft pointing to the left.

[[File:Tutorial201.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

From the Front view (Front view in AC3D corresponds to the left side view for FlightGear), create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length using the side view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

[[File:Tutorial202.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now view the top and side views together in the 3D view to see how they align. We can select the top view object and move it up and down with the little conic arrows in the view to align it with the different areas of the side view.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom into the nose area. Here we can see the the nose light mounting points match, as do the A cross section lines, but the B cross section lines do not match. I'll have a look at some images later to see which B line is more accurate based on actual panel lines.

[[File:Tutorial204.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Now lets have a look at the tail which is easier to see from below, and it looks like it is aligned perfectly.

[[File:Tutorial205.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We'll also check the canopy since we know from the drawings prep tutorial that there are some inaccuracies here, and we can see here that the two drawings do not agree here so we will make a note to consult reference photos for this area.

[[File:Tutorial206.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

We'll now repeat all of the steps we did with the side view, but this time for the front view which will be in the Left view in AC3D. Once we're all done we should see something like this in the 3D view:

[[File:Tutorial206.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Cross Sections ==

We'll now repeat all of the steps we did with the side view, but this time for the front view which will be in the Left view in AC3D. Once we're all done we should see something like this in the 3D view:

[[File:Tutorial206.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

# From front view, create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft wing span using the front view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
# Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

# We now have all three basic plan views imported. We will now enure that they are all aligned with each other perfectly (or as perfectly as possible)
# Since the plan view is most reliable, we will use it as the "anchor view" and only move it up or down on the y-axis to facilitate alignment of the other views.
# move each view on its normal axis to align with each reference point on the other two views to verify alignment.
# If the rectangle objects align, but the drawing lines do not, tweak the source image in Gimp to position it correctly.
#

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T23:51:41Z

Owenpsmith:

===== In this tutorial, I will cover how to use a set of drawings to start a 3D model in AC3D. =====

Before working through this tutorial, see my previous tutorial [[User:Owenpsmith/Preparing_drawings_for_modelling]].

== Top View ==

Start a new file in AC3D and select the Top view. Create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length (x axis) and wing span (y axis). Position it at 0,0,0 for now.
Set the texture for this image to the plan view image created in the previous tutorial using Object -> Texture -> Load Texture. Ensure the image has the nose of the aircraft pointing to the left.

[[File:Tutorial201.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

From the Front view (Front view in AC3D corresponds to the left side view for FlightGear), create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length using the side view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

[[File:Tutorial202.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now view the top and side views together in the 3D view to see how they align. We can select the top view object and move it up and down with the little conic arrows in the view to align it with the different areas of the side view.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Zoom into the nose area. Here we can see the the nose light mounting points match, as do the A cross section lines, but the B lines do not match. I'll have a look at some images later to see which B line is more accurate based on actual panel lines.

[[File:Tutorial204.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Now lets have a look at the tail, which looks like it is aligned perfectly.

[[File:Tutorial205.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

and the canopy since we know from the drawings prep tutorial that there are some inaccuracies here, and we can see here that the drawings do not agree here so we will make a note to consult reference photos for this area.

[[File:Tutorial206.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

# From front view, create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft wing span using the front view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
# Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

# We now have all three basic plan views imported. We will now enure that they are all aligned with each other perfectly (or as perfectly as possible)
# Since the plan view is most reliable, we will use it as the "anchor view" and only move it up or down on the y-axis to facilitate alignment of the other views.
# move each view on its normal axis to align with each reference point on the other two views to verify alignment.
# If the rectangle objects align, but the drawing lines do not, tweak the source image in Gimp to position it correctly.
#

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T23:46:14Z

Owenpsmith:

===== In this tutorial, I will cover how to use a set of drawings to start a 3D model in AC3D. =====

Before working through this tutorial, see my previous tutorial [[User:Owenpsmith/Preparing_drawings_for_modelling]].

== Top View ==

Start a new file in AC3D and select the Top view. Create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length (x axis) and wing span (y axis). Position it at 0,0,0 for now.
Set the texture for this image to the plan view image created in the previous tutorial using Object -> Texture -> Load Texture. Ensure the image has the nose of the aircraft pointing to the left.

[[File:Tutorial201.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

From the Front view (Front view in AC3D corresponds to the left side view for FlightGear), create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length using the side view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

[[File:Tutorial202.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now view the top and side views together in the 3D view to see how they align. We can select the top view object and move it up and down with the little conic arrows in the view to align it with the different areas of the side view. Zoom into the nose area. Here we can see the the nose light mounting points match, as do the A cross section lines, but the B lines do not match. I'll have a look at some images later to see which B line is more accurate based on actual panel lines.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Now lets have a look at the tail, which looks like it is aligned perfectly.

[[File:Tutorial204.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

and the canopy since we know from the drawings prep tutorial that there are some inaccuracies here, and we can see here that the drawings do not agree here so we will make a note to consult reference photos for this area.

[[File:Tutorial205.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

# From front view, create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft wing span using the front view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
# Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

# We now have all three basic plan views imported. We will now enure that they are all aligned with each other perfectly (or as perfectly as possible)
# Since the plan view is most reliable, we will use it as the "anchor view" and only move it up or down on the y-axis to facilitate alignment of the other views.
# move each view on its normal axis to align with each reference point on the other two views to verify alignment.
# If the rectangle objects align, but the drawing lines do not, tweak the source image in Gimp to position it correctly.
#

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T22:40:01Z

Owenpsmith: /* Side View */

===== In this tutorial, I will cover how to use a set of drawings to start a 3D model in AC3D. =====

Before working through this tutorial, see my previous tutorial [[User:Owenpsmith/Preparing_drawings_for_modelling]].

== Top View ==

Start a new file in AC3D and select the Top view. Create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length (x axis) and wing span (y axis). Position it at 0,0,0 for now.
Set the texture for this image to the plan view image created in the previous tutorial using Object -> Texture -> Load Texture. Ensure the image has the nose of the aircraft pointing to the left.

[[File:Tutorial201.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

From the Front view (Front view in AC3D corresponds to the left side view for FlightGear), create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length using the side view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

[[File:Tutorial202.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now view the top and side views together in the 3D view to see how they align. We can select the top view object and move it up and down with the little conic arrows in the view to align it with the different areas of the side view. Zoom into the nose area. Here we can see the the nose light mounting points match, as do the A cross section lines, but the B lines do not match. I'll have a look at some images later to see which B line is more accurate based on actual panel lines.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Now lets have a look at the tail, which looks like it is aligned perfectly.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

and the canopy since we know from the drawings prep tutorial that there are some inaccuracies here, and we can see here that the drawings do not agree here so we will make a note to consult reference photos for this area.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

# From front view, create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft wing span using the front view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
# Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

# We now have all three basic plan views imported. We will now enure that they are all aligned with each other perfectly (or as perfectly as possible)
# Since the plan view is most reliable, we will use it as the "anchor view" and only move it up or down on the y-axis to facilitate alignment of the other views.
# move each view on its normal axis to align with each reference point on the other two views to verify alignment.
# If the rectangle objects align, but the drawing lines do not, tweak the source image in Gimp to position it correctly.
#

File:Tutorial205.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:36Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial206.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:36Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial204.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:36Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial202.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:36Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial203.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:35Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial111.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:35Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial201.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:35Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial110.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:35Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial108.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:34Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial109.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:34Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial107.jpg

2018-08-24T22:37:34Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T22:28:47Z

Owenpsmith: /* Side View */

===== In this tutorial, I will cover how to use a set of drawings to start a 3D model in AC3D. =====

Before working through this tutorial, see my previous tutorial [[User:Owenpsmith/Preparing_drawings_for_modelling]].

== Top View ==

Start a new file in AC3D and select the Top view. Create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length (x axis) and wing span (y axis). Position it at 0,0,0 for now.
Set the texture for this image to the plan view image created in the previous tutorial using Object -> Texture -> Load Texture. Ensure the image has the nose of the aircraft pointing to the left.

[[File:Tutorial201.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

== Side View ==

From the Front view (Front view in AC3D corresponds to the left side view for FlightGear), create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft length using the side view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

[[File:Tutorial202.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

We can now view the top and side views together in the 3D view to see how they align. We can select the top view object and move it up and down with the little conic arrows in the view to align it with the different areas of the side view. Zoom into the nose area. Here we can see the the nose light mounting points match, as do the A cross section lines, but the B lines do not match. I'll have a look at some images later to see which B line is more accurate based on actual panel lines.

[[File:Tutorial203.jpg|thumb|none|800px|]]

Now lets have a look at the tail

# From front view, create a rectangle and use the tools on the left to size it to aircraft wing span using the front view image aspect ratio to determine height. Position it at 0,0,0; then move it upwards on the y-axis until the bottom of the tires are sitting at y=0.
# Set the texture for this image to the side view image created in the previous tutorial.

# We now have all three basic plan views imported. We will now enure that they are all aligned with each other perfectly (or as perfectly as possible)
# Since the plan view is most reliable, we will use it as the "anchor view" and only move it up or down on the y-axis to facilitate alignment of the other views.
# move each view on its normal axis to align with each reference point on the other two views to verify alignment.
# If the rectangle objects align, but the drawing lines do not, tweak the source image in Gimp to position it correctly.
#

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T22:18:38Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T21:39:20Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T20:26:20Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Starting a model from drawings

2018-08-24T20:24:53Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:38:08Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:37:48Z

Owenpsmith:

File:Tutorial106.jpg

2018-08-24T18:36:34Z

Owenpsmith: Owenpsmith uploaded a new version of File:Tutorial106.jpg

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:34:03Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:32:26Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:31:41Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:25:56Z

Owenpsmith:

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:08:10Z

Owenpsmith:

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Rotate/Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view as length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok"
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

We will now ensure the drawing is square. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case, there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ration option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimension. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|600px|Example for tutorial]]

User:Owenpsmith/Preparing drawings for modelling

2018-08-24T18:07:36Z

Owenpsmith:

===== This tutorial explains the steps I use to prepare scanned drawings in Gimp for use in building an aircraft model. =====

Good quality models start with good quality drawings, but even the best drawings have issues. Some are not 100% accurate or do not represent production specs, or are not quite square. Even if they are absolutely perfect, issues can be introduced during scanning. Despite our greatest attempts to scan them straight, they are never 100% perfect. I use the following steps to ensure my drawings give me a solid start on my model, to reduce issues later on and improve overall accuracy.

I will be using the development of the Canadair Tutor for this tutorial (how appropriate). I use Gimp for my graphics work, but the general techniques can be used in any photo editing software. As this is not a Gimp tutorial and you may be using your own software, I will not go into details on the Gimp interface. If you are using Gimp, I have installed the Rotate/Crop plugin. I am starting with some scanned 3-view drawings with cross sections, and some reference photos that are roughly orthogonal.

== Top View ==

We will start with the top view as length and wing span are more precise than height:

[[File:Tutorial101.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

In this case the top view is at 45° on the sheet, but even if it is "straight" we will still try to straighten it perfectly in this step.

Select the Path tool and click on a point at each end of the marked center line.

[[File:Tutorial102.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

Zoom in and place each end of the path more precisely.

[[File:Tutorial103.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

Select Tools -> Transform Tools -> Straighten and Crop. If it is a 45° rotation, set Crop after rotating to "No crop". Click "Ok"
If part of your drawing has been clipped off, you can either drag it into the middle or select Image -> Fit Canvas to Layers.
The nose of the aircraft should be pointing to the left, if it is not then rotate it using Image -> Transform menu.

# We will now ensure the drawing is square. Duplicate the layer and set the transparency of the top layer to 50%. Flip the top layer and move it so that the center line of the top view lines up with that of the bottom layer. Fine tune the position of the top layer until it most closely matches the bottom layer. In this case, there is some slight blurring on the outer wings and tips of the horizontal stabilizers, but it is pretty square overall. Since it is close, I will use this image as is with both layers showing, and I will run the outline of my model down the middle of the lines where there is some slight blurring. We can merge these two layers together now to simplify things later.

[[File:Tutorial104.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

# Next we will check for accuracy of the drawings by comparing it to a reference photo.
Open the reference photo as a new layer on top of the drawing layers and set its transparency to 50%. Scale and move the image until its outline lines up with that of the drawing.

[[File:Tutorial105.jpg|thumb|none|800px|Example for tutorial]]

We can see now that there are some inaccuracies in the engine inlet areas, as well as the very front of the nose. I will leave this photo in as a layer in the master but will hide it when I save a jpg for use in AC3D. I will include the layer again later when I am working on these areas.

# We can now crop the drawing to the very edge of the model and clean up extraneous drawings, but be sure to leave in any cross-section references. When cropping, use the select tool with the aspect ration option set to the aspect ratio of the aircraft base on documented aircraft dimension. In this case you can see that this results in the aircraft length being a bit short, but this can be explained by the drawing having a stubbier nose that the real aircraft, so we are all good.

[[File:Tutorial106.jpg|600px|Example for tutorial]]

File:Tutorial106.jpg

2018-08-24T17:57:30Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial105.jpg

2018-08-24T17:57:30Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard

File:Tutorial103.jpg

2018-08-24T17:57:30Z

Owenpsmith: User created page with UploadWizard