05 September 2007

3D Challenge #005 - Airplane


Note: Please read the guidelines for participating in the challenge. The purpose of the challenge is to have fun and bring SketchUp users together and help each other learn and get better at using our favorite 3d modeling program. We will remove comments that are objectionable or offensive.

This week's challenge:

Airplane

This week we are not going down into the deep sea, but up in the air. This weeks challenge is to create an aircraft. The history of aviation showed us lots of different ways to fly, from the airliners to gliders and from the jet fighters to seaplanes. We give you the chance to recreate an existing airplane or design a new one yourself. The sky is the limit...

Good luck!

3d Warehouse tag: 3d challenge 005

Due Date: Wed, Sep 12 (Challenge closed)

Winner
Concorde by Andrew Alexander (acad_whiz)

2 nd Place
MecuVar by FlagFreak

3 rd Place
P-51 Mustang by Gully Foyle

Honorable Mention
K35 Bonanza bt Don East

Congrats to All !!!

34 comments:

  1. Okay. I will enter this competition. SketchUp rules! I'm already drawing something up in my brain...

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  2. Okay, I'm done now! Check out the Mecuvar at

    http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=7cf7740974adfbfd2f0cd0ff0c0bf6c4

    "Anyone can fly with the MecuVar."

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  3. Well my goal this time was to create a model with as few polys as possible. This is pretty small compared to the Mars Rover I made. Everyone please feel free to make as many comments as possible. My experience in art is we can learn a lot with constructive criticism.
    35 Bonanza

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  4. In regards to don easts current low poly airplane. Some basic critisism to ensure low poly models, the model is great and it looks like you have done well to keep it low poly but still modeled a great airplane. If you were to cut the body along the symetrical axis and make it a componet, you could then mirror the component and it would cut down on the file size more. you could also do the same by making the wings a componet. you could go from 213 kb all the way to 148 kb just by making those 2 changes

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  5. Also, when you make circles and arcs, before you extrude them into 3D shapes, reduce the number of sides. Less sides = less faces. I noticed this on the fronts of the wings. (both main wings and tail wings). One other small comment from a model cleanliness standpoint is that there were a few extra lines that could be deleted. View the model in wireframe mode, and turn profiles on to see them clearly… you can see then where the thick lines are that don’t belong.

    I was impressed to see that the model had less than 200 faces!

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  6. Hodgeskins, thanks for the input. I've worked on the model and got it down to 122. Andrew, I'm going to work on your ideas next. I hope it's ok to say, But I think the rest of the challengers should ask for input. This has been really helpful. "Constructive Criticism" is one of the best ways to learn new techniques.
    Thanks to Hodgeskins and Andrew.
    Don

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  7. Hello All

    I think there is a slight misunderstanding with poly Vs File size. You could have a small 1 MB model with 300,000 edges and 250,000 faces. Small file size - heavy poly. The same model could increase to 2 Mb and reduce edges and faces by 50% and would be a more stramline and less heavy model. The latter would be the better model. This is usually caused by smal items with large polygon sides being extruded via push pull/ follow me commands. Reducing a circle to 6 or 8 sides vs 24 sides when developing a rod, shaft, molded edge ets, will considerable reduce edges and faces. If the item is used multiple times and made into a component even greated savings.

    So in summary, file size and Poly count are two different concepts. A 250kb model is considerable small and needs not be reduced to 125Kb. That would not prove to be a major saving. A 1 Mb model with extreme edges and faces SHOULD be increased to large file size if it results in considerable reduction to edges and faces.


    Bluesdog
    Bob

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  8. Hello all,

    here's my contribution to this challenge, a low poly fighter.

    Fighter

    J-m@n

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  9. Howdy all, I hope others are getting as much out of this discourse as I am. My feeling is that file size is a function of aesthetics vs. economy of model and what that model will be used for.The gaming industry seems to always take economy of model over detail for the sake of animation. However as computing capacity increases over time detail increases. So the question is what is most important, what can be done now or what can be done tomorrow.
    Don

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  10. j-m@n, thanks for you model. I can really see the difference. The difference is aesthetics and/or economy. All of you have altered my mind set today.
    Thanks Don

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  11. @Don East

    Agree. Similar to using 3Mb Bitmap images as oppose to a 12Kb Jpeg on a web page. Bmp is Overkill and no differance in web page display. But the Bmp is necessary for high resolution prints.
    So, one need to ask themselves prior to modeling, what is my application. If google earth - definately streamline and low poly. My personal designs- Full construction detail (But still try to control poly).

    Bluesdog
    Bob

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  12. Second try. Everyone was a great help. Its now 71kb.
    <35K Bonanza

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  13. ok I'm gonna pass on this one, life gets in the way of my fun. but I have a question for all.

    anyone know of any "free" plug-in or add-on that can create artificial light sources and reflections for sketchup?

    good luck all

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  14. Tom,

    There are a couple of programs you can use to do that. You can use the "podium" plugin for sketchup, which allows you to render additional lights and reflections in Sketchup. This program is not free and limited in it's options. Another often used free program is Kerkythea. For this program you can download a plugin to export your model and import it in Kerkythea. From then you have dozens of options to create a photorealistic image. Kerkethea is harder to work with for a beginner, but I'd still recommend it. This is the homepage of kerkythea: http://www.kerkythea.net/joomla/

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  15. Although I don't think I'll get anything done for this challenge, I have a number of past examples that may be useful. Again, these are for example purposes only, all created sometime over the past few years. Thankfully though, I saved most of them in stages, so I've uploaded pictures showing process and development. If I'm creating an existing plane, I always go out and find plans of it and set up those plans to model from. If you are lucky you can find plans that have cross-sections, then you know exactly the profile at various stages of the plane, draw those first, put them in place, and you've got a great reference.

    Modeling aircraft is loads of fun, be it real or imaginary.

    Picture_Album

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  16. Question for the Sketchup Challenge Moderators:

    I'm a big fan of SpaceX and their Falcon 9 rocket. I was wondering if the next challenge could be to design a Sketchup model of the Falcon 9 rocket with the dragon capsule.

    There's a bunch of pictures available:
    Falcon 9: http://spacex.com/falcon9.php
    Dragon: http://spacex.com/dragon.php

    Send me an e-mail?: kostagrammatis AT gmail.com

    -Kosta

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  17. Hi,
    Missed the previous 2 challenges. Trying to play catch up. Here's my submission.
    jet

    If anyone is interested, you can see what I tried to do for the Mars Rover and Underwater Habitat here

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  18. not an entry, just for laughs.

    My 4 poly plane!

    4 poly

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  19. j-m@n, Thanks for the info. Kerkythea is exactly what I was looking for. Although I nearly "uninstalled" after being confused by it's tutorial, I managed to figure some of it out. And will eventually figure more out.

    http://picasaweb.google.com/Cartographer.Tom/3DSTUFF/photo#5108672534501574594

    sorry for using your blog as a chat, but I have yet to find a decent forum. Thanks again.

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  20. @Tom

    Nice renders. I just might take a try at renders myself. I am still using SketchUp V5 (LOL). I hate change. But I will move on up to 6 and also try some renders.

    Did it take long to render?
    Also, could you tell me where is the Ruby script is located?

    Bluesdog
    Bob

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  21. No problem Tom, this place is not only for submitting models for the challenges.

    On the website of Kerkythea you should be able to get help enough. The kerkythea forum has some quite skilled members and moderators. Also there are a lot of downloads and tutorials on their site. It should keep you busy for a while ;)

    @bob, the plugin for the kerkythea exporter can be downloaded from their site.

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  22. My submission for this challenge is the Airscooter, these challenges are fun to enter, hope yall enjoy mine.

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  23. Here's what I'm working on for this Challenge. Maybe I'll build some more detail if time allows:

    Oz's Z-39

    Z-39 pics

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  24. Here is an entry, a P-51 Mustang:

    link

    -Gully

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  25. Comment Edit

    Adding a missing link to the warehouse for mstro's model.

    Model by mstro

    Bluesdog
    Bob

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  26. Sorry, that link doesn't seem to work. Try this:

    link

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  27. Hello All

    Well, its GREAT to see Gully in the challenge. Those of you that are not familiar with his work, might want to pay close attention. These are always First Class Models and much to be learned from them.

    Welcome aboard Gully.


    Bluesdog
    Bob

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  28. @don east: I see you have two models of your K35 Bonanza airplane in the warehouse tagged for the challenge. Are they poth entries or only one? If only one, then please remove the challenge tag from one or put a text in the disciption explaining which the submission for the challenge is.

    J-m@n

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  29. @ bluesdog,

    It doesn't take long to set it up. but if it's a complicated model then it takes the program a loooong time to create the rendered image.

    this one took
    10 mins to model
    10 mins to setup in Kerkythea
    but...over an hour to create the image at 1024x620 resolution

    tabletop

    but in fairness to the program, it was not to scale, the glass is about 15 feet tall.

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  30. Are there issues with the polls again? That's frustrating, eh?

    Should I hold off voting untill all 9 models are on the ballot?

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  31. Alexander,
    There are no issues with the polls whatsoever. Since we mods have chosen not to enter our own models as official submissions, neither J-m@n's or mine (Oz The Wiz) are to be considered as such. Elijah's "Optimized Airplane" is also not an entry, although it bears the 3d challenge 005 tag. Hence, there are six valid submissions for this challenge to choose from.

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  32. Ok, that's understandable.

    I think it's funny that people (not just you, but so many people I deal with via e-mail) call me "Alexander" when my name is signed "Andrew Alexander"! I only mention it, cuz I'm constantly amazed just how often it happens!! I guess that's the curse of having two first names! :)

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