Modelling the hull

[iowa101]

I need any suggestions on how to begin modelling the hull of an Aircraft carrier, not including the flight deck or castle.

i want to know how to start, what to do how to do it. what software would be easiest to use and if possible is there any tutorials that anyone knows of to help me get started.

the technique i am thinking of is having side veiw placed at the center of a bird eye view. this seems to difficult so i was wondering what else i can do to get the right shape.

thankyou for any advice you can give me

[Hitman]

Probably if you lack some advanced modelling skills, the best idea is to start modifying an existing model. For example, you can use Misfit3D (freeware program) to open and modify Lightwave objects, which is a format that Silent Editor can output SH3/4 models from the game.

Give it a try, just altering proportions and size of existing units can make them look very differently, and you can also combine superstructures form different units with Silent Editor, playing with the nodes :up:

[Sledgehammer427]

If you have a three way drawing of the carrier you wish to build, that's the first thing I would have.
Are you using Misfit3d?
if so, I can show you how I go about building hullforms.

EDIT:
Hitman already said what I was going to add. X_X

[iowa101]

Yes i am using misfit model 3d, i have 2 pics saved that give different views the problem with the one tho is that it' dark and not much detail but that i can work around....hopefully.

so what do i do and how. please make it a step by step as im not good with long ass instruction paragraphs lol

and hopefullu i can get right to it.

[Sledgehammer427]

allllright, where to start.

I usually start with the side view. depending on which side you have, be it the left side
left side would look like the ship is traveling in this direction
<---------|
and the right would be like
|--------->

once you have that figured out, in misfit, go to
file > set background image...
then it will bring up a window, with tabs for left, right, top, bottom etc.
let's say you have a left side picture. click on the tab that says "left," then hit "file..."
and select the picture.
if you selected the right one it should show up in the little window. hit OK and then in the little drop-down box that says 3D View, click the arrow and set it to left. if you did it right you should see the picture.

in the toolbar across the top you should see a 4-way arrow with a blue and green picture, this is the move background image and you use that to line the picture up however you want it, and the button next to that is the scale. we will get into scaling here in a sec, but let's start you out with making something.

once you have your BG image lined up, this is how I make hulls.
you select the "create cube" button
and set the segments to something high, like 15.

when you do that, start in the bottom left hand corner of your ship hull, and drag the cube until you have covered the hull in your picture
(meaning, that you can't see any bit of the picture overlapping the wireframe cube you just made)

now don't touch it. find your top view, IIRC you are making a carrier, and you have to find a picture with no flight deck, so you can see the curve of the hull

do the same thing that you did with the side picture, load it up and line it up with your cube, sometimes you may have to scale the picture to get the right size
(REMEMBER, SCALE THE PICTURE NOT THE MODEL!)
once you scaled the picture to the proper size of the model, you can THEN select the cube (the whole cube) and use the scale button to stretch it to the right width. remember, overlap everything until the model covers up the picture.

Then it becomes a simple task of grabbing vertices and dragging them to line up with your pictures.

when you do the top-down thing, I select the rows of vertices one at a time and scale them to line up with that part of the picture.

if you would like, in a bit I can post pictures, explaining this better.
did I do okay?

[jhapprich]

hello, i`ve uploaded a basic model of the astute for you to modify

link: http://www.yourfiles.to/?d=8701ADD920

[iowa101]

that explination is well layed out, i will follow everything you said and hopefully i will have a half decent carrier model to show you guys in the near future.

and thank you for the model mate

[iowa101]

one more thing, i've looked for a picture without the flight deck but as of yet not found one, can you post a few if you have any

[Sledgehammer427]

hello, i`ve uploaded a basic model of the astute for you to modify

link: http://www.yourfiles.to/?d=8701ADD920

:D:D:D
not to hijack the thread, but this is exactly what I needed. I just started scratchbuilding one and it's a pain in the arse, thanks to this upload, jhapprich, I should have you an (excellent) Astute in a few hours.

[iowa101]

good to hear mate, im lookin forward to her launch, also i have a request on the texture if you would'nt mind trying it.

http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-hms-astute-s119/410569

it gives alot of views and great detail to boot, hope this helps

and if anyone can tell me where to find a pic of a nimitz carrier without the flight deck that would be great.

[jhapprich]

well , i don`t own the credit. the model is from the RA mod of dangerous waters, whose great victor i,iii , deltaIV and typhoon models will soon be part of cwss after some refit.

[iowa101]

right i give up there's no view without the flight deck plan b it is then, sorry people but a the discretion of my minion fingers i have acquired a model of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

only problem is it is in .skp format so i request the help of someone who can and will be willing to convert her over to obj. where we will then attempt to get her into game as a playable ship, this will require

.weapons of modern design to be added to the ship, preferably turrets and torps as a last resort if you will.
.camera's on the bridge, and also one in the hanger deck if possible. (only if possible).

i would like her through out the campaign and also single missions, the single missions i can try and create as i am prtty god with those types of things.

if anyone wants to see an aircraft carrier in game not only as playable but AI to, then please help me.
please dont deem it pointless and not even try.
this is the only hurdle we've yet to jump over, so please any volunteers would be a great help

[iowa101]

what converts .skp to obj ??? can someone help with this problem, what software do i use.

[iowa101]

alright so i tried the views that you said and then went onto draging the vertexes to fit each image, the only problem was that i can out twisted and distorted like i had dragged to many or something. i cant properly use it without it dragging alot of them.

i am trying to get the thing to do what i ask but it's stubborn and relentless

[iowa101]

right few questions

do i save object as nerbs or polygon mesh

do i save trim curves as polylines or curves

do i export any of these

export object names
export layer names
export material definitions
y-up
sort by layer

please get bk to me

[jhapprich]

.skp? google scetchup, right? download the professional version, load them with sketchup, save them as .3ds.import them into your main cad program and save them as obj.

[jhapprich]

ps forget about using the existing materials, in order to do it right, you need to make a new texture map.i recommend making the raw work with windows paint and then finishing it with gimp.make sure you have the gimp .dds-plugin installed.

[iowa101]

how would i do the texture, you said paint but how do i do that exactly, is there a certain method that i have to use. then once in gimp what do i do then.