Exploring 3D World

I decided to go ahead with my idea of doing the Me-262 in Sketchup to compare the experience of using OpenVSP for the same model.  The two systems take very different approaches to computer graphic modeling, so it is really kind of an apples and oranges proposition.  However, for the CG dabbler like me, it still seems a worthwhile comparison.

Google Sketchup and OpenVSP are both friendly to beginners compared to any of the other design packages I've looked at, and of course being free is also a plus they share.  From my perspective, the biggest advantage that Sketchup has over NASA's little OpenVSP is the capacity it gives the modeler to directly superimpose the model being drawn onto a set of three-view plans.  If you have a good, detailed set of plans a very realistic model is possible.  Another check in the plus column for Sketchup is in its forgiving nature; you can easily undo a whole series of mistakes with a mouse click.

The importance of starting off with a good set of plans probably can't be over-stressed.  The really proficient computer graphics guys amass dozens or hundreds of drawings and photos of their subjects before they start working on a model.  An example of what this kind of thorough preparation along with acquired skills can be found in a thread at BlenderArtists.org in which Marek Ryś details the construction of his Me-262.  This CG artist uses another free, open-source modeling program, Blender.

Sketchup was originally aimed primarily at architectural applications, and its capabilities were initially much better suited to that environment than to the kind of organic modeling tasks which Blender users have typically undertaken.  In the past couple years, however, a large number of plug-ins have been developed for the program which is making it a serious rival to the product developed by the large Blender community. An example of how far this process had come can be found in the work of an artist who goes by the name of Axeonalias in the Google Sketchup Forum.

me262

The Germans fielded the first operational jet fighter in WWII, the me262.  

This model was constructed in OpenVSP.  I've learned a few more things about using the program, but still don't understand how one might round off the wingtips, nor how to properly shape the cross-sections.  I used a POD object to form the canopy; it gives a smoother result than the FUSE object, but no individual cross-section control. Perhaps I'll try this same model in Sketchup.

MiG-15

More doodling with OpenVSP.

This is a rather crude rendering of the mid-century Soviet fighter.  I still haven't figured out how to do cross-sections which would create a canopy, so I approximated one using a short fuselage object.  It also isn't clear to me how one might round off the tips on the wings and tail surfaces.  I'll work out the answers to some of my questions with practice, but it would be nice to see how others are dealing with some of the challenges.

OpenVSP

I put away my 3D drawing projects for some time because of a combination of frustration with the complexity of the tools and the nagging thought that they were taking too much time away from my photography.  Recently, I have been seduced into the 3D world again by the appearance of a new tool, OpenVSP.   As the NASA web site says:

OpenVSP is a parametric aircraft geometry tool. OpenVSP allows the user to create a 3D model of an aircraft defined by common engineering parameters. 

Compared to anything else I've tried, OpenVSP is blazingly fast, and * taa-daa * it's free.

Here is an example design that comes with the program showing its capabilities:

Here are  several doodles I produced in a few minutes each:

Here's my x-plane that I've been using to familiarize myself with the program's drawing tools:

There is a very good manual for OpenVSP which includes instructions on all the basics and a few ok video tutorials.  To get beyond the basics takes some dedication; I'm trying to figure out at the moment how to construct a typical aircraft coss-section which inludes a canopy.  Hopefully, there will be some online discussion developing around the program which will help to answer questions.  Since NASA has released the program as Open Source, perhaps there will also be some development of additional features and import/export options.