Looks good and clean!
The detail till now would be ok for il2 engine, but to import it in the game there must be done sooo much more, even in 3D. And thats mostly the non-fun part. 
Where also the problem of the whole modding lies. Without the SDK its too much work, which most people cannot afford with work- and family-life.
So there are only a few who can and have fun to import things in the game 
When I studied and hadn’t to do much courses anymore it was no problem for me building, painting and importing ships into Silent-Hunter3, but only one ship or object took so much time with all the building, damagemodelling, uv-mapping, painting, builing of correct data-structure, hexediting etc. I had to give up finally on most of my projects when studying was over 
So I decided, when I have time to build 3d-objects again I won’t do for a game again, when there is no SDK. Its much more fun not to look for all the regulations on the different parts and its nice enough to look at your model when its finished for the eyes 
Thanks Paf, putting the complexities of modding for il2 aside for a moment, which is not my intention, how complex would it be to say, import the mesh into Microsoft Flight Simulator ( if you know ) ?
Upper Wing fleshed out, control surfaces next.
Once thats done, i shall rework the vertical stab and rudder, then the undercarriage, then… time permitting, start the detail work.
New rudder and vertical stab reworked, control surfaces, hunting errors in phong shading.
Detailing started.
Rigging
And erm, just noticed the Hart has leading edge slats on the upper wing… bugger.
Aint moddeling them tonight, so, last Saturday update, discovered i can set different phong angle’s on different parts of the mesh, so now the rear fuselage looks ribbed, and it cost 0 modeling time …
Beautiful and fast!!
No idea about MSFS.
Thanks Paf
Seems like the missus is watching Britains got gout or summat, so i escaped and started roughing out a bumpmap for the upper wing top surface… just to see what i can get away with.
The bare metal shiny model is beautiful.
Spent some time experimenting with the bumpmap idea, going to take a lot more before I am with the stretched canvas covering the wings, i dont really want to remodel the wing using a nurbs solution, but if I dont get this right its on the cards.
Ohh, and my wacom packed in, at least i think it has, maybe this install playing up…
Just had a eureka moment, if i cant do this with a bump map to my satisfaction, i could maybe remodel the wing using a high subdivision nurbs, use that to generate a normal map, then apply the normal map to the low devision wing i have already… that sounds like a backup plan anyway…
After some time spent working out how to do the ribbing on the wings, a new bumpmap seems to have done the trick. Really had me scratching my head this one did.
Render
Bumpmap
How does the bumpmap look from different angles and lighting, i.e. are the shadows and highlights just “drawn” on, or does the lighting affect them?
Bumpmaps are calculated onto the surface at rendertime, what shows is dependent on Camera/object/Light incidence and should be resonably accurate no matter what the POV. Though, in another sense, they are just drawn on, but in 3d, so the light does effect them.
erm, so yes, and no :roflmao:
Bumpmaps have always been a bit of a cludge to overcome the memory restrictions of moddeling in 3d with PC’s, they work, but you have to be carefull about where you use them and what you use them for.
There are other options, things like Displacement maps, which create real 3d rendertime geometry to nearly the same effect as bumpmaps, with a lot more “3d quality” but they punt rendertimes up through the roof, so not for a project intended for animations, unless you happen to have a sign above the front door with “Pixar” or “Industrial Light and Magic” written on it.
Sporran
EDIT: As bumpmaps look iffy when viewed at high incidence angles, i might also put a diffusion map on to help the visibility, really only on the top wing. Because of how dirt/oil/grime accumulates at the edges of raised objects, this should help to define the metalic sections of the upper wing when viewed at high incidence angles.
Bumpmap viewed from a high incidence angle for example:
Seem to have come to an issue with references again.
There are three main types of exhaust fitted to the Hart, individual, above wing drainpipe and below leading edge drainpipe ( my own terms ).
Having a look myself, but if anyone has references specific to 602’s use of the Hart in 33/34 I would be appreciative.
I have two references showing harts from 601 sqn dated 1933, one with individual, and one with the below leading edge drainpipe exhausts.
I am inclined to model the drainpipe as its somewhat unusual, however, if historicaly inacurate i will stick with the history.
Thanks in advance.
Sporran
Thanks Joe, i perhaps should have been clearer, I had been looking for photographic references.
Using other folks artistic works as a reference is problematic, the two side views you pointed out above, show 602 in approximatly the same position, in totaly different colours.
Even the RAF’s representations of the squadron colours are questionable and are usualy based on surviving aircraft ( all the surviving examples i have seen photographs of have the individual exhausts, yet period photo’s show these drainpipe exhausts in about the same frequency ).
What to do… hmm…
I wonder if it was an item fitted for specific reasons, winter, night flying etc.
Evidence not withstanding to the contrary, i shall model with the drainpipe.
Sporran
PS: one of the images you posted brings up another thing i was wondering about, prior to the Lion, what was the 602 standard ( shown low res on your first image ) ?
Sporran, so far as I can see, my references show early Harts with ‘ring’ type rear guns having ‘flush’ exhausts (as your model).
Later Harts with ‘trimmed’ or cut down rear gunner positions seem to have long exhausts (similar to Hinds).
Only trainers seem to have exhausts below the wing.
Note: this is not ‘well researched’, simply the material I have to hand; if you see a similar pattern, that might help?
The main external difference between a late Hart and a Hind seems to be an air scoop on the centre line of Hart’s upper cowl. This would make some sense, the Hind was (essentially) a Hart with a different engine.
Again, my caveat; limited material means you’ll have to confirm this observation.
Sporran - that low res ‘thing’ looks like an oak tree, growing out of some earth/grass? Maybe a reference to St Mungo?
I think your right Painter, i was sure I had seen operational harts with the drainpipe, but now you mention it, i cant be sure they are not trainers, about the best photo’s i have seen are of 57 sqn, hosted off the flightglobal site, operational aircraft, with flush exhausts.
The harts i have seen that apear to be operational rather than trainers are from the indian regiments.
( select drainpipe exhaust, hit delete :o )
or maybe not, dagnabit… What appears to be an operational aircraft ( not the trainer variant )
actualy, forget that, the audax, hart and demon are so nearly the same aircraft that hunting for photo’s to prove the drainpipe is just bad thinking on my part, i shall go with what looks to be the standard 1930’s configuration of the individual, near flush exhausts.
Sporran, I think you are going to need to check the serial numbers in your photo’s to confirm type (there’s no serial visible in your piccie)
{snip}
Harts appears to be J / K / L …
{edit}Oh, OK, looks like you came to a decision. Sorry, I was skim reading{/end edit}
Man, am i learning a lot of stuff i didnt expect before i started this, serial no’s :eek:
Anyways, decision made and its nice to get back to the modeling bit after faffing about with bumpmaps, much more of that to come though as each part of the aircraft will need one.
Tonight was mainly tidying up the front fuselage, i had never been happy with the gun channel and added the engine blisters and air intake.
Oh yes, and the exhausts
good work Sporran why you dont work for som mods project?
Thanks Wildcat,
As to the modding, to be honest mate, i am not interested, I shall make this model publicaly available once finished, if someone else wants to put it in a game than by all means go ahead, i have other projects lined up for what i can do, so i dont really feel the need to fall over learning what hoops i would need to jump though to get this prepared for any game.
I also spent a little time at AAA, and that turned me off any intention of participating in a group project.
Sporran
