Grumman G-44 Widgeon

Bryan K

Pontoon braces added. Pontoons angled correctly.

Bryan K

Can't wait to see the finished model, I think it's going to be awesome

Thanks hellnback, but there are going to be a lot of mistakes on this one. SketchUp is now crashing constantly and becoming a lot less precise.

It will look good from a distance.

pbacot

Model's looking great there Bryan! Watching for more! (Happy New Year, guys)

Bryan K

Thanks for the "props", pbacot. (I see what you did there )

hellnbak

@bryan k said:

Thanks hellnback, but there are going to be a lot of mistakes on this one. SketchUp is now crashing constantly and becoming a lot less precise.

Any idea what the problem might be? Have you tried reinstalling it?

Bryan K

@hellnbak said:

@bryan k said:

Thanks hellnback, but there are going to be a lot of mistakes on this one. SketchUp is now crashing constantly and becoming a lot less precise.

Any idea what the problem might be? Have you tried reinstalling it?

Old PC and high poly count.

hellnbak

@bryan k said:

Old PC and high poly count.

Yes, it's easy to see that the poly count would be very high

And, if I may say, unnecessarily so. Having that many polys doesn't add anything to your model as far as quality or appearance goes, it only (as you are discovering) serves to place a heavy load on your computer. Is there any chance you could backtrack (hopefully you have saved previous versions in various stages of development) and cut down on the polys?

Bryan K

I won't be backtracking on this one at all. This particular aircraft design has serious compound curvilinear surfaces. Without Curviloft, I could not have made this model. I would still be working on just the fuselage.

Update: Fixed the cockpit side window configuration and proportion.

Mike Amos

Fantastic mate, really nailed the aircraft with that model, how about a render?

Bryan K

@mike amos said:

Fantastic mate, really nailed the aircraft with that model, how about a render?

Thanks! Still have some more details left to create.

Bryan K

Been busy at the new job and getting home late so haven't been making a lot of progress. Here's an update, but it's mostly detail corrections. I still need to finish the wing details and add the rear landing gear, maybe put a pilot in it.

Bryan K

Added exhaust and main wing flaps. Reduced the polygons in an aft fuselage section as well an area near top of cockpit.

Mike Amos

Something I find quite useful is to have hidden geometry switched on and then move single points in a group to match other groups around them. This is handy when you use curviloft and find different sections with different profiles. You can see these as lines or bulges on the surface of the completed loft that look 'out of alignment'. Sorry if I am not being clear I will post a pic later to better show what I mean.

Bryan K

@mike amos said:

Something I find quite useful is to have hidden geometry switched on and then move single points in a group to match other groups around them. This is handy when you use curviloft and find different sections with different profiles. You can see these as lines or bulges on the surface of the completed loft that look 'out of alignment'. Sorry if I am not being clear I will post a pic later to better show what I mean.

That's a very good explanation. That's pretty much exactly how I do it as well as cleaning up bad surfaces. It's very helpful.

hellnbak

Brian
Any progress on the beast?

Bryan K

@hellnbak said:

Brian
Any progress on the beast?

Been busy with the new job. Long days. I'm anxious to finish it. I've at least had time to see some mistakes and plan out the fixes.

Bryan K

Minor fixes and additions:
Completed outer flap actuators
Added door handle
Added pilot and copilot (yes, they are twins!)
Added interior main landing gear housing for later space to created runway version.
Almost completed paint scheme.

Some faces were reversed and did not show right in render.

Bryan K

First test render using Twilight v2 for the first time. Number 6, High, setting. (I think I'm going to like Twilight)

Satin finish on white paint and semi-gloss on the turquoise/aquamarine.

hellnbak

@bryan k said:

Added pilot and copilot (yes, they are twins!)

Looking very nice.

Obvious question - when are you gonna tackle the props? Not really necessary for the flying version, just a blur, but you mention a runway version is to come. I know they can be a pain, I had to build some a while back, took a little time to get the shape and pitch just right.

Bryan K

@hellnbak said:

@bryan k said:

Added pilot and copilot (yes, they are twins!)

Looking very nice.

Obvious question - when are you gonna tackle the props? Not really necessary for the flying version, just a blur, but you mention a runway version is to come. I know they can be a pain, I had to build some a while back, took a little time to get the shape and pitch just right.

I'll build those soon. Actually, I think props are easy. I figured out a trick a few years ago when I modeled an RUV. I just hope I can remember the steps.