OK - OK - so, the other models went the way of the scrap heap,the old delete bon gott'em - BUT - IT'S PRACTICE - and it looks likes it's paying off.WINGS3D is GREAT!!! as you can see I've starting working on a more military type model. I've somewhat mastered the internal cockpit methodology and I'm improving. Areas that I still have to learn: 1. texture and UV MAPPING in WINGS3D. 2. extracting  single objects from groups of objects in the workspace. 3. seperating geometries for "poseability" in either DAZ STUDIO or POSER (for those that HAVE POSER - currently I don't.). This model is gonna sit on my hard drive until I finish it - and hopefully I'll also be able to make it poseable or have somebody else do it.

It's necessary to make this thing poseable so that I can pose it in DAZ STUDIO and then import it into BRYCE. I also would like to make retractable landing gear - which actually might turn out to be harder than making the whole model - here's a profile view.  For some reason I'm wanting to call this thing a "TOAD" - for lack of a better - more menacing name (Aardvark already been taken - as has Warthog, lol).

Ideally I want to fit POSER / DAZ millenium or other figures in this thing with DAZ STUDIO or BRYCE after export - as well as have them standing or doing whatever near them on the ground for scenes where it's landed on the ground. I want to make ALL of my vehicles able to accomodate DAZ figures ideally - and I want them useable in all three apps (Bryce, DAZ S, and POSER "n".

Superdetailing this thing will be time consuming but worth it. The more I learn, the more I can do, the better the end product. Defining material and UV designations is right now my main concern working with WINGS 3d. I want a model that other people can make addons and alternative textures for. I want my stuff to "evolve" from third party input. This is gonna be a freebie - I've already decided on that - and I want my stuff to be fertile fodder for other folks creativity as well as my own.

I don't know if the cockpit dimensions are "perfect" but I made a point to create plenty of leg room for figures. This model should lend itself to all kinds of decaling and stuff - and I can also work on accessories for it myself to.

It's definitely NOT done yet. You might as well say I've just started on it for now. Because this is gonna be the end result of my preliminary 3d modelling education - it's only right that I make it free for everybody. I may still need help from others on this model also - as I may have to "outsource" this this to other folks in the community to make it poseable, textureable, etc. - if I can't do it myself expeditiously enough. I hope you guys like this model - I'm sorry about deleting the others I was working on but I discovered severe problem in the vertices that I couldn't untangl or fix (The "Connect" command within WINGS can mess you up if your not careful.)

P.S. - I am STILL also working on the free mats for buildings and techy stuff and such for you guys to - I just need to work on building good models to as well - AND - I have a job, lol

Hey, it's your baby - you have to decide what to keep and what to get rid of !  This looks great - so nice of you to plan on giving it away :)  Very cool!!

Thank you aproctor - one of my personal beefs is that hardly any qaulity free models and textures are available out there for folks on a budget. This is my vengeance against that.

"I want to make ALL of my vehicles able to accomodate DAZ figures ideally - and I want them useable in all three apps (Bryce, DAZ S, and POSER "n". "

Hi Mugsey:-)

A suggestion: Export one of the DAZ figures (the one with lowest poly-count you can find) as a .obj and use it as a mannequin to keep the scale between different vehicles consistent.

I tend to use 2 or 3 poses for my models, depending on what I'm going for.
For clothing I use the zero position.

For something like your craft, I'd do "standing" and "sitting" poses, too.

Import the .obj (one or all, depending - or swap them about).

I don't know if Wings has a "decimate" function (which allows you to dramatically reduce the poly-count whilst still keeping the general shape), but if it does use it on the mannequins with a vengeance; they still look recongnisable at 1/3 the number of polys.

Don't forget that Poser's scale is tiny. You'll probably have to scale up by at least a factor of 100 on import.... Just don't forget to scale back down again when exporting out of Wings.

Cheers,
Diolma

thank you dioloma - will do sir. sorry I didn't respond earlier but actually I'm in bed now - just got up for a glass of milk and check the forum real quick. Thank you sir - that's a splendid suggestion and will no doubt solve a plethora of probs!

I make quality free models...  Even then, it's rare (like once in a blue moon rare) to actually see them around in renders or get an email of appreciation.  But what the hey... shrug

If you ever want some random parts/bits/pieces for detailing, lemme know and I can throw you the .wings files. These would be things like MLRS pods or toggle switches, etc. Such things are a bit generic and can be used with all kinds of models. If you do go for it, just be aware you might need to combine everything in the add-on-part model and save before merging with your project model. That way you can position and scale it before separating again, etc.

Speaking of generic parts...  Even if you're not interested in mine, it's not a bad idea to model 'em separate from the model you'll incorporate them in. You can save a bit of time on later projects by having a bin full of odds and ends to pick through.

As for a pilot manequin, the Poser dummy (woodie) works pretty well for reference if you happen to have the program. It's low poly and is pretty representative in height/size for other Poser figures. In Wings3d, you'll want to click the import option box to set the scaling factor. Otherwise it'll be itty-bitty.

Terrific job Mugsey

I'm impressed dude. You're really catching fire with Wings! Keep up the good work. :-)

thank you paul and tom. Im still working on it but I'll be installing daz studio and exporting the victoria base model as a reference.

just a thought; I don't know from Daz Studio (I have to do some upgrading of Win 2k before I can even load it..;) but in poser, it doesn't like triangular faces well. What you can do is go into point mode, and bevel just a 'scooch' (say hit tab, then .02), and it will work better. If not, you'll get some strange-lookin' effects in those programs (been there, done that).

You've taken off quite well. Strange, don't hear Brycester shouting about heresy..;)

hE Has mÊlTed......