Cessna T-50 "Bobcat" - The newest parts...

* Most images on this page are larger than they display here, in case you'd like to download or print them.


"Instancing" in MODO...

This project has a lot of small parts... Rivets, screws, nuts, bolts, etc.. (hundreds of them) so I've experimented with some of MODO's features... namely "instancing". Each firewall, for example, has 128 rivets around the outside perimeter. So, for each firewall, there is really only ONE rivet, with 127 instances, in a radial array. Works great. (So, for two engines, that's ONE rivet's geometry used, instead of 256, if I left them as actual geometry, or "clones".) The same is true for larger grouped assemblies... Each cylinder is the same. So, in this whole scene, there's actually only ONE cylinder, with all of it's parts, hoses, etc., and that is "instanced" 7 times on the "master" engine. Then, the ENTIRE engine is "instanced" on the other wing.

Doing this on several parts of the airframe reduced the file size by about 4 MB, from about 41 MB to 38 MB. At this time, it's at about 7.8 million polygons.

In the image above, I've added the exhaust pipes at the bottom, which exit the manifold and protrude through the cowling, and improved the accuracy of the drive shaft. Also added the air intake, at the bottom center, and several hose clamps, on the cylinder parts.


The hangar...

Click here for a 5-second animation of this scene. (8.6 MB MP4)

I've rebuilt the propellers, for a more scale look, including the rounded tips, and am searching for the right combination of materials that will help make the exhaust manifold (the big, dark-colored ring, behind the engine) more realistic... kind of "burnt steel".

I'm getting closer on the exterior shape. You might notice that I've added more wooden stringers to the tubing, which will help form the exterior supports for the fabric covering.

Progress on the seat belts...

More wood parts on the fuselage, and work on the tail...


Click the "Page 11" link below, to continue.

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NOTE: I am not at liberty to redistribute any of the documentation used to build any of the 3D models on this site.