Landing/Taxi lights, and more internal structures

I've been adding more internal structural parts, and am working on the glass lenses for the landing and taxi lights. They're not finished, but are improving. In these renders, the "ribbed" lens effect is done with a bump map. I may try displacement later, for a more realistic look.

Click the "Play" arrow to see a 10-second video of the model as it stands today.

More on the landing gear and interior

The landing gear on the P180 is a beautifully-machined mechanism that is not only functional and clever, but is aerodynamically smart. It features "sequencing doors". That means that when the gear is first commanded to extend or retract, ALL of the doors open, to give the mechanism enough room to move. Then when the gear is down, two of the doors close, reducing drag. On the ground, as in this image, only one small door is open. (Of course, ALL doors are closed when the gear is retracted.)

So, since this is visible on the ground, I have to model it. The doors are already finished, but the other parts have to be done carefully, since I'll be rigging it for animation later. To help me get it right, I've created some stand-in parts, which show me the length of each part, and whether the hinge points are in the right place. Once that's squared away, I can model the individual parts, using the other photos and drawings I have. Here's what I've done so far.

Some new furnishings...

Most of the interior furnishings I've shown up to this point have been the old ones, imported from my 1997-ish Carrara model. Now, I'm replacing all those parts with new ones, for both accuracy and beauty. Here's what I've done so far, to the cabin, cockpit, and lavatory. (not textured yet)

Click the "Page 07" link below, to continue.