Okay more work on the A-7D, this time going to the wheels.  I like to roam around, my brain get's stagnant if I stay in one place too long.

Now these are high poly-count wheels.  When I create these models I do several versions - one for low poly models (15k), one for medium to high (20-40k), and one for uber high (50k +).  These shots are the uber high poly count wheels for the uber model.  These wheels alone are 15k.



~DJ

Just to give you an idea, I wouldn't go over about 65,000 polys for the entire project, since the difference between 100k and 65k on an aircraft is negligible in-game.  I'm not sure on my own stuff, but I do remember that I took just over 1000 polys for an entire front gear assembly.  Probably doesn't seem like enough, but you can't really tell the difference when you get it sitting on the tarmac.

djackson wrote on Dec 15^th, 2006 at 10:19pm:


You're absolutely right. I remember back in the FS98 days where freeware addons looked just as pathetic as a used cardboard box. Today's freeware look like payware when compared to FS98 addons.

Demo wrote on Dec 16^th, 2006 at 10:34pm:


Yes, most definitely an E model.  I plan to do A, E, and R types plus the recon types since they are the same airframe.  I won't do an AWACS 707 airframe type since Captain Sims already produced an excellent one that I don't think I can exceed. 

I'm doing an R because I worked as a crewchief on the R and T models in the 90's.  The T's were just Q models (TF-33 engines) with the CFM 56 engines and carried the JP-7 fuel for the SR-71 missions, plus JP-8 for themselves.   I don't think they need T models anymore since the SR's have been decomissioned (I could be wrong).

The link below shows some squadron nose art that I did up at Fairchild AFB 
http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/kc135rartdj_1.htm

~DJ

looking great

Prom0 wrote on Jan 18^th, 2007 at 12:50pm:



Yeah, modeling isn't easy for beginners (including myself) no matter how good you are, it's a long process, but it does get easier with experience.  I've never built an aircraft model in a professional program as Cinema 4D.  But I figured, I need to dip my toe in the water and get swimming or I won't ever learn.  And that's just what you'll have to do with any program.  Gmax, for my tastes, isn't as intuitive as Cinema, but I could be biased because I've been using C4D for years.  So I'm sure I will learn Gmax sometime soon.  For now I'll stick with C4D until I cross that Gmax bridge - which may be soon because I've got to animate this A-7D and export it to MSFS. 

Looks fantastic!