Modeling a P-38 Lightning Fighter

Creating the Wings

There are many different modeling approaches you could take to building the wings. Here, you'll use a Box primitive with a Taper modifer.

Create the wings using a box

1 In the Create panel, on the Object Type rollout, click Box.

2        In the Top viewport, do the following to draw a box from upper left to lower right, approximately around the front wingspan:

·    Click once at the upper left, then drag to the lower right with the mouse button down. As you move the mouse, the values for length and width change in the parameter fields.

·    When you release the mouse button, you have set the length and width of the box, and now are setting the height, which you can see increasing in the Perspective viewport. Moving the mouse up creates a positive height, moving down creates a negative height. As you move the cursor the values change in the parameter fields.

·    Click again to set the height.

3        In the Create panel, you can immediately adjust the values in the Parameters rollout. Enter the following values:

·    Length Segs=3

·    Width Segs=12

·    Height Segs=3

Box with 12 width segments

You need to increase the number of segments so the modifiers for tapering and bending the wings will work correctly.

4        You can also make adjustments to the dimensions of the box at this time. Edit the Width so it is exactly 52’, Length so it is 10’, and make the wings’ height an even 1 foot.

5        In the Name and Color rollout, type wings.

The object is now named wings.

Now you'll change the shape of the wings using a Taper modifer.

Add a taper modifier

1        Activate the Top viewport, and make sure the wings are selected.

2        From the menu bar, choose Modifiers > Parametric Deformers > Taper.

An orange taper gizmo appears in the viewport over the box.

3        On the command panel, in the Taper Axis group, change the Primary value to X.

4        In the same group, turn on Symmetry.

5        Set the amount of the taper to -1.3.

Now the box is starting to resemble the wing shape.

Next you'll move the Taper Center to affect the wing’s shape.

6         In the modifier stack display, expand the Taper hierarchy by clicking the box marked with a plus sign. When the Taper expands, click Center.

At the Center sub-object level, you can adjust the location of the center of the Taper. Moving a modifier’s center can alter its results.

7        In the Top viewport, move the center of the taper forward along the Y axis toward the nose of the plane, until the wings’ shape more closely matches the background bitmap.

8        When you've finished moving the center, click Taper in the modifier stack to turn off the Center sub-object selection.

9        The Taper has affected the height of the wings. In the modifier stack, click Box, then increase the wing height to 1’5".

10   In the Front viewport, move the wings up so they are centered over the background bitmap.

Move the wings up in the Front viewport.

Next you'll convert the box to an editable polygon object, and then move some vertices to round the wings.

Convert the box

1        Save your file as my_p38_wings.gmax.

It's good to save your file before you convert your object. Since the conversion removes the stack parameters, saving will allow you to return to this point in the future.

2        In any viewport, select the box.

3        Right-click and choose Convert to: > Convert to Editable Poly.

The box is now an editable poly object.

Round the wingtips

1 In the Selection rollout on the command panel, click Vertex.

Look at the box in the top viewport with vertex selection on. Each dot you see is actually four vertices lined up on top of each other. So when you want to select and move them, you need to drag a selection window, rather than clcking them. Otherwise you will only select one vertex, rather than all of them.

2        In the Top viewport, draw a selection rectangle to select the vertices in the upper-left corner of the wing.

Use a selection rectangle rather than clicking.

3 On the main toolbar, click Select And Move. Then move the vertices in the top view so the ends of the wingtips are rounded. Use the Transform gizmo to restrict the vertex movement to a single axis or plane.

Move vertices to round wings.

4        Now, in the Top viewport, slowly go around the outline of the wing moving the blue dots to within the black shape of the P-38 wingspan. Use the Transform gizmo’s Y arrowhead to move the vertex selection only in Y. Use the Transform gizmo corners to move the points at the end to create the rounded wingtip.

The wings need have their edges tapered and narrowed. Here's the process to do this.

In the top viewport you need to select all the vertices on the outside edges of the wings. You can accomplish this by using the selection rectangle with the CTRL key.

1        Hold down the CTRL key and use the selection rectangle to slowly build up the selection set, as in the following illustration:

Select these red vertices on the exterior edges of the wings.

2 Click Lock Selection on the status bar or press SPACEBAR to lock the vertex selection.

This prevents you from losing the selection if you inadvertantly click elsewhere in a viewport.00

3 On the main toolbar, expand the Scale flyout, and choose Non-Uniform Scale.

4        In the Left viewport, scale all the edges about the Y axis, so the wings are narrowed. Use the Transform gizmo, when the Y turns yellow, you are scaling only along the Y axis.

Watch the status bar while you scale. It changes as you move the mouse. Scale to 30 (percent).

Narrow the edges using Non-Uniform Scale.

5 Turn off Lock Selection.

Next, you'll add a Bend modifier to the wings.

Add a Bend modifier

1        In the Selection rollout, click Vertex to turn it off.

2        Click the arrow to the right of the Modifier List. In the drop-down list, find the Parametric Modifiers group, and choose Bend.

3        Set the Bend Axis to X.

4        Change the Bend Angle to -15.

Bend the wings up.

5        Just for fun, spin the Direction spinner. Watch the wings stroke in the air. Right-click or press CTRL+Z to undo when you're done having fun.

6        Save your work as myp38_wing.gmax.