Modeling a P-38 Lightning Fighter

Adding the Stabilizer and Rudders

The next step is to add the horizontal stabilizer and the twin rudders. You'll use cylinders and editable poly techniques to build these pieces.

Add the horizontal stabilizer

1        Click the Top viewport to activate it.

2  In the Create panel, click Cylinder.

3        In the Top viewport, drag out a cylinder in the center of the horizontal stabilizer. When you release the mouse button, you are setting the height of the cylinder. Moving the mouse upward gives a positive height; moving it downward gives a negative height. Give it a positive height.

Create a cylinder to make the stabilizer.

4        Edit the Parameters, as follows:

·    Radius=2'2"

·    Height=0'2"

·    Height Segments=1

·    Sides=12

5        In the Name and Color rollout, type stabilizer.

Naming your objects proves useful later.

6        Right-click the cylinder and choose Convert to: > Convert to Editable Poly.

7 In the Modify panel, on the Selection rollout, click Vertex.

Now the vertices are visible in the cylinder.

8        Select half the vertices, and move them to the right. Select the other half of the vertices and move them to the left.

Move the vertices to match the top view of the stabilizer.

9 Click Vertex selection again to turn it off.

10   In the Left viewport, raise the stabilizer up so it is at the correct height.

Raise up the stabilizer.

Wingspan and stabilizer in Perspective viewport

Next, you will make the twin rudders.

Create the twin rudders

Again you'll use cylinders converted to editable poly objects. In this case, you'll use the soft-selection feature when you select and move vertices.

1        Click the Left viewport to active it.

2        On the Create panel, turn on Cylinder.

3        In the Left viewport, draw a cylinder over the rudder.

Start with a cylinder to make the rudder.

4        Change the cylinder Height parameter to 2".

5        In the Name And Color rollout, enter the name rudder.

6 Click the Modify panel tab, and then right-click the Cylinder in the modifier stack. Choose Convert To: Editable Poly.

The modifier stack no longer shows the cylinder; it now shows Editable Poly instead.

7 In the Selection rollout, click Vertex.

8        In the Left viewport, drag a selection window around the top vertices.

There is a single red dot in the viewport.

Select the top vertex

9        Open the Soft Selection rollout, and turn on Use Soft Selection.

Now the red dot is flanked by yellow dots.

Soft Selection display

10   In the Soft Selection rollout, increase the Falloff value to 5'.

The selection expands in the viewport.

11   Using the Transform gizmo, move the selection upward to shape the rudder.

12   Select the bottommost vertex, and move it down to finish the shape.

13   In the modifier stack, click Editable Poly to turn off sub-object selection.

14   In the Top viewport, select and move the rudder to the left into position.

Clone the twin rudder

You can create a clone by holding down the SHIFT key while you move, rotate, or scale any object. Here, you'll make the twin rudder using this clone feature.

1        Hold down the SHIFT key, and move the rudder to the righthand position.

The Clone objects dialog appears.

2        Name the object starboard rudder and click OK.

The second object is visible in the viewports.

Wings, stabilizer, and twin rudders

3        Save your work as myp38_02.gmax.

The next step is to create the twin fuselages that hold the engines and the fuel tanks.