Modeling a P-38 Lightning Fighter

Creating the Fuselages

The P-38 was a deadly aircraft because it had twin fuselages, each housing an engine and a fuel tank. The warplane could sustain damage to either side, and still fly, thus presenting a formidable challenge to an opponent in a dogfight. In this section, you'll model the twin fuselages using the same techniques you've already practiced on the wings. You'll also use the Extrude and Bevel features to create the engine coolant radiator housings.

1 Create the fuselage

2 On the Create panel, click Cylinder.

The Cylinder button turns orange, showing it is active and ready to use.

3 In the Front viewport, drag a cylinder out over the left fuselage so the radius approximates that in the background image.

Don't worry about the height, you'll adjust that in a moment. Set the height to any value. It doesn't matter.

4 Edit the Cylinder parameters, as follows:

· Radius=1'10"

· Height=33'7"

· Height Segments=6

· Cap Segments=1

· Sides=10

5 In the Name and Color rollout, enter the name of the object as supercharger.

6 In the Top viewport, move the cylinder so it is over the left fuselage.

7 Go to the Modify panel. From the Modifier List, find the Parametric Modifiers group, and choose Taper.

8 In the modifier stack, expand the Taper hierarchy so the Center and Gizmo are visible, then click the Center to select it.

9 In the Top viewport, move the center so it is at the front of the cylinder.

10 In the stack, click Taper to turn off sub-object selection.

11 Now adjust the taper Amount to 0.8.

Tapered fuselage aligned with background image
(The front of the fuselage is just behind the rounded propellor hub.)

12 In the Front viewport, rotate the fuselage about its Y axis so the left and right sides are vertical.

To further shape the fuselage, you'll repeat the same technique as before. Convert to Editable Poly, then select rows of vertices and move them into position over the background image.

Add the propeller hub spinner

The propellor hub cap is called the spinner, and you'll create this component using a hemisphere and AutoGrid at the end of the cylinder.

1 Zoom into the Perspective viewport so you have a close view of the front end of the cylinder. Right-click the viewport label, and set the shading mode to Smooth+Highlights and Edged Faces.

2 Go to the Create panel. In the Object Type rollout, click to turn on Sphere.

3 Turn on AutoGrid, the check box below Object Type. Now move your cursor over the surface of the end of the cylinder.

An axis tripod follows your cursor, showing you where the sphere will be drawn.

4 In the Parameters rollout, turn on Base To Pivot.

This lets you draw a sphere off the end of the cylinder.

5 Move your cursor over the end of the cylinder, and draw a sphere.

It doesn't matter what size; you will adjust the parameters after you draw it.

6 Edit the Parameters, as follows:

· Segments=10

· Hemisphere=0.5

Now instead of a sphere, there is a hemisphere.

7 Rotate the hemisphere so the ten segments of the cylinder and the hemisphere are at the same angle.

8 On the main toolbar, click the Align button, then click the cylinder. In the Align Position (World) group, turn on X Position and Z Position. This aligns the hemisphere and the cylinder.

9 Adjust the radius of the hub so it matchs that end of the cylinder. Don't spend too much time on this, it's all going to change in a few steps.

Spinner hub aligned to the end of the fuselage

Finish the fuselage shape

1 Select the fuselage cylinder object and right-click. Choose Convert To: > Convert To Editable Poly from the quad menu.

2 In the Selection rollout, click Vertex.

3 In the Left viewport, select a column of vertices and then on the main toolbar, choose Non-uniform scale from the scale flyout. Non-uniform scale them closer together, watching the bitmap as a guide. Then right-click, choose Move from the quad menu, and position the row.

4 Repeat this process for all seven columns of vertices in the Left viewport, so the outline of the fuselage matches the background more closely.

Select one column at a time, scale, then move.

5 Click the Vertex selection button to turn it off, then select the hemisphere in the viewport.

6 Move the propellor spinner away so you can see the end of the fuselage.

7 Select the cylinder again and turn on Vertex selection.

8 Select the vertices in the end of the cylinder and non-uniform scale them about the X axis only. Use the Transform gizmo X arrowhead, and watch the coordinate display in the status bar. Scale down to 60 percent along the X axis.

This returns the end of the cylinder to a more circular shape.

9 Turn off sub-object selection by clicking Vertex again in the Selection rollout, then move the hemisphere back into place. Change its radius so it fits over the end of the fuselage again.

Finish the propeller spinner

1 Collapse the hemisphere to an editable poly by right-clicking, and choosing Convert to: Convert to Editable Poly.

2 In the Perspective viewport, select the vertex in the center of the hemisphere.

3 In the Soft Selection rollout, adjust the Falloff so the second ring of vertices turns yellow, but the last rows do not. Move the selection forward along the Y axis.

4 Lower the soft selection so only the vertex at the tip is selected, and move the tip forward to form the bullet shape.

The fuselage is almost finished. There is a blister on either side of the fuselage that serves as the exhaust waste gate outlet. You'll create this next, using the Extrude and Bevel features.

Create the exhaust gate outlet

1 Turn off Vertex selection for the propeller hubcap, and then select the fuselage.

2 Turn on Vertex selection for the fuselage.

3 In the Top viewport, select the third row of vertices from the top and move them down so they are at the end of the exhaust gate.

4 Select the fourth row and move them up, so they are positioned at the start of the exhaust gate.

Select and move these red vertices.

The vertices now line up in the top view, but need adjustment in the left view.

5 In the Left viewport, scale the selected vertices smaller along the Y axis, as necessary against the profile of the background image.

6 In the Selection rollout, choose Polygon.

This lets you select polygons instead of vertices.

7 Select the polygons shown in the illustration below. Click to select the first polygon, then hold down the CTRL key. Right-click the Perspective viewport label, and be sure you have Smooth + Highlights and Edged Face chosen. You can also choose Configure and then in the Viewport Rendering options group, turn on Shade Selected Faces.

Select this polygon.

8 Use the Arc-Rotate button in the viewport navigation controls to see the other side of the fuselage, and select the second polygon.

Add this polygon to the selection.

9 In the Edit Geometry rollout, turn on Bevel, then move your cursor over the selected polygon in the Perspective viewport.

10 Drag the bevel out so the Extrude field is approximately 0'6". When you release the mouse button, you are setting the Outline value. Create a Outline amount of approximately -1".