Stern and bow section views.

Not sure of the interval distance on the keel.

Tim Wilbers [FA]

College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Visual Arts
University of Dayton
http://www.udayton.edu/
3ds Max: (started with 1.2) 2012, 2013
HP Z210, i7-2600, Win 7 Pro, Quadro 600

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I found one too, but it looks a bit different to yours.

Not sure of the interval distance on the keel.

They shoud correspond to the vertical lines on the sheer plan, they are usually numbered.

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Tim: that body plan is, I believe, for either the Lusitania or the Mauretania.  Titanic had three propellers, and that plan lists four.  Samab’s plan is closer to what I have - I actually have two versions of the body plan (digital file and one in a book that I’ve scanned in) but they both show the same thing (although the lines differ slightly since they’re two separate drawings).  The interval between lines (as shown on the plans) was 35.416 feet.

Samab, that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.  Even for a quick effort, that’s virtually identical (albeit, as you said, smaller) to what I’m trying to accomplish.  May I ask if you could explain how you created the surface (and the splines) in a bit more detail?  I always have to apply a cross section modifier first after attaching the splines, and the results are never spectacular.  I’ll show what I mean in a little bit.

EDIT: Oops!  I was forgetting the longitudinal lines.  I’ll try this method out and see how it works and I’ll post back with results.  Thanks!

EDIT #2: You guys totally answered my question.  I just created the best bow I’ve ever made - great technique, I can’t believe I never thought of this.  Also it’s a lot easier seeing pictures than trying to follow a simple text description.  I still have to try the stern, which may present some big challenges later, but I think for the moment I’m doing well.  I still have the whole issue with the plans not showing up, but I traced some of the plans in Illustrator, exported them as Illustrator 8 files, and they imported into Max just about perfectly, although small (as expected).  With a reference box or plane though (using known dimensions at a known spot) I can probably scale it up reasonably.  I might be back to ask a few more questions, but for now, thank you guys sooo much for all your help!

-BT7

Good to see you are making some progress with the hull. I was going to have a go at modelling the stern using the body plan and the section of stern you rendered, but I’ve just been given some work to do, so it will have to wait.

Here is a quick attempt at Titanic’s stern using what bits of plans I had to hand. Not too accurate but you get the idea. Still needs a bit of poly-tidying-up here and there.
The stack is still intact to look back through.

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tistern01.zip

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Getting back to the problem of the image displayed on the reference plane, I saw this thread in the Max 2010 forum, it looks like the same kind of thing. It only happens on the higher res version of the map. I expect the plans you are using are fairly hi-res. It may be that Max has a problem displaying hi-res images in the viewport. That would explain why the body plan displays OK, even if it’s scanned the same DPI as the sheer plan, it’s only a fraction of the width. You could try halfing the resolution of it and see if that works.

OK, your stern puts mine to shame.  Awesome work - it’s not that inaccurate at all.  That’s the kind of caliber I’m going for anyways, so you did a great job!

As far as the textures go, I actually solved the problem.  Yes, the plans I’m using are high-res (6519x668).  If I go into the plan’s material bitmap settings and change the U value from “Tile” to “Mirror”, it actually displays the full image in the viewport.  I didn’t change any other settings except for that.  I don’t know why this changed it, but it works for me.  If the V value is checked as well then the plan ends up showing up twice (mirrored).

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Hello everyone,

It’s been two years since I last posted this ... and somehow, I find myself with little progress made. I got very far once or twice and created a great hull model ... only to lose it in an unfortunate hard drive crash. That was created using a solid box and modeling the frame stations based on plans (vertices spaced at regular intervals).

I’ve also experimented with splines and achieved great results - but I can’t model the stern that overhangs the rudder and connect it with the splines, as in the model that was posted in this thread—could anyone offer some light on how that was accomplished? I really like the way the hull in this thread was modeled, but I can’t seem to disconnect the two separate entities of the main hull itself and the counter (the part that hangs over the rudder).

I have a feeling I’m missing something incredibly obvious, but for some reason I just cannot get the shape of the hull to my liking (and accuracy). A smaller hull is much easier to model; with a longer hull, there’s just a lot more curvature to take into account. I’m also using real-world dimensions, and while that’s really simple when doing architectural modeling, with a ship’s hull, where everything has to line up and it’s based entirely on curves (there are no real “corners” on a hull), that’s mighty difficult and I just can’t wrap my head around it.

Basically, I’m just at a loss as to where to begin (or, more accurately, where to go once I’ve finished). My primary concern at the moment is the hull sheer; that is, the vertical curvature of the hull’s shape (sort of dipping down at the midpoint of the ship). I can model this into the hull, but how do I create the superstructure in a manner that follows that curvature? (I’d omit it completely, but this is a high poly realistic model, and no ship is realistic without sheer.)

Basically I’m looking for someone to just sort of walk me through this - offer feedback and just sort of get me through this hurdle so I can continue on the superstructure. Any help would be appreciated. I have tons of plans and references, so that’s not an issue - it’s more a matter of just sort of pushing me in the right direction, or offering some advice on the intricacies of ship modeling. I’m 100% dedicated to this project, and I don’t want to quit because “I can’t” - there’s a way, and I’d just like to find it!

Thanks in advance! (Attached is a progress shot from the old superstructure model ... not perfect I know, but of course it’s a work in progress.) Now all I need is the shape of the rest of it! :)

-BT7

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It may help if we can see where you are at so far with the hull and specifically what you are strugling with. If you have managed to do an OK job of it before, I know it’s annoying to have to start over, but the chances are you can do it again and even better the second time around. That is usually how it goes. The methods and models already here should give some clue to a possible approach to this. But to get more specific advice you need more specific questions.

Sorry - it’s very frustrating to see something that seems so easy, and then not be able to figure it out.

Here are three shots of the hull model I’m currently working with (sorry for the crappy views, I don’t know how best to show what I’ve got). I think this one has a nice sheer to it. A few things to be tweaked here and there, but I don’t think it’s terrible overall.

It’s built with splines to the specifications that all framing plans have for the ship - one station every 35.416 feet (17.708’ at the bow/stern). The splines are all attached, with the cross section modifier added, followed by a Surface modifier, then Edit Poly and TurboSmooth. There’s one main question that I’m tackling:

- How do I create and attach the counter stern, as in the example stern file created and posted in this thread? I can undo all the modifiers but I don’t know how to EXACTLY fit the splines together. Is this a process of welding? I got close once, but after TurboSmooth, it still insisted on welding everything up and making the stern look all goopy (the keel kind of merged into the stern overhang).

Thanks for your help, and let me know if you see anything overtly bad that should be corrected in the shots I posted, or if you need additional views.

-BT7

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