AH64A

[Serclaes 0]

Ah ok thanks. I will try to unconnect them after having so carefully put together the front with the EFABS and the nose xD

[xnodunitx 0]

Yeah that is one of the quirks of modelling, one thing I would recommend is collecting dozens of high resolution pictures of all angles so that you make sure you get the proper lighting. To make things easy on the polycount and best on the lighting, just have the EFABS disconnected altogether.

Don't delete the model just yet but disconnect it from the model as well, we'll work on making a better one later, clever idea to use the curve going along the back to the center of the aircraft, I'm sad to say I never saw it that way.

[Serclaes 0]

Which curve do you mean exactly?

Me and ref pictures is always a problem but I'll do my best  

Edit: I just saw the lighting error on the EFABS is gone

[xnodunitx 0]

It missed me for the longest as well when I was tweaking Franze's AH-64, its a bit difficult to get at first but I'll post some pics to help.  http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/michael_block/ah-64a/images/ah-64a_03_of_52.jpg

http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar...._52.jpg

It's a bit tricky to find at the right angle and with many it looks different with each.

Also don't worry much about the EFAB's, later on (if you remake em as I made mine) we'll make em more accurate, but first things first.

[xnodunitx 0]

Alright here we go with a bump for a few more tips I hope you find helpful (and the rest of you modelling apache's).

I'm glad to see that you did as I recommended earlier, it is imperative that you make the model as uniform as possible and the reason for that is that the apache's frame is very very fluid, that curve that you see going up the back from the tailboom flows up through the rest of the body and finally ends at the front of the canopy.

Here's a closeup to see it better in the front...

Another thing that is a very important detail is the area just behind the cockpit, the frame is straight until that point, beneath the doors it remains straight however near them it curves back.  I see you noticed this earlier so I want to clarify that for you.

You WILL need atleast 3 sections dedicated to this curve to make it light correctly or it will appear too straight.

And of course pictures to prove both points.

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/6626/13858405916f4152e529okn1.jpg

Note the frame flushing with the canopy..and now that curved section..

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6910/1182305qq3.jpg

http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/7135/1163510hg2.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/5590/0162458hh9.jpg

Another reason for the important of this is that once we have this section properly made we can simply click and drag its sections (and with a bit of tweaking) form the canpoy with the doors, but we'll get to that later.

I would also suggest not using as many segments as I did (to form the curves at the door). Doing so probably wouldn't make it work too well ingame once you get the later stuff finished.

[GD Mast 0]

There's some great pictures of British Army WAH-64D's at Militaryphotos.net.  Here's the link:

WAH-64D's

It's interesting to see how the colors change at different angles and lighting.

[USSRsniper 0]

This might be usefull for you too,

http://walkarounds.airforce.ru/avia/usa/apache/index.htm

Walkaround of AH-64D with high resolution pics.

[mr.g-c 6]

A question: Do you really want to model a high-quality Apache for Arma, or is this "just for fun" ?

Regards, Christian

[dm 9]

Does it really matter?

[xnodunitx 0]

A question: Do you really want to model a high-quality Apache for Arma, or is this "just for fun" ?

Regards, Christian

If that question was directed to then my answer is: It all depends on what Franze says but for now its my little joyride.

[Serclaes 0]

Thanks to xnodunitx pics and the fact that my gf is away, i found some time and motivation.

Seeing the changes i had to do were massive  

The "roof" i did was way too high because i aligned it with the intakes on the top, but in fact its aligned with the canopy.

I also ripped the EFABS out of the main fuselage and smoothed the canopy  

WIRE

Thanks again for the excellent pics!

[xnodunitx 0]

Looking good however the joining curve from the frame up to the canopy concerns me in that it won't give the correct lighting and the that because of it the doors won't either.

I can see from the side there are some impacts but I'd like a front framed view if you don't mind. You're doing well so far by the way.

[Serclaes 0]

Hmm i guess you don't have pictures from the top?

[xnodunitx 0]

I mean facing direct front, like the one you had on the first page.

[Serclaes 0]

Ah, hehe was a bit late yesterday

Front wire

Front canopy close up

[xnodunitx 0]

Ah..yeap thats what I thought, the canopy connector above the gunner is a wee bit too high up and the curved section behind the pilots door isn't set up quite right.

As you have it now the lighting will turn at a turnward angle rather then up and become smaller and smaller because you don't have the chamfered edge from the back moving into the frame. It may add more polies to the general structure but I would suggest going with what I did, not necessarily adding as many sections to the cockpit and its doors as I did but going for that general shape, as a result (if done right) the lighting will be much much smoother (and sharper at the same).

[Serclaes 0]

a very sharp eye you have. I did compare it to the blueprints and found it was really just a wee bit too high.

I also corrected the lighting behind the pilot door. I hope i got it right. I can't show pics right now because i'm at work.

I also tried doing the PNVS and TADS. The PNVS sucks and has lighting error on it, i could use some reference pics from the top if you have that.

The next are then the EFABS.

[xnodunitx 0]

Of course of course, I had some trouble with the PNVS on the previous model as well, its basicly a cylinder however to get a nice look with the slopes you need a cylinder with quite a few sides.

However before we proceed to that are you sure you don't want to remake the entire cockpit area? Would wield less lighting area's I promise you.   If not then there is one last thing about the canopy that needs to be tweaked because it stands out alot.

Many AH-64 model makers in the 3D world overlook this quite a bit, for some reason they think the gunners cockpit is wide open whereas the rest is crushed.  Although this to an extent is slightly true, most of the canopy frame is infact flush.

And it would make such a vast difference in appearence.

Right now onto the PNVS.

So basicly you will want something like this.   This is my older PNVS, it should show you the shape you need and general "how to go about it"  Keep in mind the slopes should be sharpened for so you can make sure that you got them aligned correctly and it will look flat as it should.

[orson 0]

just an obervation from those pix you supplied ..

from what i can see and ofc i am no expert by any means ..

look at where the disk shape meets the square object protruding .. on your example the protrusion is flush with the disk and in the pics of the real one it has a bevel on the back edge too and rises above the top surface of the disk , also the top surface of the square protrusion is slightly larger

*edit*

this is all just from looking at the few pics you supplied , maybe i'm wrong

one other little thing that would solve the last point i made bring the flat area across to the next section .. it will make that front bevel a steeper angle and increase the top area

[xnodunitx 0]

I'm not...a hundred percent certain on what you mean, can you use a pain program and cut the part of the picture out that you are talking about and point an arrow to it?

[orson 0]

the area in red apears to have 4 sides , the model you showed has a 3 sided face

make any sense ?

[xnodunitx 0]

Ah yes that. By the time I acquired the shot with that angle the AH-64 was obsolete, so I made no changes. The next one I'm hoping to have it far more accurate, up to the point that the small circle is on the slope and each connecting piece is smoothened out.

It was posted just so he could understand a bit of the basic shape, I'd make the PNVS right now but I like to work frame up to details so...frame, canopy, engines and then I'll go from there.

[nephilim 0]

nice keep it up

the mesh looks solid, try to keep it uniform.

i see blender. did they ever add an undo funtion?

[vektorboson 8]

i see blender. did they ever add an undo funtion?

It's already in there for a very long time.  

[Serclaes 0]

nice keep it up

the mesh looks solid, try to keep it uniform.

i see blender. did they ever add an undo funtion?

Yea, a local (U in editmode) and a global one (ctrl z in objectmode). For the others its ctrl z too i believe i don't know it by head. I just press some keys and they happen to be the ones i need Finger yoga guaranteed though, handy for learning to play guitar.

I hope i'll find some time to work on it soon. I tried to do the PNVS yesterday thanks to your, again, awesome pics xnodunitx. I guess my apache couldn't really be considered as an apache without you. Nonetheless i failed miserably in getting the form right with the beveled edge all because i was too lazy modelling out the edge and relied on that bevel function which quite screwed up the entire mesh xD

undo? no... i tried to save something and did more than 50 steps