Grumman F8F-1B Bearcat - Page 3 - Simply Maya User Community

# 31 12-07-2011 , 07:35 AM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Modeled the Tailwheel. I used a scale RC model part as the reference.

I may add a weld seem where the frame with the lightning holds meets the vertical rod. I doubt I will ever get close enough to where it would be seen.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 12-07-2011 at 08:42 AM.

Quote

# 32 12-07-2011 , 08:21 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011

Posts: 126

Looking great.

Quote

# 33 12-07-2011 , 05:55 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Redesign the tail wheel. The I added a hydraulic actuator instead of the RC plane linkage. This is easier to rig and is more accurate.

full renders...

Playblast to test the rigging...

YouTube - ‪f8f 21 geardoor combined HD 01‬&rlm;

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 12-07-2011 at 06:24 PM.

Quote

# 34 12-07-2011 , 11:25 PM

Lifetime Member
Join Date: Feb 2010

Location: Australia

Posts: 4,255

Looking good as always ct...nicely done thus far.

cheers bullet

bullet1968

"A Darkness at Sethanon", a book I aspire to model some of the charcters and scenes

Quote

# 35 27-10-2011 , 11:52 AM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

F8F Bearcat update.

- added cowl flap
- added exhaust traugh
- added exhaust stacks

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: f8f_23b_ao.jpg
Views: 492
Size: 60.5 KB
ID: 49190

Click image for larger version

Name: f8f_23b_wire.jpg
Views: 501
Size: 241.8 KB
ID: 49191

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 27-10-2011 at 12:04 PM.

Quote

# 36 27-10-2011 , 12:03 PM

The thin red line
Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: England

Posts: 4,472

Good to see you on this again...........dave

Avatar Challenge Winner 2010

Quote

# 37 27-10-2011 , 12:08 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Thanks Dave. I have had a lot of distractions.

I was avoiding the gear linkage geometry issue.

The bearcat gear are hinged in the middle (see the animation) but they also translate forward as they come down.

My current rig just lowers them straight down and so they are to far back and do not look right. I am having trouble trying to figure out how to model it so it animates properly and faithfully matches the parts in the real gear..

Here is an image to show what I mean....

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: f8f_gearLinkageGeometry.jpg
Views: 495
Size: 62.0 KB
ID: 49194

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 27-10-2011 at 12:39 PM.

Quote

# 38 27-10-2011 , 12:25 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

and here is an image with my proxy gear linkage. you can see it needs to move forward a lot as it extends and it does not look like it pivots, rather it comes straight down and also translates forward in some freakishly convoluted manner. lol

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: f8f_21_geardoor_11_gearLinkageProb.jpg
Views: 488
Size: 45.3 KB
ID: 49193

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Quote

# 39 27-10-2011 , 01:06 PM

The thin red line
Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: England

Posts: 4,472

Nice panel work Rick, could there be a cam follower up the top that you cannot see.........dave

City and guilds automobile tech

Avatar Challenge Winner 2010

Quote

# 40 30-10-2011 , 04:38 AM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Modeled the cowl flap trough more accurately. It rolls down in the inside and the trough extends a tad past the flap when it is closed so there is a tiny gap. It looks subtle in the closed ao render but you can see the flow more accurately in the wire frame and the open ao render.

I also separated out the exhaust trough. This was not to localize geometry but rather that is how it is in the real aircraft and that section is not painted, it's just chromed. So seperating it out will make uv'ing easier.

Worked on the rudder and rudder trim tab. Modeled in the corrugation. I will also model this into the flaps and ailerons. I could use a bump for the corrugation as it is pretty subtle effect. I have the low poly version and will see if it is needed when i get closer to finished.

Also, did the final modeling on the vertical stabilizer fairing. It comes to a sharp ridge along the top. The proxy I modeled was more rounded and I thought looked better but for the sake of accuracy I went with the references.

I was curious to see some colors on it so I did a couple basic fg renders with procedural estimation of the navy blue color and a quick texture map on the exhaust trough.

I have a long list of left to do's...

- elevators and trim tabs
- ailerons
- flaps
- wing separation for folding wing
- folding wing mechanics and rigging
- gear doors
- entire landing gear and wheels + rigging
- main gear bay details
- oil cooler opening in the cowling (bottom)
- various hatches and cover plates
- minimun cockpit (I don't intend to get into completely modeling this but I need enough for long / med shots)
- hard points, lights and various trim accessoried

Bozhe Moi! That is a metric butt ton of stuff.

and here is something that might interest the fellow working on the Fw 190 Focke-Wulf...

The Bearcat concept was inspired by the early 1943 evaluation of a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190 by Grumman test pilots and engineering staff.[2] After flying the Fw 190, Grumman test pilot Robert Hall wrote a report directed to President Leroy Grumman, who then personally laid out the specifications for Design 58, the successor to the Hellcat. Design 58 closely emulated the design philosophy of the German fighter, although no part of the Fw 190 was copied. The F8F Bearcat stemmed from Design 58 [3] with the primary missions of outperforming highly maneuverable late-model Japanese fighter aircraft such as the A6M5 Zero;[4] a later role was defending the fleet against incoming airborne suicide (kamikaze) attacks.[5]

Attached Thumbnails

Click image for larger version

Name: 23c_ref.jpg
Views: 532
Size: 55.0 KB
ID: 49257

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 30-10-2011 at 10:04 AM.

Quote

# 41 30-10-2011 , 09:07 AM

The thin red line
Join Date: Aug 2009

Location: England

Posts: 4,472

Looking great Rick very clean...........dave

Avatar Challenge Winner 2010

Quote

# 42 30-10-2011 , 09:25 AM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

Thanks Dave.

The color is just procedural , mostly for fun and because I wanted to see if the corrugation details would be visible. I hope to do a full texturing job on this project.

However, as you can see from the list I have a long ways to go. The landing gear mechanics in this is not simple like a lot of WWII aircraft (A stick with a hinge point), these are hinged in the middle and also move forward as they extend and I have not found a lot of details that help to expose the linkage geometry.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 30-10-2011 at 09:28 AM.

Quote

# 43 31-10-2011 , 05:00 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

I find as I look at more and more reference images that there are many designs for the exhaust trough. The first version I did was based off the drawings but I found it did not match any reference images.

Most of the modern references use some form of NACA shape...

However, I believe the actual shape as shipped during WWII would be more like this based on a museum reference and some actual archive photos.

Having the trough as a separate piece makes modeling different version quite easy. Making this modular will reduce the workload should I decide to model a racer version later.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675

Last edited by ctbram; 31-10-2011 at 05:10 PM.

Quote

# 44 31-10-2011 , 05:04 PM

Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Michigan, USA

Posts: 2,998

I think I have completed the tail group assemblies. Still deciding if I am going with the corrugation details modeled in or bump mapping them. I will have to decide later. It is not hard to remodel them.