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[asheshouse]

Poly Limit - Max 3000 triangles per msh. Max number of msh files, 248, or thereabouts. However you may have an fps hit if you try to load large models.

[Mission_bug]

Hello guys, there are only a few of the meshes in this build that so far have crept up to the polygon limit, some are really too close for comfort.

Once I finish the build I will do some integrating of the smaller parts together into larger poly meshes where I think it is warranted while at the same time leaving some things be if it will help setting things up for static, engine covers for instance on and off and possible retain the two types of cab, that sort of thing.

I very much doubt I will reach the upper amount of separate meshes limit Asheshouse mentioned that would be more likely with those warships he builds with all the guns and such as many items are duplicated I think, so hopefully all is good, at least so far no one has complained of any FPS issues with the Thorneycroft and I monitor it regularly by adding the parts to another install that does not have the high poly D.L.L files and so far it always loaded up without any alarms going off or the P.C. crashing.

The vehicle I think would possibly only ever have operated as a single unit at any one airfield, maybe two, most times they would be on the road recovering downed aircraft with maybe a unit at the airfield to help with any crashed aircraft that might be causing obstructions to other traffic so it is not like setting up a tank battle with hundreds of them running around.

Thankfully the available class files help for the static units assembly using the hier, without them I would have needed to considerably reduce the poly count of lorry and crane for there to be any chance of adding them as a usable item other than as the moving vehicle, it can be argued I have overdone much of the detail but it was specifically a build project anyway with that very intention, as it worked out we also had the means available by the time I started the build to also allow me to try all the built items in game without any tiresome need to assemble a lot of individual parts.

With all the above said I still need to add lods and the damage models so it might all go pear shaped yet.


Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mission_bug]

Hello again guys, yet another update for you.

The line shape you saw last time has now developed into a further detail part on the casting:



The upper casting finished and development of the lower one underway, the shape has been considerably
altered to match the photograph that meant I would be unable to use the existing mapping so it would need
to be completely done again to account for any stretching and such like:




The upper part now fully mapped and coloured:




Some existing parts are cloned to use on the re-shaped casting with some new items in build as well as
the part broken into back and front pieces, in game they will be joined as a complete unit, however, this
leaves the option to make a stripped down engine block as a separate object at some time so worth
doing the work here rather than coming back later:




Here seen from the other side with the photograph to show what I am trying to replicate:




I attached the purple coloured piece that ties in the shape of the two components ready for the
complete new mapping of this part:




The main shape has been mapped and colours added to the template before work continues with extra
pads for the nuts and bolts:



All mapped and coloured:




Into game for a look:




The filler caps were added at this stage, joined to the engine block as was some of the previously made detail
shown earlier on the drivers side, I am trying to integrate separate smaller polygon meshes were possible to others
to make a larger mesh.

That was quite a daunting set of shapes to make but at least it is now done so I can add the other components
that use it to connect to each other and other parts.


Take care and be safe.


Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mission_bug]

Hello again guys, just another little update.


Moving away from the side and back to the upper part of the engine some pipes and such had to be
made so I tackled that next.

The plate three pipes are attached to:



Where possible I use parts previously made, the nuts in this case but the plate was new, here it is seen
with the mapping done:



Two new pipes with a third borrowed again from another part of the build just to save me having to
bend and twist things into a new new shape this just needed some slight adjustment:



This pipe looks to be pushed onto a shaped cap and uses a band to hold it on while also being bolted
over where one of the previous caps was, hence why I made that a separate piece when I built those
nuts and bolts for the tanks:



The shape made and waiting for mapping with each of the parts joined together, a Boolean was used to make
a hole in one part to help join and blend the shapes together  by welding the verts, again certain items from
elsewhere were used but I will re-map it all because the shape was altered hence the parts having all previous
colour removed, not sure if the fixing uses bolts to hold it in position or actually a shape to accept a screw:



Difficult to see from the photograph but a series of parts are connected from the engine to one of the pipes
and a further set of parts to what seems to be some control cables:




I think I need to learn to do a little less detail, will I ever get this done.


Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[MarvinT]

 Pure work of art. Now I have to build a mission for it. Thank you and everyone who made this work possible.

[Mission_bug]

Pure work of art. Now I have to build a mission for it. Thank you and everyone who made this work possible.

Thank you very much for the kind words Marvin, really appreciated.


The build has got quite involved as you can see, I never imagined it would still be ongoing now when I started.

Overall while there are certainly issues as to it being exactly true to scale I believe I have managed to capture the
spirit of the real thing, it does at least look like a Thorneycroft so that is a relief.


Making the various pipes has meant I needed to take a look at the fixings used to hold these in position
and here we see the parts of a Jubilee clip in process with a existing bolt having a slot cut into it for the
flat end of a screwdriver:



The Boolean method was again used to cut the slot with a square shape used to make the slot with the
faces flipped and one removed before attaching the parts to each other and welding them together:




Here we see the two colours of these parts due to where they are placed on the template awaiting the
particular colours they will adopt:




This just shows the vertices that were welded:




The item as it will be used with the clips and the cap:




More detail has also been added to the various valves and connectors used to operate the flow of
the various liquids, gases, water or air they carry:





And I might need screws as well, some of the parts in the photograph seem to have them although it is
difficult to tell due to all the paint on them, anyway it does no harm to add further fixings:





After that little lot I needed a rest this kind of work plays hell with my fingers, arms and neck entrapment, I
think I need a new body or a major repair job myself never mind the truck.


Take care and be safe.


Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mission_bug]

Hello guys, here we go again with yet another update of this by now ancient 3d project.

I opted to try the new screws here to see if they looked better than the previous bolts:



I cannot quite make out from the photograph just what I am making here but it looks like a double
spring lock washer so I began by developing two shapes:



These were welded together to form the part:




In situ as per the photograph, this looks a little odd as usually you tend to have these between nut and
washer, however, the image seems to show a few large washers all together:




Mapping shown for parts before extracting to add to the template and texture:





Parts before colour:




Here we see the pipes and clips done with further work to come:




All the parts are now painted, still with some things to make and add but getting through this set
of items:



This became a little involved, funny how what looks fairly simple and straight forward develops into a
major head ache.


Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mission_bug]

Hello again guys, another little update for those of you still following this.


Below the previous detail is a set of pipes/cables, not sure for what exactly but I thought I would give it a go.


I found a new tool that allowed me to make a circle, strange after all this time I had never noticed it before.

Prior to this I had been doing it the hard way, taking a cylinder and slowly bending it into shape by manipulating
the vertices, tedious and not very accurate, this makes things much easier once you have had a tinker to see
how it works you are in business.

I needed to make what is essentially a cable that has a spiral in it with lengths moving off in various
directions, this was begun by making a ring and getting it near to the size in the photograph:




Parts were chopped off to add a long tube going one way and a second ring was cloned, angled and joined
to make the other shapes




These were welded together to get something like what I could see in the photo:




Next up was a connector that joins various lengths that run along the engine block;




A number of these were made as were various off shoots that go into the engine itself:




Here is the completed and coloured item ready for fitting, one end I could not figure out where it went so
just made another bend and attached it so it pointed in towards the bulkhead as though it came from inside
the cab:




Added to the vehicle in game along with the previous pipes and fixtures described earlier:





The photographs do not always give a good enough view to help you decide what exactly belongs where on the engine, some
parts look as though they are hanging off and do not belong anywhere in particular, maybe something removed for repair
as this is a restoration vehicle so some items are left off because of that, the intention is more to give the model a
passing resemblance than to create a exact replica.

Each part I make is different in many ways which is what makes this project on the engine so interesting, new shapes to
experiment with and new construction methods found sometimes to go with established ones, the engine has become a
project in itself because many of the vehicles seen in images all have the covers removed you feel you have to try and
replicate what you see, I wonder if the type suffered from overheating as it is not just desert versions I see without the
side covers or if those covers were a bad fit.

Anyway, maybe one day I will find a manual to answer the multitude of questions I have on this truck, until then I will
just have to build what I see whatever the bits do.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Lythronax]

Spellbinding, utterly spellbinding.

[Mission_bug]

Spellbinding, utterly spellbinding.

Thank you very much for the kind words Lythronax, glad you like the build so far.

You will have noticed just how easy it is to get carried away in the build, each part you make seems to lead to even more, hard to know where to stop.

Must be very hard for those who do this for a living to actually build within a scheduled framework to suit the game project they work on, it can very quickly take over your life to the point it is very hard to put down even when you need to.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mission_bug]

Okay, after some time away from this while meddling with others work I retreated to my hiding hole, hunkered down
and set to work again on the engine.


The front of the engine near the radiator seems to have some kind of pump, it bolts on to the previous
castings finished earlier and as always I will re-use and adapt existing parts where I can:




Re-mapped and painted to a new part of the template:




I looked at some existing parts but ultimately started a few new bits:





Not much chance to party over the festive period so hopefully this will keep me away from any serious
mischief.

Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Mission_bug]

Hello again guys yet another small update of progress.

The images I have do not show clearly where or exactly how the pipe attaches lower down so first of all
a missing piece of angle is made to fix to the chassis:



This not very clear image shows what looks to be a drain valve underneath so a block is put there
to align things:



Still thinking about what to do underneath I turned back to detailing the rest of the pump, here you
see the stages:



The pipe itself has a very severe bend to it, this would require a special modifier adding to allow me to
pull and push the various vertices into a shape roughly how I wanted, I had already done this but opted
to show you the modifier in use, once the shape was as I wanted it was collapsed to retain the shape:



Further tweaking of the vertices themselves improved the shape to something I could live with:






A further piece of pipe is shaped to lay over the earlier made parts:







I eventually decided to add a sump to the radiator shroud, that and the chassis angle were added to the
existing model and exported.

Those items gave me the positioning for the lower pipe before they were exported and at the same I tried
to make as good a replica of the valve as I could manage.  Not entirely sure how it all attached I decided
there would be welded tubes as part of the sump that these attached to and just to keep it all together used
a angle piece that might exist to hold all the bits in position inside:








Those parts have been mapped and next time you will see them in their appropriate colours along with
the rest of the pumps and pipes that are part of it.


Take care and be safe.

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.