June 5, 200322 yr Depends on what your self imposed poly budget is. Another thing is just how large the engines are compared to the rest of your plane. If they're proportionally very large then you'll need more sides to give it a nice circular look.I think they key here is consistency and proportion. The engines should use as many faces as necessary to give the same illusion of smoothness that the fuselage has, no more no less. A engine that is big compared to the rest of the plane will need more faces to maintain that same illusion of smoothness the rest of the plane will have.32, 48, and 64 sides are pretty much the base number of sides nowadays. Though for a proportionally small engine less than 32 should suffice fine.
June 5, 200322 yr If it's your first model, then start small because it is likely you'll end up going back to change stuff anyway. I started by making some AI-only aircraft for my personal use. As I became more proficient, I thought I would design an aircraft just for fun. The experience I gained on the AI aircraft and the techiniques that I learned through various websites (including this forum) enabled me to do this. I think my AI aircraft were only 16 sided. Obviously this is way too small for something you actually want to fly, but it will make your project much easier to work on. There are certain techniques like "cutting flaps from a wing" and "making a canopy frame" which will cause a lot less frustration if you learn the skill on a simplified model.Keep in mind that I already knew how to use the various design tools, since I had been designing scenery for quite a while already, so it wasn't a matter of simply learning the tools - I had to learn specifics about aircraft design.- Martin My site: www.martinstrong.com/FS_Project.htm
June 5, 200322 yr I would suggest using a 32 sided cylinder for the fuselage. More is also good, but it does not really make that much difference. Except for more polys of course. Meljets 777 uses a 32 sided fuselage, and itis still looking very round. For engines ( jet ) I find a 18 or 20 sided cylinder to be good.Good luck with your project.Udo.:-wave
Create an account or sign in to comment