YF-19 Saber

[Mikey-B]

I'm a beginner when it comes to 3D art, and I don't get much time to work on the models, but I thought I'd stop lurking and post something. I'm simply amazed at the quality of the artwork here, I hope to get as good someday.

This is the fictional YF-19 Saber, named after the F-86 Saber, and the plane that the USAF denies exists. In my game world (this is a low-poly model for a computer game), the YF-19 picks up where the X-20A DynaSoar left off. It is a combat spacecraft typically armed with 6 space-rated AIM-120D Slammer missiles, an internal 20mm vulcan cannon, and extra fuel. Its pressurized payload bay can hold other things like small satellites, station supplies, and crew. It is launched into orbit via Titan 4 rocket.

Most of the time, the payload doors and docking port doors remain closed, so the upper wings will have heat sinks of some sort. I'm also trying to figure out how to do armor panels in the back where the main engine is. The texture is there as a placeholder.

I find that when I export to 3DStudio Max format to do the UV maps, and then bring the exported model back into trueSpace, it ends up much larger than the original mesh. It would be nice if I could determine why this happens.

[Infinity238]

So no connection to the YF-19 from macross plus, Looks cool though!

[sorceress21]

I just love realism in sci-fi design. It's my biggest nitpick. And you did a great job. This thing looks like it could be flying for real! And for a beginning 3D modeler.....wow!

One question though...Why no cockpit windows? I know some of the spaceplane designs from NASA took that approach but, personally, I doubt we'll ever fly anything manned into space without cockpit windows. Pilots love to look outside. It's 50% of why we fly....

[Mikey-B]

I haven't worked on the cockpit windows yet, I'm hoping to do some of that this weekend as well. I think windows similar to the Bone (apparently the nickname given to the B-1) would look cool. I have quite a bit to do still.

The craft has a crew of two: Aircraft Commander, and Mission Commander. The AC handles flight operations while the MC takes care of weapons, sensors, etc.

And no, there is no connection to the Macross YF-19. I'm trying to engineer my designs so they could possibly fly.

[Mikey-B]

I just did the back armor panels on the fighter. While the skin of the YF-19 is comprised of an advanced, lightweight ceramic/metal composite that is heat and impact resistant, it helps to have extra armor in vital areas. It's a little thin in the engine compartment, so the engineers added additional plates.

You can also see the four postholes where the YF-19 rests on posts built into the booster rocket interstage adapter. Explosive bolts fasten the fighter to the posts. When they fire, pneumatic pushers in the posts ignite as well, pushing the YF-19 away from the booster rocket's upper stage.

[Mikey-B]

I figured how how to do the windows at last! I had to do an intersection with the body, then extrude upwards, then delete the underlying parts and extrude downwards to create window-like pillars that cut into the body slightly. After that, I just selected the body and did an object subtraction of the pillars. Here is the end result:

[Mikey-B]

I haven't had a chance to work on this in a long time but here's the latest. I'm using Ultimate Unwrap 3D now and that made texturing the model fun again. Ultimate Unwrap made my life much easier. Only problem is doing the texture in Photoshop and then re-rendering in trueSpace to see the results. I have to save my pennies for Photoshop CS3, it does on-the-fly 3D model updates.

[Mikey-B]

I'm back to working on the YF-19 Saber. I've learned a bit more about how to texture with Photoshop, and here are the results. It isn't perfect but it's better than I've done before. The TPS blankets and tiles are much tougher than those used on the Space Shuttle.

[DerekDRP]

Very cool mdoel.

[Lentowsky]

I HATE talented neophytes!

That looks quite cool, you are definitely off to a good start there, Mikey.