Hornet model/skins progress

With permission, in this thread I'll be posting screenshots of development for the Hornet model and skins. Of course, screenshots below may not represent final quality.

Feel free to make comments, ask questions, or provide corrections. Hopefully this keeps you hungry wolves fed!

Forward fuselage texture mapping has been completely redone, some corrections made, and many antennae recreated and carefully textured to display fine, immersive detail deserving of a study simulation!



Some examples of new, modular antennae under the nose.


Vertical stabilizers, as well, have been completely redone! Now more accurate and more detailed. (Yet still, to my eye, very economical.) Seen here are the antennae appropriate for an F/A-18C/D, but I redesigned then intentionally to be accurately changed out to an A/B configuration.


Forward fuselage template in progress, showing fairly tightly-packed UVWs that make use of every pixel available!


Overview


VFA-25 test skin. [WIP disclaimer here.] Shows the new tail and generally improved texture real-estate on the nose and spine. Apologies for the floating probe pieces. Points awarded if you can spot the missing part that isn't the gear doors.


Additional, ancillary update:
https://i.imgur.com/unh9b.jpg

Next up:
AN/APX-111 "bird slicer" antennae for F/A-18A+, CF-18, etc.
"Weathering" for the new fuselage texture.

Oh man, I can just see it now! Me shooting down some Migs with my 20mm cannon in that SEXY piece of machine. Old school! I really like what you do, Beaker! It takes some serious talent. Keep 'em coming!

AMAZING!

External model looks great!!!!! But i have a question, will we be able to write our names and callsigns below the canopy like in real world??? Thanks for reply and again great job!

Capability for dynamic MODEX or "side number" is already in the simulator, so it's certainly technically feasible, but I'm not sure if it will be immediately implemented.

very nice very very nice beaker gj!!!!

If anyone has really really solid, current intel on Navy squadron paints, let me know. Sometimes it's tough to find which is the current configuration, and there's unfortunately no popular website dedicated to keeping up with it.

Anything up-to-date and comprehensive helps. (I have plenty of random reference images of course.)

Thanks Beaker for the pictures and the work you guys have put into this. They look great!

Nice job indeed!

Doesn't that aircraft have the AN/APX-111 IFF antennas on the nose?

Looks good, will be better with Maple Leafs

No sir, this would be an F/A-18C in present configuration, and as such would not be missing the AN/APX-111 antennas atop the nose. (Although a sharp eye would have noticed its low-band antenna remains looking lonely below the fuselage.) There have been some very limited number of F/A-18Cs with the APX-111 gear, but almost all F/A-18s in the USN/USMC that have the "bird slicer" antennas are the F/A-18A+.

Skins for 409, 410, and 425 Sqn. are already completed, but of course will have to be updated for the new model parts. You'll like em.

Yeah , I saw the lower antennas. Waiting for the Canuck Bugs. We just made the changes to the Bug for our game. Can't wait to try your new one.

If you mean BMS... just wait. As far as the Hornet goes, Seven-G's realization won't fail to impress.

Didn't want to create a new topic for these questions. But will there be a possibility of pilot's death in a collision with a missile and will we be able to control the pilot after ejecting, i mean look at him while he descend with a parachute and control him on the ground?? Thanks for reply

Hope you don't mind if I direct you to the Suggestion forum for the future.
https://seveng.forumotion.com/f1-suggestion

The answer to the first question is yes, to the second, presently no. Let's try to keep this thread on-topic when possible, please!

Man Beaker, that model is a gorgeous 3d rendition of the real thing! Superb modeling work there. You must be a true Legacy Hornet fan for sure.

You asked for feedback, so... if I may humbly mention (and please don't get mad at me, when I go into details, I just love the Hornet as much as you do I guess ), that you might revisit the top edges of the vertical tails. From your posted screenshots above, it looks like you did the top edge straight, and I think they should be curved very slightly.
You may take a look at this image as a reference:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/2071743/L

Also, its hard to tell again from the images about the curvature of the canopy. I suspect you've got it spot on, it just looks a bit flat. I mean, in a side view, the main canopy's glass top forward edge continues for a feet or so at the same rising angle like the forward section of the wind screen and then arcs down again into the shallow curve.
This image perhaps helps to illustrate what I mean (esp. note the curvature of the canopy above the pilots helmet):
http://www.airliners.net/photo/1490406/L

In this image (and I researched a lot) it is also visible, that the radome of the Hornet basically is (geometrically speaking) an symmetricall arced cone which is tilted down slightly, so that the lower part is nearly horizontal. In other words, if I had to model the nose I would create said arced cone, tilt it down a few degrees and cut the rear open end vertically to get the aft edge where the radome meets the forward fuselage. You could also imagine what I am saying if you think that the tip of the radome (which is grey in the above image, the rest in white colore) the aft edge of the grey area is perpendicular to the radomes center (symmetry) axis.
I hope it can be understood what I want to say, Beaker. Don't get me wrong, your model looks really great already, I was just dissapointed with the lack of an eye-for-the-detail in the past, when other flightsim developers were doing the Hornet. You are doing great so far, no doubt.
Can't wait to see more of your work, and CF-18 skins of course!

BTW, I have some 3d modeling experience, I wanted to create a model for the SUU-20 bomb dispenser as an external store. I hope the quality will be suitable for Seven-G (keeping detail plus polygon optimization always in mind), maybe it could be of use for you, depending on your liking of course.

Anyway, thanks for showing your in-progress shots! That's very much appreciated!

Excellent post, thank you very much for taking the time to write it all out! Not mad at all, I do indeed want good feedback. I'll address each suggestion for clarity.

RhineHornet wrote:top edges of the vertical tails [...] they should be curved very slightly.
You may take a look at this image as a reference:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/2071743/L

Quite true! In my past incarnation of the tail, I had them a little too curved. They're slightly curved now for the purpose of putting the edges in place, but I left out adjusting them precisely until I had redrawn where I want to cut them... so that's on the way. (Already in the texture and ready to cut.)

RhineHornet wrote:...curvature of the canopy...
http://www.airliners.net/photo/1490406/L
...radome of the Hornet...

All good on the forward part of the canopy and nose, must have been the angle fooling with you. (Although I admit, the shape of the canopy is not perfect in other dimensions. You can see it diverging slightly from the real one at the rear. There's also a nearly imperceptibly small difference in the angle between the real canopy bow and my own, due to the plans I was previously working from. Maybe some things for the future, although I'm working in my free time here.)




Also, nice reference image. It happens to be one of those rare C models with the "bird slicer" antennas!

RhineHornet wrote:
BTW, I have some 3d modeling experience, I wanted to create a model for the SUU-20 bomb dispenser as an external store. I hope the quality will be suitable for Seven-G (keeping detail plus polygon optimization always in mind), maybe it could be of use for you, depending on your liking of course.

Do it! I'd think about 500 polygons each would be an upper limit, realizing of course there are actually quite a few details on that dispenser.

Getting a start on weathering. Painted-over areas next.

Great work! I love the attention to detail here.

Looks Great

The challenge of making a mess on purpose!



(Click for full image.)

great models!!!

Great work and very close to the original VFA-195 Dambusters...



Alternative:


"Chippy Ho"
Nick

Nick - Thanks for the comment. This repaint is currently a bit of a hodge-podge of various Chippy CAG schemes. The last iteration had a few slight differences in the tail section and the more curled script font on the spine as you posted. I just preferred this one, for the moment at least. The trick was getting the larger bits, particularly the tail... so I can make a few adjustments for accuracy quite easily.

Their new scheme on the Rhino is nice, not the same though of course. Shame they didn't replicate the old tail section.