Having turned my PC based hobbies into a living I needed something to get me well away from monitors and mouse - so I joined a modeling forum
Anyway, before picking up the plastic I thought about 3D modeling and began with Rhino. I started with a Browning machine gun because I thought it would be all easy shapes but the the V1 was easier although I never did more than a basic render.

Thought I'd share and if anyone needs any pix and on .30 and 50 cal A/C brownings I got some good pix and line drawings.





Before this I went 2D although my son laid out the line drawing as part of a 3 view sketch he did when he was learning Autocad. He built an Oleo leg as well when he was learning the 3D side of Autocad.

Anyway, all I did was colour the P51 so it doesn't really count I guess.

That 50 Cal is stunning and I would love to see you take some colour to the V-1. Unusual angle but very effective because of that.

Thank you - I appreciate it
The Browning was easy rendering in the modeler and then exported into PSP to lay on the background I did previously.
The V1 would be a bit more involved as to do it properly requires it to be texture mapped. That requires a process like taking it all apart and laying out the top and the bottom so its flat and then making up a texture map - and wrapping it around the model - like they do in 3D games and the like. Some of the top people in this are amazing - see my Avatar. I can't remember the artists name but man, he is awesome.

I think it's one of Ronnie Olsthoorn's, one of the many talented artists who have - to my mind at least - proved digital to be as worthy a medium as the more traditionaly accepted methods.

Thanks for explaining the process so clearly, I hadn't realised it was done in that manner. Always just assumed it would follow a more traditional method.

Yes thats the guy I'm sure. I was knocked out when I first stumbled across this.
Mind you, at the end of the day I would prefer to be able to put pencil to pad like you can - sketch ideas and develop them and then create a real piece of art with the skills you have acquired over time. Thats one of the reasons I have come back to bashing bits of plastics about.

Good work Clarkie...that would look awesome in books and stuff...you should become a digital whore and sell your talents to the highest bidder.

Hey Clarkie, your Avatar is called "Little Freinds" by Ronnie Olsthoorn, the image shows the 359th Fighter Group Mustangs on an escort mission. Hubert is flown by Capt. Rene L. Burtner Jr. (369th FS). Satan’s Lady is flown by Lt. John W. McAlister Jr. (370th FS). This image is a tribute to a 60-year friendship between the pilots,
as they never flew in the same flight during the war.

I've got the very same print in 35"x23" the print it is truly a work of art, I also have "Tigers Revenge" as well just need to get around to getting them framed.

You can find the prints here at http://digitalaviationart.com/Olsthoornprints.html or if you want to see Ronnies work in progress try these two websites http://www.military-meshes.com/ & http://home.wanadoo.nl/r.j.o/skyraider/index.htm. I brought the prints from digitalaviationart.com fast efficent service and with the £ kicking ass at present you can half the cost to get it in pounds.

Bloody marvelous - thanks