Airship addon #3 good and bad progress

Ladies and gentlemen,

today I can show you some progress with the texturing. As the primary look I am going for this "barrel" type of look ... combining metal and wood similar to a wooden barrel. Once I am done with the basic work I will think about adding some minor details like some access hatches etc. and of course weathering.

This geometry was scaled from from the original prototype to 75% BUT I didn't scale done the vertical "Z" axis leading to two problems. First I found it was too small for my taste and more importantly, second, the proportions I liked from the first white test are all distorted. So it's too small and too ugly for my taste :) So I will leave it at this stage with only the first tier sections textured for now. 

There will be an optional second tier of segments so in the end you will have 4 part that you can mix and match with the core middle attachment part and the propellers and ending caps resulting in a lot of different ways to combine you turbines. Your turbine could consist of 2, 3 or all 4 segments, symmetrical or not, with propeller between any or all of these segments ... you get the picture.

The good news is that I like how the texture looks but the bad news is I have to go back and create a geometry that is closer to the first test and between that one and this one in regards to size. Thank god I setup my texture painting as a kind of "map" that I can reuse fast so I expect for the next generation of parts to come together relative fast.

Here is a look at this assembly next to the hull. The original geometry had a "wider" feel. This one looks too narrow. It's more the direction I want to take for the forward thrust turbines, although they should be even more narrow and sleek.

Regarding putting these segment together, besides the obvious simple glue-it-all-together, I am thinking of a way to screw-slot these together. With this test however I found that with a BBQ-stick as in the pic and the holes cut a tad narrower than required, it all hold surprisingly well and tight just with friction! Also by leaving the stick extending to the bottom it could serve as a stand too for the turbines. This could become my favorite way to do it!!!

Well, that wraps up my progress of this week guys. Have a great weekend and see you soon for more updates! Until next time, stay safe and keep building!!!

Chris

P.S. It's time to start thinking about new bits for this year. If you have any ideas and wishes let me know. I have read a request about split crates and barrels, like when you would float in water or have sunk into the earth, so I might start with that. But let me know what you would like to see in 2023!!!