[Resolved] Help modeling airplane windows

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

Hello, and I am making Boeing 787 parts for a mod. I am using Blender to model the parts. My problem is how to make the windows flat, because whenever I use the knife tool to cut out the shape according to the 3-view diagam, it still is curved, when it isn't supposed to be that way.

Thanks, BottleRocketeer

[Matrix Aran]

Hopefully you've figured out a solution by now, but if not, here's a few ways to get the result you want:

-Enable the LoopTools addon packaged with blender and use the Flatten tool on the selected faces.

-Alternatively, switch to the 'Normal' transform orientations, and scale the faces along the Z axis (Press S, and then Z twice to scale along the normal Z axis)

 

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

 

@Matrix Aran Thanks, but I didn't understand the second solution and the first one ignored the rest of the mesh.

[sumghai]

Could you post a screenshot of your current model?

I think I've done something similar for my perpetually-delayed FusTek Station Parts.

[Matrix Aran]

Yes. Some screenshots and reference for where you are and what you want to achieve would be helpful.

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

@sumghai @Matrix Aran Here's the .blend file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1f-ZFpWygfNwFLc1P3GFqIt6VsLPj1VBd

[Matrix Aran]

I don't see any reference images in the file, but I take it you want something that looks somewhat like this? Where the window panes are perfectly flat sheets of glass?

http://prntscr.com/kle9ur

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

@Matrix Aran Sorry for bothering you about this, but I realized that the real 787's windows aren't flat like I thought they were!

[Matrix Aran]

@Bottle Rocketeer 500  Not a worry. A lot of times it takes modeling out a piece before you really get a sense of how the shape is actually formed in real life. The moment I flattened in the windows like that in that screenshot, I realized they were probably not designed to be flat, as evidenced by the odd spacing between the frame and the fuselage.

If I may offer some free advice though. Whenever you plan to punch holes into a cylindrical shape, it pays to keep a copy of the untouched mesh around. You've probably already noticed the pinching artifacts that have crept up around the centerline near the window cutouts. When you start  If you keep a copy of the untouched mesh around, you can use it as a target for the shrinkwrap modifier and get back your perfect curvature, while still being able to throw in plenty of new loop cuts. 

[Bottle Rocketeer 500]

@Matrix AranYes, I do have a window-less copy. I learned this the hard way when I tried making parts for an a380 (I gave up later because I simplified the model too much and made it asymmetrical). About the artifacts, they aren't a big problem right now, but thanks for the tip about the shrinkwrap modifier.