Does anyone have any engine modeling tips (Blender)

[Guest]

I can't seem to get engine modeling right.  I can just import the mu from stock engines and modify it, but it doesn't quite fit the part.  Any tips?

[CobaltWolf]

3 minutes ago, CliftonM said:

I can't seem to get engine modeling right.  I can just import the mu from stock engines and modify it, but it doesn't quite fit the part.  Any tips?

Well what are you trying to make? Since I work from real engines most of the time, I start by looking at the reference and modeling the biggest details. Like the engine bell. I then move down, from the biggest / most iconic details of a design down to the smallest details. I stop once it reaches something that is about the right level of detail for a KSP model.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, CobaltWolf said:

Well what are you trying to make? Since I work from real engines most of the time, I start by looking at the reference and modeling the biggest details. Like the engine bell. I then move down, from the biggest / most iconic details of a design down to the smallest details. I stop once it reaches something that is about the right level of detail for a KSP model.

Yeah, most of the time I do it from my head.  I'll see about using reference images.

[CobaltWolf]

1 minute ago, CliftonM said:

Yeah, most of the time I do it from my head.  I'll see about using reference images.

Real reference will be helpful. Understanding how various rocket engines actually work means that you can create plausible looking ones from your imagination.

[Guest]

Just now, CobaltWolf said:

Real reference will be helpful. Understanding how various rocket engines actually work means that you can create plausible looking ones from your imagination.

True.

[Randazzo]

18 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Real reference will be helpful. Understanding how various rocket engines actually work means that you can create plausible looking ones from your imagination.

Of course, some of the stock engines are already so ludicrous that you can get away with a lot of "creative license" and still fit right in.

More important is to find your style and stick with it. There are already a lot of options out there, and you'll want to stand out in some way.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Randazzo

[NecroBones]

 

Or you can cheat and make the engines ridiculously simplistic too. The new Vector engine is based on the real-world RS-25, and the bell looks great, but the engine is only the bell and gimbal, and doesn't include the turbopumps and the like that are normally hidden inside the vehicle. I've taken that approach with RSB. But on the other hand, there's something to be said for highly detailed models too, which are just gorgeous!