Polyloop - 3D & 2D Forums - View Single Post - [Amapi]

PatrickDemski · 29th February 2008, 02:47

Hi Paul, I have your book in my library

and have downloaded all of the photos that you've posted at WWI Models -- the ones from Trelour Annex at the AWM are especially useful because you took a number of detail closeups that most people overlook. Everyone takes sideview shots of the whole engine from six feet away; no one bothers to take pictures of the primer petcock from two inches away and a few different angles so that you can understand how it's shaped and assembled. Thanks much! I really needed some of those pictures. I've been unable to find a Mercedes D-series engine in Southern California that I can examine & photograph.

I'm actually building three different versions of the engine simultaneously since there are so many similarities between them.

The first version is the Mercedes D.III with the rocker arms protruding from the sides of the rocker boxes. This one saw wide use in the early B-series planes, and the early Alb and Pfalz scouts. It has a couple of variations in the water cooling plumbing depending on the plane and the radiator used; I've got the details for most of these but it took a long time to figure out how the rocker boxes and cam tube were shaped. I think I've got it worked out & am going to start modeling it next, after I finish up a few othe things.

The second version is the Mercedes D.IIIa, the subject of your book. It has the final-form valve train with the front-mounted rocker arms, and the heated intake manifold.

The third verison is the Mercedes D.IV, the 8-cylinder version used in the Alb C.V and LVG C.IV. Quite a rarity, but it has much commonality with the D.III version so it's not that much more work to do. I want to eventually do both the Alb and the LVG as 3D models.

I need to post some updated renders here; I've been working on detailing the cylinders with all the add-on parts like spark plugs and valve springs, and also doing the UV mapping in UVMapper Pro. I'll post pics of this work as soon as I can put it together in Carrara and do some renders.

BTW, I really like the 1/5 scale model you've been working on. My brother is a mechanical engineer & we've talked about exporting my 3D work as STL files so physical shapes can be produced on a prototyping 3D printer. I may do this after I've got the engines complete for rendering -- by the time I get to this stage, the 3D printing technology will probably be cheap enough to set up in a garage or workshop.

29th February 2008, 02:47	#9 (permalink)
PatrickDemski Vertex Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 9	Hi Paul, I have your book in my library and have downloaded all of the photos that you've posted at WWI Models -- the ones from Trelour Annex at the AWM are especially useful because you took a number of detail closeups that most people overlook. Everyone takes sideview shots of the whole engine from six feet away; no one bothers to take pictures of the primer petcock from two inches away and a few different angles so that you can understand how it's shaped and assembled. Thanks much! I really needed some of those pictures. I've been unable to find a Mercedes D-series engine in Southern California that I can examine & photograph. I'm actually building three different versions of the engine simultaneously since there are so many similarities between them. The first version is the Mercedes D.III with the rocker arms protruding from the sides of the rocker boxes. This one saw wide use in the early B-series planes, and the early Alb and Pfalz scouts. It has a couple of variations in the water cooling plumbing depending on the plane and the radiator used; I've got the details for most of these but it took a long time to figure out how the rocker boxes and cam tube were shaped. I think I've got it worked out & am going to start modeling it next, after I finish up a few othe things. The second version is the Mercedes D.IIIa, the subject of your book. It has the final-form valve train with the front-mounted rocker arms, and the heated intake manifold. The third verison is the Mercedes D.IV, the 8-cylinder version used in the Alb C.V and LVG C.IV. Quite a rarity, but it has much commonality with the D.III version so it's not that much more work to do. I want to eventually do both the Alb and the LVG as 3D models. I need to post some updated renders here; I've been working on detailing the cylinders with all the add-on parts like spark plugs and valve springs, and also doing the UV mapping in UVMapper Pro. I'll post pics of this work as soon as I can put it together in Carrara and do some renders. BTW, I really like the 1/5 scale model you've been working on. My brother is a mechanical engineer & we've talked about exporting my 3D work as STL files so physical shapes can be produced on a prototyping 3D printer. I may do this after I've got the engines complete for rendering -- by the time I get to this stage, the 3D printing technology will probably be cheap enough to set up in a garage or workshop.