Therefore,is it Phantom?

For the time being,the primary search about this leg is an end. The arm for storing was attached. 90% of the leg was completed now. The oil cylinder attached in the body was omitted since it is not visible from outside.

The following is the prediction structure of a hinge portion. Although much searched in the network, details of this portion were not found.

Japanese is here.

A proof as a Fighter

The mechanism portion of a front wheel is still under construction. I got some ideas from the photograph of the U.S. site. Although the image approached closely, the information about the equipment on the hinge could not get yet. Some photographs offered the very good idea.　It was a new hypothesis. The upper hinge is the structure divided into two forks. The following photograph was very good information for the Investigation. This structure resembles the structure of the handle circumference of the bicycle. Some clamp implements have sandwiched the pillar.

Although the door had not been made yet, the balance was likely good for body. This front wheel is nearly 2m tall.　But, If this tall front wheel does not exist, this fighter will stop being Shinden.

Japanese is here.

The days are asking itself

For these three months, I have searched for the information on Shinden . The reason is that I like an airplane. I have also understood the essence which conceived this fighter 70 years ago. Why does people turn so many eyes to the fighter of a phantom who hid beauty and sadness? This is also the question to myself. Since the misery of fighting became far far memory, it may be thinking so. We might have forgotten gratitude to being peace. “SHIN” of Shinden is one of the phenomena showing the universe in “EKI” . The meaning expresses “thunder.” “DEN” expresses “lightning”. Did Japanese of 70 years ago search for figure of the god of thunder from this beautiful fighter? Supposing they did so, what should we do now? That is the question for Shinden.

One-Step Advance

During the search of photograph at the U.S. site, a very high-resolution photograph was discovered. Some new information about front wheel was obtained. The first one is about a “rim”. The central part of the rim had not dented. It was a convex. Instantly, the form of a rim was changed. It is one-step advance now.

Japanese is here.

Tips in the Midnight

Tips about the nose gear frame was summarized that was omitted last time. Please refer to the following. Although explanation is Japanese, you can understand it easyly in a heading.

Lure Head Japan : http://zen.mydns.jp/~tokyo/lurehead/

Further Searching

We have not a good photograph with which a close-up of a front wheel was taken. Therefore,if the image of appearance suits,let’s make it O.K.. The another photograph cannot explain an important portion, although the nose gear is perfectly. The prediction of the contents of fabrication can be performed with getting the structure of this equipment. Let’s search unknown equipments again . The fabrication of upper leg is coming after the processing of the storing part.

(Expandable)

Japanese’s here.

Making Shoes

The leg(lower part), the tire and the rim are created by “rotation processing” of a section. Since the U character type frame does not have the symmetry side (judgment from a photograph), the prototype is created by “extrusion of the path” of the section made from the ellipse. This frame is made manually. This work resembles edit of the polygon. Shoes were made now. In order to make this into boots,it is necessary to collect data more,isn’t it?

Japanese is here.

Seasonal Change

The cold wind is coming although it is fine day. Two months passed away as making J7W1 Shinden after the hot season. Wintry cold wind already began to blow in my small town. In the Tohoku district in Japan, it already began to snow. Although Shinden had been making only from a photograph, easy drawing information and imagination, the season which begins to make details also came in my design seasoning. The first reproduction portion is a nose gear (front wheel). Even if the whole structure can be overlooked , the mechanism of a portion cannot become clear. This is well being. This front wheel is completely the same for my little information about airplane equipment. The installation method of the attachment portion looking as “hinge with an angle” (it named freely) and the upper structure of this equipment are not clear. That is above U character frame which has sandwiched the wheel. The structure cannot be solved only by my photograph and sketch which it has now. Although they would probably be buffer (shock absorber) , “hinge with an angle”and unknown equipment are written only as omitted drawing. Anyway,according to the above-mentioned various situations, let’s make that portion future work.

First of all,the portion which is visible exactly is traced. Let’s trace it now. And let’s fabricate them quickly! Since a photograph is not from the front,   the right size is well deduced from the side view.  And traces form data using illustrator.

Japanese is here.

Fatal Click

The server of my home is the old Mac G4 that is already returning active service in my jobs.  While the notice of software update is also disregarded, he is the old friend who works under a desk diligently every day.  Only periodical security update is definite aim in his life.  Such a darling old friend was involved in the trouble today.  At 5:00 p.m., the notice of “Software update” from Apple came to the monitor only for a server. As usual, I removed the unnecessary update.  O.K. button was pushed.  In the case of Mac, the optimization of System is certainly performed in the second half of update. This optimization requires long time. However, today’s processing took time crazily. It is long time to the extent that roast beef can be cooked.   The cruel word appeared in the monitor of the next client which was checking e-mail.  “cannot find server” —Is it joke?  A machine does not tell a lie although  breaking down. That was update process error. Other computers on LAN were also the same condition. When I changed the network protocol of router into DHCP,  Internet became connectable by note PC.   It was also O.K. similarly from a server machine.  Apache also has no abnormalities.  MySQL also has no abnormalities.  PhpMyAdmin also has no abnormalities. However, Internet was not available if DNS server was set up.  The cause of interruption was found at last.   That was DNS error.   The master zone of DNS service has been removed by updating process.   The inside of LAN and outside are not connected without  the master zone.   The old motto was remembered although the cause was not clear why DNS crashed by security update.     “Be prepared!  One click might be fatal” — to be sure, it is wise saying.          Japanese is here.

Preview Half

Only right wing was fabricated. This is a preview. That’s all this week.

The remaining molding operation is waiting for next week!!

Japanese is here.

Being Fixed

Fabrication of the right wing portion finished. It has taken a whole day.

No, it has not finished yet in fact. It is only being fixed. A junction into a body still continues being an “acute angle” (portion of the black line). In the photograph, it is connected smoothly. Well, let’s make the correction homework. It must be required so much hours.

Japanese is here.

The Patience

After the mock-up is done, let’s insert it in between a body and a wing. The wing attached till yesterday is required to reduce by the overhang of a junction part. Since the wing has not been made into the polygon mesh yet, it can be shortened easily. Although we cannot cut the griddle instantly , resizing is the quick work of a CG no one but. The polygon of main wing will be making in the final stage, since it cannot predict what kind of correction occurs from now on. Well, let’s change the junction into a polygon and start fabrication instantly.

The method of a settlement that the curved surface concentrated to an engine cowling is peculiar to pusher type machine. Even if the degree of complexity of the mesh is set the lowest, it is quite tough work. The work which bends a polygon field little by little and is included into the body, looking at x-axis, y-axis, and z axis by turns. The work of this portion is the sheet metal store. Patience is required for this work. Don’t give up till it can be convinced to good polygon fabrication. It certainly leads a success. Japanese is here.

Sheet metal work

The tough work is coming tonight. That is a designing of the junction part of a wing and a body. The junction is made with a complicated curved surface from three dimension. This molding operation is completely the same as the sheet metal work. The engineers of a factory might be doing same work in a wartime. Probably, there was no pressing machine for exclusive use for Shinden since it was a test machine. It is just handmade!! The sheet metal of a car — that’s it. It has taken the whole day only in right wing this time.
Some sections are required for a junction structure first. Although this is a process which is not in actual sheet metal work, it is a procedure indispensable for making a curved surface with a free hand. Looking at a photograph, change of the flow of a curved surface is checked from three directions x,y,z. Five sections are illustrated this time. The flow of the curved surface which goes to especially an engine cowling was a difficult portion. After the elaboration of a section finished, skin processing is required for “The sheet metal work”. Japanese is here.

Elaboration

The re-rendering of the part for the junction of a canopy and a body was elaborated and carried out. Left-hand side is 3D model (color), and right-hand side is a photograph of those days(monochrome) The edge of mapping also became clearer than last time.

Nobody’s in Cockpit

The canopy is completion. The form of the front part was improved. Superfluous flesh was cut sharply. If the piece of the edge of mapping is improved more, a feeling of a scale will increase more.

Japanese is here.

Verification

The face was completed at last. The canopy of Shinden was put on the body. The correcting point becomes clear if it is compared with the photograph of the genuine. What is omitted and what to carry out is checked. The glass side of the front part needs to delete the side more (portion which has shone with lighting). It seems that the thickness of the frame is different. And also angle of gradient is a little different. With the photograph (below), although it seems that glass is not contained, it is exactly contained in the photograph of the Smithsonian. The color of glass also needs to be thought over again (colorlessness is used this time). Since strict size of this frame is unknown, the size has been decided in the balance of the image which comes from the trace and the photograph. This will also be necessary to reexamine together with the other portion which is not expressed this time.

The rendering was tried and carried out by the almost same angle as the real photograph. In the 3D, the junction to the body is not settled well too. It is also the cause that data is breaking a little. New body may be necessary to make(a broken texture data is coming out here and there). After making the canopy exactly, it might be good way to fabricate new body . Remaking object might often become beautiful rather than correction. Although you could notice in the photograph, semicircle-like equipment is attached to the rear ceiling. What is this? New homework was shown. Well, let’s change mode for a while till the body data renewing. Let’s challenge the modeling of a leg next time. It will become more interesting, since a feeling of the reality will come out.

Japanese is here.

The Face

The front part canopy which serves as a face of J7W1 is fabricated this time. Mapping to an uneven surface of a sphere goes not so well, only the frame of this portion is modeling object. The frame of the same size as hind canopy is attached for the pilot side. The front tip frame which becomes a part for a junction with a body is created by the method of adjusting also for fine tuning. Along the curve for the body, a path of Bezier curves is required. Section of a frame is rotated according to Bezier curves. This method is called “Path Extrude”. This way is frequently used in 3D. The frame of a front glass portion is mapped to a glass side like other canopy. When three above-mentioned frames are processed concurrently, the canopy appropriate for J7W1 Shinden is completed.

Japanese is here.

Frame of Fate

Now, making fabrication of a window frame starts. “a window frame” is a window frame of canopy glass. I guess that the frame has disappeared at the time like the second half of P-51 mustang. It was just before the age of a jet. Since the fighter is a propeller plane, canopy can be opened by hand in case of emergency, and the pilot can begin to get out from cockpit. But if speed exceeds 700km/h, opening by hand is pretty difficult. It was the current of the time when the design concept of the airplane itself changed quickly with the end of the reciprocating engine fighter.

Shinden’s canopy was still a manual opening-and-closing type. Mapping is used for creation of a window frame. A developed view from a photograph and a drawing can be mapped for the surface (duplicated object) of each glass side which was created last time. Each shade was drawn by Illustrator. Since mapping of the curved surface of the front canopy seems to be pretty difficult, I map only the front frame.

A stencil function is used in this mapping processing. The white and black of the picture of a frame are reversed in the stencil function. Portions other than a frame are made transparent by this processing. If this function is used, only a frame can be expressed at rendering. The notes about combining with glass is that the glass side is reducing slightly. By this processing, a glass side will be inside a frame. This is more real. If a rendering is carried out, canopy into which glass was built exactly will be completed.

Japanese is here.

Subtract

If the forming of canopy of the front part goes well to about 80%, the work for a glass will be able to start. Although I think that it had become bulletproof glass, since it was a wartime period,the quality of the material was not so good if it guesses from the situation of Japanese economy of those days. Since there is no glass data of those days,texture data is set the transparency “92%”, and the refractive index “1.4″. Although it is ordinary thin glass, appearance will be good. Inside is hollowed in order to make glass thickness. First, the reproducing of prototype is required. After that, you have to make size reduce only the part of glass thickness. The reduced duplicate prototype can be embedded into the original prototype. Finally, it can be hollowed by a Boolean operation (Subtract).

After Boolean operation,the prototype will become a form of the skin of the watermelon who finished eating. Before making complicated correction, Boolean operation is required. By this operation, next work will become easy. Simultaneously, the center and the rear canopy will be set the same work. Molding operation is easier than a front. But, there are one notes. Since the center canopy is covered by the rear canopy when a canopy is opened, width differs from height a little. Although a strict size is unnecessary, the feeling of a scale model will be produced by a little prejudice.

Japanese is here.

The First Difficulty

The first difficulty is form creation of the front part of a canopy. The section for fabrication of front part refers to the photograph of Smithsonian. Each section is arranged perpendicularly applying the position relation from photograph of a drawing. After skin processing was performed, an approximation prototype is completed. Now, serious work comes next!! It is fight with many polygons on this prototype until the form to desire is made.

The optimal method of fabrication of an object with symmetrical and almost uniform curvature is the way of a section connecting. The optimal number of sheets of a section will be clear from the application of the triple-dividing method. First,the section which divides into three portion for the desired object is required. After that ,trial fabrication is required. If there is a distorted portion,dividing will be required more. A section is increased until the smooth surface as a prototype is obtained. It is not easily decided by one time. Much trial and error are needed.

Japanese is here.

Old Story

A canopy is called “Ten-gai” in Japanese.”Ten” means “sky”. “Gai” means “lid”. It means a roof which covers a cockpit as the name suggests. It was also called “Hu-bo” a long time ago in Japanese. “Hu-bo” means “prevention from wind”. The “Tengai” is zen-like. The glass used for canopy is “Hubo-glass”. This Hubo-glass had been in fashion in school as a child. When it rubbed on a wooden desk, it was wonderful glass in which there was a strange sweet smell by frictional heat. Since it was about in 1950, such a thing was in boy’s fashion in school. But I did not know where to get “Hubo-glass”. It was the reflect of the age that the rubbish of the wartime period was to be a toy for boys after war finished. Now, this nostalgic “Hubo” is made this time. I decided to do the following structure from analysis of a photograph and a drawing, so that it might be usual way. 1) a canopy is divided into three pieces such as front,center and back. 2) each is made as “solid texture” and is used as a material of “glass” and “frame of canopy”. 3) Since the complicated curved surface of the front part, front part is made from the combination of mapping and a molded product. 4) Junction on a body adjusts the body side. It is likely to become quite tough work.

Japanese is here.

Active afterimage

As for the body revision, around 80% are completion. However, there is still a lot of parts of non-shaped. Shinden is so far. In a meaning to change mind, I mapped a warplane color (probably, Zero fighter) . The color sample which I found in internet was dark green a little more, but tried light setting for mapping.　I understood that how to hit light on the dark green was difficult . This is a future problem, too. I have to suppress the diffusion of the light more. The actual feeling considerably changes in according to what kind of virtual situation this plane flies. Actually there is not such a clean fighter in those days. A dirt is necessary. The painting will come off, too. The dirt from the hand will stick, too. The plastic model is too ideal. I do not like it. It may be good for displaying, but cannot cut “moment”. Shinden was made by hand. I want him more active. War is over, and 72 years already passed. Shinden is same years old, too. But I want shinden to be still active fighter as an afterimage.

Japanese is here.

Imagination

Naturally we can not see the inside of the cowling. But I can see the shape that seems to be the turbofan in the photograph from the rear. Because it looks like a propeller shaft and coax, it may be a turbofan. Upper illustration is my imagination. As this imagination may be right, I mapped this image onto a cylindrical section of an engine part. A mapping function called the vamp effect is very used to show a three-dimensional impression. After rendering, the black part becomes dented, and the white part becomes unevenness. Virtual J7W1 had better resemble an actual machine if possible. The air scoop can not be seen in the photograph , but structure to seem to be a vent(the gap of both sides) is seen.

Japanese is here.

Dear polygon

With a revision of the body surface, I install each opening. I readjust shape of the main air scoop in both sides of the cockpit (The molding for the joint with the body is a future process). I install the air intake for supercharger, air entrance to hold lubricating oil cooling, parts in the cowling. Furthermore, the remolding of the engine part starts again. Because the exhaust space in both sides of the engine is puffing out some bodies. Only the right side was able to carry out the revision of this exhaust space part. Left side is expected for this week end. In addition, I revised some wing cross of the main wing and front wing. I revised the shape of the nose to make a canopy precisely. As above, the revision of the body is repetition of a process to put it away each other and the process to put it together. I am checking three drawings (a top view, a side view, a front elevation) visually, but a position delicately slips off unless carefully. When this point slips off, the another point slips off, too. When the another point slips off, the another point of another one slips off, too. It is a vicious circle. You cannot fight against a 3D polygon unless brain calmly. Even if your wife say that you had better already sleep, you must ignore it.
Japanese is here.

The old person was great

One week passed since starting a body revision already, but the paths of a search and the trial of the trial and error still continue. A repair tool or a part or illustrations overflow in Lure Head virtual factory, there is not the place to stand anymore, too. When I trace the 3D shapes of each part from a design side, I always find the force of the designer who was going to trace new possibility in that time. Though a computer and the illustrator are the few times, I have to admire the engineer who projected whole images on the drawing with a slide rule and pencil in 6 months. How is the designer who concerned with Shinden ? How old are they? That war is over and already passes in 72 years. While I am guessing such a thing, I continue a fight with the polygon.

”Why will here be such a swelling?”　”Can you never get the solid image of this part?” It is a monologue every day.

The plastic model looked, but the important part is deformed. In addition the plastic model is too organized clear. I guess, there is many points to be omitted in a plastic model. Furthermore, making 3D model of the plastic model is meaningless. It was a motto of my father that “The old person was great”

Japanese is here.