3D Brig 'Rose' in Blender 3.3x

[3DShipWright]

3D Brig sloop of the late 18th or early 19th century, modeled 100% based upon real-world plans, from a number of different ships.

 

Topic opener, more to follow shortly.

[3DShipWright]

One more from the gallery...

[3DShipWright]

Stripping her down a bit, we can get a better look at the underlying structures.

Note that:

1. A few objects seem to be 'floating' in these images, because in reality, they are affixed to either the internal or external planking (Not shown).

2. The gunports appear to be partially sealed off. This plane is textured as a mesh netting that wraps around the end of the carronades

3. Handles not yet modeled on the pumps

 

I'll do a comprehensive breakdown by layer in a bit. Comments/suggestions welcome. Thx!

[3DShipWright]

[CDR_Ret]

Very nice job! Nice rendering of the skins, which took a lot of work.

 

I feel your pain...

 

Terry

[catopower]

That's incredible. I just started to try to learn using Blender, and I can make a box... maybe.

[3DShipWright]

On 12/12/2022 at 2:15 PM, catopower said:

That's incredible. I just started to try to learn using Blender, and I can make a box... maybe.

 

Haha - yeah, ain't that the truth!

 

First, thank you for the kind words... this project is about 14 months in the making and has been every bit as tedious as it appears.

 

Second, Blender is arguably the best software I have ever downloaded - yet the learning curve is such that so many folks I know end up walking away. The skillsets do indeed take a while to develop, once they do, they're yours. For me it was like learning a foreign language. A grind at first, but then something just 'clicked'. 

 

So keep at it, and if there's any particular Blender tips or tricks of the nautical variety you want an opinion on, I'd be honored to help where I can.

 

Happy Modelling! 

[3DShipWright]

Rigging! AHH! So. Much. Rigging. Lol.

[Kranck]

Hi !

This is exceptional. 

I'm gonna try to do the same with Rhino, with the intent to get CNC output for the parts. 

Yours is to remain binary?

[catopower]

7 hours ago, 3DShipWright said:

keep at it, and if there's any particular Blender tips or tricks of the nautical variety you want an opinion on, I'd be honored to help where I can.

Thanks very much. My goal is only to try to make a few 3D parts, so the task should be a LOT less daunting than what you've been doing here. Maybe it will only take me 12 months... 😄 

[Draque]

This is some excellent Blendering. I'm pretty good with Blender for furniture models and architectural visualization, but I don't know how I would approach a subject like this. I'd love to see more of it.

 

Michael

[3DShipWright]

5 hours ago, Kranck said:

Hi !

This is exceptional. 

I'm gonna try to do the same with Rhino, with the intent to get CNC output for the parts. 

Yours is to remain binary?

 

Thanks! 

 

Unfortunately, all my work is destined to remain digital. I was born with a disability that severely limits the use of my hands, so I'll never be able to construct the outstanding 'real' models the way you guys do... That said, I can do this:

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by 3DShipWright

[James G]

That's Beautiful!!!

[3DShipWright]

New screenshot as part of on-going materials enhancements...

 

The Objective in Layman's Terms: Make the sails look as realistic as possible.

 

The Objective in Geek-Speak: This screenshot was part of a ray-tracing test (i.e. Cycles Rendering Engine) for the sail canvass material, and updates to the underlying texture nodes to achieve the desired results, which include:

 

1. If back lit, I want to reproduce the iconic 'golden' effect of subsurface scattering properties. To accomplish this, I figured out that the sails cannot simply be 2-dimentional planes; they must have an actual thickness to them. However, because the quilting, seams, and ropes fed through the sails only protrude from the front, I needed to invert the colors of the normal, bump, roughness, and ambient occlusion textures on the backsides of each sail while ensuring that the normals themselves continue to point outwards.

2. Also when back lit, the translucent - but not transparent - properties should become obvious. This is accomplished by adding a transmissive element to the material, and using a mask to ensure its only applied to the thinner parts of the sail cloth.

3 When front lit, I want the 'micro details' (wrinkles) cloth brush to be visible first on a high-poly copy of each sail, then on a baked normal map applied to the original copy. I've only done the Fore Topsail like this so far, but if it works, I'll do the same to the others.

[Kranck]

On 12/15/2022 at 2:05 AM, 3DShipWright said:

 

Thanks! 

 

Unfortunately, all my work is destined to remain digital. I was born with a disability that severely limits the use of my hands, so I'll never be able to construct the outstanding 'real' models the way you guys do... That said, I can do this:

 

Sorry to hear that...

Yet, the beauty of your works is astounding ! I'd be happy to get half your talent.

I'll relax and watch what you'll show
 

[3DShipWright]

A few minor improvements made over the last week or so:

1. Cross-lashings (supports the course yard jeer blocks) on the fore and main mast heads/caps added

 

 

2. Reef tackle lines for the fore and main topsails added

 

 

3. Carronades replaced with higher quality versions. They don't currently appear tied to their brackets on the hull, but I will update that a bit later

[Draque]

This is fantastic work. Please keep posting updates.  

[3DShipWright]

Quick Comparative shot to self-test my skills. I'd be happy to know what you guys think. Truly - I'm not just fishing for complements here, any constructive criticism is very much welcome at this stage as I approach the final touchup phase and prepare her for use in animation, video games, and still renders.

 

A couple things to note:

 

- My model is actually based upon the hull from the HMS Alert (The 1779 twin-masted Brig version just to clarify because there were quite a few ships named 'HMS Alert' over the years), which is about 10 feet shorter and 34 years older than the US Brig Niagara of 1813.

 

- The Masts, Yards, Bowspirt, Spanker Gaff and Boom were all drafted from HMS Pandora's plans. The main mast and yards on my model were actually from the fore mast of the Pandora (whose dimensions closely matches that of the Niagara's mains. Beyond that, I could find no documentation on Niagara's masts and yards other than total height, length, etc.. 

 

- The rigging is bastardized from multiple sources, but I tried to follow the Brig Niagara's where possible.

 

- I chose to use the old-style head rails and cutwater from the HMS Alert.

 

- I followed the classic Royal Navy's color palette. While the Niagara is also black and yellow with red trim, the Niagara was way too 'banana' yellow and saturated for my taste, so I went more towards the HMS victory's look instead. I then played with on overlay intended to scuff up the paint, which gives it a more muted look in certain lighting.

 

Thanks!

3D Model:

Brig Niagara:

[Martes]

It's either camera angle, or she looks somewhat undermasted.

 

Niagara, being very different from British architecture, is hardly a suitable prototype.

 

Check against this, :

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sophie_(1809)_RMG_J0135.png

 

and this:

 

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66685

 

[3DShipWright]

On 12/30/2022 at 11:23 AM, Martes said:

It's either camera angle, or she looks somewhat undermasted.

 

Niagara, being very different from British architecture, is hardly a suitable prototype.

 

Check against this, :

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sophie_(1809)_RMG_J0135.png

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Martes.

 

So I was definitely playing around with a weird focal length on that particular render, so it probably was the camera angle to a certain extent (my fault, see updated screenshot below).

 

With regards to it being 'undermasted', this is a curious observation I'd like to pick your brain on... If anything, it should have the opposite problem - here's why:

The masts, while modeled on the fore mast of the HMS Pandora, were scaled to the exact specs of the Niagara (120 ft above the waterline for the main mast and approx. 84 ft for the fore mast). The Alert calls for a 100 ft length 'deck', which I extrapolated to be around 105 ft from cutwater to taff rail. Niagara, by comparison, is 118 ft in the same dimension. Thus, the masts should be slightly oversized, not undersized. Take a look at the updated screenshot and tell me if it still appears that way to you, I'd be curious to know.

 

Finally, thx for the info on the Sophie. Unfortunately, bc of the time spent modelling the rigging, I can't make any drastic replacements to the masts or yards on this project, but it'll be a good lesson-learned for any future brig I do.

 

-Nate

[3DShipWright]

A few quick updates on the ship:

1. Gun port and sweep ports texture replaced to a smoother red painted look (compare to the anchor stock texture).

2. bevel added to the front edge of the keel and cutwater. Note: The decorative 'curl' from the upper headrail does extend beyond the cutwater bounds slightly, but any noticeable deformity should be covered up when I attach the figurehead

3. Detailed algae overlay added to the bottom strakes of the tarred planking just above the copper plating. This is only on the hull strakes right now, but I will be extending it around the cutwater on the bow, the stern post at the stern, and onto the rudder eventually. Algae does bleed onto the copper plating as well, but it interacts and visually looks quite different on metal than wood (pinkish streaks or an oxidized patina look), and I have yet to figure out how to handle that detail.

4. Parrels added around the spanker boom and spanker gaff, although I'm not too happy with the current grain. I also need to add the leather wrapping that prevents scuffing and chipping of the mast.

 

That's al for now!

[Martes]

36 minutes ago, 3DShipWright said:

Take a look at the updated screenshot and tell me if it still appears that way to you, I'd be curious to know.

Very quick and visual-only comparison with the Sophie sail plan gives this:

 

The bowsprit is definitely too long for the masts, and the spanker is too small, even if you leave the masts intact, and it leaves an acute sense of disproportion of the rig.

 

Niagara is closer to Baltimore schooners and makes an incorrect prototype for rigging, her hull is far too different from Cruizer-class brigs and has different requirements.

 

Also, it is possible that your ship is riding slightly too high, as if underloaded.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Martes

[Martes]

1 hour ago, 3DShipWright said:

A few quick updates on the ship

Some additional observations.

1. What are those barrels for near the capstan?

2. The hammocks are folded to cylindrical, not rectangular packages.

3. The tiller should be visible behind the wheel, as there is no place to fit it below the deck:

 

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-84378

 

 

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-84401

 

4. Those little deckhouses aft (one of which is, if I recall correctly, a quarter-gallery, and another either chart room or flag locker) are absent.

5. Flying forecastle (the deck cover forward) is also missing.

6. For the level of detail you aim for, the carronades miss a lot of tackle - and yes, I know it's a rabbit hole, deciding what to show and what to omit and why.

7. The flag - it should be either white, red or blue ensign, not the union jack. British ships never used the union jack as a national flag.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Martes

[3DShipWright]

Thanks @Martes

 

 

Okay, so based upon your initial feedback:

 

1. I have removed the secondary jib boom, which reduces the overall length of the bowspirt quite a bit.

 

2. I will also re-work the spanker boom and gaffe (make them longer) because that much I can do without ripping the whole thing apart. I'll updated images when finished.

 

 

Regarding your second post:

1. I'm honesty not sure about the barrels. I saw a photo of a model of the Niagara someone had done where in order, it went: main mast (and rails), grate, barrel storage (they are small barrels, and I would say powder kegs if that weren't so inherently dangerous), then capstan, then the binnacle, then the choice of either:

   a. hatch for the aft staircase followed by the tiller

   OR

   b. the Ship's wheel (for which the gooseneck and pulleys will fit below deck if you forego the lazarette space. Otherwise, you're correct, it has to be a tiller.)

 

2. Fair enough - this was a guess on my part. I've never been able to see what's in between the hammock cranes and mesh netting. I thought the name was coincidence, or it referred to how the netting was attached. I didn't know the actual hammocks were stored there... wouldn't they get soaked?

 

3. Already covered this, but using certain configurations, yes, brigs could have steering wheels in lieu of tillers, though I'm not sure how common this was.

 

4. This is another configuration choice. There are many dependencies when it comes to configuration choices, and I like to think of it like this:

If there are deckhouses, a quarter gallery is required because the houses need to be positioned wide enough so as not to impede the swing of the tiller.  Deckhouses also preclude the addition of the bridge deck because there is nowhere to climb up. So on my model there is a ship's wheel. The wheel means no lazarette to accommodate the gooseneck. No lazarette means the captains quarters can be on the birthing deck, which eliminates the need for deckhouses (small flag lockers still exist they just don't need their own room). Finally, no deck houses means we can have a bridge deck, for which I still need to model the stairs.

 

5. Hmm... I'm not sure I agree on that point. Flying Forecastles on brigs, especially those of the late 18th/ early 19th century, were not all that common.

 

6. Yep, you're right - but it's a lot of work and I'm not looking forward to it lol.

 

7. Yep, you're right - so how do you feel about Scotland Yard instead (get it?)

[Martes]

As to changes in rigging - yes, that's the simplest solution.

 

1. The barrels look completely out of place there, and being not secured are certainly a hazard. Nobody in their right mind would keep powder kegs(!) above the waterline and outside powder room. It's downright recipe for explosion. Do get rid of them

 

2. Washed, let's say.

 

3. What do you think the wheel turns on a sailing ship? On a frigate the wheel turns a tiller that is under the deck (under the ceiling of the wardroom), and you simply don't see it, but the rudder can't turn without the tiller. The brig doesn't have that luxury of the space, so it works like this:

 

 

4. I am not sure I follow your train of thought regarding the deckhouses and their connection to quarter galleries, but they are present on most of the known plans.

Here is a model with the inside of one, and they, as you can see above, do not impede the tiller. And they are a very handy feature to have on deck, very.

5. Same about the flying forecastles. They were introduced in 1780's at least, and feature even on earlier standard brig models, even before the mass introduction of carronades:

 

 

6. That is perfectly understandable

 

7. Going full Jacobite, are we?

 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Martes

[3DShipWright]

@Martes - So I got a rather interesting answer regarding our mystery barrels:

 

Turns out they are a fitting for whaling ships and were filled with fire suppressant powder (sand could be used in a pinch). Similar to grease fires, water has little to no effect in putting out fires fueled by whale oil/gasses.

 

Obviously, I'm not doing a whaling ship here, so I'm removing them, but I thought I'd share as its interesting.

[Martes]

Interesting, indeed. On naval ships the sand was used in battle or during firing exercises, but it was brought from the hold in buckets.

[Lieste]

Unsure of British sail shaping, but the French sails have a 'near vertical' leech on the first reef, the next reefs occupy the width of the yardarm (fairly steep angle to keep the third reef comfortably within the yardarm width), then widening at a greater rate (except the courses, which are far less tapered (main) or which narrow to the foot (fore), to match the width of the yard below (between the inner edge of the yardarms/top of sail on yard below. This is a quite 'distinctive' look to the hang of the sail. It would be worth checking the form of the canvas, as at first glance yours seem to be straight leeched canvas.

That *might* be proper for the proportions of British drop, reefing drop and the yard arm/difference between head and foot, but I would expect some adjustment needed.

[3DShipWright]

@Lieste Thanks for the feedback.

 

So I'm not sure I complete follow what you are saying, but I was careful to shape each sail from a real-world template (HMS Pandora). It is possible, however, that the wind simulation I used didn't affect the sails the same way it would in real life. Here's a screenshot of the actual cut of the sail canvass with no wind in them Let me know if it still seems off to you and I'll take it under consideration. Thanks!

 

[3DShipWright]

Finally showing some long overdue love to the stern:

• The stern lantern has been completed, including mounting brackets.
• The taff rail has been modelled.
• Newel posts along the back have been placed (still missing supports along the sides, though I want these to look different) 
• Corbel-style relief carvings (baroque ornamentation) added beneath the davits.
• Floral scrollwork has been added to visually separate the gallery planking from undercarriage, as the angle between these is not overly pronounced.
• Red painted wood texture has been enhanced to show random areas of scuffing (similar to the yellow wood texture)