[Assignment Models] Tie Interceptor: Part 3 - Struts, Guns and Finished Wing Detailing

With the basic shape and wing detail complete, next I moved on to creating the detail for the inside guns and adding some finishing touches to the details on the connecting arms/struts. To begin, I added a small cube shape to act as the mount for the inside guns.

Once in position, I made some symmetrical cuts on this cube on both the top and bottom so I could easily add the angled detail that surrounds the gun mounts. While making these cuts I did realise that once again the shape I had created slightly deviated from the schematic I was using, but it was only by a couple of pixels. In the interest of keeping everything symmetrical I decided this deviation was acceptable.

After extruding the faces up to create the surround gun detail I then grabbed the front/top vertices (using symmetry on Object-Y to keep everything aligned) and angled them forward to closer match the schematic.

Next I made some cuts on the front face of this cube object in order to create recesses that the guns would be mounted into. I then extruded these faces inwards so they would be inset into the shape.

After this I created a small cylinder shape for a gun barrel and made sure it was flush with the new holes I had made. I decided to create this gun barrel with less sides than the detail (I opted for 8) as they would be quite small on the model and not required a high level of detail to appear like a gun barrel. After this, I decided to create a hollow within the gun barrel in order to give it some more depth and detail. I did this by duplicating the cylinder shape, scaling it and aligning it with the center of the original shape and then using the difference boolean operation to cut that shape out.

I repeated this process for a second, slightly smaller gun barrel underneath the original one.

Next I began to work on adding more detail to the struts/arms that connect to the wings and the cockpit. To begin, I added some rings around the arm at 2 points, matching the detail found in the reference images and schematic. This was achieved by making a loop cut at 4 different points along the cylinder shape and then extruding those faces out by a small margin. I also added a small cube shape that connected to both the strut and the cockpit. I cut this shape horizontally across the middle and then scaled the top vertices in slightly to give it a slanted effect, matching the reference images.

Using the slice I had made across the middle I then proceeded to make another 2 more cuts on this cube object and extrude out a face to create the detail you see below. I then scaled the vertices at the front again to create a wedge shape, once again matching the reference images.

I proceeded to make some similar detail on the connection between the struts and the inside of the wing. This detail was created by making an octagonal shape that intersects with the cylinder strut. I then added some detail to the top and bottom of this shape by making a few cuts using the multi tool through the center of this shape, extruding some of the faces up and towards the cockpit and then shaping them to create another wedge like shape.

To finish off the detail on these struts and wings I then proceeded to create another hexagonal shape that aligned flush to the gun mount on the outside of the wing.

Next, I made 2 angled cuts on the right side of this shape and extruded one of the faces out to create a wedge type shape. I also made a small, flat, cylindrical shape and used the difference boolean operation to cut this shape out of the previously made hexagon. This was used to create a recess for some more detail found on the outside of this ship.

Finishing off this detail I made a very small and thing cylindrical pipe shape to mimic the wheel type shape found on the outside of the wing on the Tie Interceptor. I then proceeded to grab 6 of faces inside this wheel shape and extrude them towards the center, creating a wheel spoke type shape. To connect them all together I then created a small cube object with a small curve on each side using the bevel tool. This tool essentially chamfers the vertices on the selected object, creating a sloping edge. This tool has proven to be extremely handy in creating edges around already preexisting shapes and I plan to use it more frequently on my future models.

During this update I have discovered some very powerful and useful tools, such as the bevel tool, and made good use of boolean operations to create more intricate shapes. In retrospect I think I could have used a combination of the bevel tool and extrude tools to more easily create the hollowed out gun barrel effect instead of using the difference boolean operation. I will make sure to utilise this in my future models.