i wanted to do a diorama with a Sherman M4A1driving across a road and some and some troops ahead in a firefight. Where would u get started first on a dio.

Set all the pieces out on the table/worktop and measure the size of the base you are going to need. Even if you haven't got all the items you are going to have you can roughly workout the base size.
Robbo

Ola Littlenick

first thing I always start to make up what the story is that I want to tell in my dio.. I sort out why a vehicle would be there and why is that figure walking that way. When you are working from a pic and you want the dio to be a precise copy then this doesn`t count of course.
Next I take a big piece of paper (A3) and start to arrange the vehicles on that in such a way that it makes sense and it more or less matches your Idea. On the paper you also can drawout the floorplan.. Where will be Bushes and trees, Where sidewalks, where is the old bombed cafe.
On the paper I also draw the outline of the size of the base needed. I always try to keep it as close to the vehicles as possible else you get these big areas where nothing stands wich will look odd and will get the dio out of Balance.
Balance is also an important thing as it gives a more relaxed look at the dio. When A lot of Vehicles are piled up without any significant reason then it will most likely get strange views and strange questions.
Next thing to do is the groundplate.. You can make this one yourself or buy a picture frame as dio base and then you start the build up of the Dio itself.

hope this is of some help

Hi Little Nick. REMEARMR and Faust have set you on the right road. Layout and balance are first priority. Its so easy to plan on a piece of paper. If you want a little height... cut squares of thick cardboard out to resemble walls and steps etc. This gives you an even better picture of how your layout should be. When you have settled on how the layout should look, measure the area needed and find a suitable size picture frame for your base. If none are available, pre-cut frame sides are available to buy and make your own to suit or get a abse cut from MDF. Now you ready to start. Where to now?
Check out this site I have attached and read through it. You will see how to do most thing you will probably need. All tips are well explained and pictures of every step are included. After this if you have particular questions... just ask!!
Docs Dios

A couple other things to toss in to think about. Since you are depicting a small slice of reality (or an interpretation of it) you need to ask questions of yourself such as
"How did that MG crew get there, did they leave tracks, could they really get there with that gear?"
"Would a Tank be supporting infantry in such a way?"
"Does my tank have a way in? If something is in the way could it have broken through?"
Are you depicting surprise? If so, could a noise tank surprise such a fire fight?
Just some common sence type of questions.....

Along with all the good advice you've gotten, if you have a digital camera, take pictures of the placement of your figures/tank in various spots and from different angles. You'll get a flavor of what you're going to produce and seeing the product on the screen gives a whole new aspect to planning. When you have a layout of what you like, print an overhead shot to use as a guide.
In thinking about your scene, make sure it's internally consistent, i.e., if there's shooting going on or one figure's running to take cover, there shouldn't be someone just walking along like it's a nice, sunny day.

First of all, draw a picture of the layout. Thats what I did today. Should of been taking math notes instead I suppose!

~Chip :-)

Thanks Yall for all the help all the stuff will really get me going on my first dio

first you have to imagine a story about, then you can draw this on paper. after this yu'll have an idea about haw big will be and can represent this on real scale on a piece of big paper .
I learn a lot from DocDios

At first you must "see" the story in your imagination. Then decide if the scene could be true and if the scene makes sence. Questions like "how did the MG team get there" can help you our here. It's a good idea to draw a sketch of your idea.

Then you must collect the models and figures for the dio and you must get hold of a diorama base. The base has to be big enough to provide a good composition to the scene. It shouldn't be too big, but not too small either.

Next you build your scene in draft. If a model is not completed yet, or if you need a house...represent those things by cardboard models. For example you could make a simple cardboard house, draw doors and windows on the and place it on the base. This way you can tell if the scene that is in your mind, can be interesting enough ti watch. If the composition is not good enough, rearrange the contents of the diorama until you like it.

When the composition is good...make pics or draw a sketch. Now you can start building the diorama... Basework, Houses, People, Armor.... every modeler has his own idea on what to build first.... doe what feels good.

I hope this answered your question. It's just my two cents.