Hello

Recently i have started on completeing a scale model of a Panther Ausf.A but i think this one is slightly different to any other model i have posted about, made or shown on these forums before. I am not sure if this has actualy ever been done!

Well, to cut to the point, i am building from scratch a scale virtual replica of the Panther Ausf. A using an industrial standard CAD package called Pro-Engineer. My only other tools are a ruler and a 1:35 Tamiya Panther. The emphasis on this project is not the skin but rather the model itself. While i am aiming for accuracy and detail, some elements of the components of the model you will be shown will not be accurate at all. These parts will be concealed in the final assembly so i have not spent much time in detial and realism on these parts. Also when you view some of the components they will look like the actual plastic model peices in terms of there construction and not like the real thing. This is due to my only scale reference being a 1:35 Tamiya kit. I will point out what i mean on the upcoming updates. One should be ready soon!

I thought i would post up my progress a few times but if this is deemed not approriate for this community or no one is interested i will stop. So far i have not learnt how to render images properly, so at this point i will just be posting screen shots. If you have any questions relating this project or Pro-Engineer, the software i am using do not hesitate to ask. Hope you enjoy!

Regards

Whisky-Delta

UPDATE 9:53 03/04/06

Here is my first update of the first 3 components i have created. They are the driving sprocket and the two different road wheels which make up the running gear for the Panther.

Wheel_01


Wheel_02


Spocket


As you can see from the Sprocket images, the rear part of the sprocket which will not be entirly visable is not as detialed with no rounds to save computing performance

The following images show a mock up of the running gear and how it looks.





Please excuse the rendering issues visable on the first running gear image where it appears that the bolts are transparent, this is not the case but issues with Pro-E

Beautiful work, I can't even imagine how much work went into doing those parts.

One little problem though, the ancient Tamiya kit has the wrong number of roadwheels!

The inner (single) roadwheels are actually a back to back pair of wheels.

DML makes 2 Panther A kits that are worlds more accurate.

sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Mike

Thanks for the compliments! Thanks also for the accuracy issue. However i cant be bothered changing the wheels as i have just spent the last hour alighning them properly and have started on the hull which is a more important part.

This project is mainly ti improve and boost my skills with Pro-Engineer for university and it will also contribute to my port folio, so essentialy the issue about the road wheels wudnt matter but because tank are my pation and i love using 3D software i may update the wheels at a later date. However at this point..my focus is to finish the hull and hopefully it will start looking like a tank.

I found another problem with basing measurements off a model then adjusting technical areas by eye....the measurements never match...while i attempted to do the wheels exactly to scale with measurements the hull is 1/3rd measurements, 1/3rd guessing and 1/3 judging by eye.

I will do an update with the Idler and the progress of the hull later 2nite.

Regards

Whisky-Delta

UPDATE 20:58 04/04/06

The following update shows the completed Idler wheel and the latest development of the Hull.

IDLER



The Hull



I am very pleased with the way this is panning out and i love the detail of the rear of the tank with the exhaust.

More updates to follow!

Will:

Great project. Those CAD programs are pretty sweet. Its lamost like seeing the newer Dragon instruction sheets.

Keep up the good work.

Cool: Yes
Weird: Yes
Have been done before: Not that I know of at least.

I think that it´s actually a very intresting idea to make a virtual model of a model and not of a real tank! The idea it self makes me intrested!
Keep us informed please!

Thanks for the interest guys...was stgarting to get worried...had over 170 views and only 1 guy posted a response. :-)

The original intention was to create a virtual tank of the real thing...but considering i dont keep a Panther on my shelf, and i do keep a Tamiya model on my shelf i found it easier to model off that. The downside is, like MLD pointed out, if the tamiya model is wrong, my tank will also be wrong! However i find this virtual tank idea a lot cheaper than making a plastic model. Assuming you can buy pro-Engineer for £4 you will spend next to nothing for creating it..a far better idea as just days ago i was contemplating spending £70 on modeling! HAHA

Since i posted last i have got the majority of the engine deck finished so expect another update tommorow! If all goes well, i should be able to start on the turret round about friday

UPDATE 22:13 05/04/06

Well the hull is practically finished. All that remains are the track segments which are placed on the rear of the tank and the tool racks located near the front. However i wish to move onto the turret and also when i create the track segments for the actaul track, then i will place them on the rear of the tank..rather than creating them twice. Also because i have still 2 weeks of the holiday remaining i will attempt to edit my Hull and components to create a Jagdpanther as well. More about that later.

Hmm... very interesting. I do believe BroAbrams was doing a CAD abrams, and it was looking really good last I saw.

He´s doing fine! Without any deeper knowledge and studies of my Dragon Panther I think it looks very good!

Still looks great!

Now there is one more thing people here can do that I cannot! There are folks who make better dios, make better planes, cars,tanks, sculpt figures, scratchbuild vehicles and now, people who make computerized models. :-)


Mike

Will you be doing a seperate CAD of a PE fret? (++) (++) (++)

UPDATE 19:42 06/04/06

Well the turret is completed and i have assembled the components. The turret rotates a full 360 degrees and the gun elevates and depresses...also the commanders hatch can open and close...plus all the wheels rotate. The following images are thumbnails of high resolution renders of the tank in a dark yellow colour. The rendering is not that good as i was not taught how to render realy well during my training. As far as the rendering goes i doubt i will take it any further. I will take on the boring task of creating a track link....then duplicarting it god no's how many times and them placing them over the wheels....that part is not going to be fun...but i feel it is neccasery.






I will also start editing the files to create the jagdpanther..when the track links get on my tits!! :-)

Somehow the perspective seem a bit wierd in the big pics, is there some kind of virtual lens hidden in the program?

The reason the perspective looks weird..is because there is none

That is part of the rendering settings nd perspective has to be adjust manualy because Pro-Engineer is so versatile.Here is a rendered Panther with perspective and also the start of creating the tracks. I have to create a track link, which i then have to duplicate and assemble manualy using constraints...those 3 peices took around 2 minutes to place..which doesnt seem to bad..but when you consider how many segments are on each track..then times by two..it is going to take me a long time!!

Also i attempted to try and edit the hull to create a jagdpanther but i was getting error after error so i doubt i will bother as i wish to move onto another tank instead!

Gives new meaning to "THINK TANK" Hmm.................

Now that perspective was better!
Have fun with the track links btw Starting good!

UPDATE 00:26 07/04/06

The Panther.......is Finished as far as i am going to go with this first of many to come project. The track links took the entire day to complete for both sides of the tank. The links which are completely flat and the ones directly placed around the curving wheels took less than 5 minutes to place each as i was able to use a copy function called a pattern which made these sections simple...the tricky part was meeting the flat sections of track and the curved sections with fluid realistic motion of which each individual link had to be placed manually. You will find yet more pictures below of the finished product, and i have been playing round with perspective a bit...ignore the black marks on the inner road wheel...it must be a rendering issue when rendered a certain distance away from the highly detailed wheel....closer up it does not appear! Hope you all like the pics...more may follow if I learn how to render better and also if i learn how to apply the camouflage scheme with more colour to the tank. If not look out for more tanks which will be created in this manner!

I certainly enjoyed watching this project. Who knows maybe you can sell your renderings to Speilberg when he does Pvt Ryan part 2. I would say they certainy look as good as any of the digitalized ones I've seen in a movie. Be really cool to see a Battle for Kursk with dozens of these things runing around.