VIIC "On the Ways"

[tore]

Christopher.
I cannot give you any advice as to the torpedotubes, but just as a general rule on mechanical devices: for casting the foundries makes the embossed letters and figures usually as a production code relating to the castingdetails, materials etc. The nameplates I guess would contain details as to the ready made product, serialnos, pressuretesting,production year and name of the manufacturer etc. I wish you had started with the engineroom!
Tore

[TopherVIIC]

Here is some new work Gentlemen:
- Detailed pressure relief hand wheel on breech door (A surprisingly difficult shape to construct in 3D!)
- Notched the  Breech Door Locking ring. The pivot point for the door is properly on the hinge pin, so it can be opened.
- Locking ring will rotate properly
- I still have to detail the inner side of the door - but all things in their time!
- Notched the Breech door itself to mate with locking ring when it is rotated properly
- Redesigned inner tube shape at mouth to match proper tubes
- Added longitudinal liner-bolts
- Added secondary muzzle opening crank device and chain guard.
- Started to detail interlocks on locking ring.


I am becoming a serious fan of 3D. I am glad I am adding it to my arsenal of artistic tools.
Christopher
(of course I realize after I posted the pics that the locking ring position at the moment is incongruent with an open breech door - but hey - That is not a permanent thing! :-)

[dbauer]

  You guys have too much time on your hands!
What is this for anyway?
Regards,
Dan

[SnakeDoc]

Hi,

- Detailed pressure relief hand wheel on breech door (A surprisingly difficult shape to construct in 3D!)

 Excellent work  Christopher, one note - this is not pressure relief handle wheel, but a handle wheel for spindle to adjusting piston postion (and whole tropedo) in torpedo tube, when breech doors are closed.


--
Regards
Maciek

[SG]

Amazing artwork Christopher!!! Am speechless

[TopherVIIC]

Excellent work  Christopher, one note - this is not pressure relief handle wheel, but a handle wheel for spindle to adjusting piston postion (and whole tropedo) in torpedo tube, when breech doors are closed.
--
Regards
Maciek

Thanks Maciek! I MEANT to type Position Relief not pressure relief! One day I will learn to use a keyboard properly! ;-)
Christopher

[Rokket]

all awesome stuff. I think with all of us here (and about the equivalent f 5+million 1940s dollars) we could build and crew a VIIC. Forget "Assault on a Queen".

I used to work for a living history museum, and this, this my friends, is living history. NZ Snowman and Topher can provide the plans, Tore will Captain, and the rest, we will build and crew!

[TopherVIIC]

Rokket:
I just wish I could get in there with a camera, a tape rule, a set of calipers, and a notebook. Hmm... Things to do today... Win Gigantic lottery. Update my passport. Feed cats and frogs. Fly to Deutschland... B-)


Here is more work on the tubes.

[TopherVIIC]

Here is some more work Gentlemen.
Worked on the muzzle - opening gear some, and added some breech cap detail and the druckausgleichhahn.
I need to figure out how to make an acme screw in this software... but you can see the start of this section.




Yes - Those are cotter-pin nut-locks, just like on the U-995!

Below you can see the breech opening gear for Rohr I and II (The same piece will work for III and IV upside-down, when placed appropriately)
Does anyone have any pics of the back side of this equipment showing the gears and possibly the cog that opens the locking ring?


Here are some of the locking ring details for the interlocks...

and finally the druckausgleichhahn.




When I get all of the hardware in, I will snake my HP and LP airlines and such, but there is no need to do that just yet. I want to make sure I get the hardware looking right.
The colors are lightly randomized for the modeling process. As I complete the model I will actually get down and dirty and do real textures and bump maps and such.
Ok Gentlemen - time for me to go get some Chinese dinner with my lovely wife...
Christopher

[tore]

Christopher.
Remarkably well done. You should be employed by the navy to make instruction manuals.
Tore

[OldNoob]

The amount of attention and dedication to accuracy on this build/cad model amazes me.

[TopherVIIC]

Gentlemen -
Worked on the impulse air bottles and put in the start of the HP Airlines to the mine equipment. I will be working on the firing gear and tripper next. Then after that, the main connections to the air bottles. Slow, but still going...
Christopher

[OldNoob]

Wonderful work. Will you be releasing a 3d interactive virtual tour once you have completed the project?

[TopherVIIC]

Wonderful work. Will you be releasing a 3d interactive virtual tour once you have completed the project?

OldNoob -
That is an interesting question. I am currently both building and tearing down the digital work. I have to put in enough data detail to act as structure, then can put in pixel data as texture. I also have to figure out places I can cheat to reduce vertices. For instance my natural tendency is to put in as much detail as possible but do you really need beveled nuts on the back side of the torpedo tubes, between the air bottles? Small numbers of vertices tend to add up.
My point - right now it is becoming a rather large digital model. When it is finished, perhaps I will look into tying it in to a gaming engine and come up with a low poly version.
So a virtual tour could be possible in the future.
The actual point of this digital build is to get me back to my 1:35 scale build. I ran into some cumulative errors on that build that bugged me so I wanted to explore the issue in 3D space.

Christopher


PS: A possible side venture that this could develop into... and believe me, I am looking into it. This could, with the aid of a 3D Printer, as Marco has done, turn into the positive for molds to make 1:35th - or any scale, really reproductions. If I could work it up, it might be a cool kit to offer to the world!!!
C

[Rokket]

Wow! I thought yo had slipped in some pix of a real boat. Very impressive!