The Ship Model Forum

Fabulous work here. I've followed this for several years now and this project has always really inspired me!

Phil,

Since the Oct 2 "FINALLY" posts, we have been waiting and watching and hoping for the "...but just one more little thing..." that might herald a resumption of the project, but a month has gone by and it is starting to look like the project is really, really, really done. Can it be?

It is the core thread of this forum. We are all going to be a little lost without it. Congratulations and thank you again for your brilliant, inspired and relentlessly accurate work! Beginning to end, year after year: the CAD masterpiece. Michael

Michael,

I'm not sure it will ever be finally finished. I keep seeing a few more details I could add. There is always the helicopter ...

But for now I am stepping back and starting to plan the build of a 1:96 scale real model.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Fantastic achievement

So.. next step - detail drawings?! Can only be a hundred thousand or so parts to draw up in there....

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King George V class Battleships in 3D

I started today to create a fully detailed 2D starboard broadside drawing of the forward superstructure (a 312 Mbyte 3D drawing). The program will save 2D drawings from 3D files, with hidden line removal. I have done some of this before and I knew that the resultant 2D files can be 10x the size of the 3D files - lots of duplicate lines. All those pipes and cables produce bazillions of short line segments. I can also have duplicates removed during the 3D to 2D process, but experience has shown me that this can be a bit too aggressive and necessary lines are also removed.

My normal procedure is to create the 2D file and use it as a template drawing that I trace over on new layers, allowing me to select the lines I want and ignore others. Then, after the trace over is complete I delete the original 2D output from the 3D drawing to reduce file size. It is a lot of work, but I get really good 2D drawings this way.

But ...

I started the 3D to 2D conversion at 1:00 PM this afternoon. It is now just about 7:00 PM, and the program says it is 3% done! At this rate it will take 200 hours (8.3 days) to complete! And this is just one of dozens of 2D drawings I want to make. I'll let it run overnight and see how far it gets.

I may have to do this in many parts, little bits of 2D drawings that I piece together later.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Well, this is going to take a while. This morning the 2D file was 11% complete - it would take about eight days more to finish!

I aborted and started over. The forward radar tower (only) took just under 12 hours to finish. Considering that I want port, starboard, front and aft views, it will be months before the initial drawings are done.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Phil,

Here is an image I thought you may find interesting. It isn't the greatest photo ever taken, but it does illustrate the variation seen in the radar and RCM suites of the CLEVELAND class cruisers in the late 1940's when they still carried seaplanes.

I need to correct the caption; Should be USS PROVIDENCE (CL-82), USS LITTLE ROCK (CL-92), and USS PORTSMOUTH (CL-102).

Someone got too cute assigning three cruisers all with the last digit of "2" AND being ten numbers apart.

Great photo (as usual). Interesting that CL-82 has the type of stern aircraft crane usually seen aboard the Baltimore class cruisers?

As a 'radar fit guy' I could stare at these photos for hours!

As I think I have stated before, the USN was trying out several radars during the 1940's prior to the Korean War that were in development at the end of the war. Some of the "new" radars were installed on Carriers, but many were installed on cruisers. The "winners" ended up being serially produced and installed across the fleet.

All 6 Cleveland class units built by Bethlehem Quincy had that type of crane. CLs 64, 65, 66, 67, 82, and 83. Among the Clevelands, this was unique to that yard.

Interesting stuff - is there a specific designation for that type of crane? All the plans I've seen just show "stern aircraft crane" and no specific mark/mod or other designation.

Sorry for slight derail of your thread here Phil.

Rick,

Thanks for the photo. I'll add it to my Cleveland class collection. I knew the different crane types existed, but hadn't studied them enough yet to realize the yard differences. There were a lot of other differences between the 27 Clevelands that were yard specific.

And thanks everyone else for the comments. I am interested in everything about the Clevelands, and not just the CLGs.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Just curious - did you end up finishing the renderings, or did they not prove practical?

I haven't gone back to generating the 2D drawings from the CAD model. It's on my to do list - along with an apparently endless list of other things to do!

However I do intend to work on them some more, someday. I also need to model the Seasprite helo.

I am also giving some thought to getting a 3D printer. I will have to rework most of my 3D files for printing.

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Awesome Job You Know I been following for a long time. I am on the Dark Side now doing the 17th and 18th century tall ships. I been working on a few and getting them ready for guys building out of wood and just ordered a nice set of drawings for the French corvette 'L'Amarante' (1747)

Ill Prob do a 3D log. I have also the complete set of books and drawings for French 74 guns from Jean Boudroit man cost me nearly $1000 US but I have finally learned how to draw these beasts after 3 yrs studying so the corvette should be fun

I too have taken a break from 3D CAD modeling to build a 19th century Baltimore clipper revenue cutter out of wood. But I am not totally out of CAD modeling for I have designed many pf the parts for the schooner in CAD and then built them of wood and brass:

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19611- ... bout-1815/

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

Nice I cant see the link they dont like me over there Chucky Banned me cause I said people shouldnt be told what to build they can build whatever lol the China thing.

I am waiting on the Emma C Berry to arrive tues its a care package as this spring had prostate cancer and they had to take my prostate out now have covid and a couple lumps of cancer in my colon. it hasnt been my year.

One thing I always wanted to do was a whaling ship with the cauldrons on deck for rendering the blubber etc but could never find any decent drawings.

It's been a nasty year for us all, but sounds like your year was worst than most.

Hang in there!

Phil

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A collision at sea will ruin your entire day. Aristotle

yea and sat am the father in law passed so dealing with that now too