ViaCAD Pro was used for this short tutorial, but many other vendors offer similar products with the same capabilities.

If you are interested in trying out this package, there is 14 day trial available. It is fully functional, so you won't be missing any of the features:

https://www.punchcad.com/viacad-v11-free-trial

https://www.punchcad.com/blog/post/getting-started-with-viacad-training-videos

As well as ViaCAD above, there is also SketchUp and Blender, and you can find links to both of these well known and highly respected programs here:

https://www.sketchup.com/

https://www.blender.org/

To begin with, we start by drawing our lines for our x,y,z dimensions from the axis origin. We then join these with construction hypotenuse (not necessary, but I do it as it helps with visuals doing the curves).

For each curve, position the work plane to the view, then create a curve on each work plane as per below.

Next, duplicate the front and bottom lines as you may wish to use these later on to create a matching windscreen and mounting/sliding frame.

Using the cover surface tool, click on the three curves so as to get a face, and then use the solid thicken tool which gets you to this:

When done, duplicate the above and create a cutout solid.

After subtracting the solid, you should get a frame as follows. Duplicate this, and move it over the copied solid.

Subtracting the frame solid will leave you with the glass needed.

Finally, mirroring and joining each solid provides you with the two final objects, one to be textured as a metal frame, and the other to be textured as plexiglass. The remaining frame templates can be used to get a windscreen.

After export, these objects may be animated so as to slide. It is very important that (before export), they share identical axis origins, and are positioned to point in the required orientation. A similar technique allowed me to get to this on the Wellington I created with Dom Henry.

You can find the Wellington here:

vickers_wellington0309.zip

I hope you enjoyed this short tutorial. The next article will look at creating wheel wells and matching doors.

Ray Hill
www.rayhillwrites.com