A textured and rigged model of a C-130 air transport, used by the U.S. military, various foreign militaries, and civilian enterprises around the globe. A brief feature list:
<ul>
<li>Fully textured on all large surfaces; .svg files are provided so you can make your own custom liveries, insignia, and so forth.</li>
<li>Completely rigged and set up to be easy to animated; moving a single bone operates landing gear; propellors are slaved to one control, etc. Even the windshield wipers can be animated!</li>
<li>Lightweight- A good chunk of the detail is handled with texture maps; surfaces are minimal, clean, and all-quads.</li>
</ul>
Overall, it's completely production-ready and should be easy to adapt to your purposes. Enjoy!
I knew there were different variants; good to have a bit more specific information on the types. Thank you for your service.
Hey Nick, nice to see you around, very nice model by the way. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes, as long as you credit me. That's what the CC-BY license is all about!
Very nice and accurate in detail for that variation. I fly one just like it in Flight Simulator. Very cool indeed.
Why do I have to go through a hundred tutorials to find out how to do one thing and then not be able to do that thing? I love Blender and I want to do serious work with it but I am hindered greatly by my lack of understanding the maze that is the U.I. I don't really expect an answer to this non question because as far as I've seen people don't really do that in relation to Blender. I just had to vent my frustrations in a place where there are others who use this awesome, awesome confusing thing. Thanks :)
DevanDiPiero,
None of the 3D software applications such as Maya, Hexagon, Blender, etc. are easy to use. Every beginner goes through a steep learning curve before they are comfortable with the UI and many of the tricks, tips, and techniques used in 3D modeling. We all go through the initial frustration.
I've been using Blender for a little over a year and there are still many buttons and features that I haven't yet used. I will eventually, but at this point, I don't do animations, rigging figures, etc. and so I haven't yet gotten around to using those features.
My recommendations is select easy and very basic tutorials. Those that teach you how to create a paper cup, a vase, a coffee cup, and other objects that don't have a lot of detail will allow you to learn the basic features, how to navigate the UI, and it will build confidence.
Once you can create fairly simple objects without too much trouble, then select tutorials that are a little more difficult but still not too detailed.
And don't overlook the short tutorials on how to create UV maps, how to texture a model, or the very short tutorials on how to use each modifier.
Personally, I'd leave the physics functions until you have developed the more basic skills. They are not that difficult, but the combination of options to get the correct result you want can be bewildering at first.
Take it slow. Don't get frustrated. Don't start a new project that is too far above your current skill level. Johnathan Williamson has some excellent tutorials on topology and why it's so important. If you think about the flow of the topology of a model before you begin to create it, it will save you time and a lot of frustration. One of the secrets to good modeling is to ensure that the topology of your model allows you to add the detail you need. If the topology is a mess, you will have a lot of difficulty producing a quality model. I learned the hard way. It's harder than it sounds, but you should develop the ability to "visualize" the topology you need before you start.
And don't rely completely on tutorials. They are an excellent way to learn, but you also learn by doing things on your own. It causes you to think about what Blender function would be best to solve a particular problem. And you'll remember both mistakes and successes better than working through tutorials.
Anyway, hang in there. Everyone has gone through the same frustrations when they first start 3D modeling. It all becomes easier with practice.
Thank you BMF. I am really glad and relieved to know that there are people like you out here who take the time to read through and respond to a whiny little brats rants of angst. I will take your advise. I guess my real frustration is trying to start off as a pro. I just love this stuff so much. It is what I've always wanted to do with my life.
If you have the passion, you'll find the will. Just focus on progressing at a slow but steady rate.
I don't want to be a bother, but any ideas as to why I can't upload my blend?
Dude, I used to feel the exact same way... my first airplane looked like a squashed watermelon with two bricks coming out of it :) I nearly tossed my computer out the window when I was getting started. But you get there, eventually. :)
Great model! Like the rigging setup. I may end up using this for something. A few notes though, if you want to add a bit more accuracy, the red and green lights on the wing tips are reversed, the cargo door on the real C-130 is actually two doors, a top and bottom, and the doors to the main gear wheel wells have landing lights on the inside of the door. A quick google search will provide enough references to make changes if you wanted to.
Thanks for the tips. This one didn't need to hold up to too close of an inspection; I may incorporate these tips eventually in a newer version.
Nice job! I got a plastic model of an AC-130 many years ago for my birthday and have since had a special place in my heart for the plane . I started modelling one several years ago in Maya but never got very far...I remember the nose being a lot more challenging that it looks. Anyway, your model is pretty excellent; thanks for sharing it.
Awesome model! I'm having trouble keyframing the propellers though. For some reason when I keyframe two points on the timeline in pose mode they don't rotate. Anyone have any tips?
Yeah, pop open the Graph Editor and look at the curves. Depending upon the degree of rotation, Blender may interpret something over 360 as "zero". But you can fix that in the editor.
I used to screw this up all the time. I would go to frame 1 and insert rotation, then go to frame 50 (or whatever) and rotate the object by 360 degrees and insert again. To my amazement, nothing happened:) Because 360 = 0 in terms of real rotation, Blender got lazy and did nothing:) A lot of ways to fix this, but one is to rotate the object 180, insert keyframes, then scale the curve to 2 on the graphical Y-axis. Should do the trick. I have a lot of experience at messing this up, so feel free to shoot me a message if you want... -Chris-
If this were to be used in a youtube banner, would it be sufficient credit to have your name and a link to your blendswap profile in the "about" page on the channel? Great job, and the rigging is beautiful, I'm aspiring to be this good. Thank you for sharing this with us. :)
Nice model. Along with the comments from Aradol84, as an ex-C130 flyer, you might want to look at your nose gear area. The C130 does not have clam shell doors on either side of the gear, it has a single door that drops a bit and slides to the rear on lowering the gear and then slides forward and moves up as the gear retracts.Cheers.
Amazing work and thank you for posting it here, I used your plane in a youtube video where it drops paratroopers. You can watch the video here http://youtu.be/cfEHtH2K5Hc
Hi,
Nice model,
As someone who works on these planes, there are a few glaring problems. Some have already been mentioned by others, but I'll list them all here:
Hey! I attempted to download your C-130 model for a project of mine, but only got an html file from the download link. Is there another way I can get the model, or something else I should try in downloading it?
i am going to use it as a placeholder for a ue4 game
great job!
Thank you for your model, I like your model. Please make more models like this!
With the 6 blade propeller, this appears to be a C-130J.
It is the only model still in production in a production run of 50 years. The C-130 has the record for a model in continuous production in aviation history. I'm not certain, but the B-52 may hold the record for an airframe in continuous operation, though with many modifications along the way.
Anyway, it wouldn't surprise me if the C-130 weren't still delivering the goods another 50 years from now.
When I was in the Marine Corps many years ago, we flew to the sounds of the guns in C-130's many times. It was/is a magnificent aircraft. My best friend was an AC-130 pilot and he shares my reverence for that aircraft.