Blender 3D: Noob to Pro/Simple Vehicle: Rocket Launcher

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Contents 1 Techniques 2 Overview 3 One Tube, a Rocket & a Launcher 4 The Mount

[edit] Techniques

You should already know how to do:

• Previous Simple Vehicle techniques

This section will recap and introduce:

• UVspheres
• Changing object's center

[edit] Overview

Two assumptions are going to be made here. One is that the rocket will not be launched in the future (use separate objects if you want to do that). The other is this is going to be a simple, simple design.

If you want to add options to your gun (think sight, trigger), go for it!

[edit] One Tube, a Rocket & a Launcher

• Noob note: I see no reason why this can't be done with cubes, subsurf, and creases. Wouldn't that make for a simpler model?
• Noob answer: It could certainly be done, but it would be much more difficult. This method is the most direct, simple way.

Start a new file and delete the default cube. In NUM 1 view, add a cylinder mesh with 24 vertices with EndCap option on. We'll use 24 because the default 36 is overkill and will only increase rendering time. Rename and elongate the cylinder along the Y axis. This will be the length of the launcher (minus the rocket).

• Noob note/question: For some reason, even when I add the cylinder in front(NUM1) view, it is always placed so that the open ends are on the z axis. It is easily fixed, just rotate it 90 degrees, I know, but is there a way to make it appear the right way in the first place?

• Another noob: I have the same problem. Maybe it's just one of those things you can't fix.

• • Go to User Preferences, in the Edit Methods tab, and click the button that says Aligned to View. This will make things spawn facing you.

Select the vertices at the right end. Extrude them as region and press Escape to create a copy of the vertices.

• Noob note: I didn't have the option of extruding as a region, but I did it using edges and it worked out fine. I have version 2.46.
• Answer: The same problem exists in 2.45. Follow the example as shown, extruding edges instead of region. Then follow the instructions provided afterward.
• Simple explanation: You both had a cylinders with the End cap option turned off when creating it. You had no region to extrude. Which means there'd be no end cap at the end of the barrel (which you'd never notice anyway).

Then scale them by 0.7. Then extrude them as region toward the left. This will make this end of the rocket launcher look like a tube.

For newer versions, keep the previously extruded edges still highlighted. Then press extrude them, and then escape (EKEY + ESC). Then, merge the vertices at the center (ALT + MKEY). If you did this correctly, 23 vertices should be removed, and all come together to form a group of triangles inside of the tube.

Now work on the left end side. Make it look like a tube as before:

Extrude the face twice and scale the two new faces by 0.8. Extrude the face twice again and scale the two new faces by 1.5. Extrude it one more time and scale the new face by 0.2. Move the vertices along Y to create the shape of rocket you desire.

[edit] The Mount

Having a launcher is nice, but we'll need to affix it to the jeep somehow. Let's add a mount to the tube. Think easy. Add a cylinder, scale, and move it to the bottom of the tube.

The easiest way to have a wide range of motion for the launcher is to use a ball joint. We can simulate one by just adding a UVsphere. The default 32 segments and 12 rings will be fine. This creates a smooth sphere. You can think of the number of segments as being the wedges visible when the sphere is viewed as you added it. The number of rings then could be described as the depth of the sphere from that same view.

Resize and place the sphere at the new cylinder arm.

This next step will be important for continuing the tutorial. Get the 3D cursor to as close to the center of the sphere as possible. While the sphere is still selected after creation, you can press SHIFT + SKEY and snap cursor to selection, putting it in the exact center of the UV Sphere.

Tip: If you have already deselected the sphere, press LKEY while hovering your cursor over the sphere. Make sure not to include any vertices from the attached cylinder).

Switch to Object Mode. Under either the Object menu or SPACE go to Transform > Center Cursor. This should move the large pink dot where the cursor is located. This will give it a new center of gravity around the ball joint, making it easy to manipulate later.

Apply materials or additional items to the object and save for later use.

Do not forget to name the rocket for later use.

• Noob note: This would be a perfect place to explain how to make that cylinder and that rocket smooth, but still have crisp edges on the ends of the pipe and on the creases on the rocket. A subsurf with creases just doesn't entirely do it, unless you use a large number of levels, and that slows everything down. What I did was to create a subsurf, set the object to smooth, and then I selected the edges I wanted straight, and used YKEY to split them. I did this on the ends of the tubes and on the rocket. However, somehow I have the feeling that there might be a better way. I am sure a future tutorial will explain this, but I think this is really the place where it should be explained, or a reference should be put in.
• Noob note: By selecting the faces on the sides (but not end) of the pipe and pressing the smoothen button in the edit window (just like you would for an entire object, but for your selection) to achieve such an effect on the barrel. This does not work when selecting lines, however, so I don't know how to do the same thing for the rocket itself.

Yoshi's Note: The way I did this was to higlight it all then hit set smooth. Then go into Face Select and select the faces edges of the rocket tube and hit solid. And for the rocket leaving it solid and adding a subsurf (level 1) gave it a nice look.

Oh and I found the best way to make the rocket separate was to create a cone, rotate it and then extrude and scale to get the rocket shape.

A noob's way: I made the rocket seperate by starting with a scaled-along-Y-axis cylinder, then extruding one side,scaling to about 1.3, then extruding two more faces, scaling the first about 0.3 and merging the vertices of the second at center.

• Noob's note: What i did was set everything to smooth, then used different textures to get the launcher to look as crisp as i wanted. I used a brushed titanium look for the launcher (since i couldn't get an iron color to look nice), a green rocket with black rubber looking band around the center, and a white tip.

Here is my Example launcher

• Noob's note: the easiest way to do this is simply know which edges you want to be crisp, subsurf the entire thing then go back to those edges. Select them then crease them with Shift+EKEY. Type in +1 or move the mouse untill the number is positive one. The rocket will have a smooth look and still have sharp edges.