Mississippi Paddle-Wheel Steamboat Hull?

[Sven]

Hi,

I am creating with POV-Ray an 1850s Mississippi paddle-wheel steamboat, but I am not able with POV-Ray to create a well-shaped hull.

Has anyone here ever created such a hull?

Attachments:

• SL-MississippiPaddle-WheelSteamer.jpg
• SL-MississippiPaddle-WheelSteamer-Perch-01.jpg
• SL-MississippiPaddle-WheelSteamer-Midships-01.jpg

[Icare]

Do you mean your ship has nothing below the main deck?!? I didn’t noticed it at first sight. I even thought the first picture was a photograph!

I didn’t use POV-Ray for more than one decade, so I don’t know what it can do by now.
Can’t you extrude (extend) the main deck’s edge downward and slightly inward to make the hull? I asume the flat bottom isn’t necessary (not seen).

[Sven]

Hi, thanks for your answer. What I can do, is to give the details of the hull I need.

I created a POV-Ray hull, but that doesn’t look good as it is very difficult for me to create complex rounded surfaces. Delft is better, but I am just learning how to use it. That’s why I could need assistance with the hull. See the two attached images. The hull should be fairly easy to be created with Delft, i hope (I am just a beginner however). The illustration shows the dimensions, and the photo shows the detail curving of the bow area.

[Icare]

Hi Hirnsausen!

I quickly drew a hull according to the measurements you gave. For a 0.76m draught, the ship’s weight must be 3000 tons (in fresh water). Does it fit with your data?

But…
1. I ain’t sure it’s possible to import and use it in POV-Ray.
2. The bow looks odd on the plan view. Are you sure the bend doesn’t occupy more than 10m?
3. Isn’t there any little vertical transom, say the paddle wheels’ supports thickness? A drew one (0.5m).
4. I slightly raised the stem bottom, thus any floating obstacle (a stump for example) would sink instead of being pushed.
5. I drew the hull’s outer surface only. Do you need the inner surface, too?

Attachments:

• SteamboatHullmeasurements.jpg
• Steamboathull.jpg
• Steamboathull.fbm

[Sven]

Hi, you have a great spirit! I appreciate your help a lot. Big thanks!

The part of the hull that is below water (draught?) is 1.50m. Or does “draught” mean the part of the hull that is above the water?

1. If you can save it as a common 3D mesh format, I can use Blender to export it into a POV-Ray mesh.
2. “Bend” means half width? Yes, the hull is 20m wide.
3. I also don’t know the meaning of the word “transom”. I am not a native English speaker. For now, I owe you the answer.
4. Let me see, then I get a proper idea of what you created.
5. Fine with me, I can later on create the inside hollowness by myself.

[Sven]

Oh, just discovered your attachments right now.

2. You can make it to 15 meters. The deck there has a circular front, the upper part of the front hull should rounded the same way. The waterline part of the front hull can have a bend of 20 meters. I attached an image of the deck shape of another ship.

4. You mean you raised the bow bottom? No, not a good idea, it is stumps that came below the hull that were sinking many ships. Pushing away is better. The bow (front of the hull) should be the same low as the rest of the hull. There is just a small curve between horizontal hull bottom and slightly diagonal prow (front ending of the hull).

[Sven]

Hi Icare, are you still there?

[Icare]

Hi Hirnsausen!

I’m back _{(I don’t spend all mi life on the Web 😉 )}

A few of definitions _{(well… as far as I understood them, since neither I am a native english speaker)}:

The draught is the depth of the part below the water. It includes the keel and the ballast. In other words, it’s the minimal water depth required for the ship.

The transom is the very far end of the stern (aft part of the ship). It’s the place the ship’s name is written on. I assume on your steamboat it will be just a flat plank, meanwhile on the “Robert Lee 1866” (the last picture you posted) it’s rounded (no paddle wheel on the stern).

So, I rounded the bow and lowered its bottom.

If your satisfied, you can save it as a mesh format:
– Click on the FILE tab;
– Click on EXPORT;
– Choose from the formats offered _{(PART is used only to copy a part of the drawing from a Delftship model to an other one, for exemple screws, launches, human dummies…)}.

Attachments:

• Steamboathullv2.fbm

[Sven]

Hi, big thanks and appreciation again! And once more, you did a great work! I really need to find out, how to use Delft.

But the bow (front of the ship) is not correct when seeing it from above: See my attached graphic, it shows how the bow should be when seen from above. It might be, in my previous postings I unintentionally mislead you. And yes, i think you are right – the bending area needs to be a bit more than 10 meters, because the hull is wide. Maybe 15 meters (not too much).

Also, here is one more last change that became necessary because I will continue to work with this hull inside POV-Ray: to make it hollow was my error, it would be better if it could be solid (closed). Can you do that? This way, I can work better with the hull inside POV-Ray.

Can you correct it? I wouldn’t mind, if I could correct it by myself, but Delft is not showing me any virtual lines that I could use to adjust – I just really don’t know yet, how to use this nice software. For now, maybe it is still faster, if you do the correction. I hope, you don’t mind. I don’t want to occupy too much of your time. I am sure, there won’t be any changes after that. 🙂

If you want, I can add your name to the credits of the resulting images, inside the scene file, in regards to the hull. Do you want?

Attachments:

• Bow.jpg

[Icare]

Hi Hirnausen!

With a few of click, I made a sharp bow.
Version 3:
– Sharp stem;
– closed top (fake deck).

As I was embarked, I drew the main deck.
Version 4:
– added a 25cm thick deck (sharp stem and rounded deck at once);
– raised the bow and stern;
– added a break-water.

Note: The break-water doesn’t fit exactly the deck curve. I adjusted it with a 2.5mm precision (maybe better than it was done on real ships) because it’s difficult to add details on a curved surface.

Attachments:

• Steamboatv3.jpg
• Steamboathullv3.fbm
• Steamboatv4.jpg
• Steamboathullv4.fbm

[Sven]

Hi, thanks a lot! Merci beaucoup!

If the hull is totally solid now (v3), I can use it. Inside Pov-Ray, I will create a 2nd copy of this hull and scale it down slightly, and use that smaller hull to subtract it from the solid bigger original hull. This way I get it hollow. This way, it allows me to subtract details from that smaller hull, like beams and joists and those. That’s the reason why I needed a totally solid hull. V3 is exactly what I need (if it is solid).

In regards to the foredeck, merci again, but you did too much work! 🙂
I actually have that already in POV-Ray. I would not need it here. It is just the solid hull alone, that I cannot develop in POV-Ray as rounded shapes like this hull are very difficult to create there.

If you can read the news.pov-ray.org with a newsreader, then i could lik you to the thread about this ship there. This way, if you like you could follow up.

There are more challenges ahead: I will eventually need to populate the ship and the entire Mississippi river scene with 1850s people typical for that area: cowboys, settlers, low-class workers, slaves, passengers, wealthier people, horses,a few animals. The biggest problem here are the 1850s clothes and faces that show characters.

Hey, Icare, I have a serious question: I am in the maritime archaeological field since over 35 years, but I am focusing on the various ship types of the ancient Roman world and of the Byzantine world. I know how they were looking. You, on the other hand, know how to create hulls with Delft. If you look online, you see that people who create sophisticated 3D models can sell the complexer ones online for lots of money, in the range of 500 to 2,000 US$ for all that brain work. Here is my proposal: would you be interested to work together with me on some AUTHENTIC ancient Roman ships, with ther aim that each of us has the rights on that and can sell it online later on? You would do the hulls to my specifications, and i do all superstructures and details incl. textures. When each 3D model is finished, each of us can sell it on any online platform as each of us sees fit. This way, you earn money straight with it without depending in regards to the financial share on transparency and honesty on my side (still, I am honest). Would you be interested?

[Icare]

Hi Hirnsausen!

Glad to know that you are satisfied. B)

Will you insert Huckleberry Finn and his best friend ‘s character in your scene? 😉

Let’s continue the discussion off the forum, we’ll have a few of things to discuss. 🙂

[Sven]

Hi. I want similar characters: a young boy of 14 years around, sitting at the edge of the deck, feet in the water. Boy not dressed rich, but like from a poor family. But hard to get characters, I am not good in making them, especially not the 1850s cloth.

I sent the e-mail. 🙂

[Icare]

Hi. I want similar characters: a young boy of 14 years around, sitting at the edge of the deck, feet in the water. Boy not dressed rich, but like from a poor family. But hard to get characters, I am not good in making them, especially not the 1850s cloth.

That’s the very definition for Huck and Tom. As far as I remember they even had no shoes! 😉 :whistle:
I had the chance to ride a paddle-boat and my farourite place on the ship was on the very top, between the chimneys… above the captain… between the river and the sky. B)
If you can insert Tom hailing Huck from my favourite place could make your scene more lively… but you’ll have to fine the character in the convenient position: bent forward and using a hand as bullhorn… It could be a wink. 😉

[Sven]

Fort now, I can’t add characters. I try since 3 months to find someone who can create all characters I need, but i failed. Too expensive or no skills or both. I would need someone who can and wants assist.

[Sven]

Hi, my apologies for my looong absence. I am not in best health, will probably be hospitalized tomorrow or soon after. When I’m fit again, I will continue here. Looking forward!   🙂

[Author]

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