LZ-1 CG study model (WIP)

[Charles Adams]

OK, I'll get things started off in the gallery. I really love Zeps and my favorites are the sleek WWI models. But before diving into those I wanted to start from the beginning and learn all that I could about their history. So I decided to collect info on early Zeps and start by building LZ-1. Since many models are similar, it is my hope that I can build one of each type and work my way forward.

This is a CG study model or "maquette." I am a physical modeler and I have nearly 20 years of drafting experience, but I now use 3D tools to accelerate the development and pattern making progress (I'm actually writing a book on this subject which is due out later this year).

So for each project I start by making computer drawings and then I turn those into a 3D study model using Rhino software. Once the basic form is worked out I can then tweak it as needed.

This is invaluable when you are working mainly from photos! Many of the details are very hard to work out from poor or fuzzy images. Using the 3D software I can map out the shapes and details, one piece at a time.

For LZ-1 I did not realize that there were two different versions of the airship. So after I got my preliminary model done I soon learned that it was wrong! I had combined two different versions of the ship into one model. So now I am going back and overhauling it.

But, in the meantime, here are some renders I did of what has already been completed. I have since completely rebuilt the gondola and now have some info on the engine.

I originally built the hull, keel frame, gondola and the unique engine transmission developed by the Count. You can see renders of those here. Keep in mind that I don't do renders for "show" meaning they are not textured or properly lit. These are "quick and dirty" renders to see if the shapes are correct. The dark nose is not correct to the actual ship and this is being changed.

Once I am done, I'll make drawings of the ship available. . .

[wizardofflight]

This is looking great. I love the new site.

Alan

[Charles Adams]

Thanks!! Welcome aboard. . . :D

[Pete Wood]

Very nice work, Charles.

I am a (trainee) design and technology teacher, in the UK, and while I would love to use Rhino in school, we have to use ProDesktop (free of charge 3D software). This is the sort of project that I, as an airship fan, was contemplating starting - using ProDesktop.

So I look forward to more of your work. Perhaps we can swap notes at some stage...??

My main interest is in the German airship raids of WW1 on mainland Britain. I am attempting to record the name of every soldier and civilian killed by the German aerial campaign (aka First Blitz) on England and Scotland. I am also trying to record the location of where every German bomb fell (I've been doing this for nearly 20 years and still have a fair way to go!!).

Best wishes

Pete

[Charles Adams]

Greetings from across the pond! Welcome aboard! Wow, that is an ambitious project.

I won't be working on any WWI-type ships for a little while yet as I am trying to start at the beginning and work my way up. But I will make drawings of the LZ-1 available as soon as I can finalize my second model and generate nice, clean drawings. Stay tuned! :)

[Charles Adams]

This model is just about finished! The color is a guess, I am thinking it was a washed-out light yellow. The rigging is all there but it barely shows up in the renders. The lines are so thin I had to make them black to see them at all! They were off-white or silver on the airship.

I'll render some close-ups later tonight so you can see the true level of detail on this. . .

Keep in mind I build CG models in order to create patterns and make blueprints. So I don't do texturing or fancy lighting (at least not yet). Therefore this is a "raw" model with only basic color applied, and Rhino is not the best renderer out there.

Also, the actual airship was so flimsy that the hull was not straight! I decided to replicate this effect in order to make the model as accurate as possible. Somehow seeing a perfectly straight envelope made it look "fake" and destroyed the sense of scale. . .

I don't really have sufficient reference yet to create the revised or Mk II version (I'm calling this one Mk I) so I finished the model to represent the original version which flew on July 2, 1900. Every detail I could extract from the various photos is on this model. I'm hoping it is very accurate to the actual airship from the period.

[Charles Adams]

More details. . .

[Paul Adams]

Excellent work, I really enjoy looking at them all.

Well done!

Paul

[rivnut]

That is some very good work there, Charles. I try to put some reasonable effort into my computer models but after seeing yours, I'll have to try a little harder. I've been working on a LZ1 project for a while and actually stumbled on this site while collecting info and background. After seeing these pics I've gone back over the whole thing, especially the gondolas. I could never tell what the construction materials were. I should have guessed it was aluminum, but until I saw the pics of the one that is being rebuilt in Germany, I had no solid information.
This is my first post on this site. Thank you very much for all the work you and your crew have done in making this site available to the public. It is certainly a goldmine for anyone interested in airships and much more. If anyone wants to see my efforts on the LZ1 (so far) check out the Airships page at www.aeroshop3d.com.

Kevin Smith

[Charles Adams]

Welcome aboard! :D

Very nice work! It's great to see others interested in modeling these airships. As time goes on, they are in danger of falling into obscurity.

I suspended work on LZ-1 due to lack of reference. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I want my models to be as accurate as possible. Sure it's more practical just to get it done, but if I'm going to all this trouble, I want it to match the original as close as possible. There were two versions of this ship and I am still not clear on the differences in detailing between the two. So my model remains a work in progress.

I have much more info on LZ-2 thanks to a great German book from the Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichschafen. I'm still trying to track down a similar book they put out on LZ-4. That is only to be found in Germany, but the museum doesn't carry it anymore and I don't speak or write German so I haven't been able to order it yet.

Due to my own book project that has been taking up all my time nearly all year, I haven't had a chance to get back to work on any of these models. I hope to spend more time working on them this year.

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! :D
:cheers:

[rivnut]

Welcome aboard! :D I suspended work on LZ-1 due to lack of reference. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I want my models to be as accurate as possible. Sure it's more practical just to get it done, but if I'm going to all this trouble, I want it to match the original as close as possible. There were two versions of this ship and I am still not clear on the differences in detailing between the two. So my model remains a work in progress.

Thanks!
Reference is the key to modeling. No doubt about that. You can never have enough. I agree that without fairly complete data, every work is a WIP as all of mine, heavier than air and airships, are WIP. All of my computer models are constanty reworked as new material comes available. I've worked on many for six or seven years. They are never really done. I like to see them in the air. I throw them into the simulator as soon as practical and continue the work. I don't upload them to my site untill I'm reasonably happy with them and feel that they represent something of the subject that is worthwhile.

With the LZ1, I'm still playing around with construction methods for the envelope. I haven't got it quite right yet. This last test has a little too much concavity in the panels. It is an absolute gas to see it flying in the simulator. I like the way you have reproduced the flimsey and crooked nature of the LZ1. I'll begin experimenting with that. It really adds to the look and the authenticity. Have you come across any information on the underslung weight system, particularly the unit itself? The pulley system seems clear enough in most pics but the weight unit remains a blur. Of course, in the way of conjecture, I suspect it was nothing more than a beer or wine barrel (filled with water) suspended at either end. The pics give that impression and being over the Lake, nothing would have been easier to manage.


Cheers!
Kevin

[Digger]

The weight was made of lead, and resembled an eight sided die (octahedron), lengthened (stretched), with the cables attached at the ends. The second version uses the same weight, attached to a rail running along the bottom of the keel, by means of a bracket. Not sure exactly how this was moved, though it likely used the same winches as the first build. hope that helps. .:cheers:

[Charles Adams]

Wow! How did you come across that info? Are there clear photos of it? Thansk! :)

[Digger]

The LZ-1 paper model has a bit of information about the ship, thats how I found out the weight was lead, and of course the shape of the parts on the sheets. Check out the attached pic, it may help you with your cg model. :cheers:

[rivnut]

Thanks, Digger!

Kevin

[Andreas Horn]

The relatively small, cigar-shaped (what else?) weight (100 kg of lead) was rapped in a water-tight air bag which kept it floating. It could be moved by 7 meters in each direction by the means of a winch located near the steering lever on the right side of the car and trolleys at the very end of the keel. The installation - including the cable - weighted another 100 kg. When the weight was moved by 7 meters from its central location, the ship tilted by 3 degrees. The weight was suspended 26 meters below the keel.

Source:
Illustrierte Aeronautische Mittheilungen, Erster Fahrversuch mit dem Luftschiff des Grafen von Zeppelin (August 1900, Price 2.- Mark)
reprinted in:
LZ 1, Der erste Zeppelin (LZ 1, The First Zeppelin), Hans G. Knäusel, Kirschbaum Verlag, Bonn 1985 (newer prints available)