<-Digital Artwork

To be a sculptor you need to be
one part artist and nine parts navvy.
John Skeaping

Exclusive Copyright Notice

Being an old Air Force SAM grunt, I of course can't help having a certain interest in former Soviet aircraft. The MiG-21 is one of the most produced fighter jets in the world, and one of the reasons the HAWK SAM system came into being. Somewhere in the mid-nineties I came up with the idea that modeling the MiG-21 bis would make a good project for learning the ins and outs of 3D Studio. Hence the files below.

You may also download an experimental AVI movie featuring the MiG-21 bis here. (5.1MB)

Aircraft Forces

I rendered this picture for my aerodynamics course, published on the Black Grouses web site.

Real-world background rendering

I used a photo from my very first trip to the US as a backdrop for this rendering. Of course the MiG-21 is much too "clean" to fit into this environment, but that would be fixed in the step following the completion of the 3D model - application of textures.

Rightft wing ordnance

Here's a little more detail of the modeled ordnance. The rocket pod is a UB-16-57, packing a load of 16 57-millimeter unguided rockets. The air-to-air missile on the outer pylon is an AA-8 Aphid.

Left wing ordnance

On the left wing, we have another UB-16-57 and an ECM pod on the outer pylon. You can actually see the brass-headed rockets in the rocket pod. Both wingtips are fitted with Radar Warning Receiver pods.

Frontal view

Here's a frontal view of the aircraft with a good view of the canopy frame and the nose intake cone housing the Jay Bird airborne radar.