The 'airplane' is like a 'canon' (ex:"fundamental") to 3d modelling, there's some 'classic' stuff to model on 3d, stuff like 'a car', 'a tank', 'an airplane', 'a cat/dog' and 'a human face', a 'medieval European sword'... Those are 'classic' models to model XD (and others i forgot, of course.. those regarding '3d disciplines' such as games (you would just HAVE to model a zombie/monster character) and architectural visualization (you would model stuff like pillars, big structures, etc..) .. But i never got much of the desire/drive to model a plane (i mean i kind of model the Dragons which those planes try to fell, etc.. XDD).. But some guy (would be a paying client.. perhaps, on the future, etc..) said that he was going to need a ('paid') model of a Gloster F-8 Plane.. And i tried to see if i could get it to test mi-self, before trowing my ludicrous prize at his face hehehehe.. =D..
(yes, whenever somebody asks for a ('paid') model of something, i try to model it 'fast-wise' to see if i can 'model it commercially' and stuff)
..I like to model stuff on 'phases', like, this one is the lowpoly or 'fundamental' phase (lowpoly modelling and Smoothing Groups and Material ID's (first) separation).. Now (in fact, perhaps tomorrow because of wine and woman =D.. yes woman just love my fur and my licking-and-gently-biting (not necessarily in this order of events) and stuff XD) i have to conform it properly to the blueprints and make lots of 'fine' corrections to make it 'just like' the real one..
The history of 3d modelling and aircraft development is so intertwined, that nowadays, on airplane designing, people often use a famous 3d software from Dassault (the SolidWorks).
(The same to cars, and the AutoCad (this is why it is 'auto' =D))
(but i model on non-CAD programs.. I prefer the 'artistic' ones such as 3ds, Blender, etc..(but you can make measured stuff on 3ds/Blender.. It is just that the program was not really made for it, etc..))
I just got home and would do a scene with this plane firing some laser blasters and stuff..
But i didn't even modeled the gun holes yet XDD..
(i mean some (neatly made) holes on the fuselage, to make way for the guns, etc.. it is on the 'nose' of the plane, just below the cockpit region...
..)
It seems a little complicated, but i really made it in kind of 3 hours and with a long dinner interval to it XD.. I could make a video about this modelling but i have to mature this knowledge properly before passing it onwards..
Edit: Well.. to resume.. i'm leaving to a 'party' here at home
.. Hope this song would synthesize my 3d 'workflow' XDD
(you know the 'oo-hoo-hoow'.. replace it for 'in 3-deee'... heuhuehueuhueuhuehe XDD)