Using 3D models as a reference tool
It really seems that my idea of using simplified 3D models to compare ships is not that bad. Look at this picture of two French ships being modelled in AC3D : on the left the protected cruiser "Lavoisier" completed in 1898, on the right the frigate "Surcouf" completed in 1996. The two ships have a completely different physical "presence" that you can't feel in reference books. Moreover, the "Lavoisier" is (will, as I still have to add eight 3 pdrs among other things) bristling with guns even if it has not even a single rangefinder, whereas "Surcouf"'s main armament (her Exocet launchers, her helicopter and her sensors) is hardly visible.
What do you think?
Thierry
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