Developer Reflections: Flyable Airplane

The biplane pictured here (as built for Ellie Finch's Minecraft Sandtray World) is one of my favouite assets that I've created. There was a significant amount of nostalgia factor in putting this one together, as it took me back to my time modeling as a kid. 

I was a prolific model builder back in those days; it was one of my favourite childhood activities. 

Much of my pocket money went to procuring new kits and paints. Birthdays and Christmas became a special time of receiving larger kits that I couldn't afford on my own. WW2 aircraft and Star Trek starships were my subjects of choice, but I also dabbled with a few ships, cars and model railway kits.  

Eventually, models covered every surface in my room and my ceiling had so many aircraft and starship models hanging from it, there were some concerns that it was eventually going to collapse. 

While I still have some of these models, I certainly don't have the space (or a structurally capable ceiling) to pursue modeling the same way I used to. Enter Minecraft and Blockbench: platforms ideally suited to continuing my hobby... but also as a career! 

Being a developer/creator for things in Minecraft has been heavily supported by many skillsets I developed informally in entirely different arenas of interest, and I often marvel at how I've found myself in a career that marries many of my favourite interests and skills in one location! 

Of course, there are some highly beneficial differences operating in the digital modeling environment:  

• No toxic glue
• Mistakes are easily corrected
• I can experiment with whatever variations in design or texture that strikes me
• Multiple versions or variations of the model can be produced
• "Kit-bashing" is a great deal easier
• I can share my creations easily with others
• No accidental paint spills
• The only cost is time

Another major difference: no kit and no instructions... success depends entirely on my own creativity, skills, attention to detail and research. It does pose an extra level of challenge, but one that I find makes the creation process all that more exciting and interesting. 

On that note, when considering an appropriate aircraft for the Sandtray world, Ellie and I didn't have any specific ideas, we just wanted a fun wee airplane. With quite a lot room to be creative and a lot of options to choose from, I quickly settled on an early era of aviation, mostly because I wanted a "boxy" aircraft; something without a lot of curves that would make my first outing in building an aircraft a little easier! 

Inspiration for this biplane from a number of different aircraft from the period, but primarily from the Sopwith Pup (again for it's boxy-ness). The final product is a mish mash of a lot of different elements and some creative liberties on my part., but as challenging and time consuming as this one was, it was a highly enjoyable model to build, and for my first aircraft, I think it came out alright. 

Oh, and with the magic that is Minecraft, I was able to animate the propeller and wheels as well as make it pilotable and flyable! You can see a short wee video I made of it in action, here.