Created a sphere, placed it above axis line and duplicated/rotated it. Named the layers/objects to ensure I knew which sphere I was altering at the time.

Wired edges for simplified selection- allowing to create window shape. I then used the edge cutting tool to create loops and bevelled those loops to create the frame shape of the window, deselecting middle area to form an accurate shape/outline.

Duplicating and separating the selection allowed to be left with the shape of the frame as a sperate object whilst maintaining the window underneath. I had then applied shade smooth, a solidify modifier and shade smooth to maintain sharp edges, adjusting the modifier settings to thicken my frame. I edge looped and cut the outer frame to ensure there was no clipping or gap issues further down the line.

Selection at the top, CTRL and + shortcut and extruded top faces to form cockpit entrance. Edge looped beneath the pod door, selected the doors edges then extruded downward to create a gap between the door and the main ship body, bevelling the edges and selecting shade smooth and auto smooth before continuing onward.

Before joining the modifier needed to be set to only rim so the faces are placed outward, allowing to smoothly join the elements cumulated together, forming the completion of the cockpit.

Forming the wing tiles:

To form the wings of the airship I used a square plain, adjusted its position using the axis preset and altered it’s thickness using the modifier. I then took the top and bottom edges, extruded and readjusted to form a rectangle to ensure they’re the same distance from the center. I extruded the top and bottom front edges and extended them forward using the extrude tool shortcut and middle mouse and took the top and bottom edges to curve them towards the airship, applying the solidify modifier at the end and making any needed alterations.

                                                       

Used vertex slide tool to move the frontal parts of the wings downward. Had to select the front faces and pull forward so the weaponry part of the wing was in line with the reference image and used the necessary tools to form the rest of the wing shape.

To form the wing frame, insert faces was applied and was set to individual, extruding along normal to create an outer ring to the wing panels. I created the other wing by using the mirror modifier, switching the “x axis” to ensure the correct direction of the opposing object and using the eye dropper to place another wing formation on the other side of the cockpit. I also came across a silly mistake before moving on; not coming out of edit mode before applying the modifier.

Another issue that arose was when following along with the tutorials the connector for the wing wasn’t mirroring due to being joined to the wing body (mesh added whilst in edit mode). Instead of mirroring I duplicated the object and carried it across to the other side. However, I wanted to follow the process so I could grasp the tools and shortcuts, so I went back to better understand the options the program offered. I was careful when adding my meshes when out of edit mode and followed along the tutorial, relying on the tools and procedures learnt so far, and coping the mirror modifier proceeded to work.

Finalized colour scheme, selected the guns and extruded normal to the inner sections to shoot from.

When animating the pathway of the ship I implemented a curve, altering the base shape to form a interesting set motion the ship will move along. Adding a constraint to “follow path” and using the eyedropper I placed the ship and ticked the option so it would follow the set path. There was a small panic as my ship was following the path sideways, however this was only down to now having it settled on the correct axis and was fine after.

I wanted to apply a surround background for my ship so he was flying through a recognisable space. This was a small introduction to nodes, seen through online class tutorial. Material was supplied and shown by colleague through discord, and thought to use this as a demonstration, and thought it work well for the look I was after.

Finished animation:

UPDATE:

When analysing my tie interceptor animation I was unhappy with how the pathway wasn’t completely in frame. When zooming out with the camera to capture the entire pathway the ship began to disappear through my HDRI image so I zoomed in as far as I could to ensure this wouldn’t happen. I figured to size down my curve and zoom out the camera, this fixed the clipping issue with the HDRI. Although the path is a lot shorter than I would’ve liked I enjoyed the outcome better.