This is the WIP page for the fourth edition of the "Virtual Airplane" guide. The previous complete edition of this book (from 2015) is here.

At this moment I completed three volumes ("Preparations", "Modelling", "Materials and Textures") of the planned four. I think that I will complete the last one in 2026.

This publication is available in Polish and English. The Polish versions are free, while their English translations are paid books. I am selling them through the selected e-book web shops for the independent authors.

"Virtual Airplane" contains mostly illustrations (it resembles a comic book). Thus, its Polish versions are still readable, to some extent, for all. You can download this free version and skim it, using the accompanying English table of contents. This way you will precisely know what this guide contains and whether it is worth buying!

This edition is available in the PDF format, only. This is the effect of my experiences with third edition of this book, which was also available in the EPUB and MOBI formats. It seems that the "good old" PDF is readable on every device, without certain compatibility issues that haunted the EPUB and MOBI files.

Below you can find the completed volumes of this guide:

Volume I: Preparations
pages: 279, illustrations: 408
Preparation of reference drawings, required to create the 3D model. This fourth edition uses Inkscape 1.0 and GIMP 2.10 (in this volume we do not use Blender). It can be also useful, as a book on its own, for classic (plastic kit/paper) modelers who want to improve accuracy of the existing drawings.
Free version (in Polish): zipped PDF, 40 MB
English version: Table of Contents
Buy
also available on Google Play:

Volume II: Modeling
pages: 684, illustrations: 1170
Describes how to build a 3D model, using reference images and photos. I assume that the Reader has not used Blender before, so it begins with a general introduction to this program. Then it starts modeling the simplest parts of the aircraft, gradually introducing the more advanced techniques. This fourth edition uses Blender 3.3.
Free version (in Polish): zipped PDF, 87 MB
English version: Table of Contents
Buy
also available on Google Play:

Volume III: Materials and Textures
pages: 645, illustrations: 1076
Preparation of the materials and their textures, and arrangement of a typical environment for flight scenes. It describes the Eeve and Cycles rendering engines. This fourth edition uses Blender 3.6.
Free version (in Polish): zipped PDF, 76 MB
English version: Table of Contents
Buy
also available on Google Play:

Volume IV: Detailing and Rendering
pages: about 500
This volume discusses creation of various aircraft parts, especially of the cockpit and undercarriage. (The model of the pilot you will find in the files accompanying this book). I also describe methods of controlling typical moveable elements, such as retractable landing gear or flaps. At the end I will show the composition of exemplary scenes in the flight and on the ground. This fourth edition will use Blender 3.0.

Planned publication date: end of 2026.

See previous edition
(for Blender 2.7).
Below you can find some "raw" renders of the finished model. All of them were made in Cycles, without any postprocessing.
1. P-40B - rear view
2. P-40B - front view
.
3. Undercarriage
4. Inside pilot's cockpit
.
5. Pilot's seat
6. A close-up of the instrument panel
.
7. A pilot figure (for the flight scenes)
8. The pilot figure, seen from the back
.
9. A simple composition with a background photo (photo: (C) Tommo Yun, www.yunphoto.net)
.