Research into the Spitfire

In order to rig the moving parts of a spitfire I would have to first analyze its structure. By doing this and understanding how the spitfire was built, I would be able to study other resources such as live footage to then have enough information to make an informed decision about the rig.

My first sources of resources were images taken from air shows and live footage and blue prints.
In the following piece we can see the moving points of the spitfire to a great degree of detail. We can see the physical nuts and bolts the comprise the mechanics of the landing gears, the cockpit, the wing flaps etc.

The following images show the spit fire in mid flight and give an even more in depth perspective of their mechnisms. The first images give one a very good idea of how the landing gears work and even how the centre of gravity acts on this massive, dynamic object.

Spitfire mid-landing

Spitfir mid-landing

Spitfire stationary

Spitfire mid flight 

Spitfire taxi-ing on the ground

Spitfire mid-flight

The following video footage was key in getting an even better idea of the actual aerodynamics of the spitfire. Although some of the models may vary, we can ascertain a great deal of information about the movements of the wing-flaps, landing gear, tail flaps, propellor etc.














Using all of the collective resources, I am now in a position to make informed choices about the rig. I have a far greater understanding of the dynamics and animation required for the spitfire project. I feel that the research has clarified the limitations of the rig, the functionality of the rig and has also given my a number of ways of creatively making the necessary control curves.