It's worth mentioning also a general note about computer software tutorials. In my experience, most software tutorials are walk-thoroughts, in other words, it tells you step by step what to do. I have a feeling that this is not the ideal way to learn. So what I recommend you do is read through all of this, and follow it step at a time but with your own plane based on plans you have obtained.

If you find any stumbling blocks with this tut, please politely contact me- I cannot correct, amend & improve unless I'm approached with an e-mail -feedback. It is important to me that this tutorial is of quality and is therefore useful.

Contents

This tutorial is primarily aimed at modelers with a good knowledge of aircraft, though other users wanting to learn Max box modeling could hopefully benefit here. I assume you hare familiar with aircraft part nomenclature.

On the right is the kind of image you can make from this tutorial.

Research

The value of getting good accurate information cannot be overstated. Though you will no doubt be able to reduce resolution of your model if it is intended for small screen renders, or background objects. Even in games, there will be users who will look in close-up with expert personal knowledge at your model. They then go to their nearest museum with the same plane in it & scrutinize every curve, panel line and pivot point. The best games require new models to be vetted by the design team before general release. What’s worse than having your hard work rejected because of inaccurate modeling?
Get the best plans you can, ideally 1:48 scale plans if you are making an aircraft. Smaller drawings can be a problem because line thickness reduces accuracy considerably. Therefore look for the drawings made with thin lines.
A good source is one of the various aircraft enthusiast or aero-modeler magazines. These have the advantage that there is never a crease in the page to deal with when placed under the scanner.

.Lo-res plans

Splines

Tolerance

Ultimately you will be limited by the fact that the model will have to describe curved forms using facets. A curved nose-cone is actually a number of flat triangles and some compromise is going to be part of each design decision you make. Smooth curves require lots of small triangles close together and this will increase the number of polygons, which is more work for the computer to move around. You will have to judge by eye whether it’s the face centre or edge that lines up with your reference spline, on a curve it has to be one or the other or somewhere in between If you want the computer to refresh the screen quickly enough not to flicker or stutter, then keep the polygon count low. Again, refer to the SDK for the actual limits you are allowed.
At this early stage it’s worth having some communication with your skin designer (if that’s not yourself) since there is much that can be done with clever bitmapping instead of modeling in 3D.