FAIRLINE'S GUIDE TO ISOMETRIC CIV UNIT DRAWING

The figures in the text refer to the T34 gif below. I'd recommend downloading it and opening it in your graphics program while following this guide. Always ensure you load the civ2 palette into a units file you are working on before starting to draw - there are loads of files on the net that have an incorrect palette and this may cause problems viewing them in civ. The file below has the correct palette and spare slots for drawing in to get you going. I'd also recommend using a pukka drawing program such as Paintshop Pro. Don't mess about with the Windows drawing package - it's rubbish.

First off, back to (very) basics. I'm guessing not many of you have engineering drawing experience, but you will have heard of the isometric view; figure 1 shows a rectangular block outlined in the Nemo approximation of isometric view. Notice the vertical lines are drawn as straight vertical lines while horizontal lines and planes are drawn at an angle, with each section 2 pixels long. Stick with this rule when drawing a unit.

Before starting to draw a unit get as much reference material as you can. Use a Google image search and go through every page. Of particular interest are isometric 3-d models or very nearly isometric pics of model tanks. 3-view drawings are good to check detail, with photos of the actual vehicle a good source for colour and overall appearance. The zip below contains the reference pics I used for the T34-41 and T34/85 as good examples. Open up as many of the pics as you can into your drawing program so that you can view them alongside your units file. Take it from me, this is a much easier way than copying from a book.

The first step is to rough out the hull of the tank, remembering to use vertical lines and 2-by-2 pixel diagonals (fig. 2). The idea here is to get the basic dimensions right, so don't worry about detail or colour just yet.  Now start to change the drawing using a pixel-by pixel approach to give more of a feel for the shape you're after (fig. 3). You can see here that the T34's glacis and hull side plates are not in a vertical plane, so adjust the drawing to suit. The engine bay is also higher than the rest of the hull. I use a dark colour to draw the lines denoting a change in plane.

Next fit the appropriate number and size of wheels (fig.4). I would usually cut and paste wheels from Nemo tanks to speed things up, but in this instance I needed to draw some from scratch. I've included a selection of Nemo's wheels for you to cut and paste. At this stage also draw in the tracks and change the hull dimensions to suit the number of wheels you have. Remember that a tank's road wheels are often larger than the drive and trail wheels. Make sure your happy with the overall shape before moving on to the next stage - it's a lot easier to make drastic changes at this stage than later.

OK, this is the part where this thing starts to look like a tank (fig. 5). Copy the turret as closely as possible from your iso reference drawing. You have a choice of 3-views for the gun: draw it in line with the longitudinal axis of the tank as I have with the T34, draw it 'raised'as shown in the T-26 in fig 10 or move the turret to face 'left' as shown in the PzIV drawing in fig 11. In both the latter two cases, the gun is drawn as a horizontal line(s). Colour fill each plane of the tank with base colours. Use light colours for the turret (lightest) and hull top with darker colours for the sides. Bear in mind that the source of light is above and slightly behind this tank, with shadows thrown onto the hull and turret sides. To get you going, use the dropper tool on the left menu bar of PSP to select colours from this picure for your own allied tank colours.The inset shows the civ palette, with the colour ranges I've used here outlined in pink. The four base colours I use for an allied tank are next to it. It's worth noting that the T34s sloped sides are a lighter colour than a verical hull side would be.

When your happy with the basic shape of the tank, its time to add a little detail (fig 6). Add vision ports, periscopes, hatches, engine bays, aerials, anything to give the drawing some life. If your unsure of how best to make these, use Nemo's or my drawings to cut and paste the appropriate part onto your tank.

Nearly there now..... the final stages are all about detailed colouring (fig. 7) Add highlights to the edges of plane surfaces, turret hatches, engine bay grils etc. This is best done by selecting the base colour with the dropper and clicking on 'foreground colour' on the right hand side tool bar in PSP, below the palellte picture; this brings up the 'select colour from palette' selection box. To produce a highlight, select a colour 1 or 2 spaces lighter from the base colour, and similarly 1 or 2 spaces darker for shading to place shadows around raised parts like the hatches or turret. This is very much a matter of personal taste. Have a close look at fig. 7 to see what I've done with this T34. Also add detail to wheels and tracks at this point. View your unit in Civ to make sure your happy with it, and adjust as appropriate.

Lastly, add a shadow around the tank (fig. 8). You may want a tank commander (fig. 9); I've included a selection to cut and paste in fig. 12.

Figures 13, 14 and 15 show modification of an existing unit to produce a variant, in this case the late war T-34/85. The key is to get the detail right for your new variant. Don't just add a longer gun if you want a distinctive graphic; redraw the turret and make any other adjustments required for the new tank (in this case new stowage bins, fuel tanks and headlight position).