# Rebuild Planet Express From Images This is a proposed reconstruction curriculum from public images, not original build history or a tested rebuild. No original model, STL, script, private drawing or hidden local file is required. Download the seven linked renders in SOURCES.md. Keep them named hero.png, port.png, front.png, rear.png, top.png, turret.png and engine.png. ## 1. Start with evidence, not a script Evidence: `hero.png`. This is one way to reconstruct a similar ship from images. We will use the finished renders as evidence and describe a possible Blender workflow. These are not recordings of the original build, and we have not executed a new rebuild for this lesson. The goal is to learn how to make and test small modeling decisions, without needing the original parts. Visible check: A proposed reconstruction lesson. ## 2. Give the agent a bounded first job Evidence: `port.png`. Start a fresh chat with the seven reference images and the prompt pack. Ask the coding agent to identify the hull, three fins, engine, cockpit, turret, and repeated details. Require it to separate visible evidence from assumptions. If it cannot operate Blender, ask for a script for the Scripting workspace, plus manual steps. The first output should be a plan you can inspect, not hundreds of unexplained objects. Visible check: Check: Separate facts from guesses. ## 3. Choose axes and a working scale Evidence: `top.png`. Choose X for left and right, Y for the ship’s length, and Z for up. Use ten Blender units as a teaching length; that is a chosen scale, not a measurement recovered from pixels. Add image references in a separate collection. Perspective and cropped views cannot all be traced as perfect blueprints. Ask the agent to state which proportions each image can reliably constrain. Visible check: Proposed scale: length = 10 units. ## 4. Block out only the hull Evidence: `port.png`. Begin with a low-resolution sphere, stretch it along Y, and edit its cross sections to shape the pointed nose, full belly, and narrower stern. In Blender, that means editing groups of vertices, not adding portholes yet. Ask the agent for a plain hull with named length, width, and height parameters. Compare the outer contour in the side image before adding any secondary forms. Visible check: Check: Nose, belly, stern. ## 5. A silhouette needs more than one view Evidence: `front.png`. A hull can match the side silhouette and still be too narrow. Inspect it from the front and from a quarter angle. If the nose looks too round, move the front cross sections rather than shrinking the entire ship. A useful correction prompt names the region, the direction of the change, and the views that must remain stable. Save this plain hull before proceeding. Visible check: Correct one proportion at a time. ## 6. Add smoothness with control Evidence: `turret.png`. A subdivision modifier adds smoothness by refining the surface; it can also soften shapes you meant to keep. Add it at a modest level, compare the outline, and use nearby support loops where a transition must stay firm. Shading changes the appearance of faces, not the silhouette itself. If you see a dent, inspect the underlying mesh instead of trying to hide it with a shiny material. Visible check: Check: No pinching or lumps. ## 7. Build one fin before its partner Evidence: `port.png`. For the vertical fin, create a flat polygon profile in the side plane. Move its vertices to match the root, swept leading edge, and long tip. Extrude a small thickness across X, then add a restrained bevel to catch highlights. The manual route is a mesh plane edited into an outline, filled, and extruded. Ask the agent to keep the fin separate and editable. Visible check: Check: Root, sweep, tip. ## 8. Mirror the horizontal fins Evidence: `top.png`. Use the top view to shape one horizontal fin, then mirror it across the center plane. A mirror uses an origin or a chosen mirror object, so an offset origin can place the copy incorrectly. Check that both roots meet the hull at the same height and that the spans agree. If the copy floats away, fix the mirror reference before changing the fin’s vertices. Visible check: Check: Equal roots and spans. ## 9. Make the red band follow the hull Evidence: `hero.png`. The red band is a strong visual landmark. One possible method is a closed curve following the hull’s midline, with a small bevel depth to give it thickness. In the manual route, edit the curve’s control points and inspect it from several angles. Ask for a slight outward offset so it does not flicker against the hull. If the nose band bulges, adjust those control points locally. Visible check: Check: Continuous around the nose. ## 10. Solve one porthole completely Evidence: `turret.png`. Create one porthole from a shallow ring and an inset blue disk. Place it on the hull and rotate it so its face follows the local surface direction. Use the close-up to judge rim thickness and how far it projects. This is a good place to learn local axes: moving along the ring’s own axis pushes it into or out of the hull. Visible check: Check: Contact without sinking. ## 11. Repeat a rule, then inspect it Evidence: `port.png`. Now duplicate that porthole to create four on the visible side. A straight array may establish spacing, but a curved hull still needs individual placement or a surface-following rule. Ask the agent to expose the centers and angles as editable parameters. Check every rim from the front and quarter views. If one appears elliptical for the wrong reason, inspect its rotation before changing its shape. Visible check: Check: Spacing and orientation. ## 12. Treat the cockpit as a separate study Evidence: `front.png`. The cockpit combines an angular frame with a curved nose. Trace the outer frame in the front and quarter references, give it thickness, then place separate panes slightly behind it. Do not cut a complex hole until the frame proportions work. The target’s glazing itself needs review, so aim for a coherent fit rather than copying every visible gap. Ask for close-up renders before accepting this stage. Visible check: Check: No gaps or intersections. ## 13. Stack simple forms for the turret Evidence: `turret.png`. The turret can begin as stacked cylinders and a rounded dome, with a separate cylinder for the barrel. Scale and taper the rings until their silhouette resembles the reference. Put the turret’s origin at its intended pivot and keep the barrel separately named. That prepares a possible later animation, but it does not test a working joint. First check that the base sits against the curved hull. Visible check: Check: Base follows the hull. ## 14. Use a profile for the engine bell Evidence: `engine.png`. For the engine bell, draw a half profile in a plane through its axis and revolve it around that axis. Blender’s Screw modifier is one possible tool; the manual alternative is a cylinder whose rings are scaled into the profile. Add enough wall thickness to show a clear rim. Compare the bell’s width and its connection to the hull before filling the opening with nozzles. Visible check: Check: Silhouette and wall thickness. ## 15. Duplicate the nozzle, not the effort Evidence: `engine.png`. Make one short dark tube with a visible opening. Duplicate it into a cluster on a backing plate, using the rear reference for the arrangement. Do not infer an exact hidden count from partly obscured circles. Ask the agent to keep the cluster inside the bell and preserve readable gaps. If everything merges into black, check spacing and lighting before adding more geometry. Visible check: Check: Separation at normal size. ## 16. Add detail after proportions hold Evidence: `engine.png`. Add one vent slat, repeat it within a shallow frame, and fit that frame to the hull. Root trim can be another shaped strip. For panel lines, choose shallow geometry or a shading approach and name that choice honestly. A rendered seam alone cannot reveal the original technique. Keep the grooves subtle enough that they do not overwhelm the hull at the final viewing distance. Visible check: Check: Detail stays subordinate. ## 17. Materials clarify the structure Evidence: `hero.png`. Assign broad material groups before fine tuning: turquoise hull, dark teal fins, ivory fittings, red trim, and dark engine details. Start with moderate roughness and neutral studio lighting. Metallic-looking highlights are not enough to identify a material from an image. Ask for editable material values, then compare the same camera and lighting after each change so you know what caused the difference. Visible check: Check under neutral lighting. ## 18. Match the view before judging shape Evidence: `rear.png`. Create side, front, top, and quarter comparison cameras. First match the camera’s direction, framing, and perspective as closely as possible. Only then change the model. A wide lens can exaggerate the nose, while a different view can hide a fin. If the hull looks too long in one image, ask the agent to test the camera explanation before shortening the mesh. Visible check: Check: Perspective can mislead. ## 19. Use a correction loop Evidence: `hero.png`. Use a specific correction: the vertical tail appears too tall in the side view; reduce its height while preserving its root and tip sweep, then render side and quarter comparisons. Review both results. This is an exercise prompt, not a demonstrated defect in this target. Keep the previous version so you can undo the change if the quarter view becomes less convincing. Visible check: Check: One change, several views. ## 20. Save an editable model Evidence: `hero.png`. Save the native scene with named parts and useful cameras. Export a separate GLB if you need a portable viewer, then reimport that export into a clean scene and check scale, orientation, materials, and missing objects. Export does not preserve every Blender feature automatically. Animation, print tolerances, interiors, and mechanical clearances are further projects. A convincing still is a checkpoint, not proof of all those properties. Visible check: Export and reimport to check.