DSB ferry M/F Kronprins Frederik, Blender model

Created by Darren Wilden (dwinnovation.dk) · Version 1.0 · November 2026 · Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0 (non-commercial use, credit required)

A detailed, real-scale model of the DSB train ferry M/F Kronprins Frederik as she sailed for DSB on the Great Belt between Nyborg and Korsør, from 1981 to 1997, in the DSB livery: navy hull with the ship’s name in white, white superstructure, green decks and the black, red and white DSB funnel. It is made for cinematic rendering in Blender Cycles. The bow visor opens, and behind it the train deck is modelled in full, with its tracks, lights and the clock cabin, so trains can be shown on board.

This archive holds the ferry only. The harbour, the berth and the trains seen in the renders are not included.

What is in this archive

Folder or file	Contents
`blender/DSB_Kronprins_Frederik_Ferry.blend`	The model with its cinematic camera, sky and lighting, made with Blender 4.5 LTS. It is self-contained and opens anywhere without missing files.
`export/DSB_Kronprins_Frederik_Ferry.fbx`	FBX export with the animation clips, for other 3D applications and game engines.
`export/DSB_Kronprins_Frederik_Ferry.glb`	glTF binary export with the animation clips, for web viewers, three.js, Unity, Unreal and similar.
`renders/`	Eight cinematic renders, made in Cycles.
`README.md`, `README.html`	This documentation.
`LICENSE.txt`	The CC BY-NC 4.0 licence terms.
`NOTICES.txt`	Trademarks, reference material and fonts. Please read it before you publish work made with the model.

The real ship

Item	Value
Operator	DSB (Danske Statsbaner), Denmark
Type	InterCity train and car ferry
Route	Nyborg to Korsør, across the Great Belt (Storebælt)
Era shown	The DSB years, 1981 to 1997
Sister ships	Dronning Ingrid and Prins Joachim
Length overall	152.00 m
Length between perpendiculars	139.40 m
Breadth	23.70 m moulded, 24.20 m over the rubbing strakes
Design draught	5.80 m
Keel to mast top	About 47.5 m
Train deck	Deck 3, 7.60 m above the keel, four tracks, loaded through the bow visor and the stern door

Model specifications

Item	Value
Scale and units	Real scale, 1 Blender unit = 1 metre
Origin in the .blend	The `KF_Root` empty: the aftmost point of the hull on the centreline, at keel height. The bow points to +Y, Z is up.
Origin in the exports	Bottom centre of the ship: keel height, centreline, mid length. In the GLB (Y up) the bow points to -Z.
Geometry	About 603,000 triangles in 290 meshes in the exports (all modifiers applied). The .blend holds 357 objects.
Materials	68 physically based materials
Render engine	Cycles. The file keeps the cinematic camera `CIN_Camera`, the evening sky and the sun.
Lights	The train deck lights (`KF_TrainDeckLights` collection) and the lit lamps on the train deck and in the clock cabin

Animation clips

The clips are stored as NLA tracks in the .blend and become separate animations in the GLB and the FBX. Every clip starts at 0 s, at 24 frames per second.

Clip	Length	What it does
`Visor_Open`	6.0 s	The bow visor tip opens (play it reversed to close)
`BarrierGates_Open`	3.0 s	Both bow barrier gates swing open (reversed to close)
`Ferry_Undock`	12.0 s	The bow trims down, then the ferry backs out 120 m astern (reversed to dock)
`Ferry_Crossing`	10.0 s	A seamless loop in place: gentle pitch, roll and heave at sea

How the model is built

Hull: one continuous hull with the navy topsides, the antifouling below the waterline, the rubbing strakes, the ship’s name on both sides and on the stern, the anchor in its pocket, the bow thruster with its grille, the rudders, the propeller shafts and the propellers.
Bow: the opening bow visor with its shell, girders, hinge lugs and hydraulic rams, the bow portal with the two barrier gates and the centre splitter, and the forecastle with its winch and fittings.
Train deck: four tracks from the bow to the stern door, the centre wall, the side lockers, the deckhead with its lamp rows, the bearing poles and the clock cabin with its clocks, lamps and fittings.
Stern: the stern door with its portal frame and lamps, the aft deck with its winches, and the flag mast with the Danish flag.
Superstructure: the passenger decks with their window rows and glass, the bridge with its wing windows, the aft bridge, the passenger gangway, the open decks with railings, stairs, doors and life rings, the funnel in DSB colours, the forward tower and the aft mast with the radar, the lifeboats and small boats on their davits, the life rafts and the crane.
Cutters: hidden helper objects in the KF_Cutters collection that Boolean modifiers use. Do not delete them, or openings and recesses will close.

Using the model

Rendering: press F12 in Blender to render through CIN_Camera. Frame 1 shows the visor closed.
Opening the bow: play the Visor_Open and BarrierGates_Open tracks in the NLA editor, or go to their last frame.
Moving the ship: move the KF_Root empty. Every part of the ship is parented to it.
Other software: use the FBX or GLB in the export folder. In both exports all modifiers are applied, the hidden helper objects are left out, and paint whose colour varies by node noise is given its average colour. The exports have no water and no lights, so a game or viewer can supply its own.

Accuracy and known simplifications

The model was built from the principal dimensions of the ship, a general arrangement drawing, photographs of the real ship and of a DSB scale model, and photographs of the train deck, with every detail checked by eye against the photos from several angles. Where no photo shows a detail, it is a reasoned estimate:

The passenger saloons, the bridges and the gangway have simple stand-in interiors that are only meant to be seen through the windows.
The engine room and the spaces below the train deck are not modelled.
Small fittings that no photo shows clearly are simplified.

Credits and licence

Model and renders: Darren Wilden, dwinnovation.dk.
Updates and new releases: follow Darren Wilden at dwinnovation.dk/darren.
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). Free to use and adapt for non-commercial projects, with credit to the author. Commercial use is not covered by this licence. Suggested credit: “DSB ferry Kronprins Frederik model by Darren Wilden (dwinnovation.dk), CC BY-NC 4.0”, with a link to https://dwinnovation.dk where possible.
The DSB funnel colours, the lettering and the livery belong to their owner and are not covered by this licence. See NOTICES.txt.