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Tips for surface modeling of a car body?

M

MarkH748

New member
Hi,

I am currently undertaking a project of modeling a full car assembly. I have just started learning surface modeling and am in need of advice. In all of the surface modeling examples I have done so far the curves required were pretty much predefined so I just used the various tools to make the surface.

I will be using a Revell 1/12 scale model to help me create the assembly and I was wondering what the easiest way would be to create the bodywork using the model. I was thinking aout drawing curves along the body in increments and then doing my best to sketch these curves in proe and applying a boundry blend to these curves.

Just wondering if anyone that has experience with this could give me some advice.

Thanks.

Mark.
 
It sounds a little like you are trying to run before you can walk ? Have you actually worked with building surfaces before? Boundary Blends, ISDX, Variable section sweeps etc ?
 
I have just started doing the boundry blend and variable section sweep ptc exercises in the past few weeks. These are ok but the curves are always defined for me. I'm thinking of getting a vernier and measuring a series of points on each surface and then making curves from them and applying a boundary blend. This is a university project so I have no choice but to start running I'm afraid :).
 
If you dont get enough help here theres a quite skilled guy in the UK. Dont know if he's interested in helping out but here's his site:


http://www.whitney-paine.com/index.html


He made the cad work on a car recently that was used to CNC machine a plywood buck from and another guy hand built the body in next to no time


proj_full-image11.jpg



proj_full-image29.jpg
 
I'd try to pick up some interesting smaller objects and model them first. Take a look around, your stapler, a computer speaker, your mouse or some kitchen applianceshould present a small challenge to get you familiar witht he tools and the techniques. A car is high end surfacing to start on.

The trick with surfacing is being able to see an underlying curve structure to be able to hang your surfaces on. Look for the lines that flow through the car and then break those lines into orthographic projections as a start.
 
You are trying to learn surfacing and you think a car body will keep your interest enough to learn it? Please for god sake start learning surfacing on something where you can practice modeling technique. The auto body will challenge even the most experienced surfacing folks.

If you start out with a cellphone/drill/ or some other ergonomic product which has some interesting surface intersections you will make success more often thus keep your interest that way. Then make your focus on how light reflects off the product instead of the shape of the component... now you start to learn surfacing.

good luck and consider taking some classes or working with an experienced surfacing expert. I promise you will save yourself 10 years.
 
As a point of reference, I've been using Pro|E for 13+ years, doing advanced surfacing for about 8 and I've never tried a car body. I'd like to, but I haven't had the opportunity yet. It's another level of surfacing beyond what I've done thus far.
 
I took a stab at modeling an exterior body after downloading Bart's nissan 350z. It's pretty tough to do in Pro/E. You really have to have a plan before you start otherwise you're confronted with a lot of 3 & 5 sided surfaces which are manageable if you know what you're doing until you want all the surfaces to be Class A quality. That's the real trick. Anybody can build quilts together with outline curves, but the real pros are the ones who model at the confluence of art & design. They don't just create a car but actually define beauty. And then they don't just define it but control it parametrically
 
With the likes of winter coming.... that is when i start planning my auto body modeling extravaganza... (because I tend to get board in the cold Chicago winters). I think I will be doing a NASCAR truck next.

Or ...

There is an older one like this sitting at the Autobahn country club and I can get close to it in order to plan better like mgnt8 says.

800px-Porsche_ 962_1988_Le_Mans_at_Silverstone_2007.JPG

Edited by: design-engine
 
Now that would be pretty awesome.
Bart is your plastics class this week? I saw the bit about teaching VSS techniques that would amaze experienced surface modelers. I wish I could make it in. I was thinking recently that ISDX was making me kind of lazy. It would really be something if you could model a car with only VSS splines Jeff Howard style. It would take about a year but you would definitely have complete control over all contours. Is that how they do it in Alias or ICEM surf?
 
This guy is doing a video tutorial on how to make an Audi R8 in Saladworks. There is a video showing over 12 hours of work compressed down to 5 minutes. It'll give you a good idea of what is involved in surfacing a car.

http://solidworksaudir8.com/

Better link here of video

You can take a lot from one software's tutorial and transfer it over it over to Pro/e... once you get a good handle on the fundamentals. That's what I plan on doing once he releases the tutorial. Best place to get started is here. It's WF2 but fundamentals are fundamentals.


Edited by: jsantangelo
 
Alias and ICEM compare more to ISDX with the exception more control over the curves and higher order curve geometry... ie. y=x^7 and better curvature tools like G3 with blend curves.
 
Frankly said I do not belive Pro/E cna be considered to manage Car exterior due to its curves limitations - mentioned above by Bart.

Two - there is no(WF 4.0) UV manipulation. No patches control. It does not get me nasty within my daily basis, suspect it would if I start with car exterior.

Bart

Regarding Your possible car challenge. Go ahead and try something more curvy. Personly I consider Audi very boring regarding surfaces. They are awesome cars and I would like to have one, but that is not a big challenge to model them.

I would give a try something smaller like those below. Small cars are much more intresting then those big ones, becasue they have pretty outstanding surfaces transition









or maybe consider "this"



official web page of Nixus - [url]http://www.etereaestudios.com/docs_html/nixus_htm/nixus_inde x.htm[/url]

step by step of making of - [url]http://www.etereaestudios.com/docs_html/nixus_htm/nixus_maki ngof_index.htm[/url]

I was very eager to madel it year ago. I kept that quiet to come with this to the lights when it would be finished. Time constraints and specialy modeling skill limitations in previous year pushed me to leave this project


Edited by: muadib3d
 
Sometimes you may have a car in your model car collection that needs to
look like you just towed in from the junk yard. Here is a great video
on how to do it! Regarding Your possible car challenge. Go advanced and
try something added curvy. Personly I accede Audi actual arid apropos
surfaces. They
are awesome cars and I would like to have one, but that is not a big
challenge to model them.
 
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