Car Tutorial Part 16 – Windows and Trim continued

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com

Side Windows:

Trim the body with the side window curves.

Two window surfaces are the result. Assign the window Style to those surfaces.

Next we will use Flow to warp our side widow inward at the rear.

In top view create a curve (yellow curve on right) that defines how we want the side window to curve inward at the rear. This is called the Target Curve.

Also draw a straight line (yellow) called the Base Curve as required by Flow.

Make the two lines exactly the same length as the side window.



Deform > Flow the window with the top two check boxes checked (Stretch and Ridged).

Delete the original side window and move the new warped (flowed) window into place. I needed to rotate the window slightly in both directions to achieve the desired position. I also needed to reduce the height of the window slightly. As you tilt, resize, and position the window, check it in side and 3D views to be sure you have the desired gap. The gap should be small at the front and smoothly increase toward the rear.



Before you continue, save some time by performing Mirror on the side window to duplicate it to the opposite side of the car. Position the mirrored window in place while viewing in top view.

The two lines we drew earlier for the Flow are seen on the right in orange.



Blend is our friend. So we’ll use it again to blend the windows to the car body.

Select the edges that surround the window and the edges that form the window opening. This is done easier in top view. Blend with Bulge = 0.25. Repeat for the opposite window.



Due to the Trims, the car body is no longer a solid. So after performing the Blends, select the body and Join. Verify the body is a solid. If the body will not join back into a solid it is probably due to the blend not quite meeting all the edges, so undo and try a different Bulge factor.



Window trim is optional:

Draw an eclipse and modify its control points to produce a profile curve 0.5” x 0.1” for the window opening trim.



Select the edges on the car body that make up a window opening. Ctrl+C Ctrl+V to copy / paste. When you copy / paste an edge this way, the “paste” becomes an independent curve object which is automatically selected. While it is selected, Join into a closed curve. This will be the rail for our Sweep.

Perform a Sweep using the window trim profile, and the window opening curve (rail). Assign a new Style to this object. Repeat for each window.

Windshield and side window trim shown at top of pillar:



Try the trim as chrome or black, or simply hide it.