Full Version: Let's Model a Car: A Tutorial

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Car Tutorial Part 11 - Headlights

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com



In top view, draw one headlight curve and mirror it to the opposite side.



In side view, Extrude (with Cap Ends checked) both curves downward.

Next, draw a cutting curve to define the bottom of the headlight buckets, and use it to Boolean > Difference the bottom off the green extrusions. Delete the two unwanted bottom pieces of the extrusion that resulted from the Boolean > Difference. Verify your car body and green extrusions are solids (not joined surfaces). If not solids, go back (Undo) and determine the cause.





Select both of the green extrusions plus the car body, and perform Boolean > Merge.

The Merge will produce six objects: 1) Two headlight cover solids in the same Style as the body 2) Two headlight buckets (green) 3) Two upper parts of the extrusion (green).

Delete the two unwanted upper green extruded pieces. This leaves two green headlight buckets below the fenders.

Select the two headlight cover solids and assign a unique Style (blue). Now hide the blue headlight covers.



Select the walls of the green headlight buckets and Delete.



Select the edges around the car body opening and the bottom edge of the bucket.



Blend with Bulge = 0.7. The Blend produces the desired rounding of the top edges which are impossible to get via Fillet in this particular complex geometry due to the tight radius curves.



Because of the prior operations, our car is no longer a Solid. So select all the objects that make up the car body so far and Join. Verify the result is a solid.

We now have solid headlight covers (blue) setting in headlight buckets (green) with rounded edges created from the Blend.

Hide all Styles except the two blue headlight cover solids. Select the bottom surface of each solid and perform Offset > Inset with a thickness of 0.25” , Inward direction, and a height of 0.85”. This will be our clear plastic headlight cover. If we didn’t inset the covers we would have a clearance problem later with the lighting assemblies to be placed inside the buckets.

After the Inset operation, select the top faces of the headlight solid and perform a Fillet at 0.1”.



Here is the final result of the headlight cover (blue solid), green headlight bucket and car body, all with nice rounded edges. We’ll decide later in the render program whether to make the green headlight bucket chrome, black, or assign it the body paint color.

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Car Tutorial Part 12 – Headlight Assemblies

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com

We’ll need a pair of headlight assemblies to go inside the buckets. Headlight assemblies can get very detailed, but I’ll keep this one simple.

A Loft will do the job. Draw four eclipses and arrange as follows. Select the curves in the sequence shown and Loft with Style = Loose and Cap Ends.



Assign a unique Style to the lens surface. The dark green lens will hold the emissive material in the render program to create the light.



Chrome or paint around the headlight opening? Use what you like best.

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Car Tutorial Part 13 – Rear Fascia

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com



Rear Fascia:

In rear view draw an eclispe, and modify its control points to define a closed curve for the fascia.



In side view, extrude the curve.



Draw a curve to use as a cutting object and Boolean > Difference away the upper left area the extrusion.



Select the car body and the green extrusion and Trim.

The result of the Trim is a surface representing the fascia.

Select the surface and assign the light green fascia style.



In side view, select the surface and move it slightly toward the front of the car. This will enable us to create an indentation. Next, slightly reduce the size of the surface proportionally by reducing its length (X) one inch.





Select the outer edges of the fascia surface and the edges around the car body opening.



Perform Blend with Bulge = 0.01. (You’ll need to type this value in). Higher bulge values created pinching of the blended surface and a tear in the sharp lower corners. So always inspect after using Blend and type in a lower bulge factor if needed.

The car body is no longer a solid due to the Trim operation above. So select all the body objects (body, wheel openings, tail light opening, grill, headlight buckets and fascia, and perform a Join. Verify the body is now a solid.

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Car Tutorial Part 14 – Exhaust Tips

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com

In rear view draw a 1.4” radius circle for the exhaust. Also draw a 1” radius circle centered.



Make two copies of the large circle and one copy of the small circle. In side view arrange them as shown.



Select the circles in the order shown and Loft with Style = Loose and Cap Ends. The result is one exhaust tip.



Select the exhaust tip and perform Array Dir to duplicate and space apart. Finally, select the face of each tip and assign a unique Style so we can make them black in the render program.



We could model an exhaust opening and add fins to the fascia, but that’s level of detail beyond where I want to go with this model. So instead I added a bump map to the fascia material in my render program to create some texture features. Again, using bump maps for smaller details allows flexibility for experimentation in the render program.

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Car Tutorial Part 15 – Windows

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com

Draw closed curves in side view to define the side windows. Draw a closed curve in top view for the rear window.



To see how the windows will appear, Project the curves onto the car body using Curve > Project. Undo and adjust your curve’s control points as needed for best appearance.



Now we can create the windows one at a time:

Project the rear window curve onto the car body using Curve > Project.

Select all the body faces inside and adjoining the window curve. Trim the body using the curve as a cutting object.

Select all the cut faces inside the curve and assign a unique Style.

In side view Extrude the faces into the car body 0.2” To do so, perform Extrude using the Dir option.

Due to the Trim, the car body is no longer a solid. So after extruding each window, select the body and Join. Verify the body is a solid.



The windshield will be modeled differently because we can’t project a side curve onto the entire windshield. Instead we’ll just Trim it without using the projection step.



With the windshield surfaces selected, change its dimensions proportionally in the Edit box by reducing the Z dimension by 0.1” (with Maintain Proportions checked). This shrinks the entire windshield creating an air gap.



In top view, select the edges on both sides of the gap. Perform Blend with Bulge = 1.0. This blend results in a slight step where the windshield meets the body. The step will create highlights and shadows to add definition and realism to the render. You can also assign the blend area a black or chrome Style rather than body paint color if you wish.

Due to the Trim operation, the car body is no longer a solid. So after performing the Blend, 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.





Later I'll show how to add chrome (or black) trim to the windows. But if you prefer the appearance with no window trim, the slight indentation of the windows gives the car nice shadow and highlight definitions in the render program.

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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.

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Car Tutorial Part 17 - Body Seams

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com


Mannequin by Chipp Walters http://moi3d.com/forum/index.php?webtag=MOI&msg=7351.1

Door Seams:
Draw a curve in side view to represent the door seam. A typical door for a car like this is 44” to 45” wide. Be sure your curve has a radius at the bottom corners. Sharp corners won’t look natural in the render, and will probably cause issues with the operations we’ll perform two steps down.



Next we’ll project this 2D curve onto the car body so it generates a 3D curve setting on the body surface. In top view, Perform Curve > Project and select the door curve. Select the car body as the Projection Target. Pick your Direction start and end points as a straight line perpendicular to the 2D door curve you are projecting.

The projected curve looks like this:





Just a note here about drawing the body curve seam: Keep the ends of the curve slightly away from adjoining geometry that make up the widow openings. This way the sweep (purple) we’ll perform next won’t try to cross over into other complex areas which will likely make the following steps fail. You can Show Points on the projected curve and pull the ends back slightly as needed.

In top view draw a 0.12” radius circle and move it near (but not touching or intersecting) the body seam curve. This will be the profile for sweeping the door seam.

By keeping the circle (profile) slightly away and off of the curve (rail), we are telling the Sweep function to use Auto-place mode. Auto-place mode keeps the profile (circle) perpendicular to the rail as it sweeps, which is very important for this step.

Select the circle (profile) and perform Sweep (Freeform, Regular, Auto) with capped ends, using the projected 3D door seam curve as the rail.

Boolean > Difference the car body with the purple tube created by the sweep. The result is a half-round channel representing the door seam.



Repeat these steps for the opposite door, re-using your 2D door curve.
Verify the body has remained a solid after this operation.



In your render program you can darken/lighten the paint color of the seams slightly to make them more or less pronounced according to your taste.

Use the same technique for other body seams such as the hood. In this case your 2D curve, drawn in top view, will be a closed curve.

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Car Tutorial Part 18 - Fuel Door

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com

Fuel Door Assembly:

Let’s make a round fuel door 5” in diameter with a flange 7” in diameter.

Draw a profile curve 3.5” x 0.5”. Make sure the left end has a radius. Select the curve and revolve. The resulting solid is the basic fuel door flange.



Draw a 2.5” radius circle and two rectangles (2” x 0.8”). Arrange per the top drawing.

Make a copy and Trim / Join to create the closed curve shown at the bottom. Select the curve and Fillet 0.25”. This step of rounding all eight corners is very important.



Center the curve over the blue solid and Boolean > Merge. The result is two solid objects.



Assign a unique Style (color green) to the center object (cap). Fillet 0.1”.

Select the inside edges on the blue flange and Fillet 0.1”.

Select the green cap and move it slightly above the blue flange.

Shrink the green cap proportionally by changing its Z dimension in the Edit box (with Maintain Proportions checked) from 0.5” to 0.49”. The result is a small clearance between the fuel cap and the flange.



Next we’ll make the recessed mounting screw heads. Draw a circle with a 0.26” radius. Draw Curve > Polygon and make a 6 sided polygon inside the circle. Duplicate the hex curve and move it back. Draw a slightly larger circle and move it forward to define the bevel. Loft the four curves using Loft Style = Straight, Profile = Exact, and Cap Ends = Un-checked. Select the rear hex curve and perform Planer to cap it off. Select the entire object and Join.



Position the screw head at the 12 o’clock position on the blue flange. Rotate the screw head axis as necessary so it is tangent with the curvature of the flange. Position the screw head so it sets just above the surface of the flange. Select the screw head and perform Array > Circular using Item Count = 6 to place six screw heads around the flange.

Boolean Difference the blue flange with the screws. Select the blue assembly, the orange screws, and Join.

Here’s the final Fuel Door assembly which will be recessed into the car body. It has more detail than found in most other parts of the car model. But because it will be added to the car body in an area used for some close up render shots, the level of detail here will pay off.



Position the Fuel Door assembly where you want it on the car body. Rotate as needed to make it tangent with the body in top and back views.

Select the edge that makes the front of the blue flange). 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. Select all the segments of this new curve and Join (shown in yellow below). Enlarge the curve radius 0.5” to produce the larger circle shown in yellow below.



Select the body panels that surround the Fuel Door assembly and Trim with the large yellow curve (circle). Delete the sections of the body that were trimmed. The result is an air gap around the assembly. In back view, move the Fuel Door assembly so all parts of it are slightly inside the car body.



Select the edges just below the fillet on the blue flange, and the edges around the car body hole. Perform Blend with G2 Continuity and Bulge= 0.8. Assign the car body Style to the blended surface.



Hide the blue flange, select the inner edges of the car body opening and perform Planer to close the bottom. This insures we can make the car body a solid again. Because of the prior Trim operation, the car body is no longer a solid. Select the entire body, Join, and verify it’s now a solid.

Unhide the Fuel Door assembly and render. I applied a spun metal material.

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Car Tutorial Part 19 - Door Handles

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com

Door Handles:

Draw a solid sphere with 3.5” radius.

Resize it using the bounding box handles to X=3”, Y=7”,Z= 3.5”



In side view, select the object and Show Points. Adjust the points to taper the right side.



In top view draw a straight line and use it to split the object in half (Boolean > Difference with Keep Parts checked) lengthwise. Verify the result is two solids. Slide the objects apart.

In side view draw a diagonal line and Boolean >Difference. The red piece on the left will become the handle.



Select just the outer face(s) of the red section above and copy/paste, then Join. Perform Offset > Shell on the resulting surface at 0.25” thickness, Direction = Normal. Verify the result is a solid and Fillet 0.08”.



We’ll use the solid object (below) on the right created earlier to make an indentation in the car door, then resize and position the shelled handle to fit inside.



Position the object so that it intersects the door. Rotate each axis so it is tangent to the door surface, but leave a bit of it sticking out.



Mirror the object to the opposite door.

Boolean > Difference the objects with the car body. Select the edges where the indentation meets the car body and Fillet 0.25”



Move the shelled door handle into place over the door indentation. Resize it slightly smaller by editing its Z dimension with Maintain Proportions checked. In top view, flatten the handle slightly by moving its boundary box handles. Rotate and move the handle in all three axis until it fits nicely within the door recess.

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Car Tutorial Part 20 - Badges

Ed Ferguson, CascadiaDesignStudio.com



Badges:

Finally, we'll add a couple of badges. (Some cars don’t need no stinking badges, but ours does :)

The size is not important at this step as we will resize as needed when placing the badges on the car.

Draw a large circle and a smaller one that intersects. Use Array > Circular to create three evenly placed around the large circle. Select all four circles and Boolean > Merge. The result is the curve in yellow.



Draw a profile curve and Revolve it into a round button-shape badge.

Position the curve made above over the revolved badge and Boolean > Merge. Delete the unwanted piece and Fillet the remaining solid.





Make a copy for the front of the car and one for the rear. Resize / flatten as needed and rotate as needed to place the badges tangent to the curvature of the car’s body. Position so the badge slightly intersects the body.



I hope you have found this tutorial useful and will be inspired to make and share your own creations.

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Cool!
Will be translated in French in some time if you are not against that ! :)

I must finish first the French site of the cool free renderer for SKetchutp Visualizer http://getvisualizer.com/
http://visualizervf.weebly.com/

Of course you can use it for Moi object as you have SKP or 3DS format export inside MOi! ;

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That's an awesome tutorial - Thanks for sharing ED

Martin Spencer-Ford

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Great tutorial, thanks for sharing, it's very interesting !

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Ed!!!! This tutorial is absolutely magnificent!

It's quite a beautiful result.

And thanks for the tutorial plugs! ;-)

I'm going to go over this again slowly to feast upon the smaller nuances.

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No video of some parts ?

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Wow -very nice, thanks a lot

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very great tutorial !

thanks you Ed

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Marvelous tutorial. I could learn much much much from this.

Thank you very much!

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Bravo, Ed! Thank you for the time and effort to put this together. I'm sure it will be a huge help to people.
Ron

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Frenchy -

I have two GIF animations in Part 2 to show moving control points on the SubD cage, as I think this might be a new concept for some people who have not tried the SubD scripts. Everything else is straightforward MoI tools.

In general, I'm not a fan of video tutorials for CAD programs. It's often hard to see what tool is being selected, and if you want to follow along, you have to stop and re-wind constantly. I'd much rather have a detailed written set of instructions and images.

However, if you see an area that needs more detail explanation, I'm happy to expand the topic and add GIF animation if appropriate.

Ed Ferguson

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