I am trying to understand this tutorial in moi. but I cannot figure out how he laid the curves out to loft the body.

https://hum3d.com/blog/making-of-the-gullwing/

images 2 and 3.

I am not asking anyone to model the car, but maybe just layout 3 or 4 curves so I can understand how its done please.
I mainly want to model classic cars so trying to find what method is best.

This is a pretty good tutorial video using MoI that will give you what you are looking for.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr6WBeHbzK0


This one is in sketch-up but also gives you some tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgrix3m1l9k


In a nutshell, what most people do is get multiple views of the thing they want to model (top, side, front) and line them up. Then you find a line / edge that is common to the views. Start off say with a top view and lay out a spline curve that traces the edge of the line that is common to all three views. Once you have it laid out in the top view you can then jump over to the side view and then move the points vertically into position. When done correctly you will be able to see your line tracing the edge in the side and top views.

You can then do a front or rear view of your construction line to align points up along the third axis which will give you a line in 3D space. If your line is correctly positioned and as long as the drawings that you started with do NOT have perspective built into them, you will have a well laid out 3D spline curve that follows where the edge would be on the real thing.

Start with big and simple lines / surfaces first. Since you may not always be able to see the edge in the reference drawings in 3 or more views, if you have some of the main areas done it will make it easier to SWAG it or use existing geometry to connect your new sketches to in a way that makes sense (artistic free license).

I understand the theory of modeling, drawing the spline cage, making surfaces and subtracting from them.

im particularly asking about the way he did it in the tutorial in particular.

he seems to make the whole car shape using one single loft of all the curves he drew.

so im trying to figure out how he drew the curves out because I cant see them all in the drawing.

and in what order he lofted them.
if any of them needed to be split in different directions.

Hi
I think that the process is simular to that of this thread http://moi3d.com/forum/messages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=6501.1
Andrei Samardac made a series of tutorials using this method but now prefers poly modelling.
BW
Keith

yes in theory that would seem to be it, but its done the opposite way. width ways instead of length ways.
what I cant figure out is if he just lofted the curves like a tube and capped the ends of the loft.

or maybe hes lofted it like a surface and its hollow underneath. but I cant make that work myself.

Here is an excerpt from his blog:

"""""""they were transformed into a surface using the Loft command. It was necessary to use the Loft option Loose to generate a relaxed surface. One of the most tricky parts of the whole modelling process however was a clean definition of the guide curves as the resulting surface, as kinks and unequal control points had to be avoided in the guide curves. Lofting the curves together it is very recommendable to use the same number of control points in the guide curves. In order to achieve that the Rebuild command was used to equally spread and define the number of the control points along the guide curves. If the car body surface is not clean, this will generate many problems in the further modelling steps, as cut out surfaces and other constructions will tightly rely on the main car body surface."""""""""

The "half of the body" is doen the center of your red curves. Lools like you ate trying to do a "top half, bottom half", when it should be a left/right split.

im sorry I just do not understand. I mirrored the curves yes but I did try doing it with half and that didn't work.

okay i made attached a file of one option how i think it might be done. but the problem is the bottom back. the curves in the reference look different here.

if you follow the curve guides more accurately they seem to go like this somehow.
the lower curves seem to converge at the back.

Hi mrjynx, often times it's difficult to try and build a shape that goes through significant shape changes all in just one single loft.

But also in your case here the 2nd to last profile also kind of sticks out a ways more than the other ones, that will tend to make a kind of swoop in the shape like you're seeing.

Here's a view of your curves from the top to show the one that sticks out beyond the other shapes you're lofting with:


- Michael

I think I figured it out. it is possible to do the loft with the lines curving around the back. that's what I couldn't get my head around.

Sliming form!

Very sleek kinda like the 49 Merc in American Graffiti . . .