Hi!
I really need your advice. It’s about a few years I’m doing 3d work. It’s ridiculous but I didn’t model anything complex yet. Now I decided to model a car, and… I got stuck. Stuck hard. :shrug: It’s so painful to see I can’t do so simple things when I thought I can. Please, help me get out of this impasse!
Generally, I’m constantly tormented by the fact that mesh I get is sloppy and messy, poorly controllable. I try to draw a shape of blueprints as accurately as possible, at the same time trying to build it right for the smoothing. But both, by itself and with turbosmooth, it looks bad.
I also can not understand how to model the parts that are not visible on the blueprints. For example relief of the hood, fender. How to build right mesh to have a control over the curvature of the surface more easily?
Under the front lights, the side of the lower false radiator grille, air intake is. I broke my head trying to figure out how to get it modeled, without adding a lot of unwanted loops from the wheel arch. How to make the transition to such a complex area from such a simple, smooth surface?
All these questions are, of course, ridiculous, but …
I shall warn those who rightfully send me watch lessons - I had, and not one or two times, different ones, and even about modeling in different soft. I understand everything, but I can’t do it by myself for some reason…
You are doing something very specific. I would advise anyone trying to model vehicles for the first time to check out any number of excellent car modeling tutorials here on cgt and elsewhere. The problems you are facing have been solved by others and smooth reflective cars that have opposing shapes coming out of them can be very tough. Looks like you have made a great start already though.
Looks good to me.
Try inserting images in your post so people can see your work more easily. You will get a better response than using the att thumbnails.
Keep it up and when you hit problem shapes continue to check out tutes to search for solutions. I am not a car modeler but if I had to make one that is what I would do.
I would suggest cutting back on the amount of geometry. Less is more. Right now your mesh is really dense and its causing bumps to show up. Just use what you need to define the shape. If you think you can stomach harsh critiques, head over to smcars.com and get a membership. The guys over there can rip your model apart, but they know what they are talking about because its all they do.
But be warn, they can be discouraging. Head down and keep at it and eventually you will have a model you are proud of.
IRAFK, thanks! I’ll try to show them my work a bit later)
Now I have a few questions…
What’s right approach dealing with low-poly “base” of model - tweak it like it’s a nurbs cage or try to make it perfects even without smoothing/subdivision? I. e. align it perfectly to blueprints or just use it to make final subdivided model perfect not taking to consederation how accurate it’s bu itself?
What’s better - adding details to model before the hole volume is ready, or inside out? I faced with a lot of prolematic places where it was very hadr to avoid n-gons and attach one relief part to another at all.
How many iteration of subdivision (turbosmooth) is tipical for such model? How dense must be the mesh?
How to model and how to align little indivigual parts of model such glass, windows, bezels and so on? I don’t guess how to do it for now.
I use Maya so I’m constantly jumping back from preview smoothed mesh to actual density mesh. I’m trying to use the least amount of geometry possible (in low rez) while creating the affect I want in the smoothed version. Ultimately, there is no magic number here. It’s just easier to work with less verts.
It depends on your car. It often helps to treat your project as if it were a real car. It helps you focus on the details that you might miss and it helps you come up with ways to make a part. “was this piece casted, or welded from several pieces.” <–Example. For the most part its better to make each piece as its own mesh, just as if it were a real car. Treating your car as a sum of pieces(Front car door, front quarter panel, rocker panel, rear quarter panel, A Pillar, B Pillar, C Pillar, Roof) helps with N-gon situations too, allows you an easier way to move them to an edge of a surface where they can be terminated, because you’re working with smaller chunks of the car.
Here is a run down on how I approach the “base” mesh, or shell. I usually rough out the whole shape of the car as one mesh. I’m looking to get the main lines nailed down while using the least amount of geometry as possible, I’m also learning that my blueprints probably don’t line up perfectly and realizing I’m going to have to rely on other reference material to nail this project. I’m keeping an eye out for distinct and subtle design lines that are unique to this car and thinking about how I’m going to achieve them. Once I’ve got the shell close to what I think looks right, I’ll apply a car paint shader and set up an HDRI lit scene and take some test renders and see how I’m looking. Once I’m happy, I start thinking about chopping the shell into its different pieces and moving on to detailing the panels.
The amount of geometry that is needed for the final image is totally based on its application. Are we looking at this car from space? Or under a microscope? The closer we get, the more resolution we need to pull off the smooth. See what I mean? Again, there is no magic number here.
I don’t have to worry about these too terrible much, if it took care in my shell process. Every car is different though and sometimes you will have to modify procedure. In you’re situation, I think I would try to Loft the wind shield and lights. Remember, real cars have gaskets and gaps that need to be accounted for, they actually make it easier to sell the car, when done right.
Here’s an image of my supra, its still not complete. 90%
Thank you much for such an expanded answer! I’ll try to post an update soon with more detailed car, hope it’ll be ok.
I really like your car, especially the curvature on the borders of individual parts, like on real car!
Thanks! I really didnt do it justice, Im thinking about restarting it. I love the Toyota Supra. My favorite mass produced car. I’m sad that they are so expensive/rare/cant get one anymore.
Someday. :wip:
But I faced with one cruel problem… It’s just impossible to understand how to model headlights!!! I searched everywhere but I could not find out how is this f****n **** shaped! It’s a hell… Guys, please, help me, how to model it right when I absolutely don’t know how it’s actually made??? After all, am I the only one who has such difficulty, yeah??
Reference, reference, reference, reference, reference and then reference some more!
Google is your tool. Fill a folder with images of the headlights. Then once you have enough, start modeling the lights.
Reference? Oh, I have now a few dozens of close-ups, but the headlight inside is so reflective, so weird-shaped I just can’t understand how it’s made! That’s the problem…
Hi guys!
I pretty much finished main stage of modeling. Now I started adding fine details such as headlight, backlight and so on. And I experience hard problems… I have no good reference to model inner construction of headlight so I just have to guess how to make it all. It’s very frustrating…
What’s right approach: model all the inner structure as close to “supposed” structure as possible or just roughly set up something there to imitate what must be there? It’s very hard to model what you’ve never seen.
I have major problems with rendering too. What you see on this picture is best I could get. The problems are:
without caustics that’s extremely long to calculate on my weakest maschine the inner matte bezel and eyebrow above angel eyes inside the headlight look very dark, but they must be white. I don’t know how to avoid it.
The turnlight. Now I created just translucent material on it. But there must be a verycomplicated facetted reflector and glass. I tottaly don’t know how to model it. Create this effect with shading? But how?
I’m so tired trying and trying without any result… I don’t know what to do and really need your advices! Please, help!
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