My first scratch-built models

hellnbak · 2 May 2011, 00:29

These are my first scratch-built models. The '56 Ford Sunliner was my first, it still needs work. Thinking about making a Crown Victoria version also. The '61 Chevy was my second, it's still in it's early stages, needs a lot of work yet. Might make a bubbletop version of it. I'm also working on a '58 Chevy, a '60 Chevy, and a '40 Ford.
I like to make them look showroom new, I don't go in for the radical customs like you find in the Warehouse, although I do make hotrod versions just for the heck of it.
I know I'm not there yet, but hey, at my age I didn't think I could learn anything new , let alone something that's so much fun (and at time so frustrating), and I'm learning more with each new model.
Working from scratch is a whole new world, but much more rewarding.
Any comments or criticisms would be much appreciated.

Rich O Brien · 2 May 2011, 00:54

Congrats on a beauty

What did you do in the end for the Fairlane logo?

hellnbak · 2 May 2011, 01:56

@unknownuser said:

Congrats on a beauty

What did you do in the end for the Fairlane logo?

Thanks. I've pretty much given up on Renditioner. I did get it to work as far as rendering my logos and emblems, but it is much too limited as far as support and features. The user manual is a joke, and there's not much out there as far as user forums or user info. Each time somebody asks about something, it's "Oh, we might include that in our next version". Thinking about either Shaderlight or Twilight, downloaded demos of both today, will install and try them out soon.

d12dozr · 2 May 2011, 03:05

Those are exellent, Hellnbak...not an edge out of place

It would be neat to see all your cars in a virtual showroom when they are done

hellnbak · 2 May 2011, 09:51

@d12dozr said:

Those are exellent, Hellnbak...not an edge out of place

It would be neat to see all your cars in a virtual showroom when they are done

Thanks, but I don't think they'll ever be done. There are so many cars I want to do, a '60 Buick, a '53 and '55 Buick, a '60 Ford, a '60 Chrysler, a '57 Desoto, a '54 Ford, a '50 Mercury, a '59 Edsel, the list just goes on and on. I've been downloading and organizing literally thousands of reference photos, can never have too many of them. Gives me something to do.

Dang, just noticed that I didn't change the labels on the Ford radio knobs, they both say "lights". Also didn't roll back the odometer to zero. Well, it is a work in progress.

swagen · 2 May 2011, 15:53

Great work indeed ! Congrats!
would you mind showing me some scenes with the wireframe?

hellnbak · 2 May 2011, 16:20

@swagen said:

Great work indeed ! Congrats!
would you mind showing me some scenes with the wireframe?

I appreciate the kind words. Here are some wireframe shots. I rarely use wireframe mode, makes me dizzy(er). Looks like an explosion in a spaghetti factory

designerstuart · 4 May 2011, 14:53

really nice work - agree you need a good showroom for these! think of it as a retirement toy! (something to work towards!)

wow the wires are messy - maybe they meant to ask to see a skp view with hidden geometry on. looks best without textures. i'm sure that will look amazing. thanks!

swagen · 5 May 2011, 05:48

got to say how to applied these textures with such quality would be a real challenge for me

gistman · 6 May 2011, 01:23

Wow- those look great. The texturing looks really well done as well. I never get tired of looking at those classic cars. I guess you've seen some of the sculpting tools plug-ins?

I'm curious how many hours you have in those?

Are we going to see them rendered?

I'm looking forward to seeing future progress.

hellnbak · 6 May 2011, 03:58

@gistman said:

Wow- those look great. The texturing looks really well done as well. I never get tired of looking at those classic cars. I guess you've seen some of the sculpting tools plug-ins?

Thanks. Getting the textures right has been a real challenge, but I've developed a technique that works for me. Which sculpting tool plug-ins are you referring to? I don't use many plug-ins.

@gistman said:

I'm curious how many hours you have in those?

I really have no idea, I've found that it's better (for me at least) to work on 3 or 4 different models at once, that way I don't get burned out on any one model and I can come back to it with a fresh eye. I'm not a particularly fast modeler, but I think I'm improving a little as I gain some experience.

@gistman said:

Are we going to see them rendered?

Well, probably not from me. I just don't like to turn a model into a photograph, I like the 3D thing, being able to move around it, under it, in it. That's why I go to such pains to apply so many textures to my models, so they can look pretty good without being rendered. I do keep the model files under the size limit for the warehouse, so if I do upload them maybe somebody else can tackle them.

Again, thanks for the kind words.

pbacot · 6 May 2011, 05:39

These are great! And I don't even like car models really. I thought they were rendered in some way. If you don't want to render them let Solo or someone take a crack. I bet you'll love it.

Regards + let's see more, Peter

(and would like to learn about the texturing technique)

Simon B · 6 May 2011, 21:23

Among the best car models I have ever seen in SketchUp - well done! Love to see more.

Could you please post a couple of views with hidden geometry revealed?

It would be very informative for other members

hellnbak · 6 May 2011, 23:58

@simon b said:

Among the best car models I have ever seen in SketchUp - well done! Love to see more.

Could you please post a couple of views with hidden geometry revealed?

It would be very informative for other members

Thanks, not sure I deserve such high praise.

Here are some hidden geometry shots. I've been reluctant to post them, my modelling techniques are still pretty sloppy compared to some I've seen in the Warehouse. Hopefully I'll refine them as time goes by. I use mirroring whenever possible and a lot of component copying to keep my file size down. I keep each model below the Warehouse minimum, even if I don't upload them I figure it's just good discipline.

Right now I'm working on finishing the interior in the '61 Chevy. I love detailing the interiors, it's something you don't see much of for some reason. Just for kicks I include an Owners Manual in the glovebox of each car. Now if only I could figure out a way to get that "new car smell" in them

Included a shot of a '60 Chevy I'm working on. It's in it's very early stages and very rough so don't look too closely.

My kingdom for a time machine. I really want to go back to the sixties.

Any suggestions on how I might improve my techniques are welcome and would be much appreciated. I'm a thick-skinned old fart so don't worry about offending me

gistman · 7 May 2011, 17:31

hellnbak-

Well you obviously know how to model... The hidden line drawings show it. It's nice to see those drawings as it gives so much information of the construction. As far as asking about the time- I was just curious. I often work the same way and have no idea how many hours I have in on some projects (which isn't good if you need to bill for them...)

As for the sculpting tools- A few of them might help you with some of the complex geometry. But then again you seem to be doing quite well with out them.

Please forgive me if I'm pointing out the obvious with some of these links.

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=250026 <--- This sis the dizzying list of all the current plug-ins.

Fredo6 has many plug-ins I don't know what I would do without...

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=11212 <--- Amazing tool set
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=20485 <--- Huge time saver
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=6708 <--- Magic haha...

thomthom again has many plug-ins I can't live without.

I think the biggest sculpting tool to date is Artisan by Whaat. http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=34868 I don't have it yet but it seems like it's worth the money. I'm so thankful for all of the developers of the tools I use. I can't imagine what I would do if they were taken away. Here's an example of what can be done with Artisan in the hands of one of them most skilled modelers I know- solo http://www.solos-art.com/for-fun/

Oh- and for the renderings, I bet there are quite a few people who's mouths are already watering wanting to get their hands on those models so they can render them. Maybe I, or someone can post a link to a download in the Kerkythea and Thea forums and we can form an thread just of your car renderings?

Hope this helps some.

designerstuart · 9 May 2011, 13:33

really great to see the hidden geometry thanks for this..... and it looks to me even more beautiful now - they do not betray you at all, it looks like you have coped with the difficult surfaces pretty well.

nice work!

hellnbak · 10 May 2011, 02:18

@gistman said:

hellnbak- As for the sculpting tools- A few of them might help you with some of the complex geometry. But then again you seem to be doing quite well with out them.
Please forgive me if I'm pointing out the obvious with some of these links.

I do use some of Fredo6's tools, Joint Push and Pull, Round Corner, I also use Tools On Surface when I can but it seems to be very twitchy a lot of the time. I also have Artisan, but haven't found the time to get really familiar with it yet, I need to do that.

Actually the plugin I use the most (by far) is a simple little plugin called Nudge. I'd be lost without it.

Like you, I'd be lost without the fantastic plugins made available for SU users. Most of them I don't use a lot, but when I do need them I can't imagine having to do without them.

You're right about Solo, he is an incredibly talented modeler. When I look at the work of artists like him and then I look at my work, I'm almost tempted to throw in the towel. Seriously. If I live to be 200 I know I'll never come close their unbelievable work, and I get very discouraged sometimes. And they somehow combine quality with quantity. Seems like they must knock out a model an hour. How do they do it???? Seriously, how do they manage to produce so many fantastic models? And here I am plodding along trying to get the front end of my '58 Chevy to look sort of like the real thing.

@gistman said:

Oh- and for the renderings, I bet there are quite a few people who's mouths are already watering wanting to get their hands on those models so they can render them. Maybe I, or someone can post a link to a download in the Kerkythea and Thea forums and we can form an thread just of your car renderings?

I certainly would have no objections to anybody rendering my models, or doing whatever they want to them. But they are not ready for that, they need a lot of work yet. With warm weather finally coming to Michigan I have a lot of outdoor chores to take care of, and it's taking away a lot of my SU time.

Well, as always I really appreciate your comments and suggestions. Gotta go rebuild the carb on my lawn tractor, the fun never ends.

gistman · 12 May 2011, 01:32

"Nudge" hmmmm... I'm curious how this ruby slipped by me. Thanks for the tip.

Yes- I know exactly what you're talking about. You see someone like Solo and you just want to quit- but actually I think it makes you try harder. PLUS, one thing about this forum, is that if you ask for help you'll usually get more help than you need. We all make each other better by sharing...

I think you might be too hard on yourself. I took another look a one of your images. I think you'd be surprised just how nicely those models would render. I would suggest downloading Kerkythea and a few of the car specific materials from the forum- as it's free and has a great forum like the one here at SketchUcation.

Ah- summer in Michigan... You have to enjoy it while you can.

hellnbak · 13 May 2011, 05:40

@gistman said:

Yes- I know exactly what you're talking about. You see someone like Solo and you just want to quit- but actually I think it makes you try harder. PLUS, one thing about this forum, is that if you ask for help you'll usually get more help than you need. We all make each other better by sharing...

I've been thinking about this, and even tho I haven't using SU for all that long, things that would have puzzled me and taken forever to get done just a couple of months ago are much easier and faster for me to do now. Seeing as how Solo and the other really great modellers have been at it much longer than I have, it's only natural that they should produce much better stuff than I do, and more of it. I'm certainly not saying that I will ever be as good as them, but with time I will improve. And I'm not saying that quantity is even important to me, I was just a little discouraged that it's still taking so long for me to get some things done. Besides, it would be just dumb for me to give up on something that's so much fun.

@gistman said:

I think you might be too hard on yourself. I took another look a one of your images. I think you'd be surprised just how nicely those models would render. I would suggest downloading Kerkythea and a few of the car specific materials from the forum- as it's free and has a great forum like the one here at SketchUcation.

You might be right. I've always been a bit of a perfectionist, and I probably won't ever be totally happy with my cars. As far as using a render program, I do have IDX Renditioner Pro. I didn't get it to render my cars, just to do some of the chrome trim and emblems that I can't find decent photos of. Actually I've only used it for that twice so far, not all that happy with the results. I've pretty much given up on Renditioner tho, mainly because it just doesn't have the support that other render programs has. The forum isn't that great, and they don't seem to be very supportive of "noobies". I do have Kerkythea installed but have only played with it a couple of times. Maybe I'll take another look at it, probably should.

And you're definitely right about this forum, it is fantastic. So many people jumped right in to help me during my days of dumb questions. If it hadn't been for them I'm sure I would have given up not long after discovering SU.

Here's a shot of a '58 I'm working on. Still kinda clunky, parts and pieces missing, very few textures applied yet, just threw in some seats from another model. I'm making it showroom new of course, I just put some of my "hotrod" wheels on it for the heck of it.

Jeez, I'm in the middle of a huge thunderstorm here, I hope my computer doesn't get fried. I should probably sign off and unplug everything.

hellnbak · 15 May 2011, 13:49

Against my better judgement, I have uploaded my '56 Ford to the Warehouse. Still needs some work, but thought I'd throw it out there to see reactions/opinions.