Problems with my Moon Buggy

Rich O Brien

I think it's the fact you use SketchUp as your presentation tool and the added level of detail in projects that cause your bottlenecks.

It's not fault of SU or you but more a junction where you change trains.

It can do what you ask but at a price.

hellnbak

Ah, but then there's the sense of accomplishment when I do finally manage to figure something out. Of course two weeks later I can't remember how I did it, but whaddaya gonna do?

Rich O Brien

One thing is guaranteed. Your end result is gonna be stunning.

Box

Sometimes Rich, using the right tool for the job doesn't produce the desired result.
Creating art isn't about doing things the easy way it's about self expression.
Hellnbak's models aren't something mechanically produced, they are highly detailed artworks much like the pencil sketches people do that look like photos. You could suggest they just use a camera. Getting the realism he does using sketchup it what makes them particularly outstanding and inspirational to other modellers.

andybot

keep on rockin' that moon buggy hellnbak! Like Box says, your modeling is inspirational.

Rich O Brien

@box

Absolutely.

hellnbak

Really appreciate all the kind words.

Wow, I do art??

pbacot

Yep. Amazing!

hellnbak

Some minor tweaks, replaced rim with more accurate one, started on front fender

Haven't figured out why yet, but the front section of the fender was made to snap into place in various positions. Finding out all sorts of interesting things as I research this thing. For example - the rovers were built for 1/6 gravity, and the astronauts would have broken it if they had sat it on Earth. They had to train on stronger mockups of the rovers.

pbacot

OK. You're underway. How about a WIP thread called 'Moon Buggy Journey' or something--no more 'problems'.

hellnbak

Yeah, actually I considered that. But with my methods - bouncing back and forth between models, not to mention my slowwwwwwwww modeling - I don't think it would work very well. The moon buggy itself is going to be put on a back burner while I finish some of my other projects. Don't know when I will get back to it.

hellnbak

Sometimes when I'm really interested in a model subject I order a reference book or two if I can find good ones. In the case of the Rover I lucked out, found two good ones on Amazon, got one today -

and it is jam-packed with info, technical drawings, much more than I expected.

The next one should be here by tomorrow -

hope it's as good as the first one.

I think I just might start a "Building the Rover" thread, it might be fun (if people are willing to put up with some long waits between posts)

driven

I can't even get a Haynes manual for my 2002 van, and they made 400 of my van...

that's fantastic...

john

hellnbak

But did you ever drive your van on the moon?

pilou

Take a look at this tutorial about "Parisian fence", maybe some tricks can be reused in the moon!

Else you can make some crazzy wheels with only one component with one face!
So can't be more light!
Only copy(s)rotation(s) of this component!
It's just a little headache for draw this first face !
And put the axes of rotation!
But like this you have not to dive in Blender!

See these videos for some ideas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlofQ3cz1bU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNTetL3Udkc

hellnbak

Thanks for the suggestions, Pilou

Wow, just a few minutes looking at that tutorial made me dizzy! Could not figure out what they were talking about. All that and it was just a flat fence, woven but flat And I thought my method was convoluted

Actually the wheels are ok for my purposes now. I'll probably use some simple stand-ins while I'm working on the rest of the Rover, but I think I've got the line count down to a useable level.

Maybe later tonite I'll start my WIP thread, "Building my Moon Buggy" or something like that. And then I'll see how it goes.

Well, back to cleaning out the barn. Fun time (not)

hellnbak

Well, my Lunar Rover project just died. I don't like to model something that someone else has modeled unless I think I can do a better job of it, and I just found a model here http://imgur.com/a/px8fY that is amazing.

Oh well

On the bright side, he did wimp out on modeling the wheels, no weaving at all