@unknownuser said:

i have done several aircraft models using sandbox tools but have not been very successful with cars so far i do believe that i have learned a lot from you
I love airplanes - especially ones like the F86 . . . you can use the same techniques I've shown in these tutorials to get the basic shape, then use SketchyFFD to end up with what I'm showing below - the "default" capabilities of S/U combined with the free form deformation script are well suited for creating some fantastic looking aircraft (can you see the nose of an F86 somewhere in these pics?)

. . . click on the images below to see the video tutorials . . .

thank you Remus for the help with the link - that's much better than my original links

The next step often involves using the Ruby script SketchyFFD. Sometimes I take this script and alter the geometry - squish, stretch, push, pull, et cetera - sometimes I try "what if situations" using this script and "magically" something better appears simply by repositioning the control points - amazing and fun.

For tutorials about using SketchyFFD, you can check out the other forum - there are numerous video tutorials about using SketchyFFD which are very helpful.

If I actually put time into what I'm doing these video tutorials could be worthwhile - apologies for the poor quality.

[flash=430,389:3lljzzz9]http://s103.photobucket.com/flash/player.swf?file=http://vid103.photobucket.com/albums/m157/ShermanPeabody/SU/bw_tutorial_016.flv[/flash:3lljzzz9]

What this series does not show is how easy it is to go back and change shapes. For example, after watching the first & second video it's hopefully obvious to figure out how to create and change shapes very easily (see first image below - although this image does not show formed sides).

For other shapes, like the top section of a car, you can add move & rotate to the process either when creating or later changing sections/profiles using push-pull and scale. This allows more shaping possibilities such as the top of the car (see second image below).

I'd like to post another short video showing how a curved side of the car body can be done - slightly different technique than the front corner.

Please keep in mind, I'm not trying to indicate these methods are "mine" or that they are "the best" or most efficient or anything like that. Usually, I use these methods of creating and editing geometry to end up with shapes that are spinning around in my head or shapes that are defined in photos, hand-generated sketches, et cetera.

Hopefully, these tutorials will help others figure out how to express their ideas using SketchUp. Of course, any comments positive or negative, suggestions, recommendations, or requests are encouraged. I would really enjoy seeing models you have done - please post your models after using these techniques or anything that others can benefit from - concept models for Industrial Design applications, cars, airplanes, whatever.

Also, please keep in mind my intent is not to create a very time intensive, highly detailed model. The style of modeling I'm trying to illustrate was developed/discovered for fast conceptual development of general ideas. Yes, you can get extremely intense models with many details included and spend many hours generating all this geometry if you want. If that's your goal, this software might not be the best choice for that endeavor - I'm thinking Blender, or something similar for those applications.

Thanks,

Brad

![For the top of this car I created a profile in the middle, then used push-pull with scale like the videos. I later came back and took the profiles and rotated them and used scale to create a "sketch" of what I was going for - fast technique, capture the idea, move on.](/uploads/imported_attachments/qiGk_bw_car_0565_A_03.jpg "For the top of this car I created a profile in the middle, then used push-pull with scale like the videos. I later came back and took the profiles and rotated them and used scale to create a "sketch" of what I was going for - fast technique, capture the idea, move on.")

Hello,

This is my first attempt at creating a video tutorial - the results aren't very impressive. I was going to add some music or voice narration but maybe next time. They're pretty lousy examples of some of the things I do. What this first series doesn't show are several things like [1] how I tilt the planes when doing a roof, [2] how I create curves along the side of a car, [3] how I sometimes use SketchyFFD to mold shapes, and [4] lots of blah, blah, blah. All of this is very easy stuff to do if you already have a grasp of S/U basic functionality.

This video tutorial is just a trial. If anyone likes these videos I might make "real" ones with a more realistic purpose - and a more interesting car.

Hope you like this . . . happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . last one for the week . . . I'm guessing ~96% of these cars is undone when I post them . . . oh well . . .

I can possibly take the time to do a Camtasia tutorial if there's a "significant" interest - if someone can learn something useful from it. If there's a reasonable response for it, I'll put the video tutorial in the Tutorials forum and mention it here.

Thanks & happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . added a small detail . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . thanks Ray . . .

. . . here's another "generic Green Toaster car body" but I'm using a technique that's even faster than what I've done before - total time: 6.00 minutes start to finish (excluding wheels) . . .

. . . not really sure what this is - micro van?

. . . blah, blah, blah . . .

. . . while trying to figure out how to do the Camtasia tutorial, I put a top and fixed the body of this one . . . I'm finding I have lots of "pieces" of cars - many that were started but never finished . . . well, actually, I guess I've never finished any of them to the point where I've added all the details and then rendered with Kerkythea (sp?) or whatever . . .

Oh well, happy Sketching,

Brad

Bob,

I have a copy of Camtasia but I've never used it. I will try to see where it is and then find out what I can do with it - the animated gif tutorials I've done thus far aren't very good.

Happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . another bland silly-quick what if . . .

. . . something a wee bit different . . . ultra-quick sketch of a car - a vaguely inspired version of an Audi A2 (if you really use your imagination you might see a slight resemblance) . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . and another very quick one . . . again, same theme . . . nothing drastic or new . . .

. . . C4T . . . didn't do the back or wheel well areas . . . maybe later . . .

. . . another slight variation on the same theme . . . (yawn) . . .

Nice truck - I like it!

Here's another experiment - I'm not taking many chances with this idea, just something a little different in a couple of areas.

Happy Sketching,

Brad

I think the real problem is not the script, it's the guy that sat on the chair - he needs to loose a few . . .