And the "orangemobile" . . . tossed on some wheel wells . . . honestly, I'm not color blind . . .

pic 1 --> I think the blue thing was the result of eating a bowlful of cottage cheese that'd been in the fridge too long. :hurling:

pic 2 --> I tossed a super-quick top (SketchyFFD.rb) onto the body of one in the archives . . .

Happy modeling,

Brad

. . . in case anyone wanted to see the images that were deleted, I'm reposting them, or some of them . . .

With these images, I was hoping to show one of the ways I'm modeling the wheel wells - the pink areas.

I'm not convinced I really know what I'm doing . . . sometimes I amaze myself at how primitive and crude these cars are but . . . like picking up a rough stone, sometimes I can see a smooth polished stone underneath the rough edges.

I believe I'm getting a little bit better at this, but regardless, I still find it fascinating and still very enjoyable.

. . . someday when I grow up . . . I'm going to draw cars using SketchUp . . . hope the animation works on this image . . . chee-z effects . . .

@unknownuser said:

The only thing i don't like in your aproach of making cars is the wheel wells.I really think if you would first begin any model with the wheel wells it would look very different overall when finished, this detail was very important for me, before begining to make the wheel wells first my cars weren't very realistic.The wheel wells are important because they let you see the proportions.

Well, here's a very fast example of a technique I've been fiddling around with - it's a little time consuming but not too bad. The area where I "hand stitch" around the wheel well is indicated in pink. It seems like this "hand stitching" method is becoming more and more necessary as I attempt to make things look realistic - and yes, I know I'm far away from realistic.

When I first began doing cars like this I was really apprehensive about ripping stuff out and starting all over on an area - now, it's no big deal and the rework goes much faster.

Thank you - that's generally a very good tip. Usually I do model wheel wells first but on this one obviously, I didn't.

. . . these details take forever (ha) . . . a wee bit more progress . . . I don't like the grill - it'll get ripped out and replaced, but for now, it'll have to do . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

This is embarrassing but I was actually looking at a printed photograph of a Peugeot 207 CC when I began this model. Obviously, the only way this model looks like that one now is if you back up far from the computer, remove your glasses, and close your good eye.

. . . roof . . . tried a new technique (new to me) where I formed the last portion of the roof using the SketchyFFD.rb tool . . . that tool opens up a whole new world of fast, what if possibilities - gotta love it!!!

As the hidden lines indicate, this is a very, very fast technique which doesn't require much time but tends to get across the idea, the shapes & so forth. Not counting the 2 minute wheels, I'm guessing this car has about 30 minutes of my time . . . am I slow, or what . . . the next one will be much quicker . . . now for some details . . .

. . . I'm going to detail this one. If I told you what inspired this car . . . nobody would believe me. Started out aiming for one thing . . . modeled this thing . . . it's time for me to move onto details - grill, mirrors, lines for doors, hood, et cetera, blah, blah, blah . . . maybe I'll even take this one into Kerkythea, who knows.

Happy modeling,

Brad

Thanks Denman - that's a great link. I love the Peugeot 407, very inspirational.

If I didn't have a life I'd spend much more time doing cars and other stuff with SketchUp. I try to get in at least 15 or 30 minutes a day. Wish I could do at least four or six hours a day.

Happy modeling,

Brad

. . . it's hard for me to exaggerate details in the basic form of the car . . . I have to sort of "force" myself into it . . . sometimes the results look much better . . . getting there slowly . . .

. . . the shape (the nose of a car) popped into my head - few minutes later this was modeled using SketchUp w/the SketchyFFD script . . . I really, really love that script!!!

THANKS!!!

. . . gimmie ten minutes - did this one in the parking lot while waiting for wifey getting groceries . . .

Thanks - bookmarked that one under "Car Design - Inspiration".

I met Syd Mead once at a design conference back in '86 - what an amazing artist - still have one of his books in the basement somewhere. I also used to subscribe to Car Styling - have a tonne of old copies . . . probably next to the Mead book.

There are so many great artists - many are using CAD to convey their ideas. I'm laughing at myself because deep down, I have convinced myself that somehow if I keep doing this that a light bulb in my head will suddenly illuminate and then I'll turn into a proficient car designer. Gimmie . . . oh, I dunno, maybe ten or twenny years and we'll see . . . ha . . . it's all fun - it's still a great journey . . . even if I my destination is impossible . . .

Happy designing/modeling,

Brad

. . . really need to focus on the wheel well trim . . . I need to get a little more radical - these are really boring. My first cars were dull with sharp edges - now, they're boring with curvy shapes (ha). I am still having fun though.

Happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . yeah, I've been very busy lately, but I found time today to get in a super-quicky sketch - used SketchyFFD.rb for shaping for just a little bit of the nose, not much, then manually did everything else . . . it's just a quick idea . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

Am I the only one that keeps thinking "gee, if I spent time learning how to use this stuff I'd be much more productive" . . . I sort of grabbed a handful of functionality and ran with it . . . there's really so much more you can do with this stuff - like, I've never even used the section tool . . . :gasp: . . .

Thank you.

Added just a little more - still missing the windshield and bunch of details . . . I love this project - could do it in 1/2 the time and more accurately if I did it again . . . I guess that means I'm learning, right?

Happy Sketching,

Brad