"How I design a concept-car"- Part1: Sketches

[speedline]

I think you are right, Russell. The first one follows also the tutorial sketch that I've mentionated, anyone could do this. Great. The second I will build in a second moment...
Yes that's the beautiful car I've seen, I hope to see one day it on your automotive personal gallery.
So let's start, then.

[speedline]

On first we need to put the sketch on the scene. We could use the rotoscopy option, but I like to use a Grid plane with a texture on top.

[speedline]

We set this polygon plane without any more subdivision over the 1 in U and V. Then we rotate it for 90° around the X axis. the dimension of this grid are the same viewed on any Photo program in cm or inches: in this case are 4,47 x 1,5cm.

After we give a material shader (don't use the standard scene material), in this case a lambert. Under the Render Tree screen we choose under the Nodes key the texture option. Under image a new file is choosen. Link the node Image on the Lambert one as a diffuse entry. After that we need to give a texture projection: a planar XY one.
Be sure that your visualizing mode is on the Textured or Textured Decals one. The sketch will appear.

[speedline]

We place better the grid plane on the Y axis till the base of the wheel touches the origin XY plane.
Then we create some layers, where we can differentiate many parts : lines, CarBody Volume with indicative dimensions on the width (Z-axis), reference (where is saved the grid with the sketch).

[speedline]

This is a testing phase and now we need to fix some parts on the side. First of all we insert the mudguards and the cylinders as wheels.

For the mudguard I used a poly disc, under Primitive>Polygon Mesh>Disc. I named it and I gave some options:
-U subdivision=48 (to have more smoothness);
-Inner and outer value;

I don't know in other programs if there is the disc geometry, but it could be obtained by a cylinder or by a loft between two arc curves, for example.

After that I cleaned some components and I have extended the low-edges down; I moved the external edges to an inner position, I duplicate the internal one (after selected>Ctrl+d) and I moved them to an inner position.

After this, inserting some cylinders could help us to have a good positioning for the future wheels. We can check the proportions of the car, duplicating this cylinder and moving it towards the rear part. I've scaled a little bit because they seemed so big comparing with the body car.
Anything isn't unchangeable.

Now we can start drawing some curves (Curve>Draw Cubic by CV's): the first one is the central profile.

If anyone has some clarifications to introduce, please post it here. Thanks

[TheAllusionist]

Very comprehensive so far, great work!

[continuumx]

Speedline this makes a tutorial and I like seeing how you model, very nice work! - please continue!!!

[speedline]

The Allusionist and Continuumx: thanks, I hope this could be useful for anyone who likes to joke with cars!LOL.
Hey I've seen your amazing work on CGArchitect, a great one entry. I'm following your updates there

[speedline]

Now we have the center (specular) line of the car profile: we need not much Control Vertex on that line. I remeber you we are in a Wip situation.
Otherwise if we have a perfect blue print of a car, then we might to be more precise on drawing it.

Duplicate the center line and move it near the mudguards, adjusting it in scale and move the vertex along the line drwned on the sketch, passing on th upright.

We need a bottom line of the car too.

[speedline]

On the second line, that passes by the upright, some translations are required, because this curves on top of the hood. In this case we use the move CV tool with an option: the Prop key selected. This helps to move vertex with a proportional influence on the near one, so moving only one vertex, and with this setting on, the line starts to bend.

The little screen option is opened with the RMB (Right Mouse Botton) click on the Prop key (on the right). Here you have all the option to set : a falloff setting curve, ecc. The Prop works also on Poly and Nurbs surfaces CVs. You may choose which one you are working on (for Nurbs you may check the surface option).

The frontal line is adjusted in the same mode.

We need other lines to build a "wire body", useful for the surface's construction.