How do YOU model surfaces in ACAD?

[shift1313]

Ive often wondered how other people start designing 3d surfaces. I dont have a ton of experience with i but i can make my way around surfaces.

The main reason i ask is because im working on a car dwg file that was sent to me by someone else. The car is comprised of very large mesh elements. I am designing some airdams/side skirts and things like that and i have also created my features with pretty small mesh elements. I just want to get a feel for how you guys break your drawings down.

ill try to post some pics later of the mesh sizes im talking about after i clean the file up a little.

thanks

[shift1313]

here is the file i am working on. The airdam is what i drew yesterday but the rest of the car was drawn by someone else.





keep in mind the air dam is still in its rough stages. i was trying to figure out the right height and general shape of everything i still need to smooth things out and add some more duct holes.



i guess really what i want to know is if you guys were going to draw something like this, how would you start, where and how would you make reference lines. I realize my resolution is a bit overkill compared to the rest of the drawing but im going to work on that too, just havent had the chance.

thanks

[nocturne00]

Usually complex surfaces are not done in aCAD but 3D Max or Viz.
Creating 3d surfaces for a car like that in CAD using the the basic mesh commands is almost next to impossible.
Maybe as a solid that car can be made, but with a LOT of work. but as a 3dmesh... i dont know

[nocturne00]

Check out this car I took from my 3dViz Library.

[shift1313]

mmmmmm viper!

thanks for the reply. that pic of the viper gives me a good understanding of their mesh sizes.

i have used an older version of 3ds max with good luck but is there a reason why surface modeling in cad is that much more difficult? sorry i have used max in a long time.

[shift1313]

ps, it was unusually painful trying to draw that airdam, especially not knowing what i wanted it to look like before hand

[nocturne00]

yeah, I tried to model a toyota corolla one time, I think the only thing I got perfect were the wheels. for the rest, of the car's body I used mostly LOFT but it was a real pain coz most of the time when creating the surfaces loft fails especially when using the guides option.
I ended up making a "conceptual Car" , so far from the corolla i intended

[shift1313]

haha, well i spent a little more time on this air dam trying to smooth out lines and things and trying to blend surfaces together. You can see there are still issues with the brake duct holes where i need to loft the oval into the square as opposed to making patches. still not great but much better, still needs some more smoothing and an air splitter.







tomorrow ill play with 3ds max and see how things are in that package. im using acad 05 for the above pictures.

[CAD-LOVER0208]

WOW, i wish i can do something like that.. this car rocks

[shift1313]

the car does rock , drawings pretty cool too. i did do another airdam, or started on one at least.