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Author: Subject: Getting that dream body from virtual to reality...
tegwin

posted on 6/1/08 at 04:30 PM Reply With Quote
Getting that dream body from virtual to reality...

And no..Im not talking about tuning those pecks!

Im still trying to decide what my next project will look like...I know what engine I want, and I have a fair few ideas of the final body shape....

However..

What is the best way of transfering a set of sketches/drawings of the body from my computer screen onto the car when the time comes?

I guess a lot of foam sheet stuck together and chopped, sanded and filled would work, but I can see me having HUGE problems getting both sides of the car identical, what with complex shapes etc...

For a one off car would I be best just laying up my final body straight onto the foam, or should I consider making moulds from the foam plug to create decent bodywork from?


Its really hard to get your head around where (and how) to put lips and undercuts on the bodywork so it all fits together nicely...

If only there was a body I could just buy

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BenB

posted on 6/1/08 at 04:41 PM Reply With Quote
Make cross-section formers out of wood and use them to hot-wire foam sections which you glue together. A little carving and sanding to smooth and sharp edges and job done (kind of)...
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tegwin

posted on 6/1/08 at 04:47 PM Reply With Quote
LOL...if only it were that simple...


Thinking about it there is no reason why I couldnt draw my body on a suitable CAD program, then have wooden profiled laser cut (Or print them on a plotter and cut the wood with jigsaw)...

Fit all the wooden "ribs" together across the body and then just fill in the gaps with foam.. I guess thats doable..
Really depends if I can find and learn to use a suitable 3D modeling tool that lets you create complex shapes..


Thinking about it, are there any simple CAD programs that allow you to easily create body shapes etc and then slice the shape up?

I know Rhinocad can do that, but its complicated and expensive...

[Edited on 6/1/08 by tegwin]

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John Bonnett

posted on 6/1/08 at 04:51 PM Reply With Quote
One way of doing it is to make a 1/10th scale model that you carve and sand to shape. Now, here comes the clever bit. Make a block from 12mm thick pieces of MDF transversely placed all sandwiched together with rods going through them to hold them together. Once the buck is shaped you can remove the rods and you then have a set of 1/10th scale formers that will give the exact shape of the body at any particular point. You can now make full size formers placed at the correct distance apart and this will be the basis of your buck/plug.

A friend of mine who is a pattern maker uses this method and he produced some amazing results. I'll try to attach a picture of the buck he did for a shark nosed Ferrari.

John






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Confused but excited.

posted on 6/1/08 at 06:07 PM Reply With Quote






Tell them about the bent treacle edges!

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RazMan

posted on 6/1/08 at 06:13 PM Reply With Quote
I have a similar idea lined up when the time comes. I made a buck from an old front section, bonding on prosthetic pieces and smoothing off with tons of filler. Very messy and time consuming so the rib & foam technique is how I am going to do it.

Have a look at Fred WB's wonderful project which is much on the same lines
link





Cheers,
Raz

When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box

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cymtriks

posted on 6/1/08 at 10:50 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by John Bonnett
One way of doing it is to make a 1/10th scale model that you carve and sand to shape. Now, here comes the clever bit. Make a block from 12mm thick pieces of MDF transversely placed all sandwiched together with rods going through them to hold them together. Once the buck is shaped you can remove the rods and you then have a set of 1/10th scale formers that will give the exact shape of the body at any particular point. You can now make full size formers placed at the correct distance apart and this will be the basis of your buck/plug.
John


But surely that will give ten times any errors when you scale the small model up?

How did your pattern maker friend get the same shape both sides, i.e. deal with the errors?

Also there is a lot of skill in making a model that will scale up and still look right. Most "scale" models are not actually scale models in every respect for that very reason.

I suppose one way would be to trace the model both ways (left-right and then right-left on the model to left-right both times on the final buck) onto a blank piece of plywood or MDF and then cut along a middle line between the two traces.

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Dutchman

posted on 7/1/08 at 12:04 AM Reply With Quote
I use 3D studio , But I'm from East Europe , piracy is acceptable when monthly income is 300$ , I do not use it commercially so I guess it is OK , but I "do not" recommend for U to download it from torrent or P2P whit included crack...

any way , the 3D studio is relatively easy 2 use , you can draw few lines connect it with mash and automatically mirror it 4 other side , it is easy to slice it , lot of free tutorial on the web , relay easy to use apparently heck I;m using it and I'm not so smart... I'm using that method , plot the slices and jigsaw it ... some areas that are flat will cover with 3mm HDF , slices will be from 20mm MDF , I'll use also polyurethane foam , and so on ... little bit of plaster and bondo ... it will look fine ...

the only way to make it ideal symmetrical is to do it on CNC but @ Serbia it is around 15000euros + foam just for the model ... so it is not very payroll even for production





Tarzan English with foreign accent!

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John Bonnett

posted on 7/1/08 at 07:41 AM Reply With Quote
quote: But surely that will give ten times any errors when you scale the small model up?

You have to remember that my friend is a pattern maker for the casting industry, a profession that demands absolute accuracy and his accuracy is awesome.

The model has to be perfect and only when he is 100% happy with it does he scale up. I belive he uses a pantograph arrangement for scaling up the station formers but whatever technique he uses, believe me, it works.

He is building a Porsche 907 Le Mans car and one can only gasp at the detail and sheer beauty of the mould. Funny thing is that although he is supremely confident in wood and fibreglass he is frightened of metal and he has a real block over fully welding the chassis. As you would expect, his double angle joints are perfect and so far it is all tacked up. He is worried that it will distort when welded and not go back into the jig. He is worried about movement of a mm or so. Believe me, he is on a different plane to the rest of us.

I'll post some pictures of the 907 and you will see what I mean.

John






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Fred W B

posted on 7/1/08 at 06:33 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks for the credit Raz

quote:

I can see me having HUGE problems getting both sides of the car identical, what with complex shapes etc...


Just added some photos re this to my bodywork thread


quote:

He is worried that it will distort when welded and not go back into the jig.



Why does he want to put it back in the jig once it is fully welded? The only things that real positional accuracy is needed on are the suspension pick up points, and these could be added or adjusted if necessary on a surface plate after the rest of the welding is done.

Cheers

Fred W B

[Edited on 7/1/08 by Fred W B]





You can do it quickly. You can do it cheap. You can do it right. – Pick any two.

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