Adding details to Model 1: Car

Now the basic shape of the car has been created some more details can be added to it, these include wheel arches and more shape to the car as shown above.

The first stage was accomplished by creating a box that was then stretched to add some more of the detail. The wheel arches were created by using the tool. A line of the wheel arch was drawn in one of the viewports, followed by a circle near it. The loft modifier is selected followed by selecting get path, which then makes a three dimensional version of the line previously created. The wheels were created by adding four cylinders. This is used to make the black tyres. The alloys were created by making multiple small cylinders linked to a sphere as the centre of the alloy. At first these were grouped together. Once all of them were created, they were linked together. This will make it a lot easier during the animation stages.

By adding some details like this, altogether it gradually begins to conform to the reference planes. So far the model seems to be making good progress.

The modelling technique that has been used so far to create the wheel arches and the outline for the window was the loft tool. By placing the objects partly inside the main object it creates the illusion that it has been joined to the rest of the car.

Again the loft modifier was used to create a top for the windscreen. In hindsight it would of have been more beneficial to have extruding to make it a low poly object. The details such as the bumper of the car were also pushed inside using the select tool.

Details such as the side mirrors have now been added, everything is still in red at the moment whilst the basic shape is created.

Again, it would have been more beneficial to extrude the bottom of the windscreen, to reduce the number of objects within the scene, thus reduce render time. However, at the time of creation, familiarity of all of the tools was significantly lower than towards the end of the course.

One of the difficulties with this model would be how many contours there are, makes it very difficult to make it look as close to the reference plane as possible. Although some of the basic contours have been established it is still far from being a three dimensional replica of the reference plane.

To create the side mirrors, spheres were created, once they were an editable poly, using the vertices button, the top part of the sphere was selected and pushed inwards, thus making it give the impression of a side mirror. Indeed, on this model, due to such basic techniques used thus far, the sophistication of this model is limited.

Some more details such as the number plate have been added to the car, this car will be the car that carries James Bond in the trailer. Again, using the loft tool by creating a line around the bumper using the front view port (if the perspective port is used, the intended effect is not reached), creating a circle and selecting 'get path'. The bumper is then dragged into place. It is conforming to the basic shape of a car.

If the cut tool had been used instead of the cut tool, the faces of the car could be cut to then extrude and smooth into wheel arches. If there is time remaining, this model could be significantly improved.

The number plate was added by using a box with a text field added to it, these have then been linked together so wherever the number plate moves so does the text. This has also been the case on all of the elements of the car. The schematic view allows all of the shapes that have been used to be observed and linked to other objects within the file. This is a useful tool, as when it comes to the animation stages, when the car body is moved, all of the elements linked to the car move with it as well. If this was not completed, whenever the car needed to be moved, every element for the car would need to be moved the same distance and at the correct perspective, which would prove very difficult and the results would inevitably look very poor.

Using an extended primitive, the capsule shape was used which created an interesting representation of the tail lights for the car. The loft tool for the outline of the doors was not the greatest choice that has been made during this exercise. It doesn't conform to the generic conventions of a car with this effect. If this model was to be created again, the extrude tool and cut and remove tool would be used to make this appear more effective.

The capsule shape was modified by readjusting its vertices so that the lights sloped like the reference plate. A sphere was then placed within it, to give the impression of a tail light. Indeed, to make the model appear more sophisticated, using other methods of creating the lights may have been more appropriate. When the lights are on both the front and the back, it gives the impression that they have a design and they are meant to be that way, which works better. The capsules were pushed into the car body so that they weren't just sitting on the outside of the car. 

The next step for this model is to make it a multi sub-object, so that different gradients and materials can be added to the shape, to make it closer to the representation of a car.

The image below shows the car with windows. This was achieved by creating boxes and then modifying them by using the scale tool to adjust the windows to the size permitted by the car. This was repeated for each window in the car. If the faces had been cut and then extruded a more effective final outcome may have been achieved, and thus less objects within the file to significantly reduce the render time.

The material editor has not been used on the car yet, and this won't be used until the details have been finished on the car. So far this is proving to be a problem as it is not looking realistic or like the reference planes. This is most prevalent with the door frames of the car and the lights. Due to time constraints as two more models still need to be made, some more time will be dedicated to this model. However, soon the other models will need to be completed. Overall, the car does conform to the generic conventions of a car, by having windows, wheels, lights and number plates, so at least the basic idea will be portrayed.

This is the final screen shot of this model. Materials have been added to the model ready for rendering. This has made the model appear more realistic. A grey material has been added rather than the red as this makes the car look better when it is rendered. The red makes it appear more like a toy car rather than a real one. The windows have a material of a Manhatten skyline combined with a dark blue colour using a high anistrophy and specular level. This creates a very light blue colour once it has been rendered. When the persective view port is turned and then rendered, there are some views that then include some of the skylines from the bitmap. Careful attention will need to be taken during the animation stages of the trailer.