Locost update, Advice needed
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Laid weld-through primer on the panels and chassis to mitigate rust.
Started with stitch welds but moved to hot tack welds combined with smaller 1/4" stitchs to keep warping down.
Got one side done and painted it International Harvester white with a foam roller. The idea being that I'd rather grind off paint before welding then deal with tons of surface rust. Also painted the axle with some cans lying around.
Got it all back together in time to squeeze this 240 in (not my car). The Locost seems big and wide until a modest station wagon throws in some perspective. (Still to do is plate the LH side and paint that too)
Question.
How or where does one go about commissioning a 3d model?
I've got plenty of ideas about the body on the Locost and can draw it up with reasonable accuracy but it would be very helpful to see it resolved in 3d. Learning modeling is a time sink That I'd rather not deal with/ don't have time for. (xbox hums in the backround). -
@sony1492 Looking good. I'm not sure what to tell you on the model, that's way outside of my abilities and knowledge. I really like the sketch though, coming along nicely!
I've never had much luck with weld-through primer, seems to be more of a "make the weld look like bird shit and also give you a cough for three days from the fumes" primer for me. Maybe it's just the cheap stuff I have used.
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@sony1492 that's still a lot if panel making to do but I think it is really starting to look like a car with some paint. Why IH White?
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@whoistheleader its easier to see cracks in the frame with a light color, part of a locosts maintenance schedule is to look for chassis fatigue. Ih white in particular because its what the hardware store had that was cheap (krylon tractor paint)
@MM54 The primer is probably just making me feel better, the welding went okay, maybe because I had to drain the spray can and apply it with a brush (which somehow turned out thinner then spraying it)
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@sony1492 It looks like it’s starting to come together.
I know there’s a few oppos with 3D modeling experience like @Shop-Teacher . I’d maybe toss a post into the main feed tomorrow mid-day when we’ve got a lot of traffic asking for folks with time and the desire to get paid to do it. I’ve seen some fellow oppos showcase 3D modeled stuff before.
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@sony1492 I think with 3d modeling either you do it yourself or pay someone lots of money to do it for you, but either way you'll need to measure absolutely everything on the car for an accurate model.
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@longtime-lurker My hope was to spend $500 or less for a dimensionally accurate-ish model that I could tweak as necessary in blender. I've got alot of key measurements but whoever is lucky enough to do it would have to use my drawing and some creativity too. Part of why it's needed is to settle on the final dimension so I can finish the frame rear of the axle.
@jminer Yeah, probably a good idea.. Considered a WTB on the new board but figured this is a little too niche.
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@sony1492 said in Locost update, Advice needed:
Considered a WTB on the new board but figured this is a little too niche
I almost suggested the same thing - it wouldn't be a bad thing to do, but since the new section is like 6 hours old no idea what kind of traffic it'll get...
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@sony1492 Well, it really depends on the level and type of modeling you’re aiming for. As it happens, I’m currently in search of a badass freelancing surface modeler, myself. Finding someone who is either available or moonlights is... difficult. Even when you know people on the inside.
If you’re looking for basic chassis modeling and like 75%-level surfacing, I can help you out after April, but I’m in way over my head until end of March. I’d probably do most or all of it in solidworks— great for an engineering-based model, less so for nuanced surface work.
If you’re looking for real surfacing, you need someone doing Autostudio (I might be getting my hands on a license soon, but I haven’t used it in over 10 years...), Icem, or Catia, and that’s a lot harder to find. I’d stay away from anyone doing it in Fusion, or any type of SubD.
So, in short— what kind of modeling do you need to do? -
@phenotyp Tbh I don't know enough to even ask the right questions. What makes a chassis model different from a surface model?
Probably a mid-low poly, something like the examples. There are section that need focus(rear fenders) and sections that do not matter(minimal hood, roof, no rims, no interior) Dimensions arnt critical but things like the wheelbase, track width, roof height would need to be close
You do modeling yourself along with the other design work? -
@sony1492 Yeah, like I said, it really depends on what you’re aiming to do with it. Poly modeling will let you do a bunch of crazy deformation and stuff that “real” modeling won’t. Solid modeling (solidworks, fusion) will produce real, buildable data. Surface modeling (Alias, Rhino, lots of others) have much more surface development capabilities and eval tools, but won’t play nice when you really want to build things, and that’s where packages like IcemSurf and Catia come in.
Shit’s expensive, though.
When I started out (20 years ago... Christ), Alias Autostudio was what everyone used, but since I moved out of cars and into other products, designers and engineers met it the middle with Solidworks. I’ve done some pretty complex surfacing stuff with solidworks, like ergonomic mice and some crazy wavy surfaces, but it’s clunky compared to a surfacing package. Of course, if you’re just looking to fiddle around with it, something quick but inaccurate would do the trick.
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I do all of my own modeling work, at least as far as surfacing and design goes, and mechanical engineers take that CAD and do their DFM magic on it for production. Can’t wait to show y’all what I’ve been working on lately— surfacing nightmare, but project of a lifetime. Hopefully will be able to show it end of March. -
It could be me but that bug roofline looks a bit tall and out of proportion. Just wondering, what would it look like if you drop it 6" and have the lower edge be below hoodline?
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@sony1492 Yeah, it’s been pretty much 12-18 hr days, 7 days a week. After its semi-public reveal next month, I should be allowed to show stuff. It’s been super fun, and has the potential to turn into a real long-term thing. First project that I’ve actually been able to start with sketching in years! And people go inside it, and it moves under its own power!
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@sony1492 Here's a crude rendering of present roofline and how it would sit with approx 6 inches cut from the bottom and everything but the steering wheel lowered. note, I am just shortening and dropping the VW roof body assy and not the whole car.
Present.
Dropped
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@racinbob Note that we are just lowering the roof. your seat, steering wheel, peddles, all that stay the same. The result I would look for is halfway between what you have today and the cunningham C4R Coupe
image url) -
Surface modeling is no joke. I have done a few minor things but with standard CAD packages it is tricky at best, and is a steep learning curve from basic solid parts. I'm in CAD all day long and can only barely scratch surfacing (luckily it's not required in my work). When I was at a certain tractor company our team used one guy who was an expert at it for all our complex surface parts, and he made more than a little money doing that job.
I would like to learn and would be willing to help but I'm about to be booked through October on work projects and just don't have it in me to spend all my free time staring at CAD after doing it all day
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@racinbob it definitely looks better lower, I may fight for a couple more inches down. Here is the problem with the pedals, our clutch remote reservoir is already sitting within the plane of the hood. Some extra hydraulic line will move it to the other side of the brake MC, so perhaps there's another 2-3 inches in there. After that headroom with a helmet starts becoming a concern .
.It seems at its current height a body can be made to work that dosent look awkward.
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@sony1492 Honestly $500 budget isn't bad. My first thought was this site HUM3D. They already have a lotus 7 model/caterham model and if you scroll down on the about us page theres a request button. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to send an email.
https://hum3d.com/3d-models/caterham-superlight-twenty-2016/
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@milky Hadnt looked too hard at the site so thanks for bringing this up. I sent something out so fingers crossed
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@milky I think the proportions are critical to it's appeal. Three or so inches might be good. There's something about the windshield bottom being so much higher than the steering wheel top that is off putting.
I like your sketch. More of, "cool, he made the roof out of a bug". Less of "too bad he only had a bug to use as a roof".
Too bad you didn't have an early RX-7 laying around.....
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@sony1492 Note that in this view you can see the top of the steering wheel, I think that is important.
Also I note that in the rear view there must be at least 6 inches from the top of the seat to the roof. I believe those seats are designed so that their back is taller than the helmet so that is a lot of space. Even three inches would mean a lot in correcting sightlines.
Have fun!
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@racinbob the ideal roof was an mgb-gt but it would've felt like a crime hacking up one of those is any Condition.
Not trying to over explain but you sound interested so here are the dimensions: ride height is 5.5", Chassis is 45" tall from the floor to roof, bottom of the A pillars is 47" wide (width at bottom of windshield), top of A pillars is 43" wide. The passenger area is 17" wide per side, and the steering wheel is 12". Now that things are worked out better there is probably room for a larger steering wheel, though it's only going to get tighter in the interior with impact foam and paneling.
I agree the roof should move down, good news is oppo helped find someone very knowledgeable who is going to help design the body.(from a technical standpoint) rest assured I will continue to flood oppo as this continues. -
@sony1492 Too bad there isn't an Opel Gt in the neighborhood....
