Eric Taylor : USA

[Gantra]

Hi everyone. I'm very excited to be participating in this contest! I've never used NURBS for modeling and i hope by working on this project and using Power NURBS I'll become proficient and better able to judge when to use what tool for a modeling project.

CONCEPT - ConvertaCar

My vehicle of the future is a ConvertaCar. The ConvertaCar will have the following features:

1] At home driving on the ground or flying in the air (amphibian submersion 3rd mode planned for future model)
2] Seating for 2 with limited luggage capacity.
3] 3 or maybe 4 wheel/rotor hybrid propulsion system
4] nexGen electric motors powered by fuelcell hydrogen system
5] constructed using recycled and biodegradable/earth friendly materials
6] Fuel efficient in ground or flight modes
7] Intelligent Roads Guidance System (IRGS) - Allows vehicle to self-drive at high speeds on supported roads for worry free transit
8] Advanced Flight autopilot for self-flight for all airspace world wide

The major feature of this vehicle is its ability to function as a competent ground vehicle while also being able to safely fly 500 miles per tank of hydrogen with excellent economy. The ability to fly above the crowded roads is critical for any future personal transport vehicle.

Flight is achieved by the rotation of the ingenious large diameter disc wheel (LDDW) 90 degrees. Supports lower to remove the vehicles weight from the LDDWs when shifting from drive mode to flight mode. The wheels are then lifted several inches above the ground. The tire rings are locked motionless and disengaged from the drive system. The inner lift fans are engaged to the drive system. The internal fans spool up and generate lift while the tire surrounding the lift fan remains motionless. Articulating joints control the exact orientation of the large diameter disc wheel allowing for control of flight direction. Small wings sweep out from behind the doors to provide additional high speed aerodynamic flight control after takeoff.

Basic Stats:

Flight range: 500 miles
Flight Max Speed: 350 MPH

Drive range: 700 miles
Ground Max Speed: 120 MPH (in vehicle self-drive mode)
Ground Speed: 90 MPH limited (in manual human driven mode)

Thank you!

[ashras99]

Wow, great explanation. Looks like you are a Car freak

Like to see your progress soon in 3d.

[Gantra]

Hi everyone,

I just finished up the 3 part car tutorial and am starting to feel like i have some handle on nurbs modeling. I developed some wireframes using the standard splines in 3dsm.

I was thinking of trying to make these using the Power Sketch but couldn't figure out how to easily convert the points around (after creating a basic sketch) to different types with bezier handles etc like the splines.

Anyone know how to create a pwr_sketch and then easily change the point types like corner, bezier, etc.

My next step is to create pwr_sketchs and then railsweep them to start creating surfaces. I'm still sorting out the workflow and basic best approaches to use with this tool.

cheers!

[Paco_Morales]

Hi welcome Gantra, nice to see new people.
nice concept

[ashras99]

wireframes are looking very cool.

[nevs26]

i agree with ashras99!

woweeeeeeeeeeeee!


waiting to c this take shape!


good luck!

[Gantra]

Just finished my first railsweep for my ConvertaCar.

It has some issues. I removed some of the curves and added a 3rd rail to smooth it out. Seems better now in the Green section.

I went through all the Tech Talk videos. Those were very helpful in learning how to use the basic features of Sketching, Blending and Sweeping.

Right now, the body looks like a mini-vacuum. Not good!

[Gantra]

I don't know why, but i had a heck of a time getting a trim with Offset and Step Back to work right.

Finally got something to work. I also reswept the basic shape. I hope things start to speed up now. Time is passing!

[Shay]

looks like you are a vehicle engineer:)
good luck!

[Gantra]

An update with my rear wheel partially modeled.

I need a tread pattern for it.

How do you do that? hehe.

[Gantra]

The fuselage with 3 windows, fin, rear wheel, and front suspension housing.

[Gantra]

I used Pwr_SKIN and about 4 cloned shapes to model a spoke on the right side of the rim. I then used Array to duplicate and position the other 2 spokes. Couldn't have been easier.

Now i need to build out the pivoting control arm for the wheel. This wheel has to rotate in a wide range of axes to provide lift during flight.

[Gantra]

I used a combination of Detail tool to project outline onto round endcap on right and then CmpSkt to select the newly created outline shape. I then dragged this in some toward the center and scaled it down alot. I then used Blend to connect the edge created with Detailer to the CmpSkt curve and set the blend property to double-sided Blend.

I then repeated 3 more times for the total of 4 holes. How do you mirror stuff?

[nPower_Eric]

Very Nice.

Could you please explain what problems you were having with the trim offset on the main body?

[Gantra]

Eric,

Thank you. My name is Eric too!

I think with the trim offset I was just needing to spend time figuring out what numbers worked for my model and scale. I was a bit confused at first about whether to adjust the right side or left side for the Surface Offset and the Trim Step Back. In my case, i used 0.1 for the Left Offset for Surface Offset and 0.3 for the Right Side Trim Step Back.

If i use bigger numbers or switched the values between left and right, parts of the geometry disappear, which was confusing me. My fault. But i'm pleased with the results now.

I have a few questions for you!

1) how would you create a repeating pattern (extruded in or out) on a round object like a tire tread pattern? I asked this question in the How To Forum section on the nPowerSoftware site too.

2) How would you create small seams in a solid like for door seams etc.?

The more i learn about Power NURBS, the more powerful and exciting it is model with.

Thank you,

Eric