[Help] Car Design

[Block_Smarts Lego Technic]

I am working on a sports car and I can never get shapes just right.

Like Crowkillers vampire gt is perfect even though its not based off of a car. Also, Jeroen Ottens Mistresshas wavy lines I cannot get in my cars.

So what I'm asking for is techniques to shape body's for cars and get shapes right.

Thanks!

Edited August 22, 2015 by Block_Smarts Lego Technic

[Edwin Korstanje]

First rule: be creativ and have patient.

Learn with every new moc to get better.

[MajklSpajkl]

Trial and error my friend, over and over and over and over and over and over...again.

[jorgeopesi]

First rule: be creativ and have patient.

Learn with every new moc to get better.

I agree on every world.

[Lipko]

Or learn to use a Lego modeling tool, such as LDD. It helps a lot because it lets you to have floating panels and other parts to define the looks, and after that you can work out how to fix the panels.

[Technic Jim]

Think outside the box and just try over and over again. I find these to tips work very well together in almost any model with hard aesthetics to (re)create!

[Block_Smarts Lego Technic]

Thanks!

I was also wondering if you could share some ways of building sportscars' and supercars' unique shape

[Edwin Korstanje]

Just like a lot of great builders reply to you, read them good, it's all trial and error.

We don't know what for scale, model, style you like build personaly.

If you know what you wanted to build than it's importent that you got some good drawings of the original model.

The rest is very simpel, be creativ and learn .

Edited August 22, 2015 by VFracingteam

[Block_Smarts Lego Technic]

Just like a lot of great builders reply to you, read them good, it's all trial and error.

We don't know what for scale, model, style and you like build personaly.

If you know what you wanted to build than it's importent that you got some good drawings of the original model.

The rest is very simpel, be creativ and learn .

Thanks!

[nerdsforprez]

I think you are asking the wrong question. I think you feel there is some formula or something to follow, and if you learn what variables to plug in your formula a successful MOC will be born. But I don't think it really works that way. There is no secret formula. I don't want to speak for Crowkillers or Jeroen Ottens but you have some other really great builders who have offered a different formula. That formula is patience, practice, time and effort. I don't really think there is any magic technique or formula that can replace those variables.

Good Luck!

[Jeroen Ottens]

Hi,

Since you mentioned my model explicitly I'll share few observations on my building style that I think I would make if I saw myself building :

* In my experience shaping can only be done with real bricks. In the 3D tools it is impossible for me to see how the lines flow. So what I do is that I try to fit panels together using big unwieldy support constructions. These constructions I then put in LDD. Then I delete all support bricks and try to find a more compact support. This is build again in real bricks so that I can add more car around that detail.

* I tend to build outside in if styling is important. First build a shell without any regards for the structure inside. Transfer that shell to LDD and do the frame/suspension/gearbox stuff in LDD. Build that in real life to see if it works, fix, build, etc... It is a really iterative process in my experience.

* I try to keep a general shape in my head when I am fitting panels together so that the model doesn't end up as a set of nicely shaped details without to much connection between them (which for me can be quite a challenge ).

When I started the Mistress I wanted to build something that had this really large front window that arched all the way to the back and a low and wide body. During the building proces I fiddled with panels until I had the bodywork around the front wheels (low, but still enough room to steer, which is also only possible to judge in real bricks). And only when I had these I thought of the open mouth at the front.

For the rear I wanted to have curvy hips, but other than that I had no clear idea. First I saw the opportunity to use the #3 connector to get two converging lines that followed from the window styles, that resulted in the rear window. Once I had this I knew what area to cover above the rear wheels. I again fiddled with panels to get a nice air intake shape. It took some iterations before I had that. I minimized the support structure in LDD and ported it back to the model.

And during all of this the doors where being redesigned multiple times, the chairs have moved sideways, forward, backward and downwards. I started with a 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering, with a switchable central diff: (central diff/locked diff/rear wheel drive only), but wasn't happy with the performance (and it doesn't really belong in a supercar anyway) so I ditched that all (which is an important designtrait as well: kill your darlings as the writers say... If you feel a bit of doubt about a part of your design it is most likely not good enough, so be hard on yourself and tear it apart to build it again better)

So I agree with the posters before me: get those bricks out and start building, that's the fastest way to succes

[Block_Smarts Lego Technic]

I think you are asking the wrong question. I think you feel there is some formula or something to follow, and if you learn what variables to plug in your formula a successful MOC will be born. But I don't think it really works that way. There is no secret formula. I don't want to speak for Crowkillers or Jeroen Ottens but you have some other really great builders who have offered a different formula. That formula is patience, practice, time and effort. I don't really think there is any magic technique or formula that can replace those variables.

Good Luck!

Hi,

Since you mentioned my model explicitly I'll share few observations on my building style that I think I would make if I saw myself building :

* In my experience shaping can only be done with real bricks. In the 3D tools it is impossible for me to see how the lines flow. So what I do is that I try to fit panels together using big unwieldy support constructions. These constructions I then put in LDD. Then I delete all support bricks and try to find a more compact support. This is build again in real bricks so that I can add more car around that detail.

* I tend to build outside in if styling is important. First build a shell without any regards for the structure inside. Transfer that shell to LDD and do the frame/suspension/gearbox stuff in LDD. Build that in real life to see if it works, fix, build, etc... It is a really iterative process in my experience.

* I try to keep a general shape in my head when I am fitting panels together so that the model doesn't end up as a set of nicely shaped details without to much connection between them (which for me can be quite a challenge ).

When I started the Mistress I wanted to build something that had this really large front window that arched all the way to the back and a low and wide body. During the building proces I fiddled with panels until I had the bodywork around the front wheels (low, but still enough room to steer, which is also only possible to judge in real bricks). And only when I had these I thought of the open mouth at the front.

For the rear I wanted to have curvy hips, but other than that I had no clear idea. First I saw the opportunity to use the #3 connector to get two converging lines that followed from the window styles, that resulted in the rear window. Once I had this I knew what area to cover above the rear wheels. I again fiddled with panels to get a nice air intake shape. It took some iterations before I had that. I minimized the support structure in LDD and ported it back to the model.

And during all of this the doors where being redesigned multiple times, the chairs have moved sideways, forward, backward and downwards. I started with a 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering, with a switchable central diff: (central diff/locked diff/rear wheel drive only), but wasn't happy with the performance (and it doesn't really belong in a supercar anyway) so I ditched that all (which is an important designtrait as well: kill your darlings as the writers say... If you feel a bit of doubt about a part of your design it is most likely not good enough, so be hard on yourself and tear it apart to build it again better)

So I agree with the posters before me: get those bricks out and start building, that's the fastest way to succes

Thanks to both of you guys!