Bodywork General Discussion

[Carsten Svendsen]

I'm at the point in my build now where the last thing I need is bodywork.

It sounded to me like it would be the easiest part of the build, however it is also the most important as it has to look exactly like the real thing.

What makes this so difficult for me is that I've never really done any proper bodywork on my own before, and to make matters worse, the shape is so odd that it can't be easily replicated with panels.

I was thinking about using a mix of panels, short liftarms and flex axles, but even then, there's going to be gaps left in the body.

 

All I really wanted from the members reading this, is to tell me what the process is when you start doing bodywork and what kinds of compromises you have to, or feel comfortable to, make.

[TechnicRCRacer]

This is an interesting topic!

I always start at the back or front of the car and work my way inwards. The front and back are (in my opinion) the most important parts of the bodywork because they capture the main look of the car. Bodywork is definitely a challenge because it fills the display portion of the model, and most cars have strange angles that are hard to capture. For the most part, the combination you have chosen of panels, soft axles, and beams is the way to go. It does depend on what you want to do; soft axles and connectors is generally easier to make and still captures the form. Another major limitation is the absence of certain colors, which can either be corrected by paint (I don’t reccomend ) or substituting the part with black or white (depending on the color palette). Gaps are fine in most situations. A very good way to get the general shape of a car you are modeling is to find a picture of the side view and model off it, then overlay the picture of the model over the real car.

Good luck, I am looking forward to the final model!

[Didumos69]

From what I've built myself and from what I've seen from others, the two most important aspects are lines and consistency. At least that's my personal believe.

No matter how close you get to the original, there will be gaps, but more importantly, there will be visual lines implied by your panelling, lines that will define the flow and character of your overall design. So I would generally pay more attention to these lines than to gaps.

With consistency I mean the whole body should be equally dense, otherwise you will get the effect that the less dense areas look unfinished.



Source: http://www.scottdesi...-im-working-on/

[jotta93]

2 hours ago, Didumos69 said:

From what I've built myself and from what I've seen from others, the two most important aspects are lines and consistency. At least that's my personal believe.

No matter how close you get to the original, there will be gaps, but more importantly, there will be visual lines implied by your panelling, lines that will define the flow and character of your overall design. So I would generally pay more attention to these lines than to gaps.

With consistency I mean the whole body should be equally dense, otherwise you will get the effect that the less dense areas look unfinished.

This really got me thinking. In most of my (unpublished) MOC I usually get the lines (give or take) but I end up panelling the easiest areas, living some big gaps that look inconsistent.

I think this is really good advice, at least it will really help me  

[jorgeopesi]

Very interesting topic, my experience with the bodywork is crazy, I know it's important but I have to fight constantly with my Technic style which wants less and less pieces... When I made cars my goals were lines and consistency as Didumos69 said and I added structural solidity but this is essential only for me.

[Carsten Svendsen]

Ok, I get the lines of the body is important and to keep panelwork consistent.

One thing in particular I was thinking about is something like the below scenario. A bunch of stacked beams and a flex axle going across. Is this considered alright, or is there a better way to get the curve looking right?

[Bartybum]

On 1/1/2019 at 8:43 PM, Didumos69 said:

From what I've built myself and from what I've seen from others, the two most important aspects are lines and consistency. At least that's my personal believe.

No matter how close you get to the original, there will be gaps, but more importantly, there will be visual lines implied by your panelling, lines that will define the flow and character of your overall design. So I would generally pay more attention to these lines than to gaps.

With consistency I mean the whole body should be equally dense, otherwise you will get the effect that the less dense areas look unfinished.

*snip*

Source: http://www.scottdesi...-im-working-on/

I think panels should always come last and only approximate the body. The actual lines in the bodywork almost exclusively need to be defined by flex axles.

[nicjasno]

The beams just add weight. I'd go for a sollution that requires less material to be used.

[Carsten Svendsen]

Just now, nicjasno said:

The beams just add weight. I'd go for a sollution that requires less material to be used.

Which is my point.

You failed to give me some examples however....

[nicjasno]

I know. That's because i'm struggling with this issue myself :P

[allanp]

In the above example id consider these pieces:

https://rebrickable.com/parts/13731/slope-curved-10-x-1-symmetric-inside-ridges/

Regarding bodywork in general, adding a few non Technic pieces here and there can help a lot. In some tight areas where you want a specific look, or even for the whole model, it may be beneficial to build a mock up of the bodywork first, then you can really know what space you have to work with. I think the Bugatti 42083 was designed that way.

[Erik Leppen]

On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 11:33 PM, Carsten Svendsen said:

(Sorry for quoting the image, but I think it's important here) I probably wouldn't do it this way. I think the "stepped" beam stacking looks plain ugly.

What I would do, I think, in this situation is "you don't have to build a shape, you only have to suggest the shape". Use a flex axle or other curved element, and keep the rest open.

Other options are to fill it with a panel (in this case maybe https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=18945 because it is closed on both sides), or use studded elements (such as slopes. Maybe https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30249?)

And in your particular case, maybe even the sails from the recent sailboat set can help.

See the upward tail wings of 42066. They have a beam (you can have a flex axle there) and a panel, and the space between is suggested.

And of course, @Didumos69 already mentioned it: consistency is key. So what solution you pick, depends on what the rest of your model looks like.

[arijitdas]

I am personally finding the body work to be fairly difficult aspect of a build.

My question to the experienced builders - is it better to first build the body work and then decide the functionalities to add to a model based on the available internal space?  

[allanp]

1 hour ago, arijitdas said:

I am personally finding the body work to be fairly difficult aspect of a build.

My question to the experienced builders - is it better to first build the body work and then decide the functionalities to add to a model based on the available internal space?  

It depends. It can help in many cases to build a mock up of the bodywork, or at least some small part of it first. For a supercar, whose main function is really to be desirable, doing bodywork first makes sense. But also, imagine you are building a JCB 3CX, and you really want it to look like an official licenced model, well the front hood with the engine inside is relatively tiny, so you might want to build just that front hood section first to see what you can fit in there in terms of motors or battery boxes or whatever. This will help you to decide how you will lay out your model. But if you just want to make a generic truck then it's not so important so you can do the chassis first or whatever you think is going to be most difficult.

[NKubate]

Many good points have been raised already, but I haven't seen anyone mentioning phenomena regarding visual perception which are known as the Gestalt principles also referred to as Prägnanz. These principles consist of: law of similarity, law of continuation, law of closure, proximity, figure, and order/ symmetry. Becoming familiar with these principles can certainly help your creations, especially designing with Technic. I try to apply these principles in my designs whenever and wherever I can.  

[brunojj1]

Here some practical guidelines & priorities I´m following when it comes to bodywork:

• Design your chassis first and keep it as compact and low as you can within the calculated dimensions of the finished model. It´s easier to attach bodywork to a rolling chassis, than the other way around. The chassis always can be reworked to fit in some specific areas, but the main functions already should be there.

• You need some extra space behind the outer shell of the bodywork for the attachment points, especially if you have to work with difficult „crazy angles“.

• Choose a color with a wide range of parts – particularly panels and (angled) connectors.

• Use Technic panels wherever you can and avoid beam-stacking. Use the panels´ individual shapes where they fit (the real counterpart) and find the attachment points – ideally 2 of them per panel.

• Try to cover the bigger areas first with bigger panels and design everything else around them.

• Curves are crucial for the looks, especially the outer shapes and wheel arches – flex axles are very usefull to replicate them and often they are the only option available. The curved 13x3 panels are helpful too, but you need to work a lot to find the attachment points.

• It´s tricky to fill gaps around panels – usually you need to make compromises here.

• Try to keep the scale as far as possible and minimize deviations to 1 stud if possible. If the MOC is supposed to be a replica of something – use blueprints scaled down to the purpose.

• Try-and-error is part of the game, there is always a better solution if you are not satisfied.

[Matty04]

I also find bodyworks hard to build, but trial and error pretty much works for me. I usually start at the most well known spot of a car e.g.(the McLaren smile, the wedge shaped front for Lamborghini, the "C" in Chiron's doors)