badmad

How to start develop a supercar

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Hey guys,

the most time i surfed on eurobricks or rebrickable i´m speechless, how someone build their supercars. 

I´m a big fan of cars in 1:8 scale. But some of my favorites cars won´t never be build.

So i start thinking to develop one by myself.

But how should i start? If i would have a realistic body, should i start with this?

Or is the chassis the best choice?

It´ll be nice if somebody can admit me.

Thx

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The advice I read from experienced supercar builders is to start at the gearbox (if you want to add that to the model anyway) and work your way from there. Meanwhile, to keep the MOC in scale (and figure out where to place the gearbox for example) use Sariel's scale tool: http://scaler.sariel.pl/

Personally I can't work outside-in (body first then internals), but working from the inside out while having a general idea where the bodywork will go is much easier for me.

Edited by Appie
Typo

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11 minutes ago, Appie said:

Personally I can't work outside-in (body first then internals), but working from the inside out while having a general idea where the bodywork will go is much easier for me.

I wish i wasn't garbage at making bodywork.. 

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If you want do design a 1:8 scale supercar, you should start with the design parameters.

Which wheels am I going to use?

Which functions do I want to include?

In what color should I build the bodywork?

What kinds of compromises are you willing to make?

In other words, try to get a good idea how you want your finished model to look like.

I can highly recomend to start with the chassis and build your way outwards (I always start with the axles). Use sariel's model scaler to get all proportions right and make sure, when you are designing your chassis, you leave enough room for the bodywork. 

Creating a good looking bodywork is simply a try and error process but there are a few things that you should IMO keep in mind..

-try to use as many panels as possible in addition to several flex axles and connectors, (avoid liftarmstacking)

-try to capture basic lines with these parts

-Stay consistent in your style

Hope this helps you out:wink:

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Thx all for input. 

I want to use the porsche wheels and his color. At this moment i have the most panels in orange. Some more in black. 

I think, when i come to the body the first try will be colourful :D. After that i can finish in the color i have the most from. (omg sorry for my english. It's not the yellow from the egg... "german joke) 

What i dont understand, everytime i look at other mocs, is how i become the points where to fix the body on the chassis. Or would this grow with the hole project? Like try and error? 

 

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I have literally zero experience in building/designing a supercar. However, I do have experience designing software. Therefore, I would use a similar approach when building/designing a supercar. Break down the build in smaller parts and combine the parts to construct the whole. For example, start working on the rear suspension and the front suspension with steering. Think about a gearbox and combine it all on a chassis. When you have finished, start thinking about the bodywork. 

As an example, I can highly recommend building Nathanael's modular car chassis. It might not look as cool as some of the supercars, but it will be very useful to learn how to think in different modules within the build.

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I'd say depends on what aspect you want to focus most. If it's functionality, start with axles, gearboxes, engine, etc. If it's realsitic bodywork, start with that first. I also suggest you adjust the scale to the wheels, since those are the hardest to modify.

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In fact, I want to recreate the body as perfectly as possible.

I don't want to motorize the car, a manual version is enough for me. Because i like display models the most. 

Main features like steering, suspension, openable doors... That should be included too.

But I'm not as magical as some others here. I will not be able to think of such a fantastic door mechanism like @DugaldIC or a height-adjustable suspension like @brunojj1

Therefore, I try to get the model first externally optimal.

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55 minutes ago, badmad said:

In fact, I want to recreate the body as perfectly as possible.

I don't want to motorize the car, a manual version is enough for me. Because i like display models the most. 

Main features like steering, suspension, openable doors... That should be included too.

But I'm not as magical as some others here. I will not be able to think of such a fantastic door mechanism like @DugaldIC or a height-adjustable suspension like @brunojj1

Therefore, I try to get the model first externally optimal.

Then it is easy, minimum chassis and test over and over searching the perfect body parts.

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One suggestion that hasn't been mentioned yet, that may be obvious but maybe not: show your progress in a topic here on the forums. (Many people create a separate topic for each model they create.) That way, you can get feedback that's specific to your build. If you specify in your topic that you're still learning, the feedback on here is often very valuable. (Make sure the topic title starts with [WIP] to indicate it's a work-in-progress).

Another thing I want to mention is, to get a sense of scale, what I do is find a picture of the original (often a side view), and use a drawing program (I use paint.net) to draw a grid over the photo where every grid-cell is 1 stud. So measure the wheels in studs, say if they are 10 studs, then draw a 10 x 10 grid over the wheel on your photo and then extend the grid. From there you can get the height (measured in grid-cells, i.e. studs). If you have a frontview photo as well, you can use the height to find out the width of the model. Then count the grid-cells and build a very simple rectangular box that holds the wheels to get a sense of scale/size. Then you know what to work with. I guess this is a complicated version of what Sariels Scaler does automatically, but by doing it by hand I have the idea that I have more control over stuff. By the way, I do this even while I don't want to recreate an existing car, just to get realistic proportions.

By the way, I also usually start with axles/suspension/steering/drive, then chassis, gearbox and seats/interior.

But whatever approach you choose (all the advice above is super useful) the most important thing is: practice, and have fun doing so :) Start building something, show it on the forums, finish it (this is what new creators sometimes forget to do), evaluate it, learn from it, and use these lessons for future model(s). And all the while, enjoy the journey :)

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Thank you for your encouraging words. I will take your tips to heart and do everything step by step. The scaling, I'll probably anyway first make by hand, to get a feel for it. Also, the tip with an accompanying thread, I think very well. I'll do that as soon as the process starts. Now I have to learn the theoretical first and realize what it really should be. But when I start, I will post progress, ask questions and discuss issues in the thread..

It's nice to see that you guys take patience to help new devs or someone who will be a dev. 

I have the wish to build my own supercar so long in my mind. I think it's time to start this journey. 

Edited by badmad

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One question 

Is it helpful to start with a digital lego designer? Or do you all developing without software? 

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It's a personal preference. I find it useful to start with a digital build and then turn it into a physical one. And re-iterate from that. Some people prefer to build physically right away.

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1 hour ago, badmad said:

Is it helpful to start with a digital lego designer? Or do you all developing without software? 

I can recommend to use a digital disigner as a helping tool. I prefer to design axles/suspension setups, complex mechanisms and bodywork physically. The former and latter need to be tested frequently to ensure it works  properly and messing with putting panels at crazy angles is also easier to do physically. I prefer to design the chassis digitally though. All of this is based on my personal experience and remains an opinion. Decide what you think works best for you.:thumbup: Looking forward to your WIP topic!

Edited by T Lego

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10 minutes ago, T Lego said:

I can recommend to use a digital disigner as a helping tool. I prefer to design axles/suspension setups, complex mechanisms and bodywork physically. The former and latter need to be tested frequently to ensure it works  properly and messing with putting panels at crazy angles is also easier to do physically. I prefer to design the chassis digitally though. All of this is based on my personal experience and remains an opinion. Decide what you think works best for you.:thumbup: Looking forward to your WIP topic!

Agreed :thumbup:

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Thanks. 

1 hour ago, T Lego said:

Looking forward to your WIP topic!

Will start soon :wink:

I think the most time will be taken for the drivetrain. Thats the most complicated part for me. At least I think so. 

Edited by badmad

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Thank you all for opening this topic and adding advices. I also plan to start building my first super car and this discussion looks pretty helpful.

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I wish you all the best. 

I spend the last days to find the right car for me and i'm not finished at the moment :laugh:

By the way i have installed a software for simulating technic functions. 

I have not really started developing yet but i'm very hot for the project i've started with this topic. 

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I'm testing. 

At first LDRAW AIOI

If it's not good then SC3D, or an alternative. So much to learn if i'll be a lego supercar creator :sweet:

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10 hours ago, icm said:

What software are you using to simulate Technic functions?

My personal experience is that to test the functions, nothing beats the physical build. I use the digital build mostly for planning.

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Just one more question... 

How long will it take you to decide on a new project?

I've watched so much cars. But i must feel it if it's the right one. 

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