WIP My first concept from scratch

[Some1]

Hey!

I've taken a little break from the Corvette to create my very own concept car from scratch. I haven't even come up with a name yet. The design is still at very early stages and many elements will probably change, but the overall shape is finalized. As you can see, it has lots of influences from various Corvette models.

Check my blog for screens and info.
(PS. It's really a pain to take screens in Racer since the keypad arrow keys are inverted!)

 

[Alexander Knoll]

Hi Some1,
looks like a nice start! Oh...yes it is impossible to overlook, you like the vettes...

 

[SwiftPL]

How much polys ?

 

[Some1]

How much polys ?

The polycount does not really matter right now, since I'm going to remove a lot of polies once I have really finalized the shape and collapsed the meshsmooth stack.

But, I guess the final result will be between 20-40k.

 

[KS95]

It looks pretty cool, I can definitely see your influences I'd love to see the front a bit lower, the lines sweeping from the rear arches, it would look very mean.

 

[Harey]

looks like its a good start, needs a mouth though, and as the rest have said I can see where your influence has come from.

 

[luthobu]

@Some1: You are, as always, my favorite modeler! Was looking at your blog and
found this lovely image. You made both track and car?

 

[Some1]

@Some1: You are, as always, my favorite modeler! Was looking at your blog and
found this lovely image. You made both track and car?

Yeah, the car will soon be released for rFactor. The track is Mount Autobahn (WIP) and has been released already since I don't work on it anymore. Look in the blog or in the forums here for the release thread.

 

[luthobu]

@Some1: Nice track, and I recognize your "style", always crisp and clear.
If you'd ask me, I'd say you should finish it. The drive is nice and challenging,
the shaders are good but I would improve some of the textures. I might make
a private version of this one.. at least attempt to complete it as I really like it.
Are you planning to upgrade your older tracks to CG? Would be nice if they
made the transition to 090. And congrats on your degree

 

[Some1]

@Some1: Nice track, and I recognize your "style", always crisp and clear.
If you'd ask me, I'd say you should finish it. The drive is nice and challenging,
the shaders are good but I would improve some of the textures. I might make
a private version of this one.. at least attempt to complete it as I really like it.
Are you planning to upgrade your older tracks to CG? Would be nice if they
made the transition to 090. And congrats on your degree

Thanks!

I don't know if I'm going to update my older tracks... I cannot give any promises, I want to concentrate on as few projects as possible simultaneously.

 

[luthobu]

I want to concentrate on as few projects as possible simultaneously.

Heh, very unlike me.. I work on several simultaneously as I tend to either run
out of ideas or get bored with just the one. OTOH, I am trying to rush my
projects as I am running out of time. Back at work and I have to finish my ph.d.

Edit: The truth is, modeling is both an escape from my studies as well as
contemplative. As opposed to just reading/writing, modeling is active and
playful. So now I have admitted it.. heh..

 

[Mr Whippy]

An interesting concept Some1!

I've found that if I draw more in pencil/pen on paper I get more done and develop my ideas quicker than using any digital media these days, you just bog yourself down worrying about details that can be worried about later.

I start too much too Luthobu, and often they are too big projects to easily finish quickly so I never finish them.

It's surprising how much time good work takes. Say 150hrs for a good car, probably 200hrs for a really nicely finished car... 2hrs a night will take you 3 months haha!
But it'd be a great car though.

Tracks are probably easier but I often get bogged down trying to get accurate data and you can't finalise much until the main track surface is right, and so you never make good progress...

These game devs these days with LiDAR cars and manufacturer CAD car models or whatever other available resources really have life a bit easier vs us guys searching for assets all over the place

It's all fun though which is the main thing... I've got a few small tracks I want to release soon, they are both just photo locations with lots of nice lighting and models but will hopefully be nice places to put nice cars

Dave

 

[Stereo]

Tracks are probably easier but I often get bogged down trying to get accurate data and you can't finalise much until the main track surface is right, and so you never make good progress...

Heh, helps to distinguish between realistic and accurate, and decide where one or the other matters. Trackside scenery doesn't need to be accurate - just realistic. And unless you're an F1 team practicing for actual races, the road surfaces don't need to be accurate everywhere - just realistic. Ultimately the same applies to the car - visuals only need to be realistic, physics need to be accurate. They do intersect, eg. if the visual wheelbase is wrong, physics feels funny cause you see wheels poking through where they shouldn't.

I'm not easily satisfied with textures so I've always thought of tracks as the harder of the two - mostly because it needs so many more good textures.

 

[luthobu]

Tracks are probably easier but I often get bogged down trying to get accurate data and you can't finalise much until the main track surface is right, and so you never make good progress...

Tracks are hard work too, and my latest have taken me about two years, and are still not
ready for release. I do agree that getting the data correct for cars is very difficult, just look
at the Power&Glory project for GTL/GTR2, they spend years collecting data and tweaking
the cars. I love that mod, and especially the Corvettes

 

[Some1]

Hehe, I'm glad another discussion is firing up, but let's not get too offtopic here.

Anyway, I think, it is easier and faster to create a fantasy concept car than to model some existing car. You don't have to spend so much time trying to get some areas look perfectly accurate to the real thing, you just use your imagination. On the other hand, if you are a perfectionist and have lots of ideas you also might end up changing your concept all the time without ever finishing it.

Yes, the professionals might have it easier with their laser scanned tracks and CAD car models. But also, many titles reuse their content and only make a few changes here and there... think about NFS series or Forza -- they probably have been modeling the same cars so many times that it doesn't take very much time to even completely remodel one that has been modeled before.

Anyway, I will post new updates on the concept soon. I have a few ideas for the lights, perhaps I make a poll hehe. If you guys want to ever drive this thing in Racer, I need somebody to create the physics for me, since I cannot be bothered with that area I really don't even have any idea what kind of engine it should have - normal gasoline, an electric, hybrid or nuclear perhaps? 1.21 gigawatts anyone?

 

[luthobu]

@Some1: sorry for the OT, tuned it down a bit. About the engine, the chassis
looks very futuristic, so it should run on something that there will be enough of
in the future. WiFi perhaps? Hybrid seems like a good choice.

 

[KS95]

Twin turbo hybrid V8 would be fun

 

[Stereo]

Hmm, electric forced induction hybrid? You could put a blower on the electrical circuit rather than driving it from the exhaust/belt, and have direct control of how much extra compression you get at any RPM.

 

[Mr Whippy]

You may as well scavenge the exhaust gasses though, it's free energy.

What we need are electrically assisted chargers

Dave

 

[Stereo]

Hmm, a hybrid turbocharger, exhaust+electric, on a hybrid gas+electric engine, like the way you think.

(sorry about the last post being off-topic: the advantage of a concept car is that 'realistic' is the only bar it needs to reach, 'accurate' is meaningless unless you use off the shelf parts)