Blender 3D VW Bus Project Part 4

This installment of the Blender 3D VW Bus project brings the addition of the windows for the vehicle.  With Blender's Cycles render engine the glass sky reflections in the images really shines (no pun intended).  

Taking another four hours to complete this portion of the model it has transformed the vehicle further with the installation of the glass and framing. Since the VW bus has so many windows that are exactly alike it has sped up this process a bit in creating all of the windows and the hardware that goes along with them.  I first started with the black rubber seals that go around the outer perimeter.  I then duplicated the first one and made adjustments as needed for each window opening.  Then came the chrome outer frame for the windows and finally the glass. 

A lot of detail can still be put into the windows as there are no hardware that is normally added to a functional window such as hinges and window locks.  This is obvious on the front opening windshields.  There is a small set of arms that support the tilted windshields when they are open.  I will have to do some more research as to what these arms look like to get it the way I want.  Also the first three windows just to the rear of the driver's door have windows that open as well.  I'll have to look at this and see if I want this to be shown in the model.  Why go through the effort only to find that it is not something that I think will look good in the first place. 

Lots of trim is still missing on the outside of the body at this point. I have to work on the cover for the sun roof, front headlights, bumpers, door handles, hinges and the list goes on from there. Again with the side door on the passenger side I have not decided if I want these doors to be open or stay closed at this point.  I have it modeled so that this option is an easy matter or just rotating the doors open or closed. I will have to look in to this as well.  

Then I'm not even looking at the final lighting and what the rest of the image will look like that does not even relate to the vehicle itself. I know for sure that I want to do something more than have a white flat floor that the bus is parked on.  Just not enough detail for sure. Usually with any model with this much detail in it I will spend hours just working on the lighting to get it the way I want.  I could have the vehicle parked out side with the lighting similar to what you see here or have it on display in a dealership showroom.  Some ideas to think about anyway.  A total of 29 hours is the count now for this project.  Time well spent. Enjoy the fruits of my efforts with this latest installment.

Blender 3D VW Bus Project Part 3

There is an expression that has been around for decades.  That being "Clothes make the man".  In the case of my Blender 3D VW Bus it's more like "Wheels make the van".  So is the case with the third installment with my creation of this great looking vehicle. 

I was able to copy the wheels and tires from my Blender 3D VW Bug project and bring them into this model.  This saved me a good amount of time trying to recreate something that I already had completed.  The wheels and tires really set off the vehicle already and I'm not even close to completing this project. 

Along with the wheels and tires I've added the rear louvers for engine compartment at the rear quarter panels.  This was one of the easier tasks to do as it was simply a matter of making one louvered shape and then duplicating it for the set.  Then the entire set was mirrored over to the passenger side of the body to complete the task.  Turned out very well for a little bit of effort. 

The black and chrome trim that runs around the complete body took a little figuring out to do.  This being because of the dis-similar sides of the body.  With the additional passenger doors on the passenger side of the body the trim needed to be made up in several section to allow for the door seams that the body has. Once I found a good shape for the chrome trim it was just a matter of duplicating it over and over for each section of the body.  Only the trim on the front and rear corners of the vehicle were mirrored to get it to match on both sides of the body.  Not a difficult task but like any car model it is time consuming.  What you see here has now come up to 23 hours of work..... or again I should say "play". 

 The lighting in the second picture works out very well for the project and most likely will be used in the final renders for this project.  Lots to do yet before I get there but I am making progress and liking what I've been able to create so far.  I hope you agree with that thought.  Enjoy the images.  More to come soon.

New Tools Coming To The Tinker's Workshop!

I have been a big supporter of a site called Kickstarter that has been online for some time now.  This site helps people with new products and ideas bring their creations to market.  Everything from a new movie idea to robots have been funded on Kickstarter.  On the site you will find video presentations of a new product or project that a group of people want you to support so they can reach their funding goals to get their new ideas out to the world.  You can be first in line to purchase a new product at a reduced price and help get a new industry off the ground at the same time.  

I have supported a number of smaller projects on the Kickstarter site over the past couple of years and I am always on the lookout for new tools for the workshop.  So I was really happy to find and support a new product that reached it's funding goal yesterday.  A small company in Australia named Toolbotics has created a new tool that I can't wait to get my hands on. It's called "Tooli".  This is a multi-function robotic CNC tool that is able to laser engrave, cut vinyl for signs, air brush drawings on t-shirts or any flat surface, and can pick and place parts for pattern designs.  This is just to name a few of the functions that this machine can do.  

  In the video I have below you will get a better idea of what this machine looks like, can do and how it all works.  It will be a valuable addition to the workshop and the projects that I create. Funding for the Tooli reached it's goal of $48,000 easily by raising over $66,000 to get their product into production and on the market starting early next year.  Until that time I will have to patiently wait for delivery of my new machine which will not be until March of 2016.  

The machine comes in three different sizes.  The smallest machine has a working area of 16.5" x 12" x 3".  The medium sized machine's working area is 23.6" x 16.5" x 3" and the largest machine is double that size with a very large working area of 33" x 23.6" x 3".  The price difference between the medium and large machine was only $25 dollars so it was a no-brainer when it came to deciding what machine to buy.  For what little more it cost to get the large machine it is money well spent.  I'd rather have the big machine and have the capability of covering all the bases when it comes time to put a project together rather than have the medium sized machine and finding out I needed the machine to be just a couple of inches larger to do what I planned to do in the first place.  So it was an easy decision. 

  I have lots of time to work on a stand for the Tooli machine and I already have several ideas for it's design and options as to where I am going to store it when it does arrive at here at the shop.  It will be a great addition to the line up of tools I already have and use in the shop.  I'll pass along any updates to this acquisition when I get them and remind you again when I finally have it in my hands and can start playing with it. Check out the video below and also check out the Kickstarter website.  You may find something that you could use in your workshop or hobby room that you can help get on the market for the world to see. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/

Blender 3D VW Bus Project Part 2

I've made some nice progress with the VW bus today with almost all of the panels for the body laid out and looking very close to where I want them.  As I said in my earlier post I am still learning new things when it comes to Blender and today I did just that.  I wanted to duplicate just a portion of the driver's side body so that I could use it on the passenger's side of the vehicle.  I did a little searching online and found that I can make a copy of a part and then change it with a command (Ctrl-M) and then add X,Y, or Z to get the direction I want the part to be mirrored.  This worked out great in being able to create the doors that are on the passenger side of the bus.  Saved me a lot of time and effort and the results look great. 

Once I am completely happy with how the body panels are lined up in the 3D model I will start laying out trim on the body, door handles, window trim, etc.  The plus side to doing the windows is that once I have one made I can duplicate the framework over and over and just plug them into the openings that you see here in the body.  

The rear of the bus is actually pretty simple in design and I could open this portion of the bus up also in the final model but at this point I'm not sure if I will or not.  I could set up several different views of the same bus with different doors being opened but that can wait until later.  

  I will also have to track down more reference photos of the interior for the bus to get it laid out correctly.  Again that will be farther down the line when I am fussing with more of the details at that point.  Total hours now on the model have climbed to 17 at this point.  Seems like a lot but I know I still have a long way to go before I can sign off on this project and say "Yep.... It looks good to me!"  Enjoy the photos.  More to follow in the coming weeks.

Blender 3D VW Bus Project Has Started

Between various projects that I have been working on here at my house that I've put off for way to long and the major road construction that is also taking place on my street I've started my next Blender 3D modeling project.  What you see here is a very good start to a 1960's era VW Samba bus.  Since my VW Bug project turned out so well I thought I would do the VW  bus this time around and see if I can do it justice as well.  The bus as you can tell is way different to model than the VW Beetle.  Even while planning this Blender model I've had to rethink my process for modeling it completely compared to the Bug.  This being because the bus has two different sides to the body.  On the drivers side there is only the drivers door.  On the passengers side of the vehicle there is the front door and also two more side doors for the rear passengers. I plan on modeling the interior once again in this model and I want to have these side doors open to get a better view of what is inside.  That is the plan anyway. 

  The image above as I've said is a good start but like any project it all takes time and Blender is no exception in this case.  It has taken me 13 hours just to model what you see here and I suspect that this model like the VW Bug will be a minimum of 100 hours to complete.  Another challenging project that will be fun to figure out using Blender. 

  Some of the parts like the wheels and tires I can borrow from the VW Bug and I think it will look just fine.  I want to keep this model as true to the original vehicle as I possibly can.   It pays to do the research and I've found some good photos online for this purpose.  One feature that I want to put into this model is the front windows that open outward for ventilation.  Also I am thinking about having the sun top roof open as well.  So I've got my work or should I say my play laid out for me.    

  Another note about creating what you see here.  If you'd like to be able to make your own Blender models of your favorite cars I highly recommend purchasing the DVD from CGMasters "Car Modeling and Texturing" by Christopher Plush.  This DVD can be purchased from the Blender.org website and it has gotten me started making what you have seen already with my 1927 Bugatti and the 1963 VW Beetle that I've posted about a couple of months back.  Well worth the money with easy to follow instructions on how to create what you see here. Lots of info and lots of fun to work with.  Plus I am learning a lot of new things by working through the DVD to make these vehicles. So check it out when you can find the time. I'll post more about this project as I get farther along with it to keep you up to date on how it is coming together.