[NeilBlanchard]

SketchUp has a several good subdivide scripts, but the one that I bought doesn't work with the Kamm back edges -- they get all stretched and scalloped and wonky...

The CarBEN EV model has lots of "hidden" polygons -- the entire battery pack (768 cells) is included, and the five 3D figures, five seats, the steering wheel component, two versions of the doors (open position and closed) -- the model has passed the threshold for my computer to handle it very quickly.

My son is pursuing a plugin for the Half Life 2 game, called Garry's Mod that can directly import SKP files, that will hopefully do CFD. It in effect "drives" the model; rather than simulating a wind tunnel. You give the vehicle "weight" and a "motor" and it then can be "driven". The fellow programing it is specifically intending it to work as aerodynamic analysis. It is a work in progress, so we'll see.

SketchUp is not a solid modeler. It was originally intended for architectural model; which is what I got it for. But there are lots of folks doing all sorts of models with it. As you can see in this thread -- and there are even more incredible models that that. Using SketchUp is quite tactile -- it's fun.