Modeling - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

TheEnemy · 07-29-2010, 04:38 PM

Google sketchup, interesting free 3D modeling software, not the most powerfull, but Youtube has some good tutorials.

Google SketchUp

Car blueprints, well sort of, you might have to take a measurement or two to get the scale close. You can also get trucks, trains, plains, X-Wing fighter...

Oops that last one was my inner Geek coming out.

Blueprints - Cars

One of the tutorials, it isn't going to give you a perfect model, but it will get close.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1gG1inut8o

It should be able to get you a close model of your car so that you can then model alterations, and its all free.

NeilBlanchard · 07-29-2010, 07:57 PM

Yup, SketchUp is what I used for my CarBEN design:

gone-ot · 07-29-2010, 11:24 PM

...interesting website, but I prefer not having to "join" first.

KamperBob · 07-30-2010, 07:55 AM

Excellent thread. I started modeling my 02 Tundra. Coarse grained with overall dimensions and major surfaces was pretty fast and easy. Good enough for checking driver visibility of camper designs and refining window size and location for example. Fine grained details get exponentially time consuming though. Geometry requirements for reasonable CFD results may limit practicality or cost effectiveness, at least in 3D. In 2D things are much easier, which makes me wonder about the possibilities of doing 2D analysis in orthographic views (top, side, end) then intersecting results. In a really crude way this principal is what makes MRI and CT scans go. I wouldn't expect 2.5-D analysis to be as good as 3D but I can't help but wonder how helpful it might be...

Cheers
KB

TheEnemy · 07-30-2010, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...interesting website, but I prefer not having to "join" first.

I didn't have to join either one.

TheEnemy · 07-30-2010, 11:54 AM

Niel:

Are you using the pay version, and if so what features does it have that the free version doesn't?

KamperBob · 08-01-2010, 10:04 AM

As a test I downloaded a couple models today. No registration required, nor any problem opening them in free version of Sketchup.

Cheers
KB

NeilBlanchard · 08-01-2010, 09:25 PM

There are a few differences, but they are pretty obscure.

If anybody wants a copy of my SketchUp model of the latest CarBEN model; pm me your email and I'll send it to you.

TheEnemy · 08-03-2010, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

There are a few differences, but they are pretty obscure.

If anybody wants a copy of my SketchUp model of the latest CarBEN model; pm me your email and I'll send it to you.

Thanks, its a tandem 2 seater, mini-minivan?