LocostBuilders - powered by XMB

Check out my ass!

sgraber - 28/3/04 at 01:26 AM

It was a very good day in the Graber 3D cave! I spent about 8 hours straight in 3DS MAX working on the rear of my car, and also reworking the side a bit. I am happy with the result.

The tail lights are Jeep Liberty - turned sideways. Looks a lot like the Enzo! Which I like.

The images I have uploaded are not 'quite' finished, but close enough to show you guys!

More renderings here in the Gallery: http://inflow1.websaverlive.com/traycomm/gallery/balarear

The Shootist - 28/3/04 at 02:07 AM

What brand of paper towels do you use as a back bumper?

Winston - 28/3/04 at 02:35 AM

LOL! That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.

-Winston

sgraber - 28/3/04 at 03:02 AM

LOL, you are referring to the exhaust system I presume?

Graber

Alan B - 28/3/04 at 03:32 AM

Yes Steve, you are right those lights do work......IMO it is probably the nicest feature of the Enzo..

Enzo

pbura - 28/3/04 at 04:18 AM

Hey, Steve, that's very slick Really coming together, and definitely works!

Good one on the towel rolls

Winston - 28/3/04 at 02:40 PM

I forgot to mention that I think it looks good. Nice idea on the taillights.

Will the exhaust system really be exposed like that?

-Winston

sgraber - 28/3/04 at 04:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Winston
I forgot to mention that I think it looks good. Nice idea on the taillights.

Will the exhaust system really be exposed like that?

-Winston

Hi Winston,

The bottom edge of the rear bumper is not finished in those preliminary renderings. There will be an oval cut-out on the right side of the car where the 2 exhaust cans will exit. They should not protrude much. You will be able to see a hint of the cans from the rear, but not the toilet paper rolls that appear there now!

Graber

Spyderman - 28/3/04 at 06:52 PM

That top down image looks awefully familiar!
I wonder where you got the inspiration?
A certain Meerkat perhaps?

Terry

sgraber - 28/3/04 at 07:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Spyderman
That top down image looks awefully familiar!
I wonder where you got the inspiration?
A certain Meerkat perhaps?

Terry

Interesting you should say that. It wasn't done that way on purpose, but now that you mention it, the center section does bear a remblance.

The decklid needs a bump to clear the intake manifold of the 4AGE. It made sense to extend it forward to the passenger compartment and to mirror it across the other side for symmetry.

BTW - When you see the rear you will say that it bears a resemblance to any number of Ferrari's, from the side people say it bears a passing resemblance to Lamborghini... DNA from many cars I admire.

robinbastd - 28/3/04 at 09:30 PM

Please don't take this the wrong way.................Mr Graber,you do have a nice ass. It's your face I'm not so sure about.
Yer doin a properjob me'ansum.
Ian

ProjectLMP - 29/3/04 at 01:03 AM

Coming along nicely steve. IMO there's something not quite right about the back 1/3rd side profile. Can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe its too flat. Have you thought about giving it some hips or maybe waisting it in slightly in the middle. Anyway, keep up the good work.

[Edited on 29/3/04 by ProjectLMP]

Geoff011 - 29/3/04 at 02:06 AM

Steve,

Looking good. I'll second what LMP says about the rear side profile. I think the rear looks "underwheeled". I'd try adding a wheelarch lip, similar to what you've done at the front, or lowering the hip slightly, or a combination of both.

BTW, how long did it take you to learn 3DS Max?

sgraber - 29/3/04 at 03:00 AM

I definitely see what you are saying. I can see how making the back fender have a bulge would add some tension to that area and make it look more muscular. Now the difficult part. Modifying the patch. (Nurbs)

I have a long history with 3DS and therefore can't really give a specific timeframe for my learning curve. I started using 3DS v1 back in 1991 when it ran in DOS. I had a 386 with 32 megs of ram and a 80Meg drive with a 15" monitor. It was top of the line and cost $6,000! Anyone remember those 'good 'ol days'?

andkilde - 29/3/04 at 04:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by sgraber

I had a 386 with 32 megs of ram and a 80Meg drive with a 15" monitor. It was top of the line and cost $6,000! Anyone remember those 'good 'ol days'?

Had a Compaq 386/16, with a 19" EGA monitor (we called it "The Sterilizer"

which made a serious Young Frankensteinian whine when powering on or de-guassing. Only had a 40 gig drive, but the 2 meg video card cost more than $6,000 by itself as I recall.

Amazing how technology has progressed (at least on a performance per dollar basis) over the last few years. The last computer I put together out of cast offs and about $300 worth of new components is roughly 100 times as powerful as the old Compaq.

Cheers, Ted

derf - 29/3/04 at 09:25 PM

I think that it looks pretty darn good. I was just wondering after seeing that I looked at a few cars in my parking lot real fast, and noticed that they all have reflectors on the sides of the rear. Is this a requirement for legality? Will you be splitting the lenses and take the reflectors (which reflect up) out?

MazdaJim - 30/3/04 at 02:35 AM

Here's my suggestion for breaking up the expansive surface over the rear wheel. I added Bertone's signature rear wheel arch, a rock gaurd, and a "character gash" that washes out towards the tail lights. Just throwin' out ideas!

-James

sgraber - 30/3/04 at 03:58 AM

quote:
Originally posted by derf
... noticed that they all have reflectors on the sides of the rear. Is this a requirement for legality? Will you be splitting the lenses and take the reflectors (which reflect up) out?

No, I think I will leave them there for the helicopters. Or maybe those 4 ton SUV's that seem to be rolling all over God's creation out here in the USA southwest. I just hope they don't roll over me.

There will be additional sidemarker lights both front and back. Small ones.

I see where your going with the Bertone thing Jim. I'm just not sure if it's my cup o'tea. I of course really like that you took the time to work out a solution.

I have some ideas for improcing the rear flank that involve thinning the waist-line of the car into the cockpit so I can get a more waspish curve to the rear fenders. I just don't have the time to work on it till next weekend.

Ted, that reference to the STERILIZER brings back some memories of some monitors I have used! Some of them were so bad that my eyes would jitter for hours afterwards! That was before the Swedish emmissions standards and we were interlacing the monitor to get higher resolutions! FLICKER!

It's so nice to have a twin-view Nvidia 5600FX with dual 21" monitors at 100Hz refresh rates.

How did I ever do without?

Graber

Geoff011 - 1/4/04 at 12:42 AM

Steve,

This is what I had in mind. Rear wheelarch lip and lowered hip.
Your car has a long wheelbase, so I've also lengthened the side vent to remove some of the "fat" between it and the wheelarch. If the result of this makes the car look too long and skinny in full profile view, you could try starting the side vent back a little from the front wheel.

Cheers!

Geoff
Rescued attachment sideviewrear032704.sizeda.jpg

sgraber - 1/4/04 at 04:54 AM

Yes Geoff, that's close to what I have in mind for the rear wheel arch. It may not be so sharp edged, but something like that, that then pulls inward to create a muscle bulge for the wheel.

Nice, thanks.

Graber

timf - 1/4/04 at 08:00 AM

quote:
Originally posted by sgraber
The tail lights are Jeep Liberty - turned sideways. Looks a lot like the Enzo!

steve good luck with the liberty lights
i've got one of these and they are a complete barsteward to even change a bulb in, special tools required etc.

sgraber - 2/4/04 at 02:45 PM

Aaargh. Well I will buy one on ebay. They go for about $40. I will have to try it myself. But thanks for the heads-up!

Graber

derf - 2/4/04 at 08:22 PM

no what you need is a wing, and some Chrome 20" spoked rims, some chrome trim. Pimp it out BLING BLING!!!

[img][/img]

sgraber - 2/4/04 at 08:35 PM

Yo Homey! Now dat's BLING! Wha'dup?!!! Yo!!!!

Unfortunately Derf, you have Americanized it just a bit too much for my nosebleed european wannabee tastes...

derf - 2/4/04 at 09:04 PM

Yeh mine too, but there is some guy parked outside my window it is an late 80's corrolla with 15" spoked gold rims, and a wing that you could land a 747 on. I think it also has a natural compostie fiber (read plywood) front splitter too, I cant see clearly because it's raining here.

robinbastd - 2/4/04 at 09:18 PM

"european wannabee tastes... "
Mr Graber,count us Brits out as most of us don't want to be European!
Toodle pip!
Ian

sgraber - 2/4/04 at 09:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by robinbastd
"european wannabee tastes... "
Mr Graber,count us Brits out as most of us don't want to be European!
Toodle pip!
Ian

Oooohhhh I Seeeeee....

Somewhere in this thread there is a story about a kettle calling a pot black. Like the way you Brits lump all people from the USA together... Even though our country is many times larger than all of Europe (including UK) lumped together.

Graber

derf - 3/4/04 at 02:26 AM

Yes alot of us here in the US have very different tastes. Whenb I go out west to cali I see alot of cars that look like the one I posted above, but here on the east coast I find more people are into the sleeper look, they dump tons of mullah into their engines, drive around for a few weeks blow an engine, then buy a new one and dump tons of money into it. Guys in the deep south like muscle cars and pickups with big chains and keg holders in the beds, and in florida you have to be able to tow a small speed boat or a few jet skis...