MX-3.com

Hope it works better than 3DSOM I tried to use for the lantis spindles

Well I'm not holding my breath but it looks promising. I'm going to download the software tonight and give it a go.

OH....123D Catch is the friggin BOMB!!!

Check it out.

You take a bunch of pictures of any non reflective object, upload them to the Autodesk Cloud and their monster computer stitches the photos together by identifying common points in the various pictures to create a 3 dimensional scene. Then they send you a link to download it back to your computer.

It creates a 3D mesh, which you can then move into other design and drafting software like Alias or a new one I didn't know about called Mudbox...which is pretty frickin cool too. I'll have a working model by the end of the week.

I had tried to do the 3D capture thing with my point and shoot Sony camera with little success. The problem is reflection. Any reflection off the surface of the object you're attampting to capture seems to confuse the software creating voids and wierd depressions in the 3D capture. So I had a professional photographer friend of mine take a bunch of pictures of the model for me trying to eliminate as much reflection as possible.

The pics came out really nice...









There are still some issues with the capture however. The color of the clay seems to be very tricky and the software is still seeing surface changes that aren't really there. Here's a quick vid of the 3D capture.

http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff84 ... video1.mp4

PRetty cool but not quite good enough to model with. This is what the mesh that the 3D capture software creates looks like...



You can see on the roof there how it's all wavy. It's just super hard to get a perfectly consistent looking surface. The camera picks up very fine differences in shade and the software see that as surface changes.

I got a tablet for sketching and drafting today and I'm going to see if I can clean up the mesh myself enough to export it to Inventor.

It's a process. It's all about the learning.

I just jizzed in my pants. That looks amazing!
Awesome work with the 3d software - I know all too well how annoying & tricky editing meshes can be!!! Especially the complex geometries & perfectly smoothed surfaces of cars!
You're doing a rad job, mate

Possible to paint the model with something very flat and non reflective?

You'll be re-modelling it anyway, so I wonder how perfect of a scanned in model you need, perhaps only enough to trace over ?

Super cool.

ethand wrote:I just jizzed in my pants. That looks amazing!
Awesome work with the 3d software - I know all too well how annoying & tricky editing meshes can be!!! Especially the complex geometries & perfectly smoothed surfaces of cars!
You're doing a rad job, mate

Thanks Ethan.

Ryan wrote:Possible to paint the model with something very flat and non reflective?

You'll be re-modelling it anyway, so I wonder how perfect of a scanned in model you need, perhaps only enough to trace over ?

Super cool.

Yeah we talked about coating it with something. I guess it's just a bit too scary at this point. I have about 5 months invested in the model and even thought it's not perfect if I damage it I would have to start again. You're right though, even once I do get it digitized I will still have a fair bit of work to do to get it really perfect.

My current plan involves the use of 3DS Max to model the car from orthoganal views of the model. The hardest part of that is learning to use the software, but this particular thing is done by lots of amateurs. That 3D model of an MX-3 that you've seen for video games was done by a regular guy in an older version of 3D Max. The digital rendering I got from this experiment just has way too many vertices. It's almost impossible to work with.

Ryan wrote:Possible to paint the model with something very flat and non reflective?

Moonwax.

You should try modeling in chocolate, the design might come out more tasteful

Boo...hiss...

ethand wrote:

Ryan wrote:Possible to paint the model with something very flat and non reflective?

Moonwax.

Plastidip, then peel off after

Progress has been slow as I learn some new modelling and drafting skills. I am still constantly making minor changes to the solid model, but mostly it's in my head for when I can get to that point in the digital modelling process.

I have started modeling the chassis parts. Spindles, wheels, suspension parts...etc. but it's slow going. Lots to do and very tricky parts.

But just so you all know, I haven't quit.

OK I burned out my last brain cell on this one but hey,,,how about womens make up. You can either blotch it on with a pad or use a nice $25.00 soft make up brush. My daughter would know which make up you would need to flatten out that shine and would probably donate it free of charge.

Yeah the problem with that whole direction of trying to photograph it and the shine and so on is that the clay is oil based. Nothing will stick to it and I don't want to put anything on it that will affect my ability to rework it in the future. Using the photos I do have I am working on making up some wireframe blueprint type images to use in the modeling software. That part actually isn't that hard. It's learning the modeling software that's kicking my a--.

Cool project, have you looked into DDR? http://www.ddrmotorsport.com this car you can buy for 18,000 as a rolling chassis and build the rest.