Category: 3D model and animation

BMW E46 3d model – part 1 – Blueprints and reference material

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First things first. I started by collecting blueprint images of the E46 from the net. The red and black lines were drawn to align the views and guarantee they are resized to the same scale.

These blueprints were then set as background images on the blender project:

Using these background images and several pictures of the vehicle, the main lines were sketched in 3d:

Sometimes I had to use some tape on the real model and check if the curves were right:

After a few iterations I did a test render of the model and a turn plate animation to check the overall look of the curves.

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Vehicle suspension action animation in Blender

For my project to create a 3D model of the BMW E46 I want to model how the suspension works and how it reacts dynamically. The following picture shows a clear view of the front axle suspension and steering linkage. The boomerang-shaped bright parts are the aluminum suspension arms which pivot around the line that passes trough the rubber mounting and the pivot point on the top center of the arm and support the wheel hubs.

The challenge is to create blender objects and rig them correctly to represent these components and the way they move and articulate. For that I created a small blender project with a suspension arm (orange) and shock absorber linked to a wheel hub. You can download this project and play with it.

The key interpolation method Elastic with Amplitude and Period parameters seems particularly interesting to simulate the behavior of an elastic system. This is something to explore later.

Anyway, here it is a small rendering of the suspension action: