I'll post a screenie of how I do it when I get home - away on business for the next day and a half.

quick small update for the night, did a bit more on the front end, added the bumper molding that runs across the middle and added some fender flares and started to shape the side marker.

im gonna try that poly smooth with the hard edges tomorrow


http://www.3d-dan.com/img/280z/2807.jpg

So here's the dealio. Before a mesh smooth, I do my corners like the attached screenie. The thing you have to be careful of is keeping the verts numbered 1 and 2 evenly spaced from the corner you want the hard edge on. These don't need to be another corner, I'm just talking about the next vert away from the corner.

After the smooth, it'll look like the attached. If you don't have 1 and 2 spaced correctly from the corner, 3 will be misplaced and cause an problematic crease in the mesh.

that worked amazing, exactly what i was looking for, perfect.

Glad it worked for ya! Keep the spacing thing in mind though. It can go wrong.

here are my results using that method of adding edges.

http://www.3d-dan.com/img/280z/2808.jpg

can anyone tell if its getting better?


now i gotta work on that hood to get it lined up and use that squaring method to make my corner light holes square and add corner markers in the bumper.

here is a bit of an update.

i lined up the hood slightly better, made the corner markers fit better in the bumper and tweaked it all just a bit.

http://www.3d-dan.com/img/280z/2809.jpg


comments comments comments, good? bad?

i still need the headlight made and placed in the housing and i might put a lens over the housing. other than that the front end is 90% done.

here it is attached to the rest of the rough body

http://www.3d-dan.com/img/280z/28010.jpg

looks kinda funny

I like it TD. Edges are looking much better now!

My personal preference is to model the whole car as one object and then split panels out. A variation on this idea might be to do a cluster of panels together and them split them off. This might have been useful for the bonnet to front guard seam. If you'd modelled them as one piece, you'd have continuity and could then split them apart and define the edges - saves a bunch of mucking around trying to get things lined up.

Just a thought

MrR

here is a shot at the rims
i got a general shape, just need to add lugnut holes, and a centercap and make two different offsets for the lip and then define the shape a bit.

http://www.3d-dan.com/img/280z/wheels.jpg

here is an update, still working on the frontal area of the car.

i needed tires but my tread wasn't working out great so i cheated and used a tire from an old wip (my old nsx)
they look great and will work just fine for this wip, and safe me some frustration.

what do you guys think?

i still have a lot of work to do with the headlight and headlight housing, but other than that the front end is 100% done.

here is an updated render with the entire front end, tires and everything.

i made the hood a darker color to see how it would work as i was trying to make it match the rims a bit.

http://www.3d-dan.com/img/280z/28011.jpg

Is there overlap there on the front corner of the bonnet or is it just a shadow? If there is overlap, is that how it goes? Not sure - just thought it worth a mention.

thanx, i think its not quite matched up right, when i move further down the car it should be fixed once all the correct body panels are added.

I stumbled across a picture of an actual Z. This reference photos might help if you're looking for some more.

Click here

Hope this helps!