Concept 3 - a custom design 3D print

[kensar]

This is the Concept 3, a custom design and 3D print.  Named the Concept 3 because it is the third custom design I have done.  It is envisioned as a mid sized car with seating for four and an automatic transmission, having a muscle car vibe.

Paint is Splash Paints Anniversary Gold with Alclad chrome trim.  All parts are original design and 3D printed except the glass, which are smash molded PETG, and the windshield wipers which are PE.

Comments are welcome.

[johnyrotten]

Interesting design, i see a few hints of different cars there. Can I ask what, if any, vehicles inspired you while designing this?

[kensar]

Hi John.  The one car that most influenced the design is the 1968 Dodge Charger, but the front end and the back end design were conceived first.  The front end is reminiscent of a De Tomaso Mangusta.

[bondo bill]

I'm diggin that-reminds me of a marriage of a charger, monoco, covette, and mustang

[Kenmojr]

Wow, nice 3D modeling. Did you use Blender?

[michelle]

awesome work and very cool concept design 
 

[johnyrotten]

9 hours ago, kensar said:

Hi John.  The one car that most influenced the design is the 1968 Dodge Charger, but the front end and the back end design were conceived first.  The front end is reminiscent of a De Tomaso 

I knew the charger was some inspiration,  can't mistake those lines. In one of your photos the roofline to the side looks very jaguar xk. Could just be me,or the angle of the photo. Very cool concept you've built, and great work finishing and making it a reality. 👍👍

[ChrisR]

Cool!

[NOBLNG]

Great work designing it and actually building it Ken!😎 At first glance I got a Corvette vibe off of it.

[SpikeSchumacher]

Very cool! 

[kensar]

Thanks for commenting, everyone.

I use the free version of Autodesk Fusion design software.  I learned how to use it by watching YouTube videos.  The terms of use dictate that I cannot use the software for commercial purposes.

When I develop a design, I usually have an idea for only a part of the vehicle, typically based on some design feature of another vehicle.  After I get started, I need to 'fill in' the rest of the design and this is usually not based on any particular vehicle.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice to see a well-turned-out original design. It looks like quality craftsmanship.  

[lordairgtar]

What is smash molding?

[Roger U]

Very nice. A unique design cleanly built and a nice paint job.

[kensar]

Smash molding is a simple way to mold a sheet of material into a 3D shape.

Referring to the picture below, the gray mold was made in the design software and was printed as a part on the 3D printer.  it fits up into the body where the interior is, and conforms to its interior shape.  I have traced the window shapes with a marker for reference.  I use a heat gun (chrome thingy in the picture) to heat a sheet of PETG to form the windows.

Next I clamp a piece of PETG in some clamps to hold it and heat it over the heat gun.  Watch those fingers - it gets hot!

When the PETG sheet is soft and pliable, I 'smash' it over the mold where the window I want to make is.  If the PETG gets too hot, it turns white and it's ruined.

I make the windshield, side windows, and back window separately.  Then cut them out and glue them into the body.

In the picture above, the PETG is covered by a protective film and doesn't look clear, but after the film is peeled off, the PETG is VERY clear.  The film must be removed before heating.  Here I was just demonstrating the process.  The PETG sheets are available on Amazon and are 0.015" thick.

Hope this process is clear.  Thanks for looking in on this project.

 

[kensar]

Seems I forgot to include some interior pics.

I wanted the interior to have a early 1970s look.

 

[Kah puts]

Great proportions and details 👍

[Spex84]

Awesome! You nailed the look, and the paint color is perfect. I'm delighted to see custom-designed 3D printed creations turning up on the forums. The potential is unlimited. 

This design also reminds me of the old Fischer Body Craftsman's Guild contest entries from the 1960s.

Thanks for your description of smash-molding and the materials involved...I saved a screenshot to my how-to folder. Right now, the custom-designed bodies I've made in Blender only need flat glass, but in future I might try something a little more ambitious!