Making Of 'Mercedes GP 1908'

In this image I wanted to represent the beauty that, in my opinion, all classic cars have. I have always been attracted by the cars of the early 20th century because of their beauty and the simplicity of their design - they are definitely the jewels of the automotive industry! This is why I decided to create a 3D image of the Mercedes GP 1908. This particular model is one of the first models of the motor world, and also one of the best cars ever made!
When designing, I like to look at every detail, and I aim to give my images a unique and professional quality. The phase of collecting information about the model is very important to me - reference photos, blueprints, history and anything relevant is necessary in order to make a good, deserving image and to get the correct measurements and proportions. Having said that, I also always take some artistic licence when creating my artwork, to create my own style and make the image as interesting as possible.

This design was created using Avid Softimage XSI 6.5. Modelling was simple because I used polygonal modelling; starting from primitives, or from a view, I created the profile and then made extrusions, adding polygons and creating edges, and so on (Fig.01).

Fig. 01

Fig. 01

As you can see, the rest of the objects were based on cylinders and spheres - very simple to model. The most complex parts to model were the wheels - especially the back ones as they have more parts and a system of chains, such as motorbikes and bicycles also have. I modelled the small gear wheel of the chain and the other gears, like the axes; I didn't model the relief of the tyre because I added it by means of a bump map when texturing (Fig.02 & Fig.03).

Fig. 02

Fig. 02

Fig. 03

Fig. 03

The majority of the textures used were Phong and Blinn shaders, and I used the car shader for the bodywork. Classic cars like these do not have metallic paint, but I wanted to give this car such an appearance to give it a touch of modern design (Fig.04 - Fig.06).

Fig. 04

Fig. 04

Fig. 05

Fig. 05

Fig. 06

Fig. 06

The grid of the radiator is also a texture. I didn't model some of the details of the radiator because it would have been extra work that wasn't necessary. With the texture it looks perfect (Fig.07)!

Fig. 07

Fig. 07

For the illumination I used Mental Ray, a powerful render engine included in Softimage XSI. I used an HDR environment image which, together with Final Gathering, achieved an illumination effect similar to that of a picture taken in a photographic studio (Fig.08 & Fig.09).

Fig. 08

Fig. 08

Fig. 09

Fig. 09

The image I used had black and white tones to emphasise the reflection of the metals. The lights were a spot light, with an area light activated, thereby giving more quality and creating smooth shades. In the scene there are three different lights that were placed to roughly follow the rule of the three-point lighting setup, in order to achieve a more uniform light and quality. The ground was also given a Phong shader with a very smooth reflection and a little gloss (Fig.10).

Fig. 10

Fig. 10

The camera was very close to the ground and turned slightly, giving more importance to the car and making a more creative background (Fig.11a - Fig.11c).

Fig. 11a

Fig. 11a

Fig. 11b

Fig. 11b

Fig. 11c

Fig. 11c

Once the scene was created, I made some render tests when applying the textures (I didn't texture the complete scene), and then started to render. I always prefer to make renders whenever I texture, because in this way I can correct any errors in the textures and materials. In the render tree I created the materials and applied the textures - some of which were created in Photoshop or taken from libraries of textures, giving greater photorealism to the image.

When rendering I used several passes in order to have more freedom, and I easily merged them in Photoshop, placing the reflection, alpha, AO, and so on, passes as I wanted (Fig.12 & Fig.13). The several passes made were: ambient/diffuse, shades, AO (ambient occlusion), reflection, specular, refraction, DOF (Fig.14), volumic (Fig.15) and alpha channels - one of the car and the other of the background. In this way, the final image could be mounted for much better effect.

Fig. 12

Fig. 12

Fig. 13

Fig. 13

Fig. 14

Fig. 14

Fig. 15

Fig. 15



Using Adobe Photoshop, I merged all the layers. I made some adjustments of the colour, saturation and brightness, and I applied an effect created by a Photoshop plug-in called "Bleach Bypass" (Fig.16). Very interesting!

Fig. 16

Fig. 16

Rendering is my favourite part because I can change the values or settings until I achieve the effect I personally want and like. I enjoy making many tests and creating various atmospheres, and then choosing the one I like the most. In this image, I finally added the depth of field (DOF) layer to create a slight defocusing effect on the back section, therefore simulating a camera focusing on the front and central part of the car. I added a slight noise layer and then applied the volumic layer to create a warmer atmosphere - more magic - and to give the car a touch of magnificence!

I was satisfied with the final image (Fig.17); although it's not a very complex model and is set on a simple plane, I wanted to create the scene as if it was a new concept for the classic car, something in the present day with all the improvements and comforts, whilst being faithful to the original. I didn't want to just make a copy of the car; I wanted to give it a personal touch.

Fig. 17

Fig. 17

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