'3D Studio Max'

Introduction:

The project, Alfa Romeo C8 Spyder, started as a personal challenge in order to improve my modelling techniques and final renders. The modelling of cars has always attracted and fascinated me, and this is what I specialise in. I have created some car models and the treatment of each finished model is better than the previous one. 

I choose this model for this personal project because, from the very first time I saw it in a car magazine, my attention was simply drawn to its form. It decided it was time to bring it into the world of 3D!

Research:

I started by searching for all possible references of this model, which didn’t really take me too long as there are lots of very good images on the Internet. Despite this, I couldn’t find any pictures of the Spyder model itself and so I had to use pictures of the model with a hard roof instead. From all the reference material I had gathered, I selected three images in order to create the “blueprints” from which I could begin the modelling phase.

Modelling:

I began by putting the blueprints into the viewport: front view, side view and rear view. I did not have an image of the top of the model of my choice, so I had to model this section of the car without using any references (Fig.01).

All parts of the car were created using the polygonal modelling technique, starting from the front bumper (Fig.02). I began with a plane of a single face, converted to Editable Poly (Fig.03). The plane was placed in front view and, selecting the edge side, I started to extrude along the lines of the car, following the blueprint in front view. With the upper edge, I took this upwards toward the hood of the car, so I was shaping the body of the model (Fig.04).

All parts, such as the bumper, doors, and windows and so on, were exactly the same shape: a one-sided plane that, once turned into an Editable Poly, allowed me to extrude the edges and shape the basic form of the objects, and then add the details (Fig.05).

For the modelling of the tyres, I tried to spell them out as much as possible by giving more attention to the small details, such as the brake disc and bolts. As a personal touch, I always exaggerate the size of the wheels slightly, with the purpose of further accentuating the look of a sports car (Fig.06, Fig.07 and Fig.08).