i am toying with the idea of designing and building me own gs bodywork :icon_razz:
as a first step i'll design a CG 3D model...
but for that i will need a CG 3D model of the bike or at least the frame which i figure can be achieved in 3 ways:
1. find one. will suzuki cooperate? do the aftermarket manufacturers have these things?
2. render using blueprints
3. measure myself
i guess first step will be contacting aftermarket manufacturers and.. learning to design stuff :)
Unless you are going to go into any serious production, like injection molding, a 3D model of the part is basically useless.
Small production is generally done with mock-ups and masters to pull a mold from. Then this is typically done with hand lay-ups of fiberglass or carbon fiber.
Quote from: dgyver on July 28, 2006, 09:40:15 AM
Unless you are going to go into any serious production, like injection molding, a 3D model of the part is basically useless.
Small production is generally done with mock-ups and masters to pull a mold from. Then this is typically done with hand lay-ups of fiberglass or carbon fiber.
Yup. Do it simply for fun and to help you get ideas for the body work. The 3D model will serve no practical purpose.
-Turd.
I say.. if you can do the 3d model in a day or two.. Do the 3d model, just for the fact, you will easily get a chance to play around with the body.. You can change things much easier this way than on paper.. and get a 3d view.
I do agree with all of the above though.. the 3d model will be useless except conceptial reasons.
Personally.. I am decent at autocad .. and something like this would take me forever to do with all the curves and such.. so it wouldn't be helpful at all over pencial and paper.
Also, if you do want to go in production with injection molding.. you CAN use an existing piece (once you get it made) to make the mold.. Oh yeah.. by the way, since parts will not be SUPER detailed. you will not have ot use injection molding (unless you are wanting ot push out one every minute or so).. Youcan use regular molding to produce one every day or so.
If you have questions about modling, PM or email me.. I have limited experience :)
You need some sort of sketch or render to work off of... yes, it's a lot of work, but to make things symetrical, you're really going to want a good model for templates and such. Not necessarily how everything mounts and such, but you're going to want a front, rear, top, and side veiws. You're going to spend MUCH MUCH MUCH more time if you try to do this without good orthographical drawings to reference. Take the time to do a simple model(doesn't need to be super complicated... just get the outside shapes as you want them.
After that, it's really a matter of strapping some foam onto the bike, and going at it with shaping tools. I do this stuff every day at school(not necessarily on the scale of a full bike, but creating models of designs like that from scratch). I'd be happy to give you some pointers in the right direction if you need some help.
Been there, done that. :icon_lol:
(http://www.knology.net/~ARS/images/GSupperLF.jpg)
I wish I could go back and get the hundreds of hours I spent on it back...
Its ALOT of work, and now that the GS already comes with pretty good bodywork, why bother?
maybe the people who do frame straightening have blueprints?
No, they take geometry measurements from specific points on the bike (top of the forks, rear swingarm pivot, etc) and then compute the distances and angles. They compare these to the factory specific rake, trail, etc. numbers.
what exactly do they compare it to?
JamesG, dgyver, and airbrush (huggers) are the most experienced in this aspect of our hobby -- heed their words.
But if you must spend some money, check out THIS BOOK. (http://www.primediawebstore.com/kitcar/detail/PRI+136593) It just might save you a few hours of effort.
Quote from: Dawn Light on July 29, 2006, 07:43:53 AM
what exactly do they compare it to?
The chassis geometry numbers listed by the manufacturers for that model motorcycle.
I know what you are asking, but frame straighteners don't have and don't even care about a listing of every frame dimension. Even the factories probably don't have that handly and sure aren't going to give it out to some Joe off the street.
You're going to have to do the leg work yourself. Measureing all the dimensions and inputing it into your model. There are several pretty good line drawings of the front and side profiles of the GS that you can start with though. Should be able to find them via google.
Do you not like the stock GS plastic or are you just trying to avoid the cost of buying it? If its' the latter, estimate how many hours you'll spend designing/fabricating. You may find that working the same hours at a part-time job will fund not only stock plastics but also other mods.