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Z3r0to1

5+ Year Contributor
55
6
Mar 21, 2018
Markle, Indiana
Let me just preface this with I have only had minimal experience (3-4 years) with design software, mainly Autodesk products, and that I do fully understand that Photoshop is capable of doing what I want. My issue with Photoshop is that (to my knowledge) it isn't geared to engineering, or actual construction of products, while programs like Inventor or Revit are. Anyways, I was simply wondering if anyone had ever done a full scale creation of either of our cars (preferably a 2G :p), because I feel like our car is falling behind in the aesthetics department. I completely understand and get that most of the guys who run these cars enjoy the stock look and that's okay (I hate all but one body-kit out for our car currently too (gotta love Andrew)), but the car could use some livening up. Always been more of a function over form guy myself though, so getting things to be functioning is important. Hence the need for something a little more in-depth than Photoshop. I wanted to do things like design working undertrays, test them in a virtual CFD, and work on making legitimate air ducts into wide body kits (because "thicc"-er is always better right?). I wanted to create this thread not only to see if anyone had attempted it before, but to see if people would even be interested in it. I want to make sure that our cars aren't the unrecognizable coupe as they seem to be portrayed to be. Don't get me wrong, sleepers are great, but can you really deny the utter stunning-ness that is a loud, wide, RX-7 or Supra? I think it's time to roll with the big boys...
Lemme know what you think (suggestions, ideas, hate, violent remarks about how the stock body is clearly the only way to have this car because ricers are gross LOL), and if you files that could be used in development they would be very well appreciated. Thanks so much, and keep that speedometer in the triple numbers :dsm:
 
Step 1 would be to get the car into a CAD program. The easiest way to do that is to find someone with a 3d scanner.
 
There's quite a lot of folks that have used their own 3D modelling skills to come up with amazing products for our cars. Well, technically all DSMs were designed with 3D modelling as they were all engineered after the point where the industry switched from hand drawings to computer modelling. But it's always nice to see a brand new product made and designed by someone with 3D modelling. Back in University they taught us in CATIA so in my free time I fooled around with it and made some random parts with very rough measurements. An example would be this, and it's not accurate by far but just something I wanted to mock up:
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At one point I had the 3000GT caliper 99% accurately modeled. I had the real thing and basically made a 3D model of it to help me design my brackets. Unfortunately the file got corrupt... My CATIA license expired so I haven't messed with it, but I really would like to get back to it and maybe design a proper thing. A custom catch can is something I need to do definitely.

Anyway, definitely go for it man but make sure you choose the right software. There's a few people who have designed some proper race-spec aero kits for the 2G so maybe they can give you some more insight.
 
Step 1 would be to get the car into a CAD program. The easiest way to do that is to find someone with a 3d scanner.
I was thinking about assembling a cheap one just to get basic measurements and curvatures down. I'll be sure to keep giving it some more thought.
There's quite a lot of folks that have used their own 3D modelling skills to come up with amazing products for our cars. Well, technically all DSMs were designed with 3D modelling as they were all engineered after the point where the industry switched from hand drawings to computer modelling. But it's always nice to see a brand new product made and designed by someone with 3D modelling. Back in University they taught us in CATIA so in my free time I fooled around with it and made some random parts with very rough measurements. An example would be this, and it's not accurate by far but just something I wanted to mock up:
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At one point I had the 3000GT caliper 99% accurately modeled. I had the real thing and basically made a 3D model of it to help me design my brackets. Unfortunately the file got corrupt... My CATIA license expired so I haven't messed with it, but I really would like to get back to it and maybe design a proper thing. A custom catch can is something I need to do definitely.

Anyway, definitely go for it man but make sure you choose the right software. There's a few people who have designed some proper race-spec aero kits for the 2G so maybe they can give you some more insight.
That's the FIRST time I've seen a portion of our car in a CAD program, so that's some good motivational support. As a concern for the software, I'm currently enrolled at university so I get to reap the benefits of a good ole' student license. I'm starting to just sketch things out and trying to get the basic car shape down right now. Mitsu engineers loved their curves man, lemme tell ya. I'll post some of the renders once I finish up, but thank you both for your two cents. Shoutout anymore ideas if you ever get any and PM me if you ever want a schematic/rendering of your own. Gotta bring this community to the digital age somehow.
 
Would you be designing only aggressive widebody kits or would you consider mild restyling as well. I agree with you fully on the body kits that are out there. They are mostly nasty to begin with, or very dated and rice bowl. Its hard to improve on the stock kit, personally my favorite so far is the 2gb front bumper with the large I/C cutout, talon twisty side skirts, and 2Gb rear bumper in a few different modified forms.
another thing is a decent aftermarket hood. WTF man? they're all pretty gross. why cant they keep the oe look and just add some small vents to let some air out without totally restyling the lines of the hood. The AMB hood is the only heavily modified piece I've liked. I cant even use mine because its meant for the widebody fenders. please design something better.
 
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Would you be designing only aggressive widebody kits or would you consider mild restyling as well. I agree with you fully on the body kits that are out there. They are mostly nasty to begin with, or very dated and rice bowl. Its hard to improve on the stock kit, personally my favorite so far is the 2gb front bumper with the large I/C cutout, talon twisty side skirts, and 2Gb rear bumper in a few different modified forms.
another thing is a decent aftermarket hood. WTF man? they're all pretty gross. why cant they keep the oe look and just add some smack vents to let some air out without totally restyling the lines of the hood. The AMB hood is the only heavily modified piece I've liked. I cant even use mine because its meant for the widebody fenders. please design something better.
I'm down for that man. Ive already made some widebody add-ons that you could mold onto the body (in other words they flow with the lines), and I honestly didn't even think about the hood at first but that's a great idea. I've always been a fan of the RX-7 FD hoods with the multiple cutouts or even the single inversed hole on the 86 chassis'. It's something about the look, I feel like it would flow well with our cars. I actually was going to do a redesigned bumper as well, but more for a function piece. A big issue with diffusers on our cars is that you either have to buy one that isn't effective because it's too low, or you have to chop up your bumper to get it to the correct height. I wanted to make a bumper that would already be lifted, and then design a full undertray for actual racecar applications. I'll probably run one on my DD though because why the hell not? :D Mine as well add some more weight to the rear, not like it's heavy right now. Thank you though for the inspiration, I'll start looking around for inspiration and try to make something someone will enjoy. Keep spouting off ideas if you get any others!
EDIT: Completely spaced on answering your first question, I would be more than happy to go after a mild (or aggressive LOL) restyling of the car.
 
I actually made a separate forum and found this one afterwards. I'm interested to see if anyone has exact measurements/drawings for certain parts. At my job I live inside Solidworks and SolidEdge and I'd be interested to model some parts of the cars.
 
I actually made a separate forum and found this one afterwards. I'm interested to see if anyone has exact measurements/drawings for certain parts. At my job I live inside Solidworks and SolidEdge and I'd be interested to model some parts of the cars.
I've yet to finish any good renders, but I'll definitely PM you whenever I finish them up. Is there any area you were looking to focus on? I can try finishing up those first if you want.
 
I've yet to finish any good renders, but I'll definitely PM you whenever I finish them up. Is there any area you were looking to focus on? I can try finishing up those first if you want.
I'm interested in the hatch/rear quarterpanel area. I want to design a ductail spoiler to get rid of my big aluminum wing. Can you make them able to become STEP files and think you'll be able to get proper dimensions?
 
I'm interested in the hatch/rear quarterpanel area. I want to design a ductail spoiler to get rid of my big aluminum wing. Can you make them able to become STEP files and think you'll be able to get proper dimensions?
Just to get general ideas on how things would work I was HEAVILY guessing on dimensions, but if youre doing something as detailed as that then yes I'll get as accurate as I can. And if I can't I'll tell you which areas are rough.
 
I haven't been able to find a good 3d model of the 2g to be able to use to create some body mod ideas. They're all very simple or video game quality. If you do end up creating a model i'd be interested in getting an obj version to be able to mock up some ideas in 3d.

I imagine there would be a lot of measuring to get an exact 3d model made. Or the use of those point to point modeling systems but I don't know enough about how you'd go about doing that.
 
This would be a huge undertaking. I live in the 3D modeling world for fabrication & inspection. Sorry but I don't see this ever coming to fruition. Almost nothing on a car is striaght forward & right angled, most all complex curves, drafts, & lofts.
 
Oh there's going to be A LOT of measuring involved. Have nothing but time though, so it's been a project I've been trying to tackle. I wanted to get a full model solely for the purpose of throwing it into a CFD analyzer and seeing how certain aero parts would work. Function over form I guess, but it'll be an easier way to design parts (for me at least). But yeah I'll be sure to send whatever file format you need. I'm gonna tackle the frontend tonight while I have time.

This would be a huge undertaking. I live in the 3D modeling world for fabrication & inspection. Sorry but I don't see this ever coming to fruition. Almost nothing on a car is striaght forward & right angled, most all complex curves, drafts, & lofts.
That's what makes it fun ;)
 
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I have 3D modeled most of the 2G suspension, even getting some of the more complex OEM components professionally 3D scanned, the rest (including Bobby's and Paul Volks stuff) I just measured myself.
The pink in the image below is what I got with my crap $400 scanner, almost unusable. I was able to derive most of the chassis mounting points from the Body Repair Manual, but even then there are a few dimensions in the BRM that don't make sense.
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I also have some plans for fender flares for 285 (or maybe wider) tires. For that effort I did drop my car off at a company with high end 3D scanners and had just the front fender and the front & rear wheel areas scanned.
My guess would be it would cost a couple thousand to scan the entire vehicle.

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For most things, scanning is definitely the way to go. Much more expensive, but it's almost impossible to make things like the fenders 100% accurate from scratch. When I compare mine to the one you've scanned, it's very different. But for smaller parts which are more simple in shape, a few hours with some vernier calipers and a CAD program is enough to make it into a usable 99% accurate model.

OR someone can hack into Mitsubishi's old database of 3D models (they still exist somewhere), 'borrow' them and upload them here. Wouldn't that be something!
 
I have 3D modeled most of the 2G suspension, even getting some of the more complex OEM components professionally 3D scanned, the rest (including Bobby's and Paul Volks stuff) I just measured myself.
The pink in the image below is what I got with my crap $400 scanner, almost unusable. I was able to derive most of the chassis mounting points from the Body Repair Manual, but even then there are a few dimensions in the BRM that don't make sense.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.


I also have some plans for fender flares for 285 (or maybe wider) tires. For that effort I did drop my car off at a company with high end 3D scanners and had just the front fender and the front & rear wheel areas scanned.
My guess would be it would cost a couple thousand to scan the entire vehicle.

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First off, those are amazing. Just saying.
For most things, scanning is definitely the way to go. Much more expensive, but it's almost impossible to make things like the fenders 100% accurate from scratch. When I compare mine to the one you've scanned, it's very different. But for smaller parts which are more simple in shape, a few hours with some vernier calipers and a CAD program is enough to make it into a usable 99% accurate model.

OR someone can hack into Mitsubishi's old database of 3D models (they still exist somewhere), 'borrow' them and upload them here. Wouldn't that be something!
And secondly, stop with the temptation ROFL
For real though, I think thats the point thats kind of being missed, and I just want to clarify for anyone reading into this with intent: the objective isn't to make a spitting image complete with mounting locations and all in a CAD program. That would be absolutely fantastic, but I have neither the time nor money for that. Like ileagleracing was saying, most measurements for important fabrication can be taken by hand. The only thing I'm attempting to do is get a version of our car into a CAD program that is with restraints close to an inch. Half an inch would be amazing, but that's too close to a 3D scanner for me to even attempt. At the level I'm attempting, a CFD would be damn near spot on, I would venture the same difference as cold air vs hot air for aero. The way I see it, as long as the curvatures are roughly (within constraints) to where they need to be, the CFD simulations will show accurate results. I'm not Andrew Brilliant. Let me just clarify that right now.
EDIT: More of a Kei Miura type myself...
 
The only thing I'm attempting to do is get a version of our car into a CAD program that is with restraints close to an inch. Half an inch would be amazing, but that's too close to a 3D scanner for me to even attempt.

The cheap handheld scanner I bought easily has +/- .5 inch resolution.
It would probably take about 20-25 separate scans that would need to be stitched together to do 1 half of the car (could then by mirrored to get the full car).
Not worth it for me, since I want an end product to manufacture to.

What I have is the previous version of this: https://www.3dsystems.com/shop/sense

OR someone can hack into Mitsubishi's old database of 3D models (they still exist somewhere), 'borrow' them and upload them here. Wouldn't that be something!

Would probably be in a Chrysler database. Back in the early 90's it would also be CATIA V3, probably wireframe only, maybe solids, maybe not. Would definitely be a lot of reverse engineering necessary to get something useful, but I would still give my left nut to have that data.
 
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The cheap handheld scanner I bought easily has +/- .5 inch resolution.
It would probably take about 20-25 separate scans that would need to be stitched together to do 1 half of the car (could then by mirrored to get the full car).
Not worth it for me, since I want an end product to manufacture to.

What I have is the previous version of this: https://www.3dsystems.com/shop/sense
I'll definitely check into it. And yeah, it's kind of annyoing that there isn't an easier way to do this. There are car databases out there for design, but DSM's are easily shadowed by Ferrari's, Porsche's, and Mclaren's.
I would still give my left nut to have that data.
Same here brother ROFL
 
Okay, so I'm a dumb*ss. Literally saw a reference to a 3D database website in an Up To Speed video (shoutout Donut Media), I went to the website and found a file immediately. Even a Brian O'Connor styled one if you're into that. I'm gonna go over the files and check out which one's the best as I downloaded multiple. I'll post it after I decide. Oh and they're full body designs in case anyone was wondering, so I can't really send portions of the car but the whole car. Hopefully that isn't an issue.
 
I have 3D modeled most of the 2G suspension, even getting some of the more complex OEM components professionally 3D scanned, the rest (including Bobby's and Paul Volks stuff) I just measured myself.
The pink in the image below is what I got with my crap $400 scanner, almost unusable. I was able to derive most of the chassis mounting points from the Body Repair Manual, but even then there are a few dimensions in the BRM that don't make sense.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.


I also have some plans for fender flares for 285 (or maybe wider) tires. For that effort I did drop my car off at a company with high end 3D scanners and had just the front fender and the front & rear wheel areas scanned.
My guess would be it would cost a couple thousand to scan the entire vehicle.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
This manual for mounting points? Does it list distances between them all? Think you could help me eith done data from this manual please?
 
Okay, so I'm a dumb*ss. Literally saw a reference to a 3D database website in an Up To Speed video (shoutout Donut Media), I went to the website and found a file immediately. Even a Brian O'Connor styled one if you're into that. I'm gonna go over the files and check out which one's the best as I downloaded multiple. I'll post it after I decide. Oh and they're full body designs in case anyone was wondering, so I can't really send portions of the car but the whole car. Hopefully that isn't an issue.

Are they made with proper dimensions?
I actually tried calling FCA to see if they could dig up the old CAD models. Feel free to try for yourself, I didn't get past tech-support because nobody knows where to send you. Even if I ask just to talk to an engineer they can't transfer me anywhere useful.
 
You'll have to excuse my laziness, calculus was taking a lot outta me this week, but I finally got to checking on the models. They are fullsize, and they are pretty damn impressive. One side is without wheels, which can easily be fixed by yours truly, so I'm gonna tweak some things and then can share the correct formatted files to whomever wants them.
 
alright so this thing is damn near dead by now, but I finally got enough of a break from boring college stuff to sit down and actually draft a design. the attached images aren’t set in stone by any means and are geared toward an aerodynamic approach rather than aesthetic. also, they’re so f*cking rough man LOL. good enough for CFD though. they’re currently being ran through that as i’m typing this out so i’ll give an update once i edit things down to a number i like. anyways, hope you enjoy.
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