What you'll learn

Computer generated cars are a staple of film and commercial projects. Whether the parts all fly together before our eyes in a commercial meant to show off superior engineering, or the car is tossed around by gigantic creatures in a feature film, there is a need to create 3D automotive models. The different parts of a car present specific challenges but also provide certain advantages. The workflow for creating a car can vary, from using NURBS curves and surfaces, to box modeling. In this tutorial, we'll use an edge modeling method to begin building our Audi R8. Once we're happy with the shape, we can cut the panels apart and add thickness. We'll cover methods for maintaining hard edges and smooth contours. We'll cover the common polygon modeling tools as well as some new tools in the Modeling Toolkit that will make certain tasks much easier. It's a big project, but we'll go step by step so that by the end, you'll have created a 3D car from scratch and you'll have the knowledge you need to build your own vehicle. ''Audi'', ''R8'' and the four rings logo are registered trademarks of AUDI AG. Software required: Maya 2014.