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Old 10-20-2016, 02:35 AM
Arminius Arminius is offline
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Default Collecting data from another body

I have a new project coming into the shop, the job is to construct a replica body on a vintage chassis.

There is one example of the original body, and I have permission to visit and take measurements.

I would like to see if I can produce a buck in solidworks and am contemplating the data I'ill need to collect be able to construct it virtually.

I can't really use FSPs because the body has numerous hand painted elements which I would be concerned about damaging.

I had thought that aside from photographs in plan, side, front and rear elevations, I would make sets of sweeps running the centre line of the car, then perpendicular to this at various stations running through the length of the body. Datum top of the chassis frame.

I am not sure how I mark the station lines on the body, I presume a very low tack sticker or similar, this will show the direction the sweeps have to follow.

Has anyone done similar? I have searched the forum and following concensus am going to try to make it as skeletal as I can rather than the solid forms I have seen used which can inhibit access to the rear. The car is a fair distance from me so I would like to minimise the number of visits - i.e get as much data needed in a single hit.
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Old 10-20-2016, 03:25 AM
Richard Lennard Richard Lennard is offline
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Hire a 3D hand held scanner, scan and break down into x sections / buck.
No, I havent done it, but have researched for a similar issue.
It isnt cheap and you may or may not have the knowledge to convert but it does work.
Plus you have a record forever and the information is easily passed onto others for free or payback towards costs.
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Old 10-20-2016, 11:26 AM
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Superleggera Superleggera is offline
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I once had to create a buck but the owner of the original vehicle (worth $25M+) was adamant that no computers could be utilized due to possibility of the data being sold for $$$$, easily transferred (free to friends) or him seeing bad replicas built by others using the shape of his automobile.

Thus we used lasers (w/levels) to project grids upon the car. Low tack tape used to block reference lines. Then utilized wood stations (vertical and horizontal) that we constructed that were backfilled with wood blocks (screws) that came within 1/4-5/8ths inch of the bodywork itself. Then plasticene (waterless) clay was used to grab the final shape itself between the tape line and the wood block station fixture. Wood fixture stations w/clay removed carefully and the shapes were transferred to sheets of heavy paper stock with black marker pen by tracing. Recycle the clay and repeat at next measured and taped reference location. I used kitchen plastiwrap beneath the low tack tape to keep the plasticene clay from getting wedged into door gaps, hood vents, louvers, etc. Horizontal was a challenge because of reaching across the vehicle itself. Remember you only need to do typically 50% of the vehicle.

Was it a fast method of doing. No. Did it work? Yes. We hired a professional detailer once completed to fully detail the car when finished of any possible residue or contamination. It was Pebble Beach ready to be honest before and after we finished.

Paper pattern shapes were transferred to wood buck. Then all the "data paper patterns" were burned and visually recorded while doing. Once the aluminum bodywork was built for the sister vehicle that had the same style coachwork originally, the buck itself was doused in diesel and burned and visually recorded in doing. The data / shapes are now lost again to future generations. Both owners are happy.

Unfortunately I know of several vehicles that were 3D scanned and the data ended up going out the backdoor (restoration shop employee and a 3D scanning shop) and resold/freebie to others without owners or restoration shops permission or knowledge. Not cool.

"Ethics" is something that is never discussed at times when it comes to the world of recreating automobile shapes and what happens with the bucks, 3D data or CAD models themselves.
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Old 10-20-2016, 12:57 PM
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Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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There are lots of great ideas in the buck building forum and I suggest you read the whole list. Using a scanner and CAD is definitely the 'best' solution but also probably the most expensive. A decidely lower tech that may give nearly identical results can be seen in this thread:

http://allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=1064

You might consider using an FSP using Glad Press-N-Seal instead of the low stick transfer or painters tape. I'd suggest a HEAVY coat of wax and a test over a fragile surface. The Press-N-Seal will leave a pattern on the surface that will wipe off easily and I believe (but don't know for certain) that it would be OK over a heavily waxed surface. Worth a test I'd think.

I use PressNSeal exclusively for FSPs these days on any surface that is smooth. Dirty, rusty, or similar surfaces aren't smooth enough for the film to 'stick', It has tiny little suction cups that hold it to the surface.
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Old 10-20-2016, 01:58 PM
Mike Motage Mike Motage is offline
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You can get a lot of useful information by using gridded backgrounds, cross hair laser level and digital angle finders. Pick highs, lows ,corners, windows, character lines to get many dimensions. Using a fabricated frame on the floor and a sliding bridge graduated at what intervals you deem necessary can get rest important dimensions. Just center the car inside the frame and measure in and down to get heights and widths.

Good luck with your project.
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Old 10-20-2016, 02:23 PM
Arminius Arminius is offline
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Thanks all for your suggestions, particularly the link you posted Kerry, I had missed that.

Mike would you mind just expanding on how you use the gridded background, I don't quite understand. The bridge is certainly a good idea.
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Old 10-20-2016, 02:26 PM
steve.murphy steve.murphy is offline
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Maybe use a laser distance finder (digital tape measure) and a gantry with stations so you can shoot down onto the car body. You would need to manually record all the points and then plot it out.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home...-tape-measure/
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Old 10-20-2016, 02:43 PM
Mike Motage Mike Motage is offline
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Any sheet material that is rigid enough and together taller and wider to prop behind . Grid that sheet in dimensions that make sense to you. (4"x4") or(6"x6")? If you can grid the floor you'll know your measuring square. Just be sure the gridded sheets are aligned. Also get a tripod for the laser level.
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Old 10-20-2016, 03:56 PM
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Z5Roadster Z5Roadster is offline
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Hi Will. see Kerry linked you to my Cobra Buck any thing there you need more info on let me know. As you are in the UK makes things some what easier, something you may wish to consider is to use Glad Press-N-Seal stick pin stripe tape to that in an 6" grid and make your sweeps to the grid pattern. You can't get Glad Press-N-Seal over here but I have some left, not sure if it has a shelf life but it's a start. Look at this that I am working on at the moment, it relates to using sweeps but getting the contour data from the underside so is very limited.http://www.allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=15808 Hope it helps.

Like the idea of use a laser beam to get the grid line position and once set up rotate the beam across the body not sure how you would do the lines parallel to the floor, but it could be an alternative to using a measuring bridge.
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Old 10-20-2016, 05:04 PM
sblack sblack is offline
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I don't see how the owner of a car owns the shape of the car. If anyone does it is the designer, not the owner. If somebody takes a picture of the car and sells the image that is not theft from the car owner. There are some very strange ideas out there about IP.
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