[ QUOTE ]
the point of having wider wheels would be for better traction. thinner wheels would get stuck in the mud, etc. I think, if nothing else, the front ones should be normal widths.
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Actually the opposite is true. Wide tire will tend to float on top of mud and slide around losing traction.
Thin tires will cut down thru the sloppy surface mud and come into contact with more solid ground. (Continental tire company makes some very skinny mtn. bike tires specifically for muddy courses where traction is critical)
Also I think thinner wheels would look better to fit the quirky steampunk look. It should look fairly odd.
Anyway, wide wheels don't translate to solid looks IMO.
Getting close to finishing the Diffuse. I could go crazy with the grunge, but I don't want it to look destroyed, still open for opinions though (hopefully Johny approves of my metal work). Next, I'm going to spend a whole lot of time with the spec.
wheels are looking much better now. All I think you could use now is some fancy smancy curtain stuff inside and some ornate metal/woodwoork designs somewhere on the cab.
Yeah some golden inlays on the doors and side would be cool and really push the decoration a bit as well as some curtains inside.
Hmm one thing that is boggling me is how does it move the tires? I mean I know the steam is the power but where is the drive shaft that actually takes the steam and makes the axel spin and propel the car?
it might be a little to late to tweak, but adding said drive train with some sort of large flywheel on the side and a small gear box would look cool. And make your design more asymetrical.
Also, look at steam locomotives for ref, since those beasts drove wheels with steam. The drive cylinder was a lot smaller than the boiler, which I believe is the large cylinder on the rear of your carriage.
looking great, I really like how far the texture has come, great progress. The front wheels are looking good.
As for the seat, I think mr Liang is blind, I see it.
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Actually the opposite is true. Wide tire will tend to float on top of mud and slide around losing traction.
[/ QUOTE ]Actually Sectuars was correct. Given your logic you still have to factor in that the solid ground isn't so deep down that you high center...
When it comes to driving thru the mud, you want slow powerful torque like what you find with bigger knobbier tires on AWD vehicles, tractors and tillers. You don't want your wheels to cut down to find the slimy slippery ground you never know how deep it is. You want to paddle your way thru and on top of it with the back tires that are actually providing traction, see tractors and funny cars for reference. If you tried to cross a muddy patch you don't want to stop, you stop, you sink, you sink, you high center, then its tow time.
Wide + knobby tread or paddles = traction in mud. You want the thin wheels in the front to help steer if they aren't providing torque, they work more like rudders then driving tires.
It's not out of the question to have a steam punk flavored AWD vehicle, but that would mean that you would need big knobby tires on all 4 wheels and since it looks better with tiny wheels in the front I would say leave it as Rear Wheel Drive. Not to mention the technical/mechanical aspect of trying to do AWD with steam.
Thanks for the feedback. Added some of the suggestion but I'm not going to be able to do a lot of them for time reasons. I want to finish this up and move on to other things. Gonna start working on the Spec (more of it anyway) next.
Progress:
I tried to add some gold designs to the carriage but I don't have much of an eye for that sort of thing yet, nothing was looking right. So I'm keeping it as more of a middle class carriage. heh heh.
- think about the wear and tear users would cause - some scratches, dirt and wear around the door handle, maybe as if it was coming into contact w/ the door as it was always being opened and closed. The foot steps would show more wear, etc.
- Looks like your 'shadows' are painted into the interior curtains. Put that in the normal or geometry or both.
- Really think about design, time period, and the actual mechanics behind it, it will sell it more if its believable. The window near the rear, which has rounded edges, would probably not be on a carriage like this as rounded glass and edged glass was quite expensive and difficult to make. The steering wheel needs to be thought out - its incredibly low, small and far from the driver. I would also expect that would not sit at a 90 degree angle, but rather more horizontal. The 'brake' handle looks tacked on. Some cogs, gears etc would make more sense. Are there acceleration pedals? I'm assuming the door opens out in which case there should be visible metal plate w/ rod hinges.
- The lanterns alright, but could some simple emissive color.
- mud guards / rails could use some supports. Though they are thin metal, they wouldn't just stay in place like that.
- The wheels are constructed in weird way. As well, the 'tire' surface is suffering from a mystery material and surface qualities. Spend some time on the diffuse, spec and normal.
A lot of comments are rooted in realism. Even though this is steam punk, things still need to work and operate as if they were real. Take a look at some of the first Ford Model T coupes. They are very similar in design and style and should give you some idea of the kind of detail you should be thinking about.
Keen, I was watching that project for some time, but tbh wasn't expecting that tank behind the cabin to be made of wood. Looks like some wierd steam bath equipment on wheels.
Wooden wheels doesn't make any sense either. Steampowered machinery usually pretty heavy. So I seriously doubt that wooden wheels will last long running with such weight.
Replies
the point of having wider wheels would be for better traction. thinner wheels would get stuck in the mud, etc. I think, if nothing else, the front ones should be normal widths.
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually the opposite is true. Wide tire will tend to float on top of mud and slide around losing traction.
Thin tires will cut down thru the sloppy surface mud and come into contact with more solid ground. (Continental tire company makes some very skinny mtn. bike tires specifically for muddy courses where traction is critical)
Also I think thinner wheels would look better to fit the quirky steampunk look. It should look fairly odd.
Anyway, wide wheels don't translate to solid looks IMO.
It's looking very good though.
traction was probably the wrong word. old timey car wheels get stuck in mud! i don't know what i'm talking about! WHEELS!
Hmm one thing that is boggling me is how does it move the tires? I mean I know the steam is the power but where is the drive shaft that actually takes the steam and makes the axel spin and propel the car?
heres a drive system off of a steam cylinder.
http://www.bathtram.org/tfb/tT100%20pics/Corliss.jpg
Also, look at steam locomotives for ref, since those beasts drove wheels with steam. The drive cylinder was a lot smaller than the boiler, which I believe is the large cylinder on the rear of your carriage.
As for the seat, I think mr Liang is blind, I see it.
[ QUOTE ]
Actually the opposite is true. Wide tire will tend to float on top of mud and slide around losing traction.
[/ QUOTE ]Actually Sectuars was correct. Given your logic you still have to factor in that the solid ground isn't so deep down that you high center...
When it comes to driving thru the mud, you want slow powerful torque like what you find with bigger knobbier tires on AWD vehicles, tractors and tillers. You don't want your wheels to cut down to find the slimy slippery ground you never know how deep it is. You want to paddle your way thru and on top of it with the back tires that are actually providing traction, see tractors and funny cars for reference. If you tried to cross a muddy patch you don't want to stop, you stop, you sink, you sink, you high center, then its tow time.
Wide + knobby tread or paddles = traction in mud. You want the thin wheels in the front to help steer if they aren't providing torque, they work more like rudders then driving tires.
It's not out of the question to have a steam punk flavored AWD vehicle, but that would mean that you would need big knobby tires on all 4 wheels and since it looks better with tiny wheels in the front I would say leave it as Rear Wheel Drive. Not to mention the technical/mechanical aspect of trying to do AWD with steam.
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/50916514/Agricultural_Tractor_Tire.jpg
http://www.raevalley.org/tractor.htm
Now you shall add a cannon on the top.
Progress:
I tried to add some gold designs to the carriage but I don't have much of an eye for that sort of thing yet, nothing was looking right. So I'm keeping it as more of a middle class carriage. heh heh.
- think about the wear and tear users would cause - some scratches, dirt and wear around the door handle, maybe as if it was coming into contact w/ the door as it was always being opened and closed. The foot steps would show more wear, etc.
- Looks like your 'shadows' are painted into the interior curtains. Put that in the normal or geometry or both.
- Really think about design, time period, and the actual mechanics behind it, it will sell it more if its believable. The window near the rear, which has rounded edges, would probably not be on a carriage like this as rounded glass and edged glass was quite expensive and difficult to make. The steering wheel needs to be thought out - its incredibly low, small and far from the driver. I would also expect that would not sit at a 90 degree angle, but rather more horizontal. The 'brake' handle looks tacked on. Some cogs, gears etc would make more sense. Are there acceleration pedals? I'm assuming the door opens out in which case there should be visible metal plate w/ rod hinges.
- The lanterns alright, but could some simple emissive color.
- mud guards / rails could use some supports. Though they are thin metal, they wouldn't just stay in place like that.
- The wheels are constructed in weird way. As well, the 'tire' surface is suffering from a mystery material and surface qualities. Spend some time on the diffuse, spec and normal.
A lot of comments are rooted in realism. Even though this is steam punk, things still need to work and operate as if they were real. Take a look at some of the first Ford Model T coupes. They are very similar in design and style and should give you some idea of the kind of detail you should be thinking about.
Good luck.
Wooden wheels doesn't make any sense either. Steampowered machinery usually pretty heavy. So I seriously doubt that wooden wheels will last long running with such weight.
Take a look at this
http://www.pbase.com/luckytrev/image/32996071
not exactly your idea, but meh.. anyway good luck with finishing it.