Model a design in Blender

Rashid Tagirov draws on his vehicle design experience to turn a 2D sketch of a motorcycle into a 3D concept model

Rashid Tagirov turns a loose sketch of a motorbike into a 3D concept model.

In this workshop I’ll guide you through some of Blender’s basic tools, which can help you to work in a 3D space and take your creativity to the next level. Before getting started, make sure you already have a 2D sketch of your motorcycle, or any other vehicle. Ideally, you’ll have a main side-view and a view from several angles, including front and rear three-quarters views. Drawings taken from a bird’s-eye view are also handy when you start adjusting the proportions in 3D.

I have only two views: a front three-quarters and a side-sketch. It’s more than enough for a motorcycle. The main idea is to capture the main proportions and dimensions. I’d also recommend finding reference images for surfaces and technical parts, to ensure your design looks realistic.

Placing the sketch 1

I set up the scene in Blender, using the default Layout workspace settings. I press 3 on the Numpad to set up a side-view. Then I use drag and drop to move my JPG image of the sketch to a Blender 3D space. (If it doesn’t work, select the collection in the Outliner list.) I suggest placing your side-view sketch to Align 0 of the 3D scene, using the front wheel axis of the bike.

2 Create a model of geometric shapes

I recommend imagining your object as a combination of simple shapes. Because I’m using polygonal modelling, this approach will help me to keep all the main shapes flexible. I press Shift+a to open the Add panel and click Cube. Then I press S to scale down and G to move the object to fit it to the rear swing arm. Next I create a Cylinder, change the number of vertices to five and place it where the front wheel will be. I duplicate it and move to the rear wheel position, then adjust the width and high of the wheel to match the sketch.

Next, I press Ctrl+5 to subdivide the mesh; it’ll create a squashed sphere. I press Tab to switch from Object mode to Edit mode – now I can create a crease along the edges. I select the edges and press Shift+e to control the crease with mouse movements. It’s also possible to adjust it in a window that appears at the bottom-left of the screen.

3 Build up the body of the motorcycle

I select the box and press Tab to activate Edit mode. Next, I select the faces to extrude them (press E) until they match the proportions of the body. I then apply a Subdivision modifier with Ctrl+5 (or any number from one to six depending on how much you want to subdivide the object) and use the same method to create a seat. I repeat this technique to extrude and define the shape of the rear fork and the rear swing arm.

Inflate a tyre 4

Now I focus on the front part of the bike, which will involve using the Inset Faces tool. I select the front wheel, enter the Edit mode (press Tab) then press Space>i to activate the tool. You also can find the Inset Faces tool on the left tool panel. Next, I left-click and move the mouse – you’ll see newly created edges on the surface. I place them as necessary, move along the X-axis (G+middle mouse button) and then use the Crease tool (Shift+e) to create the rubber tyre. Now you can build the rims, fork and wheel axis by using tools that we’ve already covered. You also could be more experimental and try other Blender tools. I’ve only used simple ones to explain one of the hundred ways of building a model!

5 Define the wheel rims

To create holes in the rim surface I enter the Edit mode and select the Knife tool (press Space>k). Using the sketch as a guide I create the closed figures on the surface and then press Enter to create a new custom face. Then I select this face and press Delete and F to delete it. Next, I select the edges and press E to extrude them into the interior space of the rim. Finally, I select the edges again and create creases where necessary to match the 2D sketch.

6 Add detailing to the swing arm

Let’s focus on the rear part of the bike – the rear swing arm. A new tool that I use during this stage is the Array. It’s a modifier that you can apply to any object to create multiple copies of it. You can find it on the Properties panel on the right. Look for a blue wrench icon (the Modifier properties panel). Then click Add modifier and select the Array tool. It’s used to create offset copies of the original base object. The settings are pretty straightforward so I won’t go into too much detail. I use this tool to create a cooling grill on the swing arm.

Use cutouts made from cubes

This is the fun part of the modelling process. I’m going to show you how to create a sharp cutout of an object. I take the front fork and create a separate cube object nearby. Then I modify the cube in Edit mode and intersect it with the fork. This cube is supposed to be a cutter – the object that will create a Boolean on the fork’s surface.

I select the fork object and go to the Modifier panel to add a new modifier called Boolean. Then I select the Eyedropper tool below the Object section and click the cutter cube I made earlier. Then I click the cube again and press H to hide it. We now have a perfect cutout on the fork surface. You also can modify the cutter object in Edit mode or even duplicate it and create several cutters in the “one object” group.

8 Make sure the seat can be sat on!

Occasionally I’ll go beyond my initial sketch to make the bike more realistic. To check that the bike could be used in real life I need to create a dummy mannequin and place it on the seat. I press Shift+a then A, B and B to add a basic human skeleton. Then I switch the interaction mode from Object Mode to Pose Mode. The latter enables me to place the skeleton in a typical bike rider position. Then I use Blender’s rotation tool to move limbs. If the skeleton bothers you during the modelling process you can switch the display mode from Textured to Wireframe and then turn off the Selectable setting in the Outliner panel.

9 Place the steering device

I create a five-edge cylinder and subdivide it. I place it following my sketch and extrude to create a tube, then continue to extrude and rotate the face to achieve the U-shape. Once I’m happy with the shape I can add more details such as sections, shut lines (gaps between metal panels) or buttons. The simplicity of geometry is the key.

Use the Shrinkwrap tool to enhance objects 10

I mainly use Boolean modifiers and geometric cuts, but there’s another tool I’d like to share with you. The modifier is called the Shrinkwrap tool. I use it to place text or any other geometry to the surface of another object. I call the sticker object O1 and the main object O2. I select the O1 object, then go to the Modifier preferences menu and click Add. I locate the Shrinkwrap modifier and then identify the O2 object within the Target section. I use the Offset tool to adjust the correct distance between O1 and O2.

Render the motorcycle 11

The last step involves configuring the rendering output settings. If you use Blender’s default layout you can find render settings on the right (a small icon that looks like a camera or a microwave). These are the settings I use to produce acceptable renderings quickly: Render, 256; V, Ambient occlusion; V, Screen space Reflections. Here, I then click the small arrow to open an additional menu and activate Refraction (if there are glass objects in the scene). Then I scroll down to the Film and click the arrow to check the Transparent option (this enables you to render with an alpha background). Finally, I go to the Output settings and set the resolution for the render. It’s also possible to change the output file format in the Output tab.