Challenge 9 : Project : Technical Surfacing Kia Sportage

Challenge 9: Project: Technical Surfacing Kia Sportage

Technical Surfacing Kia Sportage

Objective

To create a proper curve network and further develop proper surfaces for Kia Sportage.

Introduction

The Kia Sportage is a compact SUV built by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 1993. The first generation Sportage was a result of a cooperative alliance between Ford-Mazda and Kia. Engine and Technology was sourced by Ford-Mazda alliance and was manufactured in South Korea. The second-generation Kia Sportage came into existence after the Kia-Hyundai alliance. This Sportage shared an Hyundai Elantra-based platform with the 2005 Hyundai Tuscan. The Sportage was named as one of the most reliable vehicles from the 2009 Consumer reports reliability survey. The third generation Sportage was out for sale from April 2010 in Asian and European markets. The Sportage won the 2011 Car of the year in Slovakia and "Truck of the Year" nomination of International Car of the year. It was top of the JD Power Survey for 2012, the only car in the survey to score five stars across all categories, from mechanical reliability to ownership costs and the dealer experience. In South Africa, it took the 2013 Standard Bank People's Wheels Award for "SUVs and Crossovers – City & Suburban"

This project is based on the design of facelifted version of fourth generation Kia Sportage launched in 2016. The design was done in Autodesk Alias 2021.

Description of features/tools used

Concepts Involved:

1. Importing model design canvas of Car design
2. Adding canvas to layers
3. Tracing the curves using basic curve functions and utilities
4. Visualizing and manipulating curves structures to obtain proper surfaces.
5. Generating symmetries.

Features used:

1.Various pick options:

• Pick object

Used to pick and place objects from one place to another.

• Pick nothing

Used to unselect previously selected objects, components, curves etc...,

• Pick Curves

Used to specifically pick curves

• Pick blend points

Used to pick blend points in the workspace.

2. Some Transform options

• Move

Used to move around selected objects, curves etc...,

• Rotate

Used to rotate selected items about a point.

• Scale

Used to scale up/down the size of selected items.

• Snap

It's essentially not a transformation tool yet comes very handy. It's used to snap desired items to particular an object, a curve or a point.

3. Curves options

• cv, ep curves

Used to draw curved features.

• Blendcrv tools (new, edit)

Used to blend to lines/curves to form a single entity. Blends can be edit to achieve optimum accuracy.

• Keypoint curve box (Ellipse, arc, line, drag)

Contains tools like Ellipse, arc, line, drag which comes handy while drawing.

4. Features associated with layers and canvas.

• Attaching canvases to layers.
• Hiding and unhiding canvases using hide/unhide functionality in layers.

5. Surface generation features

• Rail

This surface creation tool is used when there are generation and rail curves available. Depending upon the no. of generation, rail curves present, one can easily toggle among for more appropriate versions of rail tool and generate surfaces.

• Square

This is another surface generation tool that comes very handy. This tool can be used when surfaces are to be generated within 4 bounding curves.

• Skin

To build a surface bridging two curves

• Ffblend

This feature is primarily used to bridge surfaces.

• Srfillet

This feature is used to add fillets betwwen two edges.

6. Surface edit tools

• Project

Project tool can be used to project curves onto surfaces which can be later used for trimming purposes.

• Intersect

This tool is similar to project tool but used to project surfaces and objects.

• Trim

This option is used to trim away parts that are unnecessary. This tool can be used only after project/intersecting curves or bodies onto surfaces that are later trimmed/altered.

• Trimcvt

This feature is similar to trim function except for its ability to reorient the CVs of the trimmed surface.

7. Object edit tools

• Align

This feature can be used to align curves/surfaces to form continuous flowing entities.

• Attach/detach

This feature is used for attaching/detaching two surfaces or curves.

• Extend

This feature is used to extend or lessen the cross sections of curves or surfaces.

• Qryed

This feature takes us back to the feature that’s been previously applied to the selected object.

Images of the Different views of the design model

Conclusion

Working on this project gave insights of how to go about car surface creation. Interpreting 2D design blue prints and converting them to 3D curve structures gave understanding of different views and planes. Understood the technic of interpreting the actual design models from the 2D views presented. Practised the basics concepts of continuities in curves and surfaces. Ventured through different features and approaches of design in Alias.