Panda69 : My first design project

[Panda69]

Hello all
Very inspired by ixlrlxi works, I decided to try designing vehicle by myself.
Any advice or critic are welcome. (This is my 3rd "project" with Sketchup)

Without any knowledge in rendering, I prefer to post rough sketchup 3D this time. I'll try to use IDX soon to test it.

Panda69

[Apotheases]

Wow! That's most impressive? What was the total time put into this piece?

[Panda69]

Thanks Apotheases
It took 2 or 2,5 days of full time job. Because i'am almost a newbie with sketchup.
I am quite sure that skilled guys can do that in less than 1 day.
It was direct to sketchup. No pre design on paper or rough sketches. Because of that, i had to make many try and undo.
Finally, i am quite please by the result but i would love to see it after a cool rendering like Ixlrlxi do !
But i have no experience with rendering.

[Panda69]

Any volunteer to try a Nice rendering with V-Ray on this model ?
I give the .skp file by Email.

[Panda69]

Last project : A small home theater for eleven people.
It took me my saturday to design & modeled it and half of sunday to try to render it correctly (with IDX).

[Star Eater]

You say you're a noobie at sketchup? I just started playing with it and I am blown away by your stuff.

If I could give one crit it would be the lights on the bike. Combined with the grill it gives it a "surprised/shocked" expression. (At least to me anyway.) :o

Also the position of the tank cap might be a bit awkward in relation to the lights. :)

[Panda69]

Hello Stareater
You're probably right. I'll try to change the shape of the light. I'll probably make something more square, agressive and lower than actual. It need to be at this place to stay in line when you turn the front wheel, but it can be different.
Thanks for the crit'.

[Panda69]

First step in rendering.
I discovered "Shaderlight" yesterday. Such a nice render and easy to use.
The only problem for me is the time for rendering. I use a 5 years old PC notebook and it's quite long to make the images and any change take even more time. With a new PC, everything will be quicker and easier.

Tell me your opinion about this first image and give me advices.

[Kqwaard]

Impressive sketch-up work and I love how the render turned out. With relation to the bike, I notice a few design flaws, namely;

1) The bike doesn't seem to have the ability to steer whatsoever, as the handlebars are attached to the top of the gas tank.

2) The front wheel appears to be too low in relation to the rest of the bike's body, giving it a "too low down" appearance (and therefore unstable), the wheelbase of this vehicle is far too large.

3) The bike doesn't give off a distinct feel or indication of how the rider would position himself, would he be slung low with his torso over the gas tank, or leaning back like on a Harley? Take a look at a Moto GP bike and notice how the entire frame is designed for the rider to "hug" the frame, making it clear how the rider should position themselves. Alternatively, look at some of the later Harley Davidson models, how everything is positioned for that typical "Lazy biker" look whilst riding.

4) It could be me, but I struggle to see how the steering mechanism at the front could work effectively.

5) As this bike is clearly leaning more towards the Harley Davidson style of bike, wouldn't it make sense to have the handle's directly attached to the suspension at the front?

6) On every bike I've ever seen, the front half (where the gas tank is housed) is always, always higher than the rear of the cycle. Theres a reason for it, ergonomically and stylistically. Your bike feels flat in comparison.

Some of these points can be reconsidered if there is a scale for this bike. I used an educated guess.

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of this bike, your attention to the engine and your brilliant rendition of a disk brake system, along with the colour scheme are all great, but I think it'd be a shame to ruin this with lack of thought to ergonomics and basic engineering. Good websites to check out are

http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible_bikes.html

http://www.hossack-design.co.uk/

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley-Davidson

For some good images and text on design points, common flaws and some useful renders on suspension systems (most rear types though). Good luck!