It’s crazy how detailed the model ends up being. Even the silly Toyota emblems got captured in the 3D model. The model is scaled and oriented to the virtual world (which is based on the real world, of course!) and then Rob uses the measurements in order to design the pylons and tabs to place the wing, taking into account the engineering requirements for thickness, interference, weld clearance, and more.
Fun fact: hardcore racer/aerodynamicsts call the stands that the wing is perched on “pylons”, because if you say “upright” it can be confusing whether someone is talking about suspension or aero.
The tabs are the feet which touch the surface of the deck lid. And, yes, in this case the pylons are mounted to the deck lid and not directly to the chassis. The corner of the lid is going to be the strongest part, and the pylons are designed to direct the forces into it in such a way that they will work effectively. If it turns out that my carbon trunk isn’t up to the task, I can revert to an OEM metal one, or add reinforcements, or both. Also, it’s much cheaper to design the deck-mounted pylons because it doesn’t require any engineering or measurement work inside of the vehicle.
Or I can pay them to design a wicked chassis mount.
After this design work, Rob meets with Johnny to make sure that the pylons are actually manufacturable and make any tweaks or changes required. If they are going for mass production, they will make a prototype for fitment. Rob can simply export a file that Johnny can use to cut out the pylons on a CNC cutting table.
While it sounds like Johnny and Rob are in business together, their businesses are distinct and separate. Rob is an integral part of the process, but Morlind Engineering is its own thing.
In the case of the pylon design for my SC300, this is 1/4 inch thick aluminum. The particular grade is chosen for its resilience to cracking given the compressive and other loads exerted on the pylons.
Well, we’re really making pylons, but whatever.
Well, really these aren’t even for my pylons, they’re for some other cool project, but I needed a picture of something, right?
5 comments
@cmj re-read page two:
“But there’s an end to this means, I assure you. And it’s not another innuendo. I don’t think. If you look back to the photo of Rob, he’s taking a photo. In fact, he’s taking dozens of photos. You see, when you take dozens of photos from different angles of the speckled car, you can then use some really fancy computering to stitch all of the photos together to build a really accurate 3D model of the vehicle.”
https://motoiq.com/project-sc300-road-racer-part-27-joining-a-wang-gang/2/
Rob is using a regular digital camera and then stitching 2D photos together using software to build the 3D model.
@cmj re-read page two:
“But there’s an end to this means, I assure you. And it’s not another innuendo. I don’t think. If you look back to the photo of Rob, he’s taking a photo. In fact, he’s taking dozens of photos. You see, when you take dozens of photos from different angles of the speckled car, you can then use some really fancy computering to stitch all of the photos together to build a really accurate 3D model of the vehicle.”
https://motoiq.com/project-sc300-road-racer-part-27-joining-a-wang-gang/2/
Rob is using a regular digital camera and then stitching 2D photos together using software to build the 3D model.
@cmj re-read page two:
“But there’s an end to this means, I assure you. And it’s not another innuendo. I don’t think. If you look back to the photo of Rob, he’s taking a photo. In fact, he’s taking dozens of photos. You see, when you take dozens of photos from different angles of the speckled car, you can then use some really fancy computering to stitch all of the photos together to build a really accurate 3D model of the vehicle.”
https://motoiq.com/project-sc300-road-racer-part-27-joining-a-wang-gang/2/
Rob is using a regular digital camera and then stitching 2D photos together using software to build the 3D model.
@cmj re-read page two:
“But there’s an end to this means, I assure you. And it’s not another innuendo. I don’t think. If you look back to the photo of Rob, he’s taking a photo. In fact, he’s taking dozens of photos. You see, when you take dozens of photos from different angles of the speckled car, you can then use some really fancy computering to stitch all of the photos together to build a really accurate 3D model of the vehicle.”
https://motoiq.com/project-sc300-road-racer-part-27-joining-a-wang-gang/2/
Rob is using a regular digital camera and then stitching 2D photos together using software to build the 3D model.
@cmj re-read page two:
“But there’s an end to this means, I assure you. And it’s not another innuendo. I don’t think. If you look back to the photo of Rob, he’s taking a photo. In fact, he’s taking dozens of photos. You see, when you take dozens of photos from different angles of the speckled car, you can then use some really fancy computering to stitch all of the photos together to build a really accurate 3D model of the vehicle.”
https://motoiq.com/project-sc300-road-racer-part-27-joining-a-wang-gang/2/
Rob is using a regular digital camera and then stitching 2D photos together using software to build the 3D model.