I’ve found it hard to get every detail right for the engines and the stress is tearing me apart. I recreated the Rover 2.5 KV6 and it was bullseye-accurate for someone who just started. Then I got to applying the fixtures to make an '04 Rover 75 Limousine, and then it got difficult. I spent a lot of time on BeamNG, and that’s exactly why I got this game, to make accurate replicas of real cars that no one bothered with to export into BeamNG. But I shyed away from Automation for days. Getting all the details right was stressful, and I procrastinated, so right now I could use some motivation right now to make my Rover 75 and finish up my GM LK9 replica.
Motivation is not really something I can give, but I can give understanding and an advice.
Understanding
On last day of 2024, I started designing an off-road SUV. It’s still in exact same state as was when I left it.
No, new Land Cruiser Prado will not be only inspiration I will use in final design, but I decided that some part of front could be relatively nice to recreate.
My intention of making an SUV is for personal purposes, but I have same issue as you (and no doubt some others) have.
There is also considerable fact I’m not great designer, but that is only part of the problem.
Advice 1
I do know that eventually I will have will and inspiration to pick that up: designing cars or whatever in game is, after all, form of art.
And engineering also requires being in the flow and being inspired.
You are likely no different in that regard.
So…don’t rush or force it. Do something else, look at some other cars. You are playing game to relax and enjoy the experience, not to stress out and lose your mind (or so I think; you might be into games that DO put some stress on player’s shoulders, not judging)
At some point, you will decide to return and tackle it again.
Advice 2
Try to decide how detailed you want to be with your design EXACTLY.
How good is good enough?
“Accurate replicas” are more often than not going to be much more complicated than you might initially think.
There is thread done by player called Knugcab that is making replicas of Car of the Year: I think he is currently working on late 70s Mercedes S-Class. Thread would be useful as it shows:
- game may not have perfect body for your idea, requiring some playing with body morphs or 3D fixtures
- creative usage of fixtures, often in way they were not intended to be used
- putting it all together so it looks believable.
- .car files for his results are available to be looked at
Worst thing of it all? Knugcab is decent, but his skills and design patience are not on level of absolute best designers. Cars featured in thread show effort put into them, but are clearly representatation and may not be accurate enough
I don’t know you so take no offence, but you likely will not be on their level either. I know I’m far from their level either, yes.
I don’t see them often going with idea of really doing a replica, but they spare no expense.
Expect:
- fixture count in several thousands,
- struggle on weak machines in case you can study their .car file and
- prob loss of inspiration due to you “never gonna be on their level” or
- due to the fact something in build is achieved in way you can’t really understand.
And yes, they might decide to 3D fixture
- the chassis,
- user manual in glovebox,
- engine bay or
- that part of body that doesn’t look like it’s composed out of 3D fixtures and yet is not achievable by morphs.
Maybe you rise up to that skill level and smirk upon remembering this conversation in the future, but now…try to find balance between what you would be happy with as result and what your skill, computer and patience will allow you.
Rest easy upon knowing making replicas will likely greatly enhance design skills in game and allow you making good car designs of your own down the line…or help with further replicas…or with making robot with good ass
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I have those Car of the Year mods for BeamNG he made. I even commented on that forum.
I just wanted to make the cars I get into that I don’t see any mods for. Nice SUV by the way. Maybe do Lincoln Aviator taillights, specifically the 2025 facelift.
I’ll look into a tutorial.
If you don’t have motivation to do something don’t force yourself to do it. Keep yourself busy with other projects and one day you will end up going back to it. Ive spent minutes or even hours in automation literally just looking at a car before realising “alright, this aint going anywhere ill just do something else and come back to this after a while”
As much as people boast about how they spent 20+ hours on a single car, I’d say the most optimal amount of time to take for challenges like QFC would be maybe 1-2 hours, for something more substantial, you could do something like 2-3 hours. For the cars you want to spend hours on, do them sparingly to spare yourself from being burnt out of doing these challenges.
You don’t need to be DaVinci or Michelangelo, you just got to enjoy the process, something like Picasso or Basquiat which you choose how something is to be made by your conscious. Not fearing the pressure to become 100% perfect. There’s room to improve of course, but don’t feel down if you win.
There’s more than a million designs that have been tried, so the best thing to do either branches from inspiration or by your own experimentation, so you have nothing to lose when you try out something new or old.
It’s my first car.