Open Source LMP1 Le Mans Prototype 3D model - Today

There will be a meeting with the customer of the first two cars some time soon so we're preparing a gameplay video of the car meaning prepping the current model and making it presentable.

First thing is prepping the model so the sim understands what's wheels (rotating and turning) and what's suspension (only turning). To do this the object origin is moved to the center and an empty or dummy is placed around that pivot point. The empty/dummy must have scale 1,1,1 and sit exactly at the center and the forward direction for this particular sim (Assetto Corsa) must be Z forward.

There's one set of empties for the wheels (aptly called WHEEL_LF, WHEEL_RF, WHEEL_LR, WHEEL_RR):

Another set for the suspension (again called SUSP_LF, SUSP_RF, SUSP_LR, SUSP_RR):

Thing is as this is an LMP1 car there's a wheel barrel that for aerodynamic purposes houses all suspension attachment assemblies and the braking system which is actually not really visible.

Lastly the center point of the wheelbase must be in the center of the model geometry in the software and the floor panel at Z 0. With that the sim can recognize the components and the car can be driven.

In these shots you can see the empty scale is not 1,1,1 but has been corrected.

More on further progress soon...