One of my favorite cars of all time is the 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT. I know. I’m weird like that. I’m eventually going to build a highly detailed 3D model of it (for fun!), but I decided to start with the most intricate part first: the wheels.
Building a highly accurate 3-D model of those cross-lace style wheels wasn’t easy. I may have cursed a little. But I’m fairly proud of the result.
Renderings of the final model
In all, it took about 12 hours to build. Trying to figure out the pattern of the spokes was difficult. Trying to figure out how to taper them in one direction (towards the center) was a nightmare. I figured it out though, and after about five total redos, this is what I ended up with:
FYI, I used Maya and the Arnold Render plug-in to create these renderings.
The following ambient occlusion renderings show how intricate this wheel design really is. Notice how the cross-lace pattern is tapered inwards towards the center:
Here’s what the wire frame looks like:
Those of you who are more ambitious than I am (and are already in the process of building your own model of a 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT) will be happy to know that this 3D model is available for purchase! At least you should be happy. It’ll save you a ton of time.
Things you need to know about how it was built
Even though I tried as hard as I could to make it as accurate as possible, it’s not 100% perfect (just as my mid 1980s aluminium Pontiac wheel 3d model wasn’t). There were two things about it that I had to completely guess:
- The angle of the taper on the inner edges. All I could do was try and match my reference photos as best I could.
- The shape of the barrel. I couldn’t find any decent reference material showing the cross section / shape of the barrel, so it’s probably not totally accurate.
Also…
This is a solid model built in Form Z
I am mostly a polygon 3D modeler these days, but the design of this wheel was much better suited for solid modeling. I still know Form Z fairly well (from my exhibit design days), so that’s what I used.
That said, you can easily import into pretty much any modern three modeling software (Blender, Maya, etc.). The following formats are included:
- .fmz (Form Z)
- .mb (Maya)
- .fbx
- .obj
It might take a while to 3D print
Due to the complexity of the bevels on pretty much every surface, 3D printing this model might take a little longer than a wheel designed specifically for 3D printing.
I built this model to look good in renderings (and not to print). That said, I will be creating a version of this wheel more suitable for 3-D printing eventually…
The Fiero logo image map (for the center cap) is not included
Why would I do such a thing? I’m just paranoid about copyright issues, that’s all. Just know that the very center section of the center cap is its own separate piece. Applying an image map to it in your favorite 3D modeling software will be extremely easy.
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