Build a Car in Blender for Racer
Build_a_Car_3.html

## Step 15. Make Body Part Brakelights

We need brake/head lights, a license plate, exhaust pipe/s and mirrors. A simple interior would be nice, also. We'll start with the brake lights.
Open tutcar.blend In Blender and go to back view, Ctrl-1-key. Select layer 20, RMB click the body object, center the cursor at 0,0,0, Tab into edit mode, add a circle with 12 vertices radius 0.100 m. Select the circle vertices only, switch to top view and move towards the rear of the car 1.9000 m. Shift+S-key select "Cursor to Selection", switch to side view. Extrude "Only Edges" +Y 0.0300, Shift-S-key select "Cursor to Selection", switch to back view, Ctrl-1-key. Press S-key and scale to 0.9000, switch to side view 3-key, extrude "Only Edges" -Y -0.0200, Shift-S-key select "Cursor to Selection", switch to back view. S-key, scale to 0.9000. Extrude "Only Edges", S-key, scale to 0.0000, Select all circle vertices only, remove doubles (11), Ctrl-N-key to "Recalculate normals outside".
Now we have to add texture, using the misc.tga image. Tab out of edit mode, press F-key to enter face mode, Press A-key to deselect any body faces, select all taillight faces only, in the right port switch to UV/Image Editor and select misc.tga as we did before for the steering wheel. Press U-key in left port and select "Project from View". Move, scale as shown in the left image below. Select only the center vertices and move, scale as shown in the middle image below making the center red. Select the inside rim faces only and move, scale as shown in the right image below. Exit face mode and tab to edit mode. Select all taillight vertices only, still in back view, G-key, move towards side 0.6000 m. Shift-D-key, R-key and rotate 180 degrees and we now have two taillights. Select all vertices in both taillights, switch to side view and rotate -7.83 degrees. Move towards front of car -Y -0.0320 to touch body.
Select the center red vertices (brakelights) on both taillights only, Shift+D-key to duplicate and move +Y +0.0032. Press P-key to separate as in the left image below, Tab out of edit mode and select these objects only and move to layer 5. Name this object "Ob:blite". Switch to back view on layer 5 only and press F-key, face mode. Load "brakelight.tga" from your "texture_files" folder in "UV/Image Editor" in the right port . Select the faces on each brakelight in turn and using U-key select "Project from View (Bounds)" as shown in below right image. F-key out of face mode. Move this object and the body object to layer 1. Save the file and export them. Move the body back to layer 20 and the blite to layer 5. Save the file, quit Blender, drag and drop from C:/_DOF to your racer/data/cars/tutcar folder and run it in racer to see what it looks like. You can make Hazard and direction indicator lights.

Note: The offsets didn't work in RACER version 0.5.3 beta 2.0, that's why the blite was made where it was, normally it's made at 0,0,0 and offset in the car.ini file. The offsets s/b x=0, y=0, z=0 and your brakelights should work if the offsets are reimplmented by Ruud.

## Step 16. Make Body Parts License plate and tailpipe

Now for a license plate and tail pipe! Open tutcar.blend in Blender, select layer 20 only and select top view. Select the body, Tab into edit mode and select the center and right rear vertices. Switch to right view and duplicate the vertices and move up +Z 0.2400. Center the cursor between the two vertices with Shift+S-key. Switch to back view and scale to 0.3000. Extrude "Only Edges" up +Z 0.1200 and check that the normal is pointing out. Select all the vertices in this rectangle, and in side view, rotate -7.5 degrees and move -Y -0.0310 m. Switch to back view and move +X 0.2000 m. Tab out of edit mode, F-key, RMB click the plate, in "UV/Image Editor" in the right port load license_plate.tga from your "texture_files" folder. Press U-key in left port and select "Project from View (Bounds)". You can make a license plate image in .jpg format from ACME License Maker. You will need to change it to a .tga file with an alpha channel (transparent corners) for RACER. F-key out of face mode, move the body object to layer 1, export it and Save the file. My license plate is shown in the right image below.
Switch to top view, tab into edit mode and select the center rear vertex only. Shift+S-key Cursor to selection to place the cusor on the vertex. Switch to back view and add a cylinder 6 vertices, radius 0.0500 m., depth 0.200 m. Rotate -15 degrees, G-key move +Z 0.0400 m. Switch to side view, Switch to face mode with F-key, A-key to deselect all faces, select tailpipe faces only then in the right port select misc.tga in the "UV/Image Editor". U-key in left port and select "Reset". Scale/move the right port vertices as shown in the left image below. Switch to back view and select the center faces inside the tailpipe only. U-key as before and select from window, move/scale as shown in center image below. F-key out of face mode, switch to side view, tab into edit mode, press Ctrl+L-key (selects all tailpipe vertices). Tab out of edit mode, export the object, Save the file, quit Blender and drag and drop the body.dof files from C:/_DOF to your racer/data/cars/tutcar folder and run racer to see what it looks like.

## Step 17. Make Body Parts Headlights, Mirror and Inside

Now to make the headlights (non-functional), mirror (outside) and a bit of interior so we can't see through the sides when looking in a window. The headlights can be made to work, somewhat, for driving on night tracks. You can find information about how to do that on the RSC forum. Open tutcar.blend in Blender, select layer 1, the body object should still be there. In top view select the center bottom two vertices with B-key only and center the cursor between them. Switch to front view, 1-key and add a circle, 12 vertices radius 0.100 m. Switch to side view, extrude "Only Edges" forward -Y -0.0300. Switch to front view, scale to 0.9000, switch to side view and extrude "Only Edges" backward 0.0200. Switch to front view and scale 0.9000. Shift-S-key Cursor to selection and extrude "Only Edges", S-key scale to 0.0000. Remove doubles (11). Ctrl-L-key to select all the vertices in the headlight and move up 1.0000 m. so we can work on it without having the body in the way, left image below. RMB click center vertex and switch to top view and move the center vertex only up 0.0060 m. as shown in the right image below.

Switch to front view and we'll face the headlight and then make/face the glass front. Tab out of edit mode press F-key, face mode, select the headlight faces only and in the UV/Image editor select misc.tga. U-key in left port and select "Project from view". Scale/move as in left image below. Select the inner rim faces only with RMB and scale/move as in right image below. Press F-key to exit face mode.
Tab into edit mode, switch to front view, select the inner rear vertices only as in the left image below. Shift-S-key to center the cursor and extrude "Only Edges", S-key scale to 0.0000. Remove doubles (11). Reselect the inner rear vertices again including the front center vertex and Flip Normals, result shown in middle image below. In top view select the center vertex only and move down -Y 0.0060 m. We will put the glass.tga image on these faces, you should be able to do that without step by step instructions. So give it a try, the result s/b like the right image below after exiting face mode.
Select all the headlight vertices and move +X 0.5000 m., Shift-D-key and move -X -1.0000 m. Select all vertices in both headlights, switch to side view and move down -Z -1.0000 m. Tab out of edit mode and save the file.
Press Shift-S-key and center the cusor at 0,0,0. Tab back into edit mode and we'll make mirrors and a bit of interior, interior first. Select the vertices as shown in the left image below press B-key twice and select with the circle, Shift+D-key duplicate and move up +Z 2.0000 m. Shift+S-key Cursor to Selection. Select the front and side window vertices as shown in the right image below and X-key Erase: Only Faces.
Deselect all vertices and select the rear window vertices in the same manner and erase those faces only. This makes windows without an inside, there will be times when you will want glass on the inside and you will have to make a shader that will not have reflections. Select the two center window vertices as shown in the left image below and Erase: Vertices. Select the outside four front window vertices as shown in the right image below and Erase: Edges & Faces.
Select the two outside front window vertices as shown in the left image below, press F-key to connect them and in side view extrude "Edges Only" down -Z -0.2000 m. Select vertices and use the F-key to face as shown in the right image below. Note normals, after making a face you may have select the corner vertices and Flip Normals. All must point inside.
Switch to face mode, exit edit mode first. Select the faces that have a texture on them and in the right port click the big X to delete them, the faces turn pink. Select all the interior faces. In the "UV/Image Editor" select the misc.tga image. Press U-key select "Reset" and check that all the pink and white faces now have a texture. Select faces one at a time and move/scale the vertices in the right port to a part of the misc.tga image that you think will look good on the interior. My interior is shown in the left image below. Exit face mode and tab into edit mode. In side view select all interior vertices. Move the interior down -Z -2.0000 m. S-key, Y-key scale inward holding Shift-key to 0.9960, S-key, Z-key scale inward to 0.9960. Switch to front view, S-key, X-key scale inward to 0.9960.
Zoom in and select the outside vertex in the lower corner of the windshield only in side view and we'll make a mirror. Center the cursor on the vertex as shown in the right image above. In side view add a cylinder, vertices 4, radius 0.0100 m., depth 0.1000 m. uncap ends. Switch to front view, move +X 0.0500 m. Select the four vertices furthest from the body only and R-key rotate -20 degrees. Center the cursor on the four vertices with Shift-S-key, "Cursor->Selection". In front view and add a cyclinder, 12 vertices, radius 0.0500 m., depth 0.1000 m. cap ends. Switch to top view and press K-key, select "Knife (Multicut)", increase "Number of Cuts" to 3. Drag the brush icon horizontally across the selected lines and press Enter. A-key to deselect vertices, select the next to top row of vertices, Shift-S-key to center cusor and scale to 0.9000 repeat for the next row scale to 0.7000, repeat for the next to bottom row scale to 0.4000, repeat for the bottom row scale to 0.0000 and remove doubles (12). Select the remaining vertex and the vertices in the next row up and move +Y 0.0100 m. select just the bottom vertex and move +Y 0.0150 m. Press Ctrl-L-key selecting all vertices in the mirror body and move -Y -0.0200 m. Delete the top center vertex and select the top row of vertices, E-key, extrude +Y 0.0100 m. Shift-S-key and center the cursor and S-key scale to 0.9000. Extrude -Y -0.0100 m. Shift-S-key and center cursor and scale 0.9000. Extrude E-key S-key scale to 0.0000 and remove doubles (11). Select all the vertices and those on the mirror post and move in front view -Z -0.0070 m. Save the file.
The mirror is shown in left image below and we texture it using misc.tga and mirror.tga. Switch to face mode and select all the mirror faces, include the post faces. In UV/Image Editor select misc.tga. U-key, select "Reset" and Move/scale the vertices in the right port as in the left center image below. Switch to rear view Ctrl-1-key and select only the inner rim faces and move/scale as in the right center image. Select in back view only the center faces, press U-key, select "Project from View" and in the right port X out the texture. Load the "mirror.tga" texture from your "texture_files" folder, move/scale as in the right image below. M-key in right port, Mirror: X Axis to orient the mirror properly. Exit face mode, export the body object, and save the file, quit Blender, drag and drop the body.dof files from C:/_DOF to racer/data/cars/tutcar folder and run racer to check it out.
We'll deal with the brakes/suspension, driver and a few other items in the next section
Build_a_Car_4.html