Introduction: 3D Motorcycle Model (Blender)

In this Instructable I will show you how to make an exact 3D model replica of any motorcycle in the Blender software. I will show step by step the process in:

  1. finding a reference motorcycle
  2. beginning the 3d model
  3. polishing and texturing the motorcycle

This tutorial is exactly how i created this 3d modeled motorcycle, as well as some extra blender tips and tricks at the bottom.

Supplies

just the free program blender ... and uhh your computer :)

Step 1: Finding a Refrence

I recommend just going on google and finding a picture of a motorcycle you like. Also imagine yourself modeling it as you look at the picture and make sure its something you can feasibly create.


I chose this image because it did not have a bunch of small delicate parts going outside of the main body. I also just personally liked this design of motorcycle, but any image should work with this tutorial.

(dont mind that the wheel is already modeled in this image)


Import it as a reference in Blender, make sure that it it not at an awkward angle(keep it perpendicular fromt eh ground)

Step 2: Make the Wheels

  1. Make a cylinder to the width of a wheel on the motorcycle
  2. it is helpful to go into x-ray mode
  3. line one face up to the reference image because we are going to use a mirror modifier to model the other side
  4. select all of the vertices of the wheel, duplicate them and then scale them down to simulate the curve of a wheel
  5. go out of rendered mode to make the viewing partially transparent, which will make you be able to see both the model and the reference image at the same time (option z)
  6. select the outer most vertices and extrude them inward to the center part of the wheel
  7. separate the middle ring, (where the spokes will go)
  8. delete only the faces
  9. should only have edges and vertices left(image 3)
  10. select inner circle, (like on image 3), rotate, delete inner and outer
  11. select spoke edges
  12. convert to curve
  13. go into curve properties tab (in right hand properties group)
  14. set bevel depth to desired thickness (geometry -> bevel)
  15. duplicate
  16. rotate 180 degrees, y-axis, then rotate x-axis to cross the other spokes(basically flip it the other way and rotate it a little to make it cross over the pre-existing spokes)
  17. make everything else visible and be happy, because that was a headache, and luckily the hardest part of this design

Step 3: Model the Body

I recommend using the x-ray method to do this, which i will explain here:

  1. go onto the x-axis
  2. create a plane, put it directly on top of the reference
  3. move each vertice individually to match the points on the reference image
  4. use extrude and creating new vertices(option d) to match the image
  5. extrude the entire plane outward from the model as thick as you want it to be, then apply a mirror modifier to match it on the other side of the image
  6. do this for every little object on the model


Some tips: you can also do this using a cylinder for some more complex shapes

once you do the initial extrude to go through rounding the edges by beveling to your liking


Step 4: Polishing

Once you have all of the parts modeled:

  1. apply mirror modifiers
  2. use smooth surface if you like
  3. in my example i did a bunch of decimating because i needed my model to be less than 3000 triangles, i also wanted to keep the sharp and with a cyber type of look, if you want it realistic, i recommend smoothing the surface


you can finish up by texturing:

I recommend using texture paint over using uv wrapping because it gives you more freedom and you aren't confined to using a single image

  1. create a new texture and make sure that all of the objects are under the same texture (if exporting to .fbx(roblox))
  2. go into the texture paint tab, and hand paint to your taste
  3. one little tip: i recommend going into the shading editor to check that my colours are what i want them to be
  4. paint the entire model and export it to wherever you like, or even 3d print it!
  5. i honestly love playing around with texture paint

Thanks for reading, and any advice is appreciated.