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Model 3 3D printed nose add-on
- Thread starter Hugues1965
- Start date
cool project, you could always modiy the design a little bit so that there is a hole where the radar is... i have printed stuff for cars in the past... i think you are gonna have issues with UV causing the plastic to crack... i under stand you are painting it so that should help... but when i printed with ABS the parts were only good for a year or so. ASA is UV resistant but it would be challenging to print with a part this big on a moderate quality home gamer 3D printer...
Allright, a bit of progress to share on my project.
I finished to 3D print the 3 parts and assembled them together.
Pictures/video below is just a very rough cut of how it could look like. It's just the first coat of a grey primer/filler with a black Tesla logo hand drawn. Still lots of work to do until the chrome finish with the black (3d printed) Tesla logo in relief.
Without:
And with:
Short video:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pyHcWvJPeWQosxq66
It does "sharpen" the nose, no ?
So far I do not get any warning message on screen about radar or cruise control, and distance reading works fine at close range. But that's not a definitive test that the part does not interfere with anything. More tests needed. But the plastic part in front of the radar is quite thin and hollow.
I finished to 3D print the 3 parts and assembled them together.
Pictures/video below is just a very rough cut of how it could look like. It's just the first coat of a grey primer/filler with a black Tesla logo hand drawn. Still lots of work to do until the chrome finish with the black (3d printed) Tesla logo in relief.
Without:
And with:
Short video:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pyHcWvJPeWQosxq66
It does "sharpen" the nose, no ?
So far I do not get any warning message on screen about radar or cruise control, and distance reading works fine at close range. But that's not a definitive test that the part does not interfere with anything. More tests needed. But the plastic part in front of the radar is quite thin and hollow.
Already looks great. Very promising that the radar seems unaffected, though make sure you can still see 3 cars ahead when stopped at a light. I wonder if it would look better without the frunk emblem, or maybe a matte silver finish for the "moustache" and put the chrome emblem on it. A bit more subtle?
Thanks for the tip about the 3 cars.
I need to run a few simulations with my rendering. Chrome might not be the best option. The window trims on the M3 are between a mirror chrome and a matte silver. Maybe that could be better than full mirror chrome. I need to split the M3 mesh I found on Thingiverse into different parts so I can render them with different finish, will take a couple of days, while I continue to polish the real part.
I made these 2 renderings tonight. First one with regular satin chrome window trim, so then with satin chrome moustache and black logo.
Second one below is with black window trim, and matte black moustache and chrome logo. I think I prefer the first one.
Second one below is with black window trim, and matte black moustache and chrome logo. I think I prefer the first one.
Here we go. Planning to wrap the one on the hood with black vinyl. Wouldn't like to take it off.
You have a good eye. Yes, that part is a little different from the real one because the 3D model, for some reason, does not have the same bumper curvature as the real M3. So I designed my 3d part on my 3d scan, not this 3d model. Here it is just for rendering purpose.
ElectricEel
Member
I really like where you are going with this. It breaks up the "thumb look" as my GF calls it.
Gonna follow this, would love to get one if you sell them.
Gonna follow this, would love to get one if you sell them.
Probably. I'm just a little concerned about the fact that it covers the radar, I don't want any liability for this. Let's see after I've installed it and tested that the radar behaves the same way (if there is a valid test for this).
Meanwhile, i'm adding more layers of filler primer in spray, then sand down, repeat. it's getting smoother but not ready to paint yet. I bought a small piece of chrome film though, i'll probably give it a try this week-end to see how it looks. Got to print the Tesla logo too.
Yeah, check a few messages up this thread, you'll see a picture. I've printed the 2 arms hollow, so it's quite thin in front of it, no error messages on screen, but I have not driven with it yet.
I wonder if there's an aftermarket decal already available? Pic looks beautiful! I was going to try out the front license plate(even though not required in AZ), with vader written in it for the coolness factor/break up the front look
I'm not finished to polish the part yet, still some defects, but I tried to wrap it with the chrome film I bought, just to try the fit, it gives an idea. I'll probably try to paint it with this chrome paint first, if it does not come out right, then I'll wrap it. I don't have the black Tesla logo on yet. No error messages with the radar so far, behaves normally.
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