I would suggest poking around in the vanilla vehicle's mode files, or just modelling individual objects first. blender guru has some good tutorials on youtube, as well.
How about something like this: a ford escort Mk.3? I could try an older volvo wagon, but I don't know if someone else is already making one.
The Kia Soul. For your very first mod though, I’d reccomend starting with one of the official cars as a base, and doing some kind of bodystyle mod for it. Making a car from scratch is an incredibly daunting task, and probably not the best choice if you’re completely new to modding. Even with an official car as a starting point, you’ll need to be very patient and determined, as there’s quite a steep learning curve when it comes to modding for BeamNG. The modding community is generally very supportive of new modelers though, so if you ever get stuck, don’t hesitate to ask for help! (^.^)
How does a covet wagon sound as a starter? (Sidenote: The kashira is amazing! Keep doing what you're doing)
Something like this? That’s a great idea! You’ll probably have to extend the wheelbase a bit, which can be a bit tricky (you’ll have to properly move the rear suspension and all mounting points in the jbeam), but it should otherwise be mostly straightforward. And thank you! The Kashira was actually my very first mod for BeamNG, and I took the same advice I’m giving you. The whole thing is based upon the old Pessima, I’ve just completely redesigned and adjusted it. In my opinion, modding dev vehicles is probably like the best way to get into modding. It’s hard without being overwhelming, and it’s a great starting point that you can expand upon however you’d like. I’m really looking forward to how your mod turns out! Let me know if you need any help! (╹◡╹)
That looks good! I can learn how to do pretty much everything else, but the one thing I'm stuck on is how to get the original covet model into blender so I can edit it.
All the files for the official vehicle are located under BeamNG(*version#*)/content/vehicles.They’re all .zip files, so you’ll need to extract them somewhere you’ll remember (I just have a folder full of all the dev vehicles if I ever need to reference something for modding). Most of the newer vehicles are in a folder corresponding to their name, but some of the older vehicles are a bit more vague. For instance, the old Pessima is in a folder called “pessima,” but the new one is in “midsize.” If I remember correctly, the Covet is under “hatch.” Once you’ve extracted everything, you can import the .dae file(s) in Blender and start working. When you want to save your file though, make sure you don’t override the old file. You’ll want to make a new mod project file under documents/BeamNG/mods/unpacked.Once there, create a new folder and name it whatever you’d like. The header folder doesn’t really matter besides being a container, so I usually name it with some kind of joke or something. Then, inside that folder, create a folder titled “vehicles,” and then another inside that titled however you’d like to refer to your mod. It should be something somewhat unique so that it won’t ever risk conflicting with anything else, but easy to remember. So I wouldn’t do “covetwagon,” but “marxonwagon” would be fine. Then, inside that folder, copy-paste everything from inside the Covet folder. This’ll completely duplicate the Covet into a new project file that you can edit without messing up the original. Since your mod is a bodystyle mod, you’ll probably want to eventually add it back to the official Covet so that they aren’t separate vehicles, but I find it much easier to separate things while you work on them. It’s a little complicated to add something with a completely new wheelbase and parts to an existing vehicle, but you can definitely get help with that if you ever get stuck. Hopefully that wasn’t too confusing. It’s a bit hard to explain over text. (;>.<)
Thanks for all the help. My plan is basically to do something like what you did: start off with something more similar to the original then eventually branch off and make something super unique later on.
I do not have a clue what I'm doing 1. Is there a way to cut parts into pieces 2.Is there a way to make parts longer
I did, very briefly, know how to model something in blender, but the lesson didn't stick. This series of tutorials is what I've been trying to use to get back up to speed: As for a boxy vehicle to model, I'd recommend the 1963 Studebaker-Westinghouse Concept pickup: But really, for your first mod, if you're determined to model something in blender and put it in-game with a Jbeam structure, it might be safer to aim for a prop instead of a car.
My first 4 "vehicle" mods were props, I'd definitely recommend starting there to get a good idea of what each step involves.