[MVRC] Mantium Virtual Racecar Challenge 2017

[etsmc]

I had a pretty good car for Monaco but the new software got me lost. Front diffuser is choking and nothing I try seems to make a difference. Let's see if I can balance it until the race.

Do you have any post processing images you would like to share (black stuff out if you don't want other to see certain parts), I am sure people here would help you out. Maybe start a thread on the forum with some images. I think the challenge is just as much about helping other develop as it is about winning.

[rjsa]

I had a pretty good car for Monaco but the new software got me lost. Front diffuser is choking and nothing I try seems to make a difference. Let's see if I can balance it until the race.

Do you have any post processing images you would like to share (black stuff out if you don't want other to see certain parts), I am sure people here would help you out. Maybe start a thread on the forum with some images. I think the challenge is just as much about helping other develop as it is about winning.

I found a thread to pull. Splitter mouth size, angle and shape. Had to come back changing everything to see what would prompt a response, and that's that brought change to the front end:



Rear end was easier, with detachment at the rear wing pretty easy to fix. Rear diffuser didn't get much love besides rule adherence since DF is so rear biased.

I won't be able to recover everything I had before but it's looking up now.

[Alonso Fan]

does anyone know a good way to export .stls from Solidworks? I've tried converting to iges and then exporting various surfaces as .stl files but when I open them up in meshlab to see if they all fit into eachother, they are all over the place

any ideas?

[rjsa]

I've used SolidWorks in the past for jewelry 3d printing. I'd always start from a closed solid on SW and export the STL directly from there. It produced way better meshes than Rhino3D - that was our mainstream tool.

Today I'm using Moi3D to export the models created in Rhino. I move the geometry from Rhino to MOi via copy/paste. Moi's mesher is pretty neat, it will also import IGES/STEP/SAT. There is a 30 day free demo.

[Alonso Fan]

I've used SolidWorks in the past for jewelry 3d printing. I'd always start from a closed solid on SW and export the STL directly from there. It produced way better meshes than Rhino3D - that was our mainstream tool.

Today I'm using Moi3D to export the models created in Rhino. I move the geometry from Rhino to MOi via copy/paste. Moi's mesher is pretty neat, it will also import IGES/STEP/SAT. There is a 30 day free demo.

But how do i go about producing stls of flat surfaces as required by the rules?

[AratzH]

Depending on which SW version you are using I can provide a template I use that exports everything correctly and is quite usefull to check rules.
Right now I am testing Le Mans spec in the latest MFlow version to see how it compares to last year.
On the software bug side, I have the same problem as with last years GUI. All seems to work but when I try to launch a simulation from the GUI I get the "case folder is not in shared folder with OpenFoam" message. The strange thin is that the case is in the shared folder (I can launch it from the OF terminal...). No big deal, but I thought I should mention.

[rjsa]

I've used SolidWorks in the past for jewelry 3d printing. I'd always start from a closed solid on SW and export the STL directly from there. It produced way better meshes than Rhino3D - that was our mainstream tool.

Today I'm using Moi3D to export the models created in Rhino. I move the geometry from Rhino to MOi via copy/paste. Moi's mesher is pretty neat, it will also import IGES/STEP/SAT. There is a 30 day free demo.

But how do i go about producing stls of flat surfaces as required by the rules?

Oh, the intake, exhaust and HX control surfaces, right. You can export them directly from SW, don't you?

[Alonso Fan]

I've used SolidWorks in the past for jewelry 3d printing. I'd always start from a closed solid on SW and export the STL directly from there. It produced way better meshes than Rhino3D - that was our mainstream tool.

Today I'm using Moi3D to export the models created in Rhino. I move the geometry from Rhino to MOi via copy/paste. Moi's mesher is pretty neat, it will also import IGES/STEP/SAT. There is a 30 day free demo.

But how do i go about producing stls of flat surfaces as required by the rules?

Oh, the intake, exhaust and HX control surfaces, right. You can export them directly from SW, don't you?

Yes that's what i was meaning. How do i go about doing this?

They are currently part of my car body. But i am planning to remake them.

So actually my question should be 'how should i remake them to make exporting simple and easy'

Please don't forget that i am coming straight from sketchup and therefore i still need to learn how to use SW optimally and efficiently

[rjsa]

I'm not your guy here, it's been 6 years I don't put my hands on SW.

[AratzH]

But how do i go about producing stls of flat surfaces as required by the rules?

Oh, the intake, exhaust and HX control surfaces, right. You can export them directly from SW, don't you?

Yes that's what i was meaning. How do i go about doing this?

They are currently part of my car body. But i am planning to remake them.

So actually my question should be 'how should i remake them to make exporting simple and easy'

Please don't forget that i am coming straight from sketchup and therefore i still need to learn how to use SW optimally and efficiently

What I usually do is use the remove surface opeartion on the intake/exhaust in the solid body. Then I add a new part to the assembly and use the fill surface operation on the hole edge. This way the intake/exhaust surfaces are different parts but perfectly tangent to the main body.

[RicME85]

Anyone got a copy of mvrc_testCase2share from last year?

[RicME85]

On the software bug side, I have the same problem as with last years GUI. All seems to work but when I try to launch a simulation from the GUI I get the "case folder is not in shared folder with OpenFoam" message. The strange thin is that the case is in the shared folder (I can launch it from the OF terminal...). No big deal, but I thought I should mention.

I have a clean Win7 install with just drivers and the required software for MVRC. I have just tried to do a test run with the intro class car but I have encountered the same "case folder is not in shared folder" error BUT when I tried to get around it by doing everything in the OF terminal it didn't find my case folder after typing cd workingDir and then cd test (name of folder with case in it). It changed to the working directory fine but found nothing in there. Is there a command I can use to list the folders in the working directory to figure out which folder is apparently workingDir?
I have tried going back into Virtual box and double checking the shared folder and cross referenced last year's MVRC OF PDF instructions to no avail, I even tried a completely different location but nada.
My working directory is supposed to be c:\CFD.....
I ran the OF environment shortcut and even got the username folder inside (c:\CFD\Richard) which I then put the test folder in.
Seems odd that VirtualBox/OpenFOAM created the folder with my username inside CFD directory but then doesn't see it as the working directory.
When I did this for last year's competition this bit worked fine every time so am really confused by this.

[LVDH]

I will have to get back to these software issues, when I am back in the office tomorrow morning. Today everyone should receive an email about submitting the car for the first race. Please let me know if you do not get anything.
In addition there was a minor issue with the intro class car. Chris fixed it a while ago but something went wrong when uploading it. The SKP file was fine. The other one is now updated as rev3. Please do not get confused about these names. Next time there is an update both will be called rev4.

[RicME85]

I assume you mean on the CAESES online geometry generator? That had no front suspension cover.

[Alonso Fan]

Oh, the intake, exhaust and HX control surfaces, right. You can export them directly from SW, don't you?

Yes that's what i was meaning. How do i go about doing this?

They are currently part of my car body. But i am planning to remake them.

So actually my question should be 'how should i remake them to make exporting simple and easy'

Please don't forget that i am coming straight from sketchup and therefore i still need to learn how to use SW optimally and efficiently

What I usually do is use the remove surface opeartion on the intake/exhaust in the solid body. Then I add a new part to the assembly and use the fill surface operation on the hole edge. This way the intake/exhaust surfaces are different parts but perfectly tangent to the main body.

Aha, thanks, will try this later!