Quote from dpcars :

looked at as a matter of priorites, it's actually cheaper than putting a kid through 4 years of private college and LOTS of people manage that. i choose not to have chilren, therefore i can put the resources towards the only kid in my life - myself

That's good news for me; I don't plan on having kids either. Hello custom-built sports racer! :hyper:

hmmmm..... accurately reproduced DP1 + accurately produced PIR + telemetry = posibility for benchmarking lfs direct to real data

IE use the control input telemetry and compare the results (compare the gloads from the real car, and the g-loads from outsim)

Quote from KeiichiRX7 :

hmmmm..... accurately reproduced DP1 + accurately produced PIR + telemetry = posibility for benchmarking lfs direct to real data

IE use the control input telemetry and compare the results (compare the gloads from the real car, and the g-loads from outsim)

sounds fun, doesn't it?

Quote from dpcars :

sounds fun, doesn't it?

Sure does Even without PIR, there is of course certainly the potential to fine tune the dp1 in game based on the GPS data, but having a real car and track would be fantastic for LFS, and hopefully useful for you.

As for timeline for the dp1 project, I think this can be compared to Live For Speed, as they're pretty similar in a few ways. LFS and dp1 are both an attempt to build something better than what is currently out there, by an individual/small group with their first product in this area, learning a lot as they go, and appearing to be pretty successful so far on a relatively low budget compared to the big guys. When people ask why things are taking so long in LFS, we're quick to say, hey, there's only one guy working on coding, etc, and obviously it's the same for the dp1! And this isn't a full-time thing for Dennis either...

Because they're so similar in concept, I have always thought that LFS and the dp1 would be a great match, and it turned out two of us got in touch with Dennis on the same week with the same idea!

Dennis,
I did have a question about the louver design over the wheels. I understand why they are there.

However, why did you not have the main chassis made with a rectangular hole over where the louvers will go? Then have separate louver panels made. The main chassis could have a lip on the front of the hole and a depression on the rear for the louver panel to slot into. Then use dzus, camlock or similar fasteners to mount the louver panels.

I watch a lot of ALMS, and you see them blow out their louver panels all the time throwing "klag" up through them. Why not make them easily replaceable instead of part of the entire chassis? I suppose it would be more stiff with the louvers integrated?

Forgive me if this is a naive question or if you covered in your blog. It just crossed my mind after reading your design blog on the design process. I am only on page 4. But it looks like the louvers made it to the final design.

Quote from Michael Denham :

Sure does Even without PIR, there is of course certainly the potential to fine tune the dp1 in game based on the GPS data, but having a real car and track would be fantastic for LFS, and hopefully useful for you.

As for timeline for the dp1 project, I think this can be compared to Live For Speed, as they're pretty similar in a few ways. LFS and dp1 are both an attempt to build something better than what is currently out there, by an individual/small group with their first product in this area, learning a lot as they go, and appearing to be pretty successful so far on a relatively low budget compared to the big guys. When people ask why things are taking so long in LFS, we're quick to say, hey, there's only one guy working on coding, etc, and obviously it's the same for the dp1! And this isn't a full-time thing for Dennis either...

Because they're so similar in concept, I have always thought that LFS and the dp1 would be a great match, and it turned out two of us got in touch with Dennis on the same week with the same idea!

Yeah, it's great stuff. and It's quite exhilarating to see someting come of an email. (I've written to a few american race car companies as well, but no response.)

The small companies with a lot to gain from popularizing thier vehicles, and enthusiasm for thier craft seem most apt to allowing the car to be reproduced in the sim world.

I would assume (ub abswer toa previous user's question) that the louvers were integrated on the prototype design and will be replaceable on the production models. I could be wrong though as the lines areand therefore aero is cleaner with the integratred parts


(forgive horrid typos its about 6am, and ive been up since 10 am yesterday

As an engineer I am pretty surprised that the mainframe seems to be almost not "triangularized".
Anyway i find this project really cool !

Quote from loopingz :

As an engineer I am pretty surprised that the mainframe seems to be almost not "triangularized".
Anyway i find this project really cool !

jup ... but even more than that im surprised that the actual mainframe seems to take up only a very small portion of the cars width

i was going back and forth on the louvers. the basic idea was to do the whole body as one piece. that way there's only one mold and one layup so in theory it saves cost and weight (the entire body is just 41 lbs). in a way by incrporating them into the main bodywork they're 'free' whereas as separate panels there'd be an extra four molds and extra four parts to make, plus all the trimming to make the seams clean and straight. panel fit problems were a major thing i was trying to avoid with the one-piece design.

but there are definitely drawbacks to this, primarily having to do with repair and replacement. it's all a learning experence. as time goes on i'll probably modify molds and make new ones but it's not the highest priority right now.

as for the frame, the prototype's frame is skinned with structural aluminum panels which is both stiffer and lighter than tube triangulation (the official term for it is semi-monocoque, it was used in some can-am cars and formula cars of the era). the production chassis will be a carbon tub. on an f1 car the chassis takes up an even smaller portion of the car's width

Quote from Bob Smith :

I've just run the car through my analyser [...]
Impressive.

Indeed. 0-60 mph in <gasp> 2 seconds. :jawdrop:

Quote from dpcars :

as time goes on i'll probably modify molds and make new ones

If the DP1 makes it into LFS, you could use the old mold to make new bodies (cheapo material) and sell them to LFS fans to build their sim-racing rig...

What is even more cool is that Bob's analysis has made it onto Dennis' design blog. Dennis also gives LFS a nice mention!

Sorry if I've missed them on the site but I just can't find wallpaper size pictures of the DP1 anywhere on the site. I think the thing looks utterly fantastic, can I get a wallpaper (1280x1024) anywhere?

I'd also like a wallpaper, Dennis. Maybe a nice purdy render from Solidworks?

*Snicker* If it's possible to texture in solidworks, I'd like to try to do a ZWR livery for it, it mgiht help with marketting later j/k

Yeah,a nkpro style 1600x1200 render would be nice

here's one in 1600x1200 http://www.dpcars.net/dp1/img005.jpg

if you go to http://www.dpcars.net/dp1 and click on 'media', at the bottom there are a few thumbnails for relatively high-res pix, some more so than others. just click on each one

Here's few sample pics what I'd like to see:
http://static.gallery.zoom.nl/images/19144/ey7GML.jpg
http://www.super-fond.fr/images/LM%20SERIES/IM3420-hr.jpg
http://www.super-fond.fr/images/LM%20SERIES/LM%20SER14.jpg
http://www.super-fond.fr/images/LM%20SERIES/IM2962-hr.jpg

Basically hi-res action shots look always good on desktop as well as closeups pics of suspension&parts which aren't too shiny and colorful

Nice pics though

i'll work on getting some better pix as things progress but it'll take some time.

Quote from dpcars :

i'll work on getting some better pix as things progress but it'll take some time.

Thanks

Hey Dennis,
If you want to see some good LFS racing, tune into OLFSL TV. Pool 1 starts at 11:00AM our time.
You can use browser plugins or Winamp with the correct codecs to watch. It is pretty cool. There will be an announcer calling the race. (Are we nuts, or what? )
Go here:http://lfs-league.com/
and then click on the OLFSL TV link.

You might also want to take a look at the STCC broadcasts
more info here

very cool! the fact that it's all being done in realtime is mindboggling really. i've been in computers for almost three decades now and what i was trying to do with 3D graphics on the university's mainframe back in '82 is cave drawing in comparison. having a detailed appreciation for both the hardware and the software necessary to make it happen just leaves me in awe. these are good times to live in

with the engine on the side, dont you have to add/remove extra weight on drivers side for different driver, to keep balance? Or how is that done?

Quote from dpcars :

very cool! the fact that it's all being done in realtime is mindboggling really. i've been in computers for almost three decades now and what i was trying to do with 3D graphics on the university's mainframe back in '82 is cave drawing in comparison. having a detailed appreciation for both the hardware and the software necessary to make it happen just leaves me in awe. these are good times to live in

Really glad you liked it. I don´t know what will turn out of this and if we will have your car in the game or not, but I think we´re turning you into an LFS driver. If you do, and I hope so, take it easy, or you won´t have time to finish your car... Best of luck in your work!!

Have you noticed that LFS models tyre deformation and hence tyre forces by the way? Here's a good slowmotion movie where you can have a look at that:
http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=14198