Remember when Audi dominated at Le Mans with their V12 diesel-powered R10 prototype? In 2009 they came up with a new model called the R15, which used a V10 diesel. This engine was supposed to be lighter, more economical and more reliable. The aerodynamics got a rework too for improved cornering speeds and less drag. During the testing phase this new car seemed promising. In reality however, Audi always stayed behind Peugeot. The greatest success was a 1-2-3-victory at Le Mans, which was only possible because Peugeot lost all three of their prototypes in the race. After this season the cars were retired.

This means Audi still have these 5,5L V10 engines laying around...

So, I was messing around with the vehicle editor and created one of these engines to put in a roadcar. The specs are somewhat close to the original, but not quite perfect:

-610 bhp @ 3700 rpm
-1742 Nm of user-friendly torque @ 1040 rpm
-a very flat power curve between 2500 rpm and 4500 rpm

After trying this engine in some of LFS' roadcars, I realised that none of them could handle the torque. I made up a new chassis and threw some polygons at it. After some more testing, I came up with this:

The ADDA TDR15:

This is still very much work in progress, since this is my first time building a (non-technical) 3D model.

This is my to-do list:
-clean up the mesh and add more poligons (a structure like the front fenders is my minimum goal on the whole model)
-work on the sound file
-add proper gauges and an interior
-add proper wheels
-add a steering wheel and animation
-improve the lights
-improve all textures



Criticism and suggestions are very much appreciated.

Hi, i really appreciate the idea, it's seem to be a really good idea. Maybe because it's come to my mind, but did you think about do a "race version" of this road car? Should be a monster with the LMP engine. Keep going

Quote from THEFRENCHDESTOYER :

Hi, i really appreciate the idea, it's seem to be a really good idea. Maybe...

The race version of this would really only be a copy of the existing Audi R15 TDI. I would rather leave that to somebody else who is better at 3D modeling than me. But if you would like to try, I can give you the technical side of things to work with (engine, frame, downforce).
What I was thinking about was a "plus" version with slicks, adjustable downforce, more boost and a different bodykit.

Anyway, I cleaned up the model a bit:

What you do atm is really good, keep it up !

I did some more research:

Because of new regulations for the 2009 season the rear wing had to be much narrower than before. This change removed a lot of rear downforce, so the manufacturers had to get creative with their designs.
Audi realized that their traditional wing mount caused too much turbulence on the underside of the wing, which disturbed the airflow over the rear of the car. They came up with a "goose neck" design, where the wing was "hanging" from the mount.

I decided to add this (visual) feature as a hommage to the real car. The added downforce definetely improved high speed stability. Still, I have a problem with sudden oversteer in fast corners and compressions. This can be fixed with more downforce, but I want to keep this thing close to a roadcar.

I worked on the frame for a bit.

The oversteer problem has been solved by moving the mass further away from centre. With some more tubes the weight is currently at 1100kg without driver and fuel. Even with the added weight the car will outrun the GTR class. That is on road tires and only about 1300N of downforce @ 144km/h. This thing is too fast for a roadcar...

Now, I don't want to nerf the drivetrain characteristics since this car is built around the engine. Maybe I'll make the tires narrower to slow it down in the corners.

Badges.

I also added some panel lines. Making them point by point is a huge pain in the a**. Is there an easy, more obvious way to do it?

The Audi R15 was one of the first LMPs to feature large air channels through the chassis of the car. According to Audi's engineers this produced a lot of downforce without causing too much drag (compared to traditional wings). It also meant that the car was closer to an open-wheeler than to a prototype. Audi even had to add a small piece of carbon to get around regulations.

In my "what if" car, I tried to replicate this feature. The large openings at the front and rear are now connected, which means they could channel air through the car. I simulated this effect by adding most of the downforce with the undertray subobject.

Probably going to upload for testing this weekend. I still have a lot of work to do (especially interior and textures), but I want some more feedback.

I'm still not 100% sure about the handling. Sure, the car is supposed to be scary fast for what it is, but it gets out of control too quickly. I added more engine inertia and turbo lag to make it somewhat drivable for players without wheels. I have not touched the original engine specs however, so don't think it will be too tame.
In the corners it retains some ADDA-typical understeer, but this can be fixed with the throttle. Most importantly the high speed oversteer has been eliminated. Overall, I think I found a good balance between drivability and speed. Remember, this is a roadcar, so there are no slicks or high downforce.


For people who want a challenge, there will be a faster trackday-version with all the racecar features.

i really love what you build. It remind me the nuvolari a lot. Really cool look alike prototype

Quote from LE_TANCKER :

Badges.

I also added some panel lines. Making them point by point is a huge pain in the a**. Is there an easy, more obvious way to do it?

What do you mean by panel lines? Is that what you made point by point, or is it the badges?

Quote from Flame CZE :

What do you mean by panel lines? Is that what you made point by point, or is it the badges?

The badges were no problem. I spent a lot of time making the gaps where the panels of the bodywork meet. Of course I didn't want to make a Tesla, so the gaps had to be relatively small. I made a Line where the gap was supposed to be, extruded it twice and "folded" it in. Then I had to work these triangles into the main body.

Seems like a lot of effort for such a small feature, so I was wondering if there was an easyer way to do it. Also I'm not quite happy with how they look ATM.

Made an interior. I wanted to get some more light into the cockpit, so the seats are not separated anymore. I chose to show lots of carbon fiber and aluminium. The middle tunnel is a bit to narrow for an AWD car, but I ran out of space. For now the steering wheel and seat are placeholders.

Is there any way to make dull chrome mappings actually visible in game? In the editor the chrome texture looks perfect but in the game it just shows up as black.


Anyway, I think it's ready for testing!

Did some minor light updates, also added more chrome to keep some distance to the "plus" version.

More importantly, I worked on the engine and got a more realistic power curve. The stats now match the actual R15 racing engine. Problem is, the "realistic" engine is really boring...

Should I keep it as is, or should I use the realisitc engine?

Also, I would rather have a matte chrome look on everything metallic, but the game apparently can't display that (???)

It's public now!

And I finally got a convincing sound thanks to some real diesel engine samples!

This will remain a W.I.P. however, since the mesh still isn't perfect. My plan is to get this thing approved, but in my opinion the quality is not up to standards yet.

Found a really dumb solution (with some help) to fix the headlight brightness while keeping the tinted look. It even has some sort of animation now. First pic is the new design, second one the way it was (they are both on!).

If it's stupid but it works...

The Volkswagen AG are very well known for their high-speed experiments at the Nardo Technical Center in Italy. In the early 2000s they used the massive round speedway for developing the legendary Bugatti Veyron and the VW Nardo W12 ().

In 1987 the Audi 200 C3 set three lesser known world records. With it's turbocharged five-cylinder engine it achieved an incredible average speed of 326,4 km/h over a distance 1000km. This was possible due to aerodynamic improvements, a 340 l fuel tank and optimized pit stops.




In the spirit of this car, I will release a special livery and several configurations (tied into the "Projekt 400" theme). It will be possible to remove mirrors, modify wheels and change aero objects on the setup screen. There will be some configurable textures too.

In this early screenshot you can see how good I am with creating skins, so take it as an early "alpha" version. This car already has a (placeholder) windscreen and the "Carbon Line" config. installed.

Here are a few screenshots of the new version. You can see the contrast between the most "civilian" configuration (GT Line) and the record-breaking version (Projekt 400).


Since I still have some spots left in the config. editor, I might make some more settings. Right now you can change chrome to carbon, remove the second cockpit, add a longer tail/splitter, change the wing, cover up the vents, add wheelcaps and remove the mirrors.

I will probably upload this weekend. Hoping for some feedback!





Also, my skins are copressed to **** in-game (especially our beautiful flag). Looks fine in the editor however. Any ideas?

I got annoyed with some of the visuals, so I did some cleaning up. Most sharp lines are now smoother (rounded over) and some tris were removed. The cockpit view should look much better now!

I also made some new, more typical wheels and adjusted the aero-caps. This weekend I will be working on an improved engine model, which will be placed under a glass cover (where the vents currently are). Most of these changes will be selectable in the configuration menu.

The original R15's engine is literally a snake pit, since all lines and cables are exposed for easy access. I tried to replicate this effect with 3D objects and textures inside the "V". I decided to give the cylinder heads a cleaner look where only the fuel rails and injectors are exposed. So far, I'm at 6000 tris and I still need to model the whole exhaust side...

To quote George Lucas: "I may have gone too far in a few places." Over 10000 tris and most of them are barely visible from the outside

Also, ther may be a competitor for the TDR 15 in the future.

This going to be quite a big update...

-2 wheel styles + aero caps now selectable
-engine + glass (prev. post)
-removed many tris, smoothed over most lines
-cockpit position adjusted
-new colors
-visible air intakes connected to the engine
-brightness levels for many points have been adjusted
-several smaller quality improvements

Will upload today if the server manages.

Edit: Windshield is too dark now. Will fix it soon.