I built this highly-detailed 3d model of a Michelin Pilot Super Sport tire several years ago. I’m fairly obsessive when it comes to my 3d models, and for me, the more detail the better.
For the record, I’m not a fan of low-poly modeling at all. While I understand the importance of it for situations like gaming and real-time rendering, I go for a realism every time. This Michelin Pilot Super Sport tire model is no exception.
High-resolution screenshots of this Michelin Pilot Super Sport 3d model
The following is a handful of high-resolution renderings of this automotive tire 3d model. The Michelin Pilot Super Sport was not an easy tire to build using polygons, but it was a fun challenge nonetheless.
Rendered top down view
Rendered front 3/4 view (looks cool IMHO, but come on – it’s nowhere near as sexy as the model of the 3D watch I built a while back).
Close up of the tread
Lying flat on a surface
Ambient occlusion rendering showing the model surface
The wireframe
A few things to note about this 3d model
If you haven’t already noticed, this was the tire that I created for my Audi R8 3d model several years ago. I built it not only because of the aggressive tread pattern, but also because I would need it for some future projects. Long story short, I’ve found it to be incredibly useful over the years. I even had fun wrapping around my 3d model of a mid-1980s 14″ Pontiac wheel once (it looked as hilarious as it sounds). Anyway, here are some things you need to know about this tire model:
It was built in Maya
Maya is the 3d modeling software that I know the best, so that’s what I chose to build this with. However, also included in this package are the following formats:
- FBX
- Blend
- OBJ
High-resolution sidewall texture map source files are included
Also included in this package is a high-resolution sidewall texture featuring highly-accurate Michelin Pilot Super Sport graphics (3000×3000 pixels each). I created these from scratch. The .png and .tx versions are included.
A low-resolution preview of the sidewall texture included with this 3d model. The ones included in the package are 3000×3000 pixels each.
Note that you might have to fine-tune the placement of this texture depending on which modeling software you’re using. If you’re using Maya or Blender, it’ll be placed perfectly (exactly where it needs to be).
The treads are modeled (not textured)
Remember what I just said about how I prefer I realism over anything else in my 3d models? Instead of using a bump map for the textures, I chose to model the tread in it’s entirety. Yes, this results in a larger file size, but the accuracy and realism is far better than what you could get with a bump map.
Double-check the file size
Because the tread pattern on this tire 3d model is fully modeled and not textured, the file size may be an issue for performance-sensitive applications. I don’t recommend this 3d model for game developers.
For your reference, here are some of the most important attributes of this wireframe:
- Verts: 652550
- Edges: 1303130
- Faces: 650580
- Tris: 1301160
- UVs: 679601
The file sizes of each format are as follows:
- Maya (.ma): 3.1 MB
- FBX (.fbx): 2.9 MB
- Blend (.blend): 9 MB
- OBJ (.obj): 6.6 MB
As you can see, this model is best suited for situations where you need close-up realism. It likely won’t perform well in situations where real-time rendering is required.
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