Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 239: Seam Shifting

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 239: Seam Shifting

Automationeers often find that the default seams (referring to the panel gaps on bodywork) on some of the available body sets are awkwardly shaped and/or placed. Seam shifting helps cover some of those seams, while adding new ones in their place according to the player's desires. Here's a recent example I found to illustrate this.

Above: We're about to do some seam shifting on the notchback version of the '88 Copy Cat. Notice how the upper edge rear door seam doesn't quite line up with the top of the rear window? Most people would leave this section as-is, but I'm about to move the seam instead (and also cover up the original one) for a more harmonious look. In addition, with the morphing settings I chose on my test mule, I decided to apply a similar technique to the leading edge of the door.

There are several ways to create custom seams in Automation. One of them is to use the RB Seam Kit (a mod fixture pack in the Body Molding section of the Fixtures tab in the car designer) and select the variants you wish to use, then move, scale, and rotate them as required. Within this fixture pack, the "Base" variants sit flush with the bodywork, while the "Gizmo Down" variants are recessed inwards, and the "Gizmo Up" variants float above it. Regardless, it is usually best to use Surface Align (the 11th button from left on the top of the Fixtures Tab) to ensure these fixtures conform properly.

Above, from top: A close-up of the sections of bodywork on which I performed my seam shifting practice. I used the RB Seam Kit mod fixture (in multiple variants) to create custom seams that provided a cleaner look than stock, before obscuring the stock seams using patch fixtures (also classified in-game as body moldings).

Covering up stock seams after creating new ones also requires body molding fixtures - specifically, the Patches fixture set. This, unlike the RB Seam Kit (which actually comprises three different fixture sets - I only tried one of them on this example to get a feel for the technique) is a vanilla set (i.e., included within the game by default), but within it, there are two key variants: cutouts (which cover more effectively, but create jagged edges around them that are only visible if you zoom in close enough) or regular patches (which don't cover as effectively, but don't leave behind any jagged edges), both of which I used on this test mule. The difference is that cutouts overwrite the stock bodywork, while patches are instead applied on top of it. In addition to those two variants, I also applied decal patch fixtures for creating the curved window edges.

The drawback to seam shifting is that it takes time to learn and implement, especially when applied across the entire body, but this is only a minor inconvenience compared to the sheer amount of freedom it gives you to bend body sets to your will, as you see fit. There's a reason the best Automationeers devote several hours' worth of time to this technique alone when designing the exteriors of their cars, but for them, it's worth it - and I wholeheartedly agree.