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Issue 49, 1. February 2010

In this Issue
*In the News
*In the Spotlight
*Presentation of the Week
*Blast from the Past
*Interview
*Tuner Tips
*SHIFT Category Competition
*Words from the Staff



In The News

Return of the Showroom Weekly
After a long break, the Showroom Weekly is back with a brand new team and some new features! Our old staff members, save one, don't have much time for the Showroom Weekly anymore, so now we have four new contributors to bring you the latest news and coolest cars every week.
The new SRW staff consists of: D-ToX; Dr Houbenheimer; Hardcore Drifter; Rizur and TW1ST3R; with help of returning staff member, KammyworldRacerGT4. The rest of the old staff will help out with the weekly when they have time.
As for the new features we have a section called ‘Blast from the Past' where we feature some of the most amazing rides from the old times. Another new feature we have is an interview with each issue. D-ToX shall interview some of the legendary tuners and also some skilled new tuners - ‘the future pros'. In this week's interview, the first interview, D-ToX is not only the interviewer but also the interviewee. Remember to check it below!

NFSUnlimited and Eduardo
Bojan's humble creation of NFSUnlimited has not gone unnoticed by the developers of Need For Speed. Since both the franchise and NFSUnlimited have grown in popularity, NFS Designer, Eduardo Agostini – who is currently working on Need For Speed World Online (his latest WO developer's blog can be viewed here) – has taken great interest in our Showroom. Eduardo has been working on the Need For Speed Franchise for a very long time – since before NFS III: Hot Pursuit. When tuners worked out how to customise and create their own cars he took great interest in this. From here he was lead to Bojan's NFSUnlimited when Underground 1 came out. Since then, Eduardo has followed the Showroom Weekly to see the featured works of the week and month and has also checked out the Showroom to see what we have concocted. Eduardo featured two creations of NFSUnlimited members is his blog a while ago. To read the whole article and see whose work he featured, follow this link.

Mort's Custom Corner
The official site published three articles titled as Mort's Custom Corner where French NFS designer, William Mort, created some basic tuning tips for NFS SHIFT. These tutorials teach tuners the do's and don'ts of tuning in SHIFT and also how to create symmetrical vinyls.
Mort's Custom Corner part 1
Mort's Custom Corner - Making friends with symmetry
Mort's Custom Corner: Evolving your designs
Also, don't forget to check our very own tuning tutorials in this, and in future issues of the Showroom Weekly.



In the Spotlight

Lancer EVO by Rocky47


What better way to usher in the very first Showroom Weekly "In the Spotlight" section for 2010 than with a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII? I dare you to find ONE...
Time's up.
There is absolutely zero disappointing qualities in this creative entry. Its futuristic paint scheme, its radical vinyl selections, and even its mediocre window tint has received major props from fellow junkers. My highlights in this one are the wicked kit and wheels used for this one. The body looks like it could tear a bus in half at 215 MPH. Also, let's be honest about the rims, anyone who has seen the Evolution VII and IX in real life (like I have) knows that Lancers are no stranger to BBS.

. A Moment Of Happiness . by Moer-Z-


Okay, maybe I was wrong when I said there was no better way to start SRW for 2010 than with a Lancer Evolution. How can something quick and sporty like that pale to an MX-5 Miata?! Then again, this is brought to us by Moe-Z- so it's no surprise to anyone (at least it shouldn't be) that he would turn so many heads so many times they'd look like exorcists. Lexanis are unusual for something as petite as an MX-5, but they actually fit the theme whether you want to believe it or not. My biggest highlight is, of course, the vinyl selections, equipped with enough psychedilic-ness (I know it's not a word, but spare me, spelling Nazis) that can make Austin Powers blush. And despite the questionable widebody, it doesn't kill the creativity at all.

" InFamous R32 " by Reemus


Here at Showroom Weekly, we remember the golden rule, which is to feature at least one Slovakian tuner. Obviously, that's not a realistic standard so calm down, but either way we have to say: "Reemus, it's your turn." And he deserves it with this Rabbit, tuned with the intent to be showcar of all showcars. This Golf R32 bears much resemblance to a lowrider in almost every aspect. The rims: lowrider. The colors: lowrider. The vinyls: Take a WILD guess. Other than that, there's not much to say in this one except that it's another great showcar added to a long list of iconic showcars.



Presentation of the Week

SP's LowRider by 4Racer


Here we have an eerie presentation of a 1965 Pontiac GTO from 4Racer. The car itself is the ideal low rider – glossy golden base paint, clean two tone look, and some classic old school rims.
One of the first things that you notice when you look at this beauty is the lighting – the use of light and dark create a real atmosphere, and the burst of light from the low rider's headlights create a really unique and realistic look. Also noticeable is the abstract streams of light flowing behind the Pontiacs slipstream, giving a real impression of speed without blurring the car. Once again attention to detail is applied as you can see the reflections of light bouncing off the road's surface. Overall 4Racer has created an intimidating night scene.

Nissan Silvia by Rienkie


The uninspired name may put you off this ride, but the presentation is inspiring at the very least. The car is your typical tuner, with a simplistic tribal design behind the Toyo Tires major sponsor decal. Like our previous car, the lighting really adds to the look, but instead of shades of light and dark, this one uses vibrant colours to spice it up. The reflections of coloured light and the car itself are superb, and the fact that they are distorted due the rain really adds to the look of the environment. And instead of just adding the rain as an overlay on top of the pres, he's manage to merge it into the scene, by adding intricate rain splatters across the cars surface, as well as the road. One great feature can be easily overlooked due to it's subtleness, but once noticed it's hard to take your eyes off – the interior. The detail of the wheel, gauges and other miscellaneous gadgets is something to behold. Another very advanced Photoshop design by Reinkie goes down into his archive of wonderful work.


Blast from the Past

Force by TS-X


A car designed by one of the veterans in tuning on NFSunlimited.net - TS-X a.k.a. -TS-. A true gem in the crown of old-school tuning, you're looking at one of the very cars TS-X was using for online drift events in Need for Speed Underground.
It's quite the ferocious speeder with a low-to-the-ground compact sporty kit and the high racing spoiler. Carbon fiber hood added, to complete the drift impression here. You may notice the absence of an aftermarket rear bumper, which makes the rest of the aftermarket body parts fit even better with the car's lines and adds extra aggressiveness to the whole package - truly a beast you don't want to face in a competition.
Moving on to the vinyl work - sporty, with a solid order. Truly racing colors presented here, black and dark blue. The vinyl work itself, perfectly covers the side of the S2000, without upsetting the whole balance of the car, great visual styling. Despite on the car being used for drift events, there are no decals placed on this one, unlike the most drift cars that are covered with them from the top to the bottom. We may whine a bit about the car not having a single decal, but then again, why would it need anything else when it's already as perfect as it gets.
As a conclusion, this car sums up both the styling of a great tuner, TS-X and the fashion in styling back in 2006. This is truly a piece that hasn't lost its attractiveness and that is still competitive in terms of visual styling.

Skull Comet by aik.tuner_2


Quite the menacing ride here, truly a beast. Its detailed, yet simple vinyl work is one of the finest ever made. A great mix of large vinyls combined with an art styled 'Droid Skull' vinyl to finish off the theme. Made like that, this R34 really looks as if it can be an official promo car of either Need for Speed Underground or Need for Speed Underground 2. It combines an exotic look with the look of the underground street-tuning culture.
Adding to that is the simplistic body work, kept minimal and flowing perfectly with the car's lines. Huge muffler just to let you know of the engine's potential. Excellent choice of tail lights too, these chrome ones look just smashing here. The spoiler is kept stock in addition to the compact body work, besides a Skyline always looks good with its stock spoiler. Huge Enkei Suzuka rims, to remind you where this car was born and where it belongs. Don't get surprised If you happen to drive through a small neighborhood in Tokyo after midnight and notice this car passing you by, we told you already.
All in all, a masterpiece by yet another veteran in tuning, aik.tuner_2, showing once again how brilliant Need For Speed Underground 2 cars are done.



Interview

We have 10 questions we will ask from everyone we interview and 5 unique that will be different for each and every interviewee. This week, as said before, we interviewed D-ToX.

1. Question: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
1. Answer: Well, I'm a 2100 years old alien, descendant of count Dracula, from the planet K-Pax and my cousin's name is Jason. Jason Voorhees. I'm addicted to tuning as well. Visual tuning and graphics design. Considering the things I've told you so far, I think it'd be unwise of you to ask me further about me and my origin. Next question, please.

2. Q: How is it that you've become a fan of the NFS franchise?
2. A: Back in the day when the hockey mask was twice as big as my face, I've encountered this video game called 'Need For Speed'. I've played a bit and I've decided that it's a good distraction from all the killing and chopping with the machete, so it slowly became like a habit to me. Been playing it since the first one of the series.

3. Q: When and why did you join NFSUnlimited.net?
3. A: As we mentioned above, all the killing, hacking and chopping with the machete can be difficult. I've needed another distraction and a new way to express myself so to speak. Then one beautiful day I've stumbled upon this internet site, NFSUnlimited.net. Since games with visual tuning were released and they were part of the NFS series, I just had to. I've joined with my first account in October 2006. Then things didn't go so well ( had to chop and slash a few people ), I've re-joined with this account, D-ToX, in September 2007. Been here ever since.

4. Q: What do you think about the current situation in the Showroom?
4. A: The current situation in the Showroom? Well, it almost makes me want to leave the machete talking about this, but since it's the 'silent type', I'll comment myself. It is well known that the situation here at the moment, isn't the best possible. New users are joining daily, the community is growing and that is really awesome. The only thing is, we're seriously lacking veteran users to guide the new ones. What do you get from that? Anarchy! These new lads really need somebody to point them in the right direction, that's why I suggest a free non-carbonized 'Creativity juice' drink for each and every new member ( some might need two or three ).

5. Q: If you'd improve something about the Showroom, what would that be?
5. A: The Showroom is perfect as it is. It's the people that need to realize that it's them who posses the powers to make it as they see fit. It's a community and we all need to contribute with something in order to maintain order around here. The only thing I'd really change is the voting system. I'd remove that completely and leave only the option to comment and add the entries to your favourites list. That way the entries can move in the rankings only on their popularity e.g. how many views do they have from other users, how many comments and how many users added the entry to the favourites list. I think that'll completely solve all the issues with the ratings. Of course, wise people are dealing with the site, so I guess they probably know what's best.

6. Q: What motivates you to make cars, what's your inspiration?
6. A: What motivates me? What's my inspiration? As I said above, I need to express myself and by itself that's a reason good enough for me to make cars and upload them. That's my motivation. About the inspiration, that'd be all the good and quality comments I get from my friends (whom I thank for that). Sometimes they can be really inspiring. Of course seeing fellow tuners upload their creations, also ignites a spark in my heart.

7. Q: Which car, from the ones you've made, you like the most? What about the ones in the Showroom?
7. A: I don't need to explain why the . Edge . is my favourite car, but my favourite car from the whole Showroom would be TS-X's 'Nasty' Celica GT-S.

8. Q: If there's a person on the site you'd like to thank, who would that be and why?
8. A: Of course, I'd like to thank all my friends who supported me and are still supporting me over the years, but there are people out there that I'd like to thank the most. These would be, TS-X - for being my mentor and for giving me constructive criticism and advices, amda1 - for being the first person to welcome me on the site, comment my works and give me advices ever since, RAYADO - for being great and supportive friend, Nasko - for being ultra-great and supportive friend and last but not least, YaelDjiel - for giving me so many advices on various subjects and also for being great friend. These are the people who deserve my thankfulness the most.

9. Q: What is your opinion about the newest NFS games?
9. A: Let's see now, in my opinion Need for Speed Undercover was a total failure - graphics, story, game play - everything. Need for Speed Shift is a whole lot better, but still far from perfect. It has great graphics, great game play, but when it comes to visual tuning it's just epic fail. There are way too many of the 'little things' that are spoiling the fun. I hope EA will take a note on what people want and try to give it to them, instead of being greedy corporate a**es.

10. Q: Last but not least, what would you advise the future users of this community?
10. A: What would I advise the future users? First of all, don't rush to upload too many cars at once. Always appreciate fine and constructive comments. Be original, not what everybody wants you to be ( courtesy ::nica:: ). Always take your time with the cars you make, don't rush them. Preserve your style and remember, as long as you like the cars you make, nothing else matters. Always try to give quality comments, instead of one-line-emoticons. Last but least, don't spam around the Showroom, respect the other users and their works.

Here are the ones I've thought of, that I'd like to ask myself XD Questions from D-ToX to D-ToX.

*1. Q: Does it make you feel like a VIP, now that you're being interviewed for the Weekly?
*1. A: Of course it makes me feel VIP ... sorta glamorous ... HEY WHERE'S MY MAKE UP?!

*2. Q: Seriously, what's with you and the 1999 Honda Civic Coupe Si?
*2. A: Ask me that question one more time and I swear ...

*3. Q: What would you say to all the 'star hunters' here on NFSUnlimited?
*3. A: Well, it's not the 'Glamour' magazine, it's not a fashion parade - get a life!

*4. Q: Seriously though, 100 Civics?
*4. A: What did I say about asking me that question ...

*5. Q: If we gave you a spotlight right now, what would your punch line be?
*5. A: Hmm, let's see, ah, right, uhm, spotlight then. Hey, GIVE ME MA'H SPOTLIGHT! Right, right. Splendid. There goes: "Blast you vile woman! Victory shall be mine!"



Tuner Tips

Heya, TW1ST3R here, I'm going to show you how to create custom carbon fibre effects on car hoods in SHIFT. Today I will explain one of the three methods I've come across.

First off is the one used by zip_mdd. I will be demonstrating on a BMW Z4 (below). A few notes before we get started:
- this is possibly the most time consuming of the three methods but looks the best (imo)
- it also uses the greatest amount of layers so only attempt it if you have a vast majority of your 150 (approx) layers per zone free.
- the size of the car's hood will impact on the number of layers used and the thickness of the weave
- to create the CF on this Z4's hood I used 116 layers



1 ) Create a dark grey base for your CF — I used the Primitive Square


2 ) Select Primitive Square again.
Transform it so it looks like this:


3 ) Rotate the Black Rectangle (Square) so it looks something like this:


4 ) Move it LEFT so it looks like this:


5 ) Repeat steps 2-3 on a new layer. (Make sure the layer is as close as possible to the previous layer's angle)
Change the colour so it matches the CF base colour.


6 ) Move the layer left (slowly) until it overlaps the previous layer (you may need to rotate and move it around a little to match the angle of the previous layer)
Note: Depending on how thick you want the weave or how many layers you want to use, you can overlap less or more of the previous layer


7 ) Repeat Steps 2-6 until you cover the entire hood then delete bottom layer (base for CF)


8 ) Because the edges of the hood aren't the edges of the top zone on the Z4, we must trim back the sides of the cf. To do this, exit the vinyl menu and go to the paint menu and press C (this matches your colour palette to your base paint). Go back into the vinyl menu and trim back unwanted areas with the Primitive Vinyls.


9 ) Play around with colours vinyls and decals to create something awesome!


Don't forget to check the Weekly next week when I show you another method of making carbon effect in SHIFT.



SHIFT Category Competition

Ok some of you guys may have been wondering why there are no thumbnails in the SHIFT Showroom Categories. This is because our little red alien, Bojan, has put it up to us, the New Showroom Weekly Team to organise a competition.

Here's how it works:
If you have a few images you would like to see featured as each category's thumbnail, send a pm to Rizur with a link of the picture or as an attachment of private message.
Rules:
- Max. 4 pictures per user, so you can send one picture for every category or you can compete in one category with 4 different pictures.
- Remember to tell us which category you want your picture to compete in.
- Entries that have already been uploaded to the site ARE allowed.
- No resizing or cropping required, that shall be taken care of the SRW Staff.
- Image editing (Photoshop, etc) is only allowed in the Artistic and Wallpapers categories.
The winners will be announced in Showroom Weekly Issue #51 so you have about two weeks to send your pictures. SRW staff will choose the winners.

Good luck, have fun!



Words from the Staff

We hope you liked the new Showroom Weekly and we would like to hear what you want to see in future issues. From now on we try to get the magazine out every week but we, the staff members, have our personal things such as school or work which are more important than Weekly. So don't start to panic if an issue is a little late. We will get the job done sooner or later.



In the Spotlight by KammyworldRacerGT4
Presentation of the Week by Dr Houbenheimer
Blast from the Past, Interview by D-Tox
Tuning Tips by TW1ST3R
Editors Rizur and TW1ST3R

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