New Video Game Wrench Lets You Build Cars From the Ground Up in Virtual Reality
A new video game, Wrench will allow players to build a virtual car from the ground up.
In this virtual reality game, you will be able to build kit cars and also completely swap drivetrains.
This game is not only for car enthusiasts and wannabe mechanics but also for anyone who wants to wrench on cars you can't afford.
Are you someone who knows nothing and wants to learn the basics? Or maybe you're a full-time mechanic who can't get enough time in the bay, and loves to take work home? Well, now you have a new game that can help you build up real skills but in a virtual world.
The Wrench project is being developed by Digital Mistake, a studio run by Alec Moody, who has been working as a video game artist since 2002.
The creator of the game has himself some mechanical modeling expertise which he gained early on in his career.
As an avid gearhead, he saw an opportunity to combine his work with his passion, and that's where Wrench was born. The hardest task to learn was the actual programming behind the scenes.
"Building game systems like this involved a lot of learning and stubbornly working through problems that seem impossible", said Moody. "Learning something new can be a slog after you solve a problem it oftentimes seems obvious and trivial. It is very rewarding."
The project turned out to be a very daunting task for the developer as he had to have 3D scanning and modeling of every individual component.
Every single nut, bolt, bushing, and cast part was meticulously 3D-scanned in order to have proper in-game tolerances and if for some technical reason an object can't be scanned in for some reason, Moody sits at his desk with calipers, thread checkers, and various other tools in order to create an accurate to-scale model.
In all, about 40 percent of the models in the game are actually modeled by hand, which is a huge undertaking time-consuming task.
In reality, it is very similar to drawing up the original part. In fact, drawing up the front brake assembly took nearly 100 hours to complete.
It won't always be too easy as just putting parts together either. In the release version, specialized tools will be needed to complete some tasks, such as presses to insert bushings into control arms.
If the task of hopping into a project seems like too much to bite at once, don't worry—there will be an education mode to teach you about how to wrench. And if you're already seasoned, the game will feature a progression mode which will let you manage your own shop.
Moody says the game is about a year out from completion, in terms of development. In that short time, he'll be transforming his love of cars, fabrication, and motorsports into a full-fledged immersive experience for anybody to enjoy.
But if you think that you will be able to drive any of your creations on the new virtual game, think again, as there is not planned for the moment any built-in driving functionality planned as of yet.
(As always, if you or a family member are considering buying a used car, don’t buy until you run a car check report with MyVehicle.ie where you will find out the true history of the vehicle.)
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Author
Justin Kavanagh
Justin Kavanagh is a recognised leader
in automotive intelligence and vehicle
data supply to the entire motor industry.
He has almost 20 years experience in
building systems from the ground up.
As the Managing Director of Vehicle
Management System, he understands the
need and importance of trustworthy and
reliable vehicle history and advice to
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