Car design is harder than I had thought... help please

Some really nice form development there. Wow!

 

Usually the ridges along the edges are to direct rainwater to the back. These seem to be more for styling and to break up the uniform, flat surface than for anything else. On the Ferrari, there might be a marginal aerodynamic benefit at speed. Certainly they will also help with rigidity of the panel. Also, depending on the materials used, they will help to some extent with maintaining the shape while expanding and contracting.

 

Generally those black strips you see on vehicle roofs are there to hide the welds.The roof is stamped in one piece,and the 1/4 panels are joined with the roof along those joints.Some companies actually hand finish those weld seams,others use black plastic/rubber to hide the welds.Still others use whatever bodycolor the roof is,but that costs $$$ as well.

The "character" lines on the Ferrari are probably there to keep the metal from "oil canning" (bending),water management,or simply design elements.

 

So i take it your a hot shot Mr. Dixon.

 

yes, i would think so considering he does that for a living!! ...he was politely answering my post asking about the software 3d programs, and look forward to any contributions he chooses to make here!

 

i see several cars doing that know ...i always thought stying wise it was to emulate a sort of "double bubble" style to the roof ...i had never thought about the 'canning' issue before, cool to know

 

right, seniors, i forgot
looks like one CCS student has entered the caddi srx design part
it's interesting to read the mentors comments and feedback

 

Is this a dig? Why? I thought his post made a lot of sense.

 

+1
I agree,it made a great deal of sense,and was thoughtful and professional.

 

Don't worry, he is a guy I used to work with, just harassing me. (I actually taught him everything he knows, but I don't need to remind him of that here)(Oops)

 

Hello to you too, Dave.

 

ah, makes sense now

 

Got the whole story on the 2 Rotor from Kip.It was never intended to be a Corvette.The car was done in the Experimental Studio as a research testbed to showcase the then new Wankel engine.The Chief Designer was Dick Finegan,and Kip was the Assistant.You were correct in that Mitchell didn't like the car.Because it wasn't intended to be a Corvette,Mitchell didn't pay much attention to it while it was being developed.The Studio kept telling Mitchell that it was a new type of vehicle,I.E. mid-engined & small.The comparison cars were the Porsche & the Dino.The car was completed and the clay was sent to PininFarina to build a running car.When it was shown for the first time in Frankfurt,much to Kip's surprise,it was badged as a Corvette.He said he never knew who had it badged as a Corvette,but was sure that it wasn't Mitchell's idea!Kip was working at Opel at the time the car debuted in Frankfurt.

Mitchell wanted to do the 4 Rotor to show what a real Corvette should look like! Palmer,Wasenko & Semple,were assigned to that project.I understand that Jerry had the biggest impact on the overall execution,but Mitchell took personal interest in every line & surface

 

This Dart commercial has some cool shots of the design/clay modeling process.It's very well done IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOclC9bbeQU

 

^^ they did a good job on that one

i came across this GM vid, art&color + several caddy

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxuoksjZCS0[/ame]

 

i like the dezir concept, this vid shows some good development of construction

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TETSW-rkXXc&feature=related[/ame]

 

I have been too busy to write but wanted to get back to you about this. Sketchbook and Photoshop are both 2D illustration tools. either will allow you to create 2D renderings to whatever level you want to take them, so I think you are in good shape learning the Sketchbook. Alias is a 3D modeling software which also can create high quality renderings of 3D data. So the method I was referring to would be one where you would build a rough proportional model in Alias. Since it is a 3D model you can rotate it around, select views that you like and output those views to the Sketchbook to use as underlays. This way you maintain the proportions and stance of the design in the different views. You can output images of wireframes to sketch over or you can shade the model and output those images, which let you start your sketches with the main surfaces already shaded with nice gradations, maybe even reflections etc. You can also add details in the 3D stage, like wheels and tires, ground surfaces and backgrounds. The image you referenced of the truck was a more developed model but is sort of the same idea. The model was built up more but you can see how most of the truck is made of puffy cubes with radii. There is not a lot of real surface development. Then they render the 3D model with a real background and some stock wheels and tires and it starts to look pretty nice. Then maybe they output the image to Sketchbook or PShop to clean things up and add some details.

To answer your question about Alias, it is mainly for creating 3D (CAD) models which can be used for everything from illustrations (utilizing Alias rendering capabilities or output to stand alone renderers) to prototypes and production tooling.

 

no worries ...thank you for the reply John
i hadn't thought of that before, use the 3d first for wireframes, then export to 2d rendering, cool!
i think i'm going to have to upgrade to sketchbook pro sooner then later, as it's limited to 5 layers
i'm just going through a few books on sketchbook now, so once i'm a bit further along with SB then i'll switch and practise PS
as far as cost goes, both alias and rhino are $$ ...what would be a good starter 3d program to get?
thanks

 

Master Alias Teacher , How are you? Did you make it to the Pasedena concours this year?

 

No, other then Cars and Coffee I have not been to a show since Monterey. Are you going to Monterey this year?

To keep on topic, what can you tell us about how Alias fits into the design process at Honda?
(Are you in the Honda or Acura studio?)

 

I am in the Honda Studio and all design process are confidential .

 

Good answer!
Monterey?

 

I just received an E-mail from Autodesk about SketchBook Pro for $29 through the end of the month!

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=17691598&siteID=123112&mktvar001=498104&mktvar002=498104

Not sure about Canada.

 

another design contest.............get sketching!

http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/display/store4/item261248/