What should i know so i can design original cars?

[STAVREV]

What should i know so i can design original cars?

To design original cars,not some non-working toys, i need to know stuff like :

Where would be best for the engine to be placed,will the car be slower like this,would hidraulics system work like this...

All that stuff a 3d artist should know,before he sits down and starts drawing.

I know this is a huge topic to learn,but i have the time and i have the motivation so bring it on

Any book,dvd recomendation or whatever is apreciated.

[Dave_3d]

Well some good old hands-on experience would help - you can't beat it.

So if you own a car, work on it yourself. Take it apart, rebuild it. I've done this with several old cars I've owned. You will soon learn what is required, why it is built like that, and what you actually need. If you work with enough cars you will see the differences and benefits of different engineering solutions to the same basic problems. Not always the most elegant and efficient solution is used (because of cost).

You just can't beat the experience and knowledge from a mechanic's or engineering viewpoint. Then you will see things with a functional eye.

I'm not sure where you will get the actually data required for a legal car design (Europe, Eastern, US etc. Try looking up your respective Department of Transport). But most designs are basically practical illustrations first - then go through all the homologating with teams of specialists.

Actual on-the-road "design" is a compromise between your fanciful sketched ideas, and practical and legal requirements.

Dave

[puafia]

To be honest I don't think a concept artist need worry about all those things. You just create the concept and let the engineers worry about how to make your concept work. You tell them how you want it and they find a solution

You could spend a lifetime learning automotive engineering and compliance.

[Pinin]

Culture AKA knowledge of forms...

[Snecx]

To be honest I don't think a concept artist need worry about all those things. You just create the concept and let the engineers worry about how to make your concept work. You tell them how you want it and they find a solution

You could spend a lifetime learning automotive engineering and compliance.

Then the concept artist might end up doing concepts that won't work.

I'm sure engineers from a car company will prefer concept artists who create designs that WILL work.

Just a thought.

[leopadua3d]

Hi everyone...

I'm sure everyone has a point of view regarding this and I'm leaning towards Dave's and Snecx's way.

I know that one person cant know everything about cars. Thats why there are teams of engineers to work on a car project.

What I think is that the designer, more than anything, needs to be a DESIGNER! You need to know about ergonomics, confort, useness and those things. Normally you have several credits on these aspects while going to the uni.

I believe that knowing the production process also helps the designer to forecast possible problems and address them.

I think you can get some "minimal and superficial" overview of the car production process watching documentaries such as Ford GT40, shown on Discovery Channel. After getting an overview of the process, you can focus on the areas that u most like, not forgeting to know at least something of the others.

Bottom of line, you need to know that a W12 wont fit on a Smart and that u need to have several topics covered in order to have a functional car design.


Well, I think I didnt go any further than the previous posts...but thats my opnion, maybe its of some use.


all the best,
leoP.

[dbKenn]

You just create the concept and let the engineers worry about how to make your concept work. You tell them how you want it and they find a solution .

well damn!! lololololololol

[puafia]

Take a look at almost 90% of all concept cars and the original drawing, then look at the actual car that rolls out of production and you will notice it looks HEAPS different and sometimes almost nothing like the drawing.

Do you think the guy designing the car knows how to make a working chassis? Of course not. The engineers design that.

What do designers do when they create a car? They go by example. They take a look at existing cars and use them as a ROUGH guide and add their own features. Then they take that design to the engineers and ask if it will work. They try it out on clay models and the engineers refine it till it does work.

Using the Bugatti Veyron as an example. The designer came up with a rough design of a car, then the engineers spent years making it work.

Why do you think there are hundreds of people working on concept car projects? Because each person has their own speciality and knowledge.