The look and feel of everything from the steering wheel to the seating and control surfaces will be gone over in detail here.Ĭolors, materials, etc. Sketches become computer renderings, which become CAD drawings, and then become clay models - usually three or four - to show options available. Like the exterior, however, it will have gone through several re-designs and drawings as a sub-team of the overall design team re-considers the interior's look and dimensions to fit with the overall changes that have been made to the car thus far. The interior has often already been sketched by the original designer for the vehicle. Interior sketching and modeling then begins. This full-sized model, once finished, will look like a real car and is often photographed and used as initial marketing material. Clay is still the industry standard, but is seeing replacement by other options as they become cheaper and easier to work with.
#CLAY CAR BODY DESIGN FULL#
This full model can be of clay, but may also be made of polymers or combinations of materials other than clay to make a lighter, more easily transported model. A full-sized clay model will not be done unless only one design is chosen and designers or engineers need a full rendering.įull modeling then takes place with the chosen design.
#CLAY CAR BODY DESIGN FULL SIZE#
It's actually unusual at this point for a clay model to be full-sized, they are usually scaled to be smaller than full size to save time. Quite often, during this modeling process, multiple versions of the design concept are being considered and so more than one clay model may be produced. Modern contrivances, such as 3-D printers, are slowly eking their way into this process, but only very slowly and usually alongside rather than replacing traditional clay modeling. Those drafts are then used to create a physical, clay model - usually by hand. This begins with computer renderings used not only to visualize the concept as an object, but also to see the car's physical dimensions in measured terms so that detailed drafts can be drawn. At this point, the two-dimensional drawings on paper are converted to three dimensions. At this point, the car is still on paper, but will undergo several changes and re-drawings until general engineering needs are met.Ĭomputer and clay modeling comes next, as 2-D renderings become 3-D reality. For the artist who created the vehicle to start with, this is generally where art meets reality and compromises are made.
![clay car body design clay car body design](https://www.carbodydesign.com/media/2014/02/Ford-Vertrek-Tape-on-clay-model-720x481.jpg)
This is where most of the fundamental changes to the design will take place. The initial design concept is then put through changes as packaging considerations (engine availability, drive train layouts, and other safety requirements) are made.
![clay car body design clay car body design](https://www.carbodydesign.com/media/2018/09/Jaguar-I-Pace-Sketch-and-Clay-Model-720x540.jpg)
Thousands of designs are often submitted to an auto manufacturer every year and only one or two of those may eventually see showroom floors. In movies, television, and marketing materials for new designs, this is usually the focus of things - the most "glamorous." The designer's sketch can come from anywhere - a personal idea submitted to a design lead, a call for designs from company-wide studios, or even (rarely) freelance designers bringing an idea to the company for consideration.
![clay car body design clay car body design](https://www.carbodydesign.com/media/2014/08/Aston-Martin-CC100-Speedster-Concept-Clay-Modeling-720x540.jpg)
#CLAY CAR BODY DESIGN SERIES#
This usually begins with a simple sketch or series of sketches by a single designer with an idea. In general, though, there are several steps for a design to go through before becoming a showroom-ready vehicle.ĭrawing / rendering is the first step. Three years is not set in stone - some designs take longer while others can often shortcut and take less time. Designers quickly learn that their idea is not necessarily going to become reality most of the time. At any point along that path, the design can be fundamentally changed or even thrown out. Starting with nothing more than an idea sketched on paper, the process of taking a car to a gleaming production concept on the auto show floor typically takes about three years.