Basic theory about car design

A small collection of tips directed to make that the exposition of a project or simple sketch has more possibilities of success. The drawing is an act of communication of ideas, and the main tool for a designer who wants to shape on paper and to transmit the soul of his projects.

Choosing the view Depending on the detail or part of the car that you want to show, you have to chose an angle of view. But be careful not to overdone the angle of view when the car changes the proportions. Also very important is to show right the proportions of the car depending on the market level where it belongs. Like if is a super-mini, be sure that every person that looks at it will understand that you have draw a super-mini not a minivan or an off road vehicle. Also if the car is a tall one, be sure it shows. Choosing the size Many times the first idea is made on small thumbnails that dont have to be very well finished, it is more important not to lose the idea that you have and be quick in generating more ideas and variations on the idea. Many times you have heared the quick draw on a post-it or a tissue. Latter on, you can get to a high level of definition and bigger size of the drawing that allows better detailing.

The technique There are a lot of different techniques that can be applied to sketching and rendering, so you can really choose the one that suits you best. Lets say that there are two basics, that can be combined: the traditional pan and paper, and the computer aided design. The first one, we start with the paper and basic ball pen, or pencil, markers, the colored pencils and guides for the curves and ellipses, and all this can go on to an infinite array of instruments that can be used depending on your skills, imagination and abilities. Generally all this equipment is expensive and it needs replacing as soon as some of it is worked out.

For the CAD part there is also a large election to be made of. We can start with the software and looking just to the 2D part of the process, we have the Photoshop, Painter, Sketch Book Pro so on. All of them are offering more than enough resources to get the best out of our ideas. There are some accessories, apart from the computer and mouse. You dont want to draw using the mouse, believe me. What you need using this software is something like a Wacom Cintiq screen, or at least, one of the cheaper offers of the Intuos tablets. Now here starts another debate: whats better, a Wacom Cintiq or a good screen and the Intuos tablet?. Well, again depends on your possibilities and how you feel more confident and get the best result. We have seen professional that dont want the Cintiq and others that dont want to use the Intuos. We prefer the Cintiq, but as I said before, it is just our preference not a rule! Both are great as long as you get the best result for the render you want to do. Starting Start by trying to see the car in the simplest way you can decompose it. Try to imagine the position the car will have on the paper by drawing the perspective line. Also the outside lines of the cars body. Many times to help you draw in faded lines the unseen parts of the car, like the wheels on the unseen side. All this will help you get the right perspective.

But again there is the exception from the rule: Sometimes the idea can start from playing with a certain volume, or graphics so on.

Think the lines The one element that defines a drawing is the line, so this gives the orientation of the drawing. Even if they define complex surfaces they are the basic elements in a drawing, everything is defined by line: the DLO (Day Light Outline), door cuts, lights, body trim From this phase on it is very important to start thinking at what you will do in terms of design criteria. The design language have to start working in the same way for whole the project.

Think volumes We can distinguish between two different ways that a project can take:

The shape is conditioned by the technical requirements. Well every time the form follow function rule is the main theme, because we design a functional object. So we cant ignore completely this rule. But here we talk about production oriented cars that are totally determined by the technical requirements. Here we start with a package given by the engineers with certain points that have to be respected for the product latter to be eligible for industrialization. The volume needed for the engine, car interior, safety structure and elements, so on, catt be changed so our job is to dress all this ugly mechanical part with the best dress we are capable of. So in a production project we have little margin for freedom and on top we have to deal with all the legislation and bureaucracy that the market requires. Please dont take this as the ugly part of the design or the unattractive prospect. It is a very rewarding feeling that after you start with a difficult package you are capable to obtain a masterpiece of design. And also it is the part where the great designers are separated from the good ones.

The second is when the most important is the shape and the technical requirements follow the shape. Here we talk about concepts, school projects searching for new ways of transportation, imagining new worlds so on. This are the spectacular projects and the ones that give a lot to talk about them. They are giving you the possibility to try new unexplored ways of design language and formal concepts. But also this are projects that if you are not careful can bring you in trouble, because behind every form and shape it has to be a very good and strong concept, very well explained and as always it has to be very evident and instead of bringing questions to give instant answers. Even if the everything from technical part of view it will be argumented just theoretically. But in both cases the need for the existence of a real or imaginative package has to be there, this making the designer to think in a way or another with the option of those volumes. And here comes the part where to designer needs to show his/her capacity to play with the balance of the entire design by trying to get the best design that is not boring, unpleasant and in the same time is simple and easy to look at and needs not too many words to be explained. Like in the case of a minivan where you have to play with elements and volumes to get a sober and uniform feeling, while a SUV has to give the sensation of toughness and strong mechanical parts even it does not need them.

Think surfaces

As a designer you will have to think in terms of surfaces also. How this surfaces will encounter one to another, how it will be made the transition from one surface to another one. Radiuses and blends that are needed to create a strong passage from a wheel arch to the fender and so on. The lines that define the volumes defines also the surfaces belonging to them. So is very important that you understand what you are drawing. One line can ruin or make great the design of a car.

Think light and shadow Starting by assuming that the light comes always from above, imagining the way the shape reflects this light is the best to get a good result. Playing with the lights incidence on the object we get the realistic aspect of the object and actually we just show the shape of the object to the world around. Latter by letting the surfaces of the car to mirror the surrounding we can make it appear even more real. Also in this phase of the drawing we may not have the need to draw section to show the true shape. Here everything depends on our skill to best render the object. Also a real vehicle always mirrors the surroundings, so it is important if we can do the same with our render.

Designing a car is not just making a nice drawing Designing a car is therefore defining shapes volumes, lines and emotions. The drawing is just a reflection of a latter incarnation of an idea that we have. The final meaning of the object is not to get a nice drawing ( also while nicer the drawing the more attractive the idea and in a presentation the nicer the drawing the easier to win that presentation, to get the model of the car done, and to get the success as a designer) but to get the right drawing for the idea that we have. So it is very important to keep in mind that the drawing is just first part of a longer process. It is not the final of the process. Try to give the main place to the car not the surroundings or the lady designed close to the car Your idea is what counts first.