As an aside, there are a number of software programs available: CorelDraw, Xara, Dream 3D, 3DS Max, Rhino, Flamingo, Photo-Paint, and others. Some software allows manipulation of the object in an environment, providing a large number of viewing heights and angles in 360 degrees. For example, Flamingo brings the raytrace and radiosity rendering to Rhino. This plug-in includes rendering of photometrically accurate images with: reflections, refraction, diffusion, translucency, transparency, color bleeding, shadows, depth of field, depth attenuation, ClearFinish, and indirect lighting.
Another example is Bongo. Bongo brings professional animation into Rhino 3.0, using familiar keyframe tools found in most high-end animation packages. Objects and viewport animations are editable in the Rhino window, using simple drag-and-drop. They allow you to modify your objects and motion data without losing valuable time changing between programs. It's also possible to preview animations inside Rhino, in real time, in any shading mode, by scrubbing the timeline or playing the animation. Then you may render straight to an animation file using any Rhino renderer, including wireframe, openGL, render preview, TreeFrog, Flamingo, and Penguin.
Bongo is also great for demonstrating moving objects using real-time playback in the Rhino viewports. We discovered there are plenty of software programs for a variety of industries, the medical industry included. But we're interested in automotive rendering here.
We've also learned modern computer- rendering technology has a language of its own. It is one we're not completely familiar with. But as you can see from these sophisticated renderings, an object's compound surfaces and their reflections can be included and modified, creating a virtual reality. All this information adds to the viewing credibility of the image.
We hope you enjoy seeing what can be accomplished with modern computer software, and that it inspires some of our younger readers to look further into the educational possibilities of design engineering and industrial design. We feel, once a car and truck guy, always a car and truck guy! CCT
We find the software to be...
We find the software to be quite illustrative when it comes to soft gradations of color, as in the headlights and running lights. Notice they are also slightly transparent, allowing the viewer to see the truck behind the lights.
The basic black pickup illustrates...
The basic black pickup illustrates one of the most versatile aspects of the software: the ability to rotate the vehicle with a variety of eye levels on a viewing plane and distances to the viewer
A side-by-side view provides...
A side-by-side view provides the opportunity to compare the stock truck to the new design-a useful tool when dealing with a client whose product requires an update or when improved aesthetics might need to be compared with the original design
Here's a pair of Mustangs....
Here's a pair of Mustangs. This wonderful eye candy displays the influence and parentage of the older Mustang on the modern coupe. We feel automotive designers in the U.S. are finally beginning to appreciate the wealth of design heritage of American-made cars and trucks
Here we see one more view...
Here we see one more view of the new design from 3/4-rear. Notice the foreshortening of the hood and front fender. Also, the cab seems a bit narrow in the greenhouse (glass area). The computer can simulate surface changes with a set of parameters, but an artist can freehand the same view with adjustments to improve the overall design proportions