Car Design, The Truth About It
Car design is one of the most important factors when developing a car. It’s the combination of functionality and ergonomics, paired with a beautiful design or a signature look that marks a certain car manufacturer. When it comes to car design some manufacturers will take an “Evolutionary” approach, improving on the previous design while still keeping the essence of the past. In this approach the design gets better every facelift. Other car manufacturers take a “Revolutionary” design approach. Instead of Improving on what’s already there, they come up with a new design every generation. With this approach each year stands out on its own.
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How can I design a car?
In a professional sense, you would have to get a degree in the field of automotive design and engineering. It would be good to get into institutions and programs that automotive design employers respect.This can get your foot in the door with internships and you can build upon your efforts from there. This is designing a car from ground up, or in a more technical sense being involved in a car’s developmental stage in the design aspect.
Another way to design a car is to build upon a car’s existing design. Quite literally, get a car and start editing the shape and color with car design accessories. Customize rims and tires even. Alot of car Enthusiasts would call this part fun, because you get to customize your car by putting your own stamp of approval on it. Visually you would go after the front and rear bumpers with front splitters and rear diffusers.
Then there are side skirts, you can make them bigger or a different shape. The rear spoiler can be customized as well. All these parts play a role in changing the silhouette of a car. You’re essentially playing with the outline of the car making it more aesthetically pleasing to look at. We all know looks are subjective, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, all the parts just listed not only can be visually pleasing, but they also can be functional. They all channel air around the body of the car either creating downforce or better air flow.
What is car design called ?
The correct terms would be “Automotive Design”. However, this is a much broader term, it not only includes cars but other automotive products such as buses, vans and even motorbikes. Automotive design is a skill about designing the appearance of these products and also how a person fits into this design efficiently. There is always human intent behind these design choices.
There is a popular saying in the sports automotive world and its “Form Follows Function”. Simply put car designs aren’t just purely appearance, there is function behind a design even if it is as simple as the shape of a mirror cap. You don’t have to be a professional automotive designer to do this as well. Like Mention before, you can make your own design with an existing platform already and that’s a lot of fun!
Is there an app for car design ?
Yes there are apps for you to design cars. However, this is more of the building upon an existing design aspect like I mentioned above. Picking a car within the app and start customizing as you would a real car except it’s a lot cheaper! It’s only the cost of the app and most of these apps if not all are free. Some apps include “DesignCar”, “Formacar 3D Tuning & Ecosystem”, “NFS Heat Studio” and much more.
In terms of designing a car from the ground up, you would have to get a program. You would also have to invest in courses to learn the program as well. These programs are what they use in Auto design & engineering courses in school. One of the most popular ones is called “AutoCAD”, Adobe also has a list of other products that guide you in this way.
What is the exterior body of a car called?
The exterior body of a car is a collection of body panels, such as the door, the hood, the roof etc. These body panels together, are called a shell and are attached to the “Frame” of the car which is also known as the “chassis”.This is the main support structure of a vehicle, something to build upon. The body panels attached to the frame is similar to how skin is attached to a skeleton of an organism.
What is car exterior trim?
Vehicles come with different options from factory or car dealers if you will. The same vehicle is fitted with different options on a level to level basis. Let me explain what I mean by this. This differentiates the price for a particular model of vehicle. One may have AWD (All Wheel Drive) the other may come standard with FWD (Front Wheel Drive). One may have a sunroof, the other may not and so on and so forth.
These differences are called vehicle trim. The same goes for the exterior of the car. There is a basic look for a car model, then there is a more luxurious looking trim, with different wheel appearances or even a more aggressive or sportier look to a car. This would be your different exterior trim options.
What is car skirting?
Skirting on a car is usually found on the sides of the vehicle. These are the body panels below the doors. Their function is to channel air around the car, in some cases under the car or even into the chassis. Depending on the vehicle, it may have no function at all other than for appearance. This piece is highly customizable. You can add to it like an extension or you can change out the piece entirely, either achieving more downforce or a better/lower aesthetic appearance to your vehicle.
Conclusion
Although car design can be a very complicated topic, it can also be fun and a simple activity to do! This process is essentially creation at work and what a feeling that gives you, especially if you’re a car enthusiast!