Automotive News Europe - July 2019 - 13

AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE

AUTOMAKERS

at Ferrari, said that at the automaker's
headquarters in Maranello, Italy, designers use both CAD and physical models
because each technique has its advantages. "CAS (computer-aided styling) helps
us in the initial phase for the so-called
3D sketching - i.e., trying different volumes in parallel," Manzoni said. "Later we
work on 1-to-1 clay models. There's a continuous loop between virtual and physical.
When we modify the physical model, we
scan it to put it back into CAD -- sort of
reverse-engineer it -- to verify the changes
have not impacted the technical feasibility
of the model." Ferrari followed that path in
designing the recently revealed SF90 Stradale supercar.

3D speeds up process
One of the main advantages of 3D computer modeling is that it speeds up processes and enables designers to work
on projects together from faraway locations. It also quickens the back-andforth between design studio and customer. What's really cool about VR, said
Hyundai's Lee, is that you can look at the
car not only in the studio but also on the
street, in daylight or during the night. He
believes it's best to see a car outside,
with other cars. The useful side of VR is
that a designer can add the innovation
during an early stage of the design.
Modern CAD and VR techniques can also
help creativity. Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of
Polestar and senior vice president of design at Volvo Cars, said he realized when
working on the Polestar 1 concept coupe
that "the software and the tools we had

All of Lamborghini's current production vehicles, including the Urus, shown
here in its clay form, came from physical models.
could easily enable such a variety and such
a level of artistry that previously only a clay
modeler was able to create with his hands."
Italdesign's Perini said these tools have
been used for a while in architecture.
Zaha Hadid was one of the first to use
3D Studio Max to generate the shapes
of her buildings, he said. Some building
designs are so complex that they could
not be translated into a 2D rendering.
Instead, they are managed within a 3D
CAD system. In the car industry, these
new instruments enable designers to
create entirely new shapes and forms.
This so-called generative design, Perini
said, is currently used for some components, such as grilles. Designers take
a much more conservative approach,
though, when asked whether physical

models in clay or epowood could be cut
altogether from the process. In the final
validation phase, most say, 3D and VR
can't yet fully replace physical modeling.
It's not a matter of cost. A 3D design apparatus is cheaper than traditional clay
modeling. Today you can start a design
by spending 50,000 euros ($56,500) on
computer hardware and software, Perini
said. It is already technically feasible to
do without physical modeling, he said.
Italdesign did it with a number of oneoff or few-off models, as their business
case does not allow the same modeling process. "Our typical process for a
production car took nearly two years,"
Perini said, "while it took just four to five
months to design a one-off."
At Pininfarina, the final validation still
goes through a physical model, said design chief Carlo Bonzanigo. "From a biological and sociological point of view, I
believe we can achieve a higher grade of
aesthetic experience through physicality that comes from the way our brain
works," Bonzanigo said.
Polestar's Ingenlath thinks clay models
are still necessary. As a designer, he
said, making up your mind about the design is not something you can do while
just sitting in a presentation. "You need
time to reflect, to digest and form your
opinion," Ingenlath said. "For that reason, it definitely helps to have a model
standing there."

In virtual reality it's possible to see what a model such as the Range Rover
Evoque looks like on the road long before a prototype exists.

JULY 2019

-- Douglas A. Bolduc and Luca
Ciferri contributed

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Automotive News Europe - July 2019

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