My university project- Transport Design- VW Trekker
Discussion
Hi folks-
Ben's thread on his University project has inspired me to do a thread on mine. If you haven't seen his, it's well worth a look here (I'm sure he wont mind me linking his thread)
Mine is a LIVE project and I will be posting stuff here as I take photos/sort them out/do sketches+renders etc.
SO
Introduction-
The project was started as a modern holiday hire/fun vehicle.
After a hilarious amount of research (which I wont bore you with) my design criteria effectively revealed themselves.
Basically- as narrow as comfortably possible, 4 seats, electric, sturdy, could do some MINOR off roading (to the edge of the beach, pot holes, field etc), decent range, AT LEAST capable of 50mph.
I played around with 30 profile proportion shapes and eventually settled on an amalgamation of 3 different ones. I then spent about 3 weeks playing with occupant layout, positioning and wheel layout (wheelbase, track, overhangs). Once I was happy with these I created a digital model of the Mechanical and occupant layout.
An initial package animation is available to watch here
My initial design was slammed pretty hard and I had some very harsh comments. One of which went along the lines of "you've just drawn a Kubelwagen".
After this interim assessment I was feeling pretty down and unmotivated for around 3 weeks. I eventually realised that I needed some help if i was to do well and it took a lot of courage to go to my tutor and talk about my problems- one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I have since progressed quickly and come up with a decent shape as well as making some modifications to my package but I have yet to make a video of these. (Torsion bar rear suspension like the new fiat 500 design, reduced the size of the motor (28kW was deemed excessive), moved the motor to the front and made it front wheel drive).
Like Ben I am making a 1/4 scale clay model, only I will not be casting mine, I will be painting the clay and creating a 3D interior computer model.
Final Hand In in T-8 weeks
Ben's thread on his University project has inspired me to do a thread on mine. If you haven't seen his, it's well worth a look here (I'm sure he wont mind me linking his thread)
Mine is a LIVE project and I will be posting stuff here as I take photos/sort them out/do sketches+renders etc.
SO
Introduction-
The project was started as a modern holiday hire/fun vehicle.
After a hilarious amount of research (which I wont bore you with) my design criteria effectively revealed themselves.
Basically- as narrow as comfortably possible, 4 seats, electric, sturdy, could do some MINOR off roading (to the edge of the beach, pot holes, field etc), decent range, AT LEAST capable of 50mph.
I played around with 30 profile proportion shapes and eventually settled on an amalgamation of 3 different ones. I then spent about 3 weeks playing with occupant layout, positioning and wheel layout (wheelbase, track, overhangs). Once I was happy with these I created a digital model of the Mechanical and occupant layout.
An initial package animation is available to watch here
My initial design was slammed pretty hard and I had some very harsh comments. One of which went along the lines of "you've just drawn a Kubelwagen".
After this interim assessment I was feeling pretty down and unmotivated for around 3 weeks. I eventually realised that I needed some help if i was to do well and it took a lot of courage to go to my tutor and talk about my problems- one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I have since progressed quickly and come up with a decent shape as well as making some modifications to my package but I have yet to make a video of these. (Torsion bar rear suspension like the new fiat 500 design, reduced the size of the motor (28kW was deemed excessive), moved the motor to the front and made it front wheel drive).
Like Ben I am making a 1/4 scale clay model, only I will not be casting mine, I will be painting the clay and creating a 3D interior computer model.
Final Hand In in T-8 weeks
I have quite a few drawings and sketches that need scanning in and sorting/uploading, so will do that tomorrow. For the moment here is my 2d orthographic i had printed out at quarter scale to start my model.
ETA: ^^ rake on windscreen has now been adjusted to match the image below- it looks much better now.
I started the Model on Tuesday the 5th March- in exactly the same way Ben did (MDF and foamcore armature allowing for 20-30mm of clay). I started getting clay on the model on Friday the 9th of March. Pics will be uploaded tomorrow!
As the front wheels are exposed I have bought some goodies off eBay- shown below:
2 of these off a 1/5th scale petrol RC buggy
6 of these lawnmower wheels (exactly the right size)- for the tyres, i will be milling and casting my own design of wheel.
(they aren't quite wide enough so i'm going to cut and shut them together to make 4)
2 of these hubs off a 1/5th scale petrol RC monster truck
some of these for the badge on the front- same size as on the front orthographic above (i want it to be big like the old campers as without a grill it doesn't have much of a face)
Pics of the clay, as well as sketches and drawings will be uploaded tomorrow!
ETA: ^^ rake on windscreen has now been adjusted to match the image below- it looks much better now.
I started the Model on Tuesday the 5th March- in exactly the same way Ben did (MDF and foamcore armature allowing for 20-30mm of clay). I started getting clay on the model on Friday the 9th of March. Pics will be uploaded tomorrow!
As the front wheels are exposed I have bought some goodies off eBay- shown below:
2 of these off a 1/5th scale petrol RC buggy
6 of these lawnmower wheels (exactly the right size)- for the tyres, i will be milling and casting my own design of wheel.
(they aren't quite wide enough so i'm going to cut and shut them together to make 4)
2 of these hubs off a 1/5th scale petrol RC monster truck
some of these for the badge on the front- same size as on the front orthographic above (i want it to be big like the old campers as without a grill it doesn't have much of a face)
Pics of the clay, as well as sketches and drawings will be uploaded tomorrow!
thanks for the comments so far
I must say- i didn't intend to do a VW at first, but following the comments etc i couldn't argue that proportionally it was relatively similar to the Kubelwaggen. So as a bit of an "up yours" and the seemingly well fitting shape i adopted the VW badge, and of course the Trekker was the the UK civilian version of the kubelwaggen.
-after a little over the week from starting with clay it is looking like this:
A few of my coursemates decided it would be funny to decorate my top blanker plate
My tyres, although are correct to my package drawing, just look way too small so they will be changed/modified somehow.
I must say- i didn't intend to do a VW at first, but following the comments etc i couldn't argue that proportionally it was relatively similar to the Kubelwaggen. So as a bit of an "up yours" and the seemingly well fitting shape i adopted the VW badge, and of course the Trekker was the the UK civilian version of the kubelwaggen.
-after a little over the week from starting with clay it is looking like this:
A few of my coursemates decided it would be funny to decorate my top blanker plate
My tyres, although are correct to my package drawing, just look way too small so they will be changed/modified somehow.
I'll assume that you're in your fourth year at Coventry and you'll probably know a friend of mine Shawn Hutchinson. One note of advice if your going to paint your clay model, leave plenty of time as painting on top of clay is not as reliable as a cast. Why aren't you casting it , you'll get a much better finish?
Evo said:
I'll assume that you're in your fourth year at Coventry and you'll probably know a friend of mine Shawn Hutchinson. One note of advice if your going to paint your clay model, leave plenty of time as painting on top of clay is not as reliable as a cast. Why aren't you casting it , you'll get a much better finish?
Yes and Yes, he's a really cool guy, completely mad, but awesome. 
I must say I'm having second thoughts on painting the clay- the trouble is, if I get someone to cast it, it will be ~£400, and then I'll need to spend around 1-2 weeks sanding and filler-ing it etc. I guess I could do it myself, like Ben did his, but having only limited experience with fiberglass it would take me longer, with no assurance I would get it right and no-one else to blame if it went wrong- I might pm Ben for a few tips.
The guy in uni that does our painting does loads every year, so he knows how best to prep and do it. Its ussually the ones that are done externally that go wron as they have no experience with preparing the clay for painting, although it can go wrong sometimes, especially if the model is put under big thermal changes or if it is warm and the clay starts to go soft.
Originally i wanted to do an inside out model with a 3D printed interior, but i have just run out of time, so will just have an animation of an Alias model for the interior on a monitor.
Bit of a redesign of the front end. Your eye naturally followed the line up the bonnet and into the A-pillar which meant it looked VERY tall and awkward, so i have got rid of it and replaced it with a more horizontal line the goes into the shoulder.
I also needed some horizontal lines on the front end as it just looked too tall, so put a grille on there. It does look a little "mercedes" at the moment, so it might change a little bit, although its pretty close to other concept VW grilles of late.
Also decided to ditch the wheels i bought and will make some instead. I just couldn't get them to look right, the ones on it in the pics are rough as hell but they look so much better. They are only 10mm bigger in diameter too... oh well.....
I also needed some horizontal lines on the front end as it just looked too tall, so put a grille on there. It does look a little "mercedes" at the moment, so it might change a little bit, although its pretty close to other concept VW grilles of late.
Also decided to ditch the wheels i bought and will make some instead. I just couldn't get them to look right, the ones on it in the pics are rough as hell but they look so much better. They are only 10mm bigger in diameter too... oh well.....
Edited by slomax on Wednesday 10th April 23:50
I have also chosen the colour-
The main body will be Ducati Arancio
It has an almost pearl gradient to it from pale orange to red, it isn't just the red carpet on that pic, it does go quite red in the shade.
We use Bike colours as the metallic flake is a lot smaller, a lot of car colours have big flakes meaning on a quarter scale it can resemble an almost glitter like appearance. The bumpers/sides will be in a matt grey and the wheels will be a mix of gunmetal and a bright silver (something like Ford Moondust).
The main body will be Ducati Arancio
It has an almost pearl gradient to it from pale orange to red, it isn't just the red carpet on that pic, it does go quite red in the shade.
We use Bike colours as the metallic flake is a lot smaller, a lot of car colours have big flakes meaning on a quarter scale it can resemble an almost glitter like appearance. The bumpers/sides will be in a matt grey and the wheels will be a mix of gunmetal and a bright silver (something like Ford Moondust).
Righty- Quite an update.
I finally got round to scanning in my big render (more to come next week on that front)
And i got my front wheels milled (x2):
they are going on the lathe tomorrow to put in some tyre grooves (nothing too complex)
Rear wheels are slightly narrower but have a larger diameter (yet to get milled)
also got a former for my wheel arches milled and vac formed in 2mm acrylic (x2) roughed up for primer:
The clay is progressing. One side pretty much done, as well as the front. Its balanced over now (using a bridge) and the main surfaces are in, they just need neatening up and finishing.
The roof-bar Is currently being made up in Alias and part of it will be milled tomorrow (tuesday) to be built into the clay, ready for primer on (fingers crossed) Wednesday. This thursday marks the 2 weeks untill hand in day and i still need to design and make a full interior in Alias, make an animation of it, do a load more flat work, create a 15 minute presentation, create a rough layout for my degree show poster, re-animate my package model and prepare the clay for paint. (if push comes to shove i will submit the model in primer, the most important thing is that its ready for opening night of degree show.... I can spend a long time on alias without getting too tired, but working on the clay for 10-12 hours a day 5 days a week is starting to kill me.
More pics over on
www.niallmcloughlin.co.uk
www.niallmcloughlin.co.uk/VWTrekker
I finally got round to scanning in my big render (more to come next week on that front)
And i got my front wheels milled (x2):
they are going on the lathe tomorrow to put in some tyre grooves (nothing too complex)
Rear wheels are slightly narrower but have a larger diameter (yet to get milled)
also got a former for my wheel arches milled and vac formed in 2mm acrylic (x2) roughed up for primer:
The clay is progressing. One side pretty much done, as well as the front. Its balanced over now (using a bridge) and the main surfaces are in, they just need neatening up and finishing.
The roof-bar Is currently being made up in Alias and part of it will be milled tomorrow (tuesday) to be built into the clay, ready for primer on (fingers crossed) Wednesday. This thursday marks the 2 weeks untill hand in day and i still need to design and make a full interior in Alias, make an animation of it, do a load more flat work, create a 15 minute presentation, create a rough layout for my degree show poster, re-animate my package model and prepare the clay for paint. (if push comes to shove i will submit the model in primer, the most important thing is that its ready for opening night of degree show.... I can spend a long time on alias without getting too tired, but working on the clay for 10-12 hours a day 5 days a week is starting to kill me.
More pics over on
www.niallmcloughlin.co.uk
www.niallmcloughlin.co.uk/VWTrekker
I did industrial design at uni so really feel for you coming to the end of your major project! Thanks for taking the time to show us, as a VW enthusiast it looks great.
good luck for the next few weeks, I'm sure theres a few all nighters ahead, it wont be easy but it will be worth it in the end
Look forward to seeing the model finished
Have you posted this over on Volkszone, they'll love it over there
good luck for the next few weeks, I'm sure theres a few all nighters ahead, it wont be easy but it will be worth it in the end
Look forward to seeing the model finished
Have you posted this over on Volkszone, they'll love it over there
dxg said:
I am fully aware aware of the UP!Buggy. My aim wasn't to copy it at all. In fact, my initial drawings were not branded at all. It was only when one of my tutors said that it had the same proportions as the Kubelwagon that i decided to go down the VW and Trekker route.The aim for this vehicle is very different and there is reasoning behind the design.
My research was looking into holiday hire vehicles, i focused on holiday destinations in the Med to use as a case study if you like. I held various focus groups and did an entire research book and document. With the roads so narrow and busy/cramped over there i made it only 1.55m wide, the open wheels brings about a sense of fun and enjoyment, I have made it so that from the drivers head position you can see the top front edge of the front cycle wing, reducing the potential for a miscalculation of where the corners of the vehicle are.
If you have looked at my package build up video you will also notice it is 4 seat and electric, yet the overall dimensions are very similar to a deawoo matiz (probably not something i should boast about).
I borrowed the roof idea from the Citroen LaCoste. If you look at the specs on this vehicle you will notice that it's actually massive (i saw the concept at a motorshow a few years back, its pretty cool)
On virtually all rugged cars you get the chunky rubber sills and bumpers, and glass in the doors is no new thing. I have been in a car (without air con) in a hot country, and i think for a vehicle like this with glass in the lower half of the door is a great idea.
I think it's interesting looking at car design. Very rarely are features on cars completely new, good ones will get re-used and recycled over many different companies and models, but using them in a different way and improving all the time.
A lot of designers will run and hide when you compare their designs to another car or accuse them of "copying" features from another model/manufacturer. But at the end of the day if it's what the customer likes and is willing to pay for, and it looks good then you'd be a fool not to do something similar!
You also have to remember that although i am an Auto design student, OEM's have hundreds of people working on a concept car for many months/years. I've had 3-4 months to do everything on my onsies.
Going off on the subject of inspiration though, throughout this project i have had images of the following above my desk:
Peugeot Hoggar concept
Jeep Renegade Concept
Citroen Lacoste
Castagna Fiat 500 Tender2
Mini Beachcomber
VW Concept-T
And i think a little of everything has rubbed off onto it.
Edited by slomax on Wednesday 1st May 00:09
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff