Vehicle and Props Design

20/ 4 / 2026 -   25/7/2026  Week 1- Week 14

YANG SHUO / 0384037

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media 

GCD 61804 / Vehicle and Props Design

 

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 INSTRUCTION

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Exercises

• Study of Object Structure

This exercise focuses on observing real objects and translating them into simple forms. I selected three objects and drew them from five different angles to better understand their structure.

I chose common items from my life: a mouse, a phone stand, and a spray bottle.

Fig 1.1  mouse,  phone holder, and  spray bottle

At first I was still drawing based on what I see, but the shapes kept breaking when I changed angles. So I tried to simplify everything into basic forms, like cylinders, boxes, and spheres. It felt slower, but the drawings started to make more sense.

Here are my drafts:

Fig 1.2  Draft #1 Mouse

Fig 1.3  Draft #2 Phone holder

Fig 1.4  Draft #3 Spray bottle

Instead of starting with outlines, I forced myself to build the object first using simple volumes. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I could see where things went wrong more clearly. Some angles are not easy to draw. When parts of the structure are hidden, I need to pick up the object itself and restore the structural drawing method by observing the real thing. 

Finally, refine the sketches and complete them.

Fig 1.5  Outcome #1 Mouse

Fig 1.6  Outcome #2 Phone holder

Fig 1.4  Outcome#3 Spray bottle

• Material Sphere Painting Practice

I painted several material spheres, including gold, aluminium, plastic, steel, copper and rusty iron. I mainly compared their highlights, reflections, roughness and surface details. This exercise helped me understand how different materials can be shown through lighting before applying them to the vehicle and interior props.

Fig 1.5 Material Sphere Painting Practice

• Vehicle Sketch Practice

I sketched a submarine, tram and aircraft from references to study the basic structures of different vehicles. This practice helped me observe how the main body, mechanical parts and transportation features are connected. It also gave me more references for simplifying shapes during my own vehicle design.

Fig 1.6 Vehicle Sketch Practice

Final Output：

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Project 1

Task Requirements:

KICKSTARTING : Explore the types of vehicles for a specific world setting you are referring to. Do not overcomplicate the concept.  You can pick an existing IP as a reference (e.g., Star Wars, DUNE, Blade Runner, Mad Max) to create another section of that world with your own identity, culture, resources, occupation, location, climate, technology, functions, time zone, theme, etc. Or you can create a brand new world. You can align your concept idea across other modules if it's applicable. (We can discuss further.) PICK ONE TYPE OF VEHICLE THAT BEST SUITS YOUR WORLD.

 

Create a moodboard with a collection of your inspirations alongside existing vehicles in reality to kickstart your ideation process. Use PureRef application. 

Rough sketches to explore. (keep it loose, not complicated)

Compile them as a presentation slide with the description of your world for the proposal. 

Process:

I like the animation style of Hayao Miyazaki, so the style I envisioned is more towards being lively and fantastical. At the beginning, I planned to design a fantasy tram connected with my character’s world. I collected references of old trams, goldfish, mechanical structures and Japanese seaside colours. My first idea focused strongly on the goldfish theme, but the relationship between the appearance and the function of the vehicle was still unclear.

Fig 2.1  Moodboard

During the thumbnail stage, I explored many body shapes and different combinations of tram and fish elements. Some designs looked too close to an animal, while others lost the special identity of the concept. 

Fig 2.2-2.4  Sketches

The professor advised me to focus more on the characteristics of the tram itself and then combine it with the goldfish, rather than creating a tram in the shape of a goldfish. After receiving feedback, I returned to the basic structure of a tram and continued changing the body proportion, wheels, roof and fish-related parts.

Fig 2.5  Sketches

After thorough consideration, I decided to retain this design version and further refined its orthogonal diagram.

Fig 2.6  Orthogonal

When developing the silhouettes, I found that several designs were difficult to recognise as vehicles. Some shapes also looked interesting in a flat drawing but might be difficult to build in 3D. I compared the selected designs through rough value painting and gradually reduced unnecessary details. The wider single-car tram was chosen because its structure was clearer and gave more space for the interior design.

Fig 2.7  Silhouettes

The final direction went through several changes before the functions became clearer. I kept recognisable tram features such as the carriage, wheels and pantograph, then added fish-eye lights, side fins, a tail propulsion system and an energy tank. I also worked on the energy collection process and interior layout, because the earlier designs mainly showed the outer appearance and did not explain enough about how the vehicle operated.

I also modeled the general shape using Blender, transitioning from 2D to 3D, which allowed me to more intuitively identify the problems in the design.

Fig 2.8  Block out

Final Output：

Project 2

Task Requirements:

You are to continue developing your vehicle design from project 1. Pick one of your vehicle and props concepts to be extended with a design application that communicates well and appeals to the target audiences. Here, you have to showcase your development process. Process includes:

Thumbnails  (Vehicle and Props Breakdowns)

Value studies

Color studies

Textures

Process:

In Project 2, I mainly considered what needed to be shown inside the goldfish tram. At the beginning, I tried to show the interior by removing one side of the tram body. However, the viewpoint was still mainly focused on the exterior, so most of the objects inside appeared too small. Although the general layout could be seen, the functions and important details were not clear enough.

Fig 3.1 Prop design sketch

According to the professor’s feedback, I needed to focus on the driver’s cabin first because it could explain how the tram was operated. I adjusted the viewpoint and made the driver’s seat, front window and control panel more visible.  I needed to present both the objects inside the tram and their important details. Therefore, I enlarged the control panel and drew a more detailed breakdown of its buttons, handles and display area. I also separated several representative props from the interior, so their shapes and functions could be seen more clearly.

Fig 3.2 Cab schematic diagram

For the first colour version, I mainly applied the local colours of each object and added simple lighting. The overall light and shadow contrast was relatively weak, so the result looked flat and did not clearly show the depth of the interior space.

Fig 3.3 More detailed interior decoration

The professor later suggested adding cool and warm ambient lighting and strengthening the separation between the light and shadow areas. After applying these changes, the interior structure became easier to read, and the mechanical parts gained a stronger sense of volume. The improvement was very noticeable, especially around the control panel and the main objects inside the tram.

Fig 3.4 Value and colour

In this project, I mainly drew the metal materials and the texture of the car's exterior, but I'm not very clear about it. Therefore, Project Three needs to focus on this aspect.

Final Output：

Final Project

Task Requirements:

Final Polished 3D Modeling and Concept Design for the vehicle were completed in projects 1 & 2. Call sheet showcasing the breakdowns of your props, interior, and engine (if necessary). Key Art for all 3 vehicle concepts is attached as an example. The call sheet needs to be well laid out.  

Color studies

Textures

Key Art

Props Breakdown

Orthographic

Process:

I have to admit that in the previous projects, I was overly complicated in my prop design, which made it difficult for me to complete the modeling for the final project. Therefore, I have decided to simplify a few of the current unachievable details and strive to fully replicate my design drawing.

1.Block out
Part of the modeling process is described as follows.

• Cab : I started with simple block shapes to test the overall layout of the driver cabin. After confirming the structure, I used face extrusion to extend the dashboard and added details such as control panels, buttons, and handles to gradually refine the interior.

Fig 4.1 Cab modeling process

Suitcase Prop: The suitcase prop was modeled using a similar hard surface workflow. I started with a simple cube and adjusted its proportion to create the main suitcase body. The inner space was created by selecting faces and using Extrude Face to create thickness and depth. The lid was separated from the main body and further refined by extruding the border edges. Additional details, including the handle, locks, and inner objects, were created using simple geometric shapes and extrusion techniques.

Books are also made using a similar method.

Fig 4.2 Suitcase Prop modeling process

Tubes Connection:  I created the curved pipe connection using bridge edge loops to connect different sections. During the process, I spent a lot of time adjusting the topology because the edge flow around the curved areas was difficult to control and required repeated modifications.

Fig 4.3 The application of bridge edge loops

Window Structure

I used the Boolean modifier to create the hollow window structure on the vehicle body. During the process, adjusting the cutting shape and position was challenging because small changes could affect the thickness and overall appearance of the window frame.

Fig 4.4 The application of Boolean modifier

2.Colour 

I first tested the overall color direction with simple base colors to establish the visual style of the vehicle. I chose light blue and white as the main colors to create a clean and refreshing feeling, while adding brighter colors such as yellow, orange, and blue on small details to enhance the playful atmosphere. During the process, I adjusted the balance between different colors to avoid making the vehicle look too plain or overly saturated.

Fig 4.5 Global color scheme

3.Texture and material

I applied different material settings to distinguish the surface characteristics of the vehicle interior. For the wooden floor, I adjusted the wood texture scale and color to match the warm interior style. For the seats, I adjusted the roughness and surface details to create a softer fabric appearance. During the process, I tested different material parameters and made adjustments based on the final rendering result.

Fig 4.6 Wood grain texture map

4.Glass and Lighting Material 

I adjusted the glass material by changing the transparency and roughness settings to create a clearer window effect. For the interior wall lights, I used an emission material and adjusted the light intensity to create a soft glowing effect. During the process, I tested different values to control the transparency of the glass and the brightness of the lights in the final render.

Fig 4.7 Glass and Lighting Material 

Final Output：

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REFLECTIONS

Throughout this semester, I learned that vehicle design is not only about creating an attractive appearance, but also about thinking about structure, function, and storytelling. During the process, I faced many challenges, especially in modeling, material adjustment, and presenting the design clearly. Feedback from my lecturer helped me realize the importance of showing how the vehicle works instead of only focusing on the final look. Through continuous testing and improvement, I became more familiar with the 3D modeling workflow and learned to solve problems step by step. This project also improved my patience and confidence in developing my own design ideas.