Category: STORIES & INSPIRATION


  • Behind the scenes with Mike Turner series 01, episode 04: Backplates and other render approaches

    In episode three of his VRED series, DGDesign’s Senior Designer Mike Turner talked about creating backplates that really make your car design pop. Mike picks up on the backplate conversation in episode four, sharing some other render approaches he’s exploring on his own. Like the “spot-lit” effect that you can create using VRED’s sky light…


  • Creation of the ETRAXX – Part 3

    This is Part 3 of our podcast with Florian Coenen, Technical Marketing Manager. In Part 1 of our podcast, we introduced you to the ETRAXX. We talked through the process behind the design, what design elements inspired it, initial sketching and moving those sketches into a CAD environment. In Part 2, we went deeper into…


  • “The tools to create the cars of the future”: Autodesk in Raconteur

    ” ‘We’re a group of passionate people with decades of experience in automotive design…. We’re in position to provide best-in-class tools for the automotive design studio and our customers in that space to get the latest and greatest designs on the market.’ ” Thomas Heermann, VP Automotive, Conceptual Design and XR Raconteur spoke to our…


  • Behind the scenes with Mike Turner series 01, episode 03: Getting started with backplates

    In the third episode of his VRED series, DGDesign’s Senior Designer Mike Turner talks backplates: flexible, clean auto artworks to make your car design pop. This “straightforward” technique opens the door to all kinds of exploration. And once your backplate is in place, you can pan around the car with just the standard lighting environment. You’ll…


  • The smart city: Mobility, infrastructure, opportunity

    In our first conversation with the APMA’s Colin Dhillon, Ananda Arasu and I talked about Society 5.0 and its implications for technology and design. We had the chance to talk with Colin again about smart cities, the future of mobility, and how we can get closer to a more sustainable, ethical future with (not despite)…


  • Creation of the ETRAXX – Part 2

    This is Part 2 of our podcast with Florian Coenen, Technical Marketing Manager. In Part 1 of our podcast, we introduced you to the ETRAXX. We talked through the process behind the design, what design elements inspired it, initial sketching, and moving those sketches into a CAD environment. That’s where we’re picking up for Part…


  • Behind the scenes with Mike Turner series 01, episode 01: VRED meets UK bespoke automotive

    In the first of his VRED series, DGDesign’s Senior Designer Mike Turner takes us through a bespoke automotive case study with UK Fifteen Eleven Design agency. Some of the highlights: Extending VRED value: how it fits within overall development, building confidence in design Transferring Alias data into VRED + initial organization and testing Collaborating with…


  • Coming soon: Behind the scenes with automotive and transportation designer Mike Turner

    We’re delighted to share with you this teaser from Mike Turner, Senior Designer with DGDesign. An industrial designer with 24 years’ experience working primarily in automotive and non-automotive design sectors—passenger rail vehicle, motorcycle, construction machinery, off-road vehicle, to name just a few. A self-described “Alias Pilot for the past 23 years,” Mike is relatively new…


  • “Make anything”: Project Arrow and Autodesk Technology Centers

    What does it take to support a sustainable mobility contest run by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA)? Practical guidance. Industry insights. Product team expertise. Cue the Autodesk Technology Centers. This natural collaboration resulted from a conversation between Vanessa Sigurdson, Development Manager for the Technology Center and Jason MacFarlane, Head of Advanced Manufacturing for Venture…


  • Creation of the ETRAXX – Part 1

    Florian Coenen, Technical Marketing Manager at Autodesk, created a car he called ETRAXX. We’ve been using it a lot here at Autodesk, so we wanted to share with you the process behind its creation. Its inspiration actually started with Alias 2021.3. This release had a number of new features – new SubD features for concept…


  • Tales of a car designer working remotely

    by Peter Spriggs The pandemic introduced millions around the world to remote working, no longer being able to stay within proximity to colleagues necessitated the change to working from home… and for many, it uncovered a surprising truth, working from home does not have to negatively impact productivity.    I’m no stranger to remote work, in…


  • Reflections on AIF 2021

    The 2021 Automotive Innovation Forum is the opportunity for the Automotive Design team to share updates, tease new releases, and connect customers as a community. This year’s focus was on the future of automotive design, and we caught up with Automotive, Concept Design and Extended Reality VP Thomas Heermann and Director of Product Management Marek…


  • Collaborative design: The next phase of VR for Kia Europe’s design team

    There’s little doubt that Autodesk’s VRED offers designers some of the best opportunities for visualization. And since VRED adapted VR into its software, designers and modelers have been able to explore their models in new and creative ways. Not every OEM adopts new technologies, but Kia Europe has a history of embracing new ways of…


  • A Society 5.0 & vehicle-to-everything world

    When I started research on the concept of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) about three years ago, I came across the Community Analysis Bureau of Los Angeles. I wanted to find the defining moment for the start of smart cities in North America—who was the first to begin using data to improve the day-to-day lives of their occupants.…


  • A question of balance: Electric vehicle design gets Lucid

    How does an electric vehicle (EV) start-up break into a market that’s both risky and necessary—when only one company has achieved real and sustained success? This is the question that Lucid asks and answers. As its first sedan model, the Lucid Air, begins production and looks forward to launch, we’re seeing a new approach to…