A Bentley Design Tutorial: SketchBook Designer 2012 Part 1: Concept Generation

Ob ecti!es o" this tutorial: To explore concept generation techniques used to define and create designs for the entertainment industry, refine a design and create a design #o$el sheet (views for construction), and focus on the tools in SketchBook Designer that facilitate concept generation Design principles we will look at when generating concepts include the following! story and context, concept"character description, research, function and form, silhouettes and thum#nails, symmetry, proportions and shape language SketchBook Designer "ocus tools Simplicity in work flow Symmetry! Bi$lateral Symmetry! %adial &urve Snap 'radient (ills )ayer *arping &ustom #rushes

The %arrati!e (hypothetical story) &hat is the conte't( + live$action movie ,$games meets -eed for Speed in an on$line open world race Story) .n a distant planet, high stakes racing is all the rage +ircraft pilots race against each other as well as compete against millions of viewer participants on$line .nly the top digital winners are awarded sponsorship and can #e eventually chosen to train and compete with physical aircraft for fame and wealth (On-line story and name generators like http://seventhsanctum.com for example can be helpful in coming up with stories, technologies, and names . Concept $esign brie") 'enerate concept designs for futuristic racing aircraft vehicles /ach design needs to #e distinct from the next through visual language and shape +ll pilots are humanoid and will have sponsors *esearch Create i#age boar$s) *ea$ up on technologies) .n the 0nternet, #rowse (1 racing, ,$games, B2,, %ally, etc )ook for design styles that inspire, i e Streamline, +rt -ouveau )ook at the shape, form and texture of #ugs, fish, #irds, vehicle design, motorcycle design, concept design, **3 +irplane design, military, aerospace 'reat ideas"inspiration found #y reading 4opular Science, -ational 'eographic, &ycle *orld, etc (!ue to ownership rights, no image boards will be displayed . Concept Generation Silhouette+Thu#bnail sketches: +ny design should have a strong and interesting silhouette /ach team airship needs to #e recogni5a#le even when seen at a distance when all details are lost 0t is easy to explore many directions quickly ,ery $e"ine$ shapes can help $e"ine $i""erent tea#s an$ e#otions) 0n general! &ircles"round forms are seen as friendly and natural Squares"rectangles convey a sense of mass and sta#ility Triangles"sharp angles convey a sense of attack or can #e seen as sinister

Custo# Brushes -shapes language.: &reating li#raries of #rush shapes can help keep each team6s design separate +s #rushes are splattered onto the canvas, new ideas and concepts occur 0t is up to the designer to discover them These stamps were created with distinct shapes! triangular, circular, and rectangular 0 captured the shapes in the stamp area of the #rush modifier, then played with the stamp spacing, transparency, and rotation to create unique looks and patterns

Sy##etry: 2ost man$made o#7ects as well as creatures have symmetry Take any of the more interesting concepts from the thum#nails and apply interactive symmetry to its layer, spinning it around until you discover interesting shapes and ideas 4hotos can also #e symmetri5ed with wonderful results

&arp: The warp tool in the palette is ama5ing #y itself, #ut when used with symmetry all kinds of designs can #e discovered Select the edges to create new handles, and ad7ust them to taste

Select a Design an$ Basic Concept Description 0t is wise to have deadlines set so that you can move one phase of design to the next 0 am happy with some of my silhouettes and thum#nails and want to clean up one idea in particular 0t is a futuristic racing aircraft The nature of the racing is dangerous The concept is influenced #y a mix of Streamline design, motorcycle design, organic life (in this case manta rays, #ats, and insects) and, as always, Star *ars technology and art

/inal 0ine 1ork an$ re"ining the $esign Creating #ultiple !ie1s) 0 like to simply strike hori5ontal or vertical lines on a new layer from all my main points of interest Then it is a matter of designing while keeping hard points in mind 0t is also important to remem#er that even Star *ars technology needs some engineering space to look realistic 0 tend to use multiple layers as scratch paper and explore many styling possi#ilities #efore 0 come up with a suita#le design

De"ining the lines) 8sing SketchBook Designer ,we can generate clean lines using the 9ector )ayers These pencils, pens, and #rushes look #eautiful and have the a#ility to #e edited, even with the mouse 0 generally go through many iterations of my favorite concepts #efore creating the finali5ed design concepts

.nce the strokes have #een converted to 'uide &urves in the 9ector )ayer, the painting tools can snap to them ,ector strokes can be "ille$ by Gra$ients which can #e distorted so that the highlights match their forms

/inal 2o$el Sheet By snapping onto the 'uide &urves, 06ve redrawn the final design views Some simple shading helps to understand the form +nytime there is a value change in shading, the mind will see surface change in the design The concept 7ust needs a suita#le name

The 3nie!el Concept

/inal 3nie!el Concept Description + futuristic racing aircraft The nature of the racing is dangerous thus the given name :nievel The concept is influenced #y Streamline design as well as organic life, in particular manta rays, #ats, and insects The color will #e taken from /vil :nievel6s outrageous red, white, and #lue, outfits

Co#ing Soon: Part 2 4llustration Surface )anguage (4osition, Tangent, &urvature) 4erspective views, camera angle, lens )ighting Shading &oloring 2asking )ayer #lending Textures and logos (inal touches

Da!i$ Bentley bentley)$esign5yahoo)co#