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Developing a vehicle is an arduous process of design and evaluation, trial and error - constant improvement and adaptation. Initial design concepts go through a range of stages to bring them closer to realisation and modelling is key to evaluating a design at each stage.
Modelling can take several forms. Traditionally, clay models have been used at various scales to help understand and resolve the form and proportions of a vehicle. To varying degrees, this has been supplemented, sometimes even replaced, by CAD modelling. Whilst clay is still a medium used to evaluate predominantly visual characteristics, CAD systems can additionally help evaluate other factors such as aerodynamics, impact scenarios and other physical considerations.
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Clay modelling is one of the most established 3D visualisation techniques used in the automotive industry. This section looks in detail at clay modelling - the process, history, current practices.
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Computers are now used to accelerate virtually every aspect of vehicle development. Computer aided design (CAD) modelling allows designers and engineers to resolve increasingly large amounts of a vehicle before even the first model is made. This section covers the principles and technology behind computer aided design.
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There are other processes involved in modelling, and sometimes entirely different approaches. We take a look at some of the more significant variants in this section.
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