
Welcome to Drift. A truly multi-purpose informative source of automotive industry updates, ideas and trends.
We are captivated with automotive design. For us, it’s more than work, it’s passion. This is a place where we connect and collaborate with the automotive community, building a direct relationship with our followers and industry stakeholders. Here you can stay informed of where we see the industry going, how the consumer mindset is changing, and how our solutions can enable you to be successful in your career.
What’s New
Autodesk Automotive Innovation Forum (AIF) Gives Attendees a Glimpse of the Future of Making Things
automotivedrfit, , Uncategorized, 0Between 20-21 March, Autodesk hosted the Automotive Innovation Forum (AIF) at the Hilton Munich Airport Hotel, a flagship automotive...
If you don’t know Peter Spriggs then you likely haven’t been following the Autodesk Alias and VRED social media...
Autodesk Automotive Innovation Forum: It’s the most wonderful time of the year
automotivedrfit, , Uncategorized, 0It’s finally here. My bags are packed, my itinerary’s set and soon I’ll be en route to Munich for...
Image Source: Wikimedia Despite the growth of electric vehicles around the world, full-sized pickups continue to rise in dominance...
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons The cloud isn’t just for backing up your phone’s photos or storing work documents, it...
Pimp Santa’s Ride 2017 Design Challenge | Autodesk
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Technology, Autodesk, Autodesk Alias, design challenge, designer, Pimp Santas Ride, Speedform, VRED, 0Pimp Santa’s Ride (in just 5 easy steps) Santa needs your help!!! His old 2016 vehicle is simply out of date;...
Alan Derosier: When Even Porsche Dreams Come True
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Showcase, Alan Derosier, Alias, automotive industry, Chery, Design, designer, Dreams, HDR, interior, LeMans, Maya, modeler, models, Porsche, Porsche 308, project, Volkswagen, 0Remember feeling free to dream? Or, having that spirit that seemed unbreakable, where no mountain was too high to...
Spookiest Ride Entries for 2017 are in – help us decide the winners!
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Showcase, Batmobile, Design, design challenge, Ecto-1, Facebook, ghost, Halloween, Instagram, like, regram, retweet, share, skeleton, spirit, Spookiest Ride, Twitter, VRED, Wicked Witch, 0Spookiest Ride Entries for 2017 are in – help us decide the winners! Autodesk Automotive challenged #VRED users to create the...
Recent hurricanes across the US were incredibly damaging and will take years to recover from. In the destruction, Hurricanes...
DESIGN CHALLENGE: Spookiest Ride 2017
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Thoughts, 3D vehicles, contest, design challenge, Spookiest Ride 2017, VRED, winner, 0Spookiest Ride 2017: Do you have what it takes? Calling all ghouls, goblins and ghosts…in anticipation of Halloween on...
Christian Grajewski: A Profession and a Passion for Design
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Thoughts, aircrafts, Alias, animals, Autodesk, automotive design, characters, Christian, Christian Grajewski, creation, creatures, designer, Future Center, Hochschule Hannover University, interiors, Nurbs, Nurbs modeling, Potsdam, props, robots, Star Wars, The Art of Star Wars, Transportation Design, Vehicles, Volkswagen Future Center, Volkswagen Future Center Europe, Volkwagen, VW, 0Christian Grajewski is a designer for the Volkswagen Future Center Europe, specializing in interiors. A job many aspiring designers...
Encouraging, Empowering and Embracing the Millennial Workforce
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Thoughts, automotive, automotive designer, buy-in, concept, designer, model, Rendering, showcase, sketching, Style, vision, 0To start, it seems like every trade journal, conference and training event has some discussion around Millennial workers. There’s...
Buy-in: the hidden, yet critical component of your design
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Thoughts, automotive, automotive designer, buy-in, concept, designer, model, Rendering, showcase, sketching, Style, vision, 0After months of sketching, rendering, modifying, deleting, sketching, rendering, modifying and deleting, you finally have it… You were tasked...
In the automotive industry, new technology seems to flow from the top down. Groundbreaking concepts for new engines, steering...
Self-driving cars are going to change many things about our daily lives, and simulation technologies are right at the...
If you are a classic car lover or an automotive enthusiast, it’s hard to imagine cars like the Honda...
Creating Collectability – 3 Steps for Today’s Automotive Designers
automotivedrfit, , Change, auto, car, collectability, concept, Design, dream car, market research, research, target market, 0In our previous post, What Makes a Car Truly Classic?, we discussed the design elements that have made a...
Dealing with the Inevitable Organ Shortage Brought About by Driverless Cars
Trevor English, , Change, Automotive Advancement, Driverless Cars, Organ Shortage, 0Driverless cars are going to do a lot of good in the world. They will eliminate driver error, reduce...
What makes a car truly “classic”? Design Elements are the key.
automotivedrfit, , Change, BMW, classic car, Corvette, Design, designer, Ferrari, Porche, 0We often hear the word “classic” and attribute that to age. But what makes something classic is not age,...
Will Our Children Ever Learn to Drive a Car?
Trevor English, , Change, autonomous vehicles, Children, Driver's License, 0Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles are the next big thing in the automotive industry. All this innovation is begging...
Is China Becoming the Next Big Automotive Market?
Trevor English, , Automotive, Chinese Automotive Industry, Growth, Production, 0The Chinese automotive market became the biggest in 2009. In 2015 alone, 21.2 million passenger vehicles were sold in...
The Science Behind the Paddle Shifter
Trevor English, , Automotive, F1, Manual Transmissions, Paddle Shifters, 0Paddle shifters in some form or fashion are making their way into many newer car models. For a technology...
The Devil is in the Details- How to Effectively Implement Virtual Reality in the Automotive Design Process
Amy Gile, , Automotive, Technology, 0In previous articles you’ve likely read about the relevance and many uses of VR and AR to enhance the...
What’s the Impact of Ride Sharing and Car Sharing on the Automotive Industry
Trevor English, , Automotive, 0With Uber, Lyft, and other ride and car sharing platforms becoming commonplace in modern society, where does that leave...
How Automatic Transmissions Overtook Manuals in Speed and Efficiency
Trevor English, , Automotive, automatic, manual, transmissions, 0For ages, manual transmissions were the best way to control the shifting in cars, but recent advances have made...
The Resurgence of Gas Guzzling Vehicles
Trevor English, , Automotive, alternative fuels, automotive, driving, economy, engineering, fuel efficiency, gas guzzlers, gas prices, gasoline, natural gas, oil, research, 0As oil prices have fallen globally, the automotive market has shifted to favoring large gas guzzlers once again, but...
The Pimp Santas Ride Entries are in – help us decide the winners!
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Showcase, Alias, automotive design, comment, Design, design challenge, Facebook, Instagram, like, Pimp Santas Ride, regram, retweet, share, Speedform, Twitter, VRED, 0Pimp Santas Ride Entries are in – help us decide the winners! Autodesk Automotive challenged #Alias, #Speedform and #VRED users...
Analyzing the Chevy Bolt’s Market Performance – Could it be Better than Tesla?
Trevor English, , Automotive, alternative fuels, battery, bolt, charge, chevrolet, electric vehicle, engineering, EV, fuel, model 3, Performance, power, Tesla, 0In terms of media coverage, Tesla is leading the way in the electric vehicle industry, but could the Chevrolet...
Alternatives to Fossil Fuels: How the Automotive Industry is Powering Their Cutting Edge Vehicles
Trevor English, , Automotive, automotive, energy, engineering, fossil fuels, fuel mixture, hydrogen, industry, power, renewables, 0The global push away from fossil fuels is growing, but what alternatives do car manufacturers have to trusty old...
Pimp Santa’s Ride Design Challenge, 2016 | Autodesk
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Technology, automotive design, Automotive Design process, Design, GPU, HTC Vive, model, Nvidia, Pascal GPU, Quadro, Quadro P6000, virtual reality, VR, VRED, VRworks, VRworks SDK, 0Pimp Santa’s Ride (in just 5 easy steps) Santa needs your help!!! His ride is out of date and...
Virtual Reality: Enhancing the Automotive Design Process
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Technology, automotive design, Automotive Design process, Design, GPU, HTC Vive, model, Nvidia, Pascal GPU, Quadro, Quadro P6000, virtual reality, VR, VRED, VRworks, VRworks SDK, 0The Automotive Design process is among the most complex as it requires input from so many different groups, including:...
5 Ways to Convince Your Boss to Send You to Autodesk University
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Technology, AU, Autodesk University, automotive, Automotive & Industrial Design, boss, Business, class, classroom, concept, convince, course, Design, investment, professional, ROI, training, workshop, 0Attending industry events requires investment of both time and money, and many times failing to make a strong business...
Daniel Simon: the Future by Design – an Exclusive Interview
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Technology, advanced surface modeling, aesthetic, aesthetical reflection quality, automotive industry, CAD, Class 1, class a, curvature, Digital Prototyping, engineering, Industrial Design, modeling, surface, surface data, surface quality, tangency alignment, 0It’s not every day that you leave a conversation with somebody feeling energized, empowered and excited for your own...
VRED Render It 2016 | Have you voted for your favorites yet?
automotivedrfit, , Events, Showcase, bronze, Facebook, gold, Instagram, Rendering, silver, Twitter, VRED, VRED Render It 2016, 0There is still time to vote! On August 8th, the top 14 entries from the top designers from 7 countries...
Now accepting submissions for Autodesk’s VRED Render It Competition
automotivedrfit, , Events, Showcase, Autodesk, automotive, bronze, gold, Olympics, Rendering, silver, VRED, 0Go for the Gold in the 2016 VRED Render It Competition! If you’re a world-class rendering maven and are passionate about...
Class A modeling in the automotive industry
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Technology, advanced surface modeling, aesthetic, aesthetical reflection quality, automotive industry, CAD, Class 1, class a, curvature, Digital Prototyping, engineering, Industrial Design, modeling, surface, surface data, surface quality, tangency alignment, 0Often advanced surface modeling is described as a magical thing. Terms like “Class A” or “Class 1” surfaces are...
When Did We Stop Designing For the End User?
Michael Russell, , Automotive, Events, Technology, AI, Apple, assisted design, auto, CAD, CAM, closed loop data gathering, Design, design studio, designer, driving experience, end user, mobility experience, real time digital experiences, Rendering, software, Steve Jobs, user experience, 0One of Steve Job’s legacies was his ability to never lose focus of his intent for the end user’s...
Future Trends in Automotive Design
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Technology, Audi, autonomous driving vehicle, blind spot detection, BMW, braking, car, collision avoidance, Design, front lights, intelligent cruise control, Nissan Altima, OEM, panoramic moon roof, self-braking, technology, Tesla, VW Passat, 0Read an article on www.thecoolist.com which got me thinking about the kinds of things we are seeing in cars...
Just Keep Drifting – The Secret to Design Success
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Events, Technology, automaker, conceptualization, Design, designer’s block, drifting, Industrial Design, marketability, project, risk, sketch, 0Do you ever get designer’s block? Like writer’s block, you can’t seem to draw anything of value. Sketch after sketch...
Visualization and Marketing: You Can’t Have One without the Other
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Events, Technology, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk VRED, Chris Christodoulou, Honda HR-V, marketing, neuroscience, NeuroStrata, Saddington Baynes, Thom Noble, visualization, 0You know the phrase “seeing is believing”? Marketers have always used their creative brains to illustrate and inspire, but...
Autodesk releases Alias 2017 “through the years” videos: the 50s and the 70s
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Events, Technology, 2017, 50s horror, 70s funk, Alias, Autodesk, automotive, Design, Studio, video, 0The latest version of Alias was launched earlier this month and what better way to announce it than with...
New Autodesk Technology Drives the Automotive Studio of the Future
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, 2017, Alias, Autodesk, automotive, Automotive Studio of the Future, Design, manufacturers, Simon Alford, solutions, Studio, technology, tool, VRED, 0Autodesk Details Automotive Roadmap and Delivers 2017 Versions of Alias and VRED Powerful forces are reshaping the world in...
The Impact of Integrating Simulation in the Automotive Design Process
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, aerodynamics, CFD, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Design, FEA, Finite Element Analysis, heat transfer, market, materials, simulation, 0As discussed in our previous article, “Lightweight Design in the Automotive Industry – the power of Simulation”, we discussed...
Lightweight Design in the Automotive Industry – the power of Simulation
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, CFD, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Design, FEA, Finite Element Analysis, Lightweighting, market, materials, simulation, 0Lightweighting done right can mean: better fuel economy, lessened wear and tear, and improved handling. In order to achieve...
Inspired Consumers – What attracts car buyers?
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Change, Technology, aerodynamics, automotive design, car, consumer, Design, environmental impact, expression, lifestyle, Performance, status symbol, technology, 0In last week’s article, we reviewed the many sources of inspiration automotive designers draw from when developing their creations. And while...
What Influences Car Design?
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Change, Technology, automotive design, BMW, car, Design, Ford Mustang, technology, Tesla, VW Beetle, 0Automotive design is clearly an important factor when approaching the market. There are some fundamental similarities (ie: 4 wheels,...
Intellectual Property in the Cloud – Convenience, Data Protection and More
automotivedrfit, , Change, Technology, Thoughts, cloud, collaboration, designer, Industrial Design, intellectual property, vehicle design, 0The cloud is impacting virtually every industry. From enterprise data management to online mobile banking, valuable and critical data...
An Inspiring Conversation with BAC Co-Founder Ian Briggs
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Change, Uncategorized, BAC, Briggs Automotive Company, designer, Ian Briggs, Mono, 0I had the pleasure of interviewing Ian Briggs, chief designer and co-founder of Briggs Automotive Company (BAC). I wanted...
Why do we still use clay models in car design?
automotivedrfit, , Automotive, Change, Technology, 3D model, Autodesk Alias, digital modeling, engineer, surface design, Wavefront, 0Back in the early 1990’s when Alias-Wavefront was first making a pitch to the automotive design studios, one of...
The next big revolution in automotive is from … Google?
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, Apple, autonomous vehicles, ergonomics, google, technology, 0By now … we have all heard about Google’s Autonomous (Self-driving) car. If you haven’t … look here. We...
Electrifying Automotives
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, automotive, Changes, Electric, Vehicles, 0Automotive is going electric, there’s no doubt about it. Hybrid and electric vehicles are either in conceptualization or production...
Why Do We Buy?
Michael Russell, , Automotive, Change, Thoughts, 3D, buy, buyers, cars, consumer, Design, marketing, virtual reality, 0I am not a purchasing analyst, nor do I understand the emotions on why I buy certain products, that’s...
The Revival of Virtual Reality
Peter Larsson, , Automotive, Technology, augmented reality, automotive, enhancements, HTC Vive, iot, technology, vehicals, virtual reality, 0Last week I had the opportunity to try one of the many Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)...
Additive Manufacturing and the Automotive Industry
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, 3d printing, additive manufacturing, automotive, 0I was first exposed to additive manufacturing through a MakerBot 3D printer. Our company was starting to make investments...
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Driving
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, artificial intelligence, automotive, cars, porsche 911, Trends, 0We’ve heard and seen how the Google car is in many ways the ideal defensive driver. We know that...
The Arbitrariness of Things
Uwe Rossbacher, , Technology, Thoughts, 3D Software, camera, freeform, photography, pictures, professional, shape, software, 0Last week I was in a photo studio to get pictures for my passport. While I was waiting, I...
I joined Autodesk 4 years ago when they acquired a startup that my dad and I founded. We had...
As a design firm we make cool stuff for real people. One thing that remains true is that no...
Why Automotive Leads Industrial Design Trends
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, Change, Technology, automotive, Design, Hyundai, Industrial Design, manufacturing, Performance, Spy Car, Style, Trends, 0Dating back to the industrial revolution the automotive industry established the foundation for industrial design and continues to lead...
Back to the Forwards, Past and Future
Michael Russell, , Automotive, Change, Technology, Apple, Back to the Future, classic cars, DeLorean, designers, Dreamcatcher, engineering, Jaguar, Lancia Aurelia, Lancia V4, Lohner Porsche, manufacturing, Michael J. Fox, retro, technology, Tesla, 0Remarkably it’s been 30 years since Back to the Future was first shown in cinemas helping to launch the...
Top Design Challenges in the Automotive Industry Today
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, automotive, Design, 0In our previous blog A Decade of Change, we talked about the ever-changing mindset of the consumer and how...
The IoT and The Automotive Industry
Ananda Arasu, , Automotive, IoT, automotive, Internet of Things, iot, 0It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m attempting to run a load of laundry for my next business trip (flight leaves...
When looking back ten years trends in the automotive industry have unmistakably shifted the way cars are bought and...
Technology evolution is driving change, especially in the automotive industry. The digital age is providing consumers with an all-access...