BMW car designer to reveal clay techniques in NZ

Thursday, March 12, 2009

BMW car designer to reveal clay techniques in NZ

New Zealand boat, car, industrial, architectural and film prop designers will be able to get their hands on state-of-the-art modelling clay and design techniques during a series of workshops and lectures by a leading German car designer at Massey’s Albany campus.

Jurgen Heinl, a former BMW employee who designed models for cars and now teaches at the world-leading automative clay modeller school BBZ Selb in Germany, will demonstrate how his techniques can be applied to different areas of design and the arts to enhance quality and form development.

Participants will have the chance to use specialised soft, waxy modelling clay, which was used in Germany’s traditional ceramics industry before being adapted for industrial design.

The material has never been available in New Zealand before says design lecturer Oliver Neuland, who teaches at the Auckland School of Design at Albany campus and has organised Mr Heinl’s Clay Modelling and Reverse Engineering workshop (April 16-19) to be held at the school.

“Being able to develop shapes with one’s own hands is still irreplaceable, even after the digital revolution,” says Mr Neuland.

“Car designers still stress that clay modelling is vital for their process even with current advanced digital modelling software,” says Mr Neuland. “A clay model offers a very tangible and rapid way of working, compared to digital modelling. The development and control of proportions, surfaces, transitions and a suitable line graphic is not only faster but, in most cases, leads to a better result when done on a physical model.”

He says clay modelling is “truly three-dimensional. It offers an undistorted, holistic impression of a shape in relation to people and a real environment.

“The knowledge Mr Heinl is providing is not only invaluable for car design but for any three-dimensional form development regardless of whether it is applied to product design, boat building, architecture, arts or film.”

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