Sketchy Beginnings Part One

We used to have a large L-shaped sectional couch, back when I still sketched almost every day, with a wide flat armrest at each end, nearly perfect for resting a clipboard on.  There was also the dining room table of course, but a couple of things we did not have were a computer and a gaming console.  Modern life has its distractions...

Right now my clipboard sits just inches away from my trackball mouse, but I haven't sketched since last weekend (and it's Friday night).

Back in the day when a concept was on my mind I would sketch it over and over, covering a page or two and sometimes more.  When I started sketching this one, the image below was at the bottom of the first page:

Gen III AKA "BlueStar" AKA "Model C"

...But even then, I manipulated the image on this computer before posting it to Google Plus.  Click the hyperlink below the image to view the what I wrote in the post, plus comments.

Basically what is happening is that I've become inspired, as explained in my most recent post LOSING MY AMATEUR STATUS?, to apply my creative focus toward concepts for Tesla Motors.  A side effect of my interest in this manufacturer and its products is a revival of all Tellurian Motors concepts, as the Tesla platforms would provide excellent bases for Tellurians.

Finally a path has been illuminated, that leads to the ultimate goal of building vehicles purely of my own design -- but wait.  That's not what this is about.  I'm not motivated to work with Tesla because it would eventually lead to the birth of Tellurian Motors.  It's not a stepping stone.  No, I'm genuinely inspired here, my mind swimming with concepts for Tesla Motors...

...of which the "Model C" is NOT one, to be frank.  While I find it an interesting exercise to treat the concept as if I had some say in how it will appear in production, I am under no disillusion that the ship hasn't already sailed -- or at least will have done, by the time anyone at Tesla Motors becomes aware of what I've been doing.

All I can do with the C is demonstrate my capability -- and so far, I'm coming up short.  While there is quite a lot in my head about this vehicle, not much of it has been put on paper.  As Tegan Quin says in that early epic song Superstar(Red Demo version), "...thoughts are less than actions brought, and I am still NOTHING in common face."

more of GenIII

Again, click the hyperlink below the image to view the what I wrote in the post, plus comments.

It's weird going back to curves after years of doing my best to eliminate them, and it's a challenge to use someone else's design language to make a vehicle appealing and distinctively Tesla while possessing its own personality, but this project is important for my portfolio.  With practice I expect to produce sketches worthy of being presented to the company.  Meanwhile I will continue to record my progress, here and on Google Plus.

Stay crunchy.

filsmyth

August 17, 2013

o_0

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LOSING MY AMATEUR STATUS?

In June and July 2013 I became inspired...

At the beginning of June I manipulated an image of a Tesla Model X, turning it into a ute-style pickup.  Thought it would be cool if they did something like that, but it isn't exactly an original idea, so I didn't think too much of it...

...Until later, after I came up with another couple of concepts for Tesla Motors that I thought were valid.  I did more image manipulations, and started sketching again.  The XT spawned the XTX, a 5-seater with falcon-wing doors...

I began to think that I would actually really like to work with Tesla Motors, which, as I look back, appears to be an unprecedented feeling.  In the 30+ years that I've been conceiving and drawing vehicles, there has never been a single manufacturer that has so captured my attention.

Basically I've always wanted to build cars of my own design, and not for anyone else, because there has always been an huge gap between concept and production, too much getting changed along the way.  The dream was (and still is) to have my own company, and so be free to dream up and build whatever I wanted.

How much closer am I to that dream than I was 30 years ago?

I've incorporated Tellurian Motors into a novel, along with a few other daydreams, but since the novel is still only in my head it's really no more than an elaborate daydream itself...

SO NOW HERE'S THE QUESTION:

Am I good enough at automotive design to become a professional?  More to the point, will Tesla Motors give me a chance to show what I can do?

At the beginning of 2009 (while I was still running Window$) I had an evaluation copy of a CAD program, and was in the middle of a project when the trial period ran out, just as I was getting the hang of it.  Soon after that I began using LINUX exclusively, and have not been able to find CAD software for LINUX that will work with my somewhat dated hardware.  I'm willing to switch to something from Apple and even PAY for software, itching to get back into 3D-CAD.

Meanwhile it seems pencil sketches will be the best medium in which to display my design talent, so I will continue with them.

Here's one I did yesterday:

If you search this blog you'll find posts on the Deora III from 2009.  I started sketching it again the recently after realizing Tesla's GenIV platform would suit this vehicle perfectly...

...Apparently trucks are next, after GenIII.

These images and more can be found in my Concepts album on g+, along with feature descriptions.  Often things get explained in more detail within comments on my posts.

I'm sort of building a portfolio, so expect the album to keep growing.

At some point, probably very soon, I'll have to go ahead and start sketching the GenIII car.  Franz von Holzhausen should already have a clear direction to follow for its design, and previously I had a wait-and-see attitude about this model, but showing what I can do with it may be the best way to get Tesla Motors' attention.

Wish me luck.

o_o

vehicles for planet Earth and beyond

^^  New banner image.

B-)

filsmyth

22 June 2012

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Precursor

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the PRECURSOR

In "Angular Momentum" I described a new concept that I called, at the time, 'Tellurian Targa'. Since then I've looked up the word, just to be clear of its origin, and was reminded that it's become a Porsche trademark. Decided to rename the concept quickly, just so the working name didn't get burned in my mind...

...But what to call it? To find an appropriate name, I thought it best to get it clear in my head just what the concept represented. What was it, really?

Well it's an electric vehicle, started out as a sports car with a targa roof but grew a covered bed, so technically it's a pickup. Hmm. No name there, at least nothing that doesn't sound contrived (or isn't copyrighted). Nothing alphanumeric sprang to mind either.

However this vehicle represents something very specific. It is being designed for the time we live in, where without access to free energy technology we are still relying on batteries -- and to achieve temporary extended range, we have to leave room for an onboard generator or extra battery pack. It also comes along before Tellurian Motors is established, but in anticipation of that future range of vehicles it is engineered with the free energy future in mind (for one, it does not use regenerative braking).

So. This concept is not only a precursor to the entity that will be known as Tellurian Motors, but a prelude (can't use that name either) to the future of electric vehicles in general.

As has happened so often in this blog, I'm posting without an image. This time it's because the form is still morphing in my mind. I don't want it to look like a pickup at all -- with the tonneau in place it will just look like a mid-motor sports car. The rear window is looking more and more like a wide slot, and I've decided to extend the flying buttresses all the way to the rear of the tonneau. It's also gotten less and less rounded, more angular, but not quite approaching the flat-panel look of my other concepts. It does share the slant above the beltline, though, and for a practical reason. The roof is narrowed in this way, to aid ingress and egress for such a low vehicle. The doors can hinge along this angle, flipping up and out, not 'scissor' but more 'butterfly'.

The front features a band of LED running lights that wraps all the way around the trailing edge of the bumper, separating it from the front decklid, fenders, and full bellypan, and incorporating the turn signals. This connects to vertically-stacked projector headlights behind rectangular lenses...

...and I just thought of this: Between the headlights, and between the LED band and the front decklid, is a rectangular panel that flips forward to reveal an area that houses the primary charging port and an extension cord.

For the rear I'm seeing a pair of red neon tubes backed by LEDs -- the neon comes on when the headlights do, and the LEDs only come on for brake lights and turn signals. These are mounted a bit low, in an opening below the tailgate and above the bumper, flanking the license plate. Reverse lights are largish round units centered behind and bisected by the tubes. Small round reflectors can be incorporated here, in the center of those tubes, and as seen from directly behind, centered on the reverse lights. All this is mounted on an exhaust grille for a bit of rear 'ground-effect' downforce ducting.

Also the front bumper has an opening for a downforce duct (housing nice little round yellow foglights), airflow exiting at the leading edge of the decklid.

Body will be GRP (glass-reinforced plastic), not the stainless steel of a true Tellurian. This means paint. For a signature colour, I'd like to match that curious blue that always seems to appear in solar panels -- and we might as well call it 'Curious Blue' (completely unrelated to Chrysler's 'Curious Yellow' of the early 1970s).

The vehicle has no mirrors, utilizing cameras and monitors instead.

Maybe you can't picture the Precursor yet, but I can, and writing about a concept in the way I have above actually helps quite a bit in my design process.

Not sure how soon images will be available, but I will post them here on the Tellurian Motors blog.

[UPDATE: Concept partially sketched, photo added (top) Tuesday August 30, 2011.]

Stay crunchy.

filsmyth

05August2011

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Angular Momentum

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The Tellurian Targa

A couple of years ago I joined Local Motors, which is a venture in automotive crowdsourcing. Haven't entered any of the competitions, but have been active in the Rally, roadster, what next? forum thread...

The consensus seems to be that the next LM vehicle to be produced should be an electric sports car, and indeed the company is planning to engineer and build an electric platform soon. Before I learned of that, however, I got antsy and decided to put pencil to paper, sharing most of my quick, rough sketches in the thread.

Here is the latest:

'TELLURIAN TARGA'

Now of course I don't want to do anything for LM in Tellurian Motors' flat-panel design language, so this means I'm having to get used to drawing curves again...

Before this concept sprouted an 'open cargo area' it already had the removable roof panel and targa bar, and since my ID on the LM site is 'Tellurian', well, the vehicle sort of named itself.

The folding tonneau cover (which when folded, disappears below the rear window) is composed of 4 solar panels. These might not offer much charging capacity, but every little bit helps. Plus, the secondary charging point used by these can also be used by a small, ordinary generator that one might load up for use as a range extender on longer trips.

To be quite honest, I hadn't thought of the genset option until after I'd already decided on what is technically a small pickup configuration -- simply to increase cargo capacity. Some call this 'synchronicity'...

YES, I'm going against my own design ethos in a couple of ways by working on this concept -- it doesn't use flat panels, nor free energy...

...Not yet, anyway.

filsmyth

29July2011

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Bare-Bones Sophistication

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As you may know, Tellurian Motors has been dovetailed, along with some of my other daydreams, into a work of fiction. The novel, Virtual Dreamer, is set in the near future -- and may or may not ever get written. Development is continual within my own mindspace, but abortive attempts at actual writing felt premature. A certain amount of pressure exists around this task, but only from within -- the day (or night, more likely) is imminent, when I'll finally jump into it and barely rest until it's finished...

...So what am I doing writing a blog, you may be wondering, while I have a novel to work on? Good question -- but it may (or may not) be part of my process (if I have one) to continue the conceptual development of vehicles that will be featured in the story. Without further ado:

TELLURIAN RUNABOUT

bare-bones sophistication

No, I still don't have images of the Runabout to share... Hang on, let me sketch something...

...Okay. My coffee didn't even get cold. Problem with sketching so quickly is that it's not very precise, and some things have been left out...

Let's start with those big round rallye lights. Maybe they should be set back a bit, within the frame -- and maybe they don't quite fit the futuristic theme, but let me explain:

Sure, you might expect a trapezoidal panel filled with LEDs here (and you wouldn't be wrong to), but the Runabout is to be the first-ever purpose-built Tellurian Motors vehicle (after an electric conversion or two) and as such will be extremely prototypical. Off-the-shelf components will have to serve as placeholders for bespoke items yet to be developed.

Also missing from the sketch is a cut line in the polycarbonate of the side-window/hatch area. Just imagine one running straight up from the back of the front wheel well to the top of the A-pillar (windshield frame). For a long time I thought there would be a (removable) one-piece hatch on each side, each with a little round access door, but now as I look at the sketch I think a 'vent window' or 'wind wing' approach makes more sense.

Remember? Okay, well maybe you've been in a car or truck that has a section of door window at the leading edge, that doesn't roll down with the rest. 'Back in the day', there were vent windows there, that pivoted -- very useful for catching a breeze, if you didn't have air conditioning.

Speaking of which, yes, the Runabout was originally conceived for the Bonneville Salt Flats -- so yes it DOES have A/C, quite powerful for a vehicle of its size, and mirror-tinted windows all around.

...So what do I mean by 'bare-bones sophistication'? Well for one this is, as you can see (wow, I finally produced a sketch), a very simple little vehicle, perfect for a first attempt at vehicle construction. However from its first inception it has been about comfort (a bit of escape from the heat and blinding reflected sunlight of the salt flats) -- and it can be used as a rolling testbed for various systems and applications.

The first example is likely to be very crude indeed, like a cross between a golf cart and a UTV -- but there is (if I may say so) a simple sophistication in the design itself.

As for its appearance in the novel, well, you'll have to wait...

filsmyth

June 2, 2010

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Deora III Goes 'Local'

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Less than 2 months ago I discovered something called Local Motors, a new company that 'crowdsources' vehicles. They've developed an online community to share in the design process... How could I not join?

Struggled briefly with the question of which of my designs to throw into the ring. Figured it should be the one with the least family resemblance to other Tellurian Motors vehicles, so my Deora redux fit the bill. Plus, it's conceptually based on someone else's design, so there ya go. Check my profile page.




These sketches have not yet been uploaded to the Local Motors site, and I'm not sure they will be. The LM community is filled with amateurs (and a few professionals) used to seeing slick presentations and renders done with expensive 3D software -- and I've been pestered by a teenager and a twentysomething, both very vocal and opinionated.

The good news is that my participation on the site got me to become more serious about taking this particular daydream and transferring it to paper, then to the computer. It's all well and good to have something in your head, but the real development begins when you attempt to share your vision with others.




Where the orginal Deora show truck was a barely functional vehicle, lacking side windows and completely unusable as a truck, and the Deora II was a Hot Wheels design that was unbelievably interpreted into a full-sized and driveable
yet still completely useless spectacle, I approached Deora III from the beginning as a functional light truck.

It may not be the most practical truck, but most truck owners never use their vehicles to their full potential anyway.

Since both the Deora and Deora II Hot Wheels models included tiny plastic surfboards, I realized I should not ignore the surf connection -- and since not every surf spot has a nice smooth parking lot, Deora III ought to be able to drive right out onto any beach (and get back from it). Yes, that means it needs 4WD and appreciable ground clearance...

It also just about requires that it has some means of securing at least 2 surfboards -- and for this I've envisioned a twin set of removable, folding racks (that could be mounted in the bed of any pickup that has those square holes in the tops of the bedsides). Each rack would hold 2 boards and 'lock' in both horizontal and vertical positions. Need to carry more than 4? There's room under the racks, and a cargo net to keep them from sliding around too much.

You're absolutely correct if, while looking at my digital images, you think the bed isn't long enough. The sketches were done later, and show a longer wheelbase.




Any questions?



filsmyth
01December2009

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the Tellurian Coupe

Made this sketch yesterday, after thinking about the design for a day or so. The Coupe is a 'Grand Tourer'...

What, you wanted more details? What's to tell?


filsmyth
13September2009


PS Another sketch was done, on video:

sketching with fil

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old news (Salamander)

I rarely bother to put the date on my sketches, but on the other side of the sheet of paper I drew this on there is a strange 'END TEST' printout with a date in the middle of December 1997.

As stated in my last post here, one of the vehicle configurations I used to sketch in the mid-90s was the extreme-cab-forward pickup -- yes, before the Chip Foose-designed Deora II was released as a Hot Wheels model...

The main variation was quite large, and at some point it occurred to me that it was sort of like a boat for the land -- so, no surprise that I developed an amphibious version.


...But you ask, "Does this mean the Deora III is meant to be amphibious?"

In a word, no. However one could be configured in a very boat-like manner for land-based activities similar to what you might do on water...


And, why convert a land vehicle into an amphibious one? Better to design a vehicle from the start as amphibious, yes?

So, I could very well be sketching a new version of the Salamander soon -- larger than Deora III and with round wheel openings (into which the wheels will retract during offshore operation). It will be more of a boat with wheels than an amphibious truck...



filsmyth
01August2009

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Deora III or Salamander?

Check this page: http://onlineredlineguide.com/OtherRedlines_Deora.html

For about a decade beginning in the mid-Sixties, with roots going back to the mid-to-late Fifties, 'forward control' played a significant part in American automotive design. With the advent of the Deora show truck, a few customizers went wild...

Ah, but then the issue of passive safety won over, and American automotive design went to shit in general, and forward-control went by the wayside...

Do I have to repeat myself? If more of us were operating vehicles from ahead of the front axle, it would be more about active safety, as in making damn sure you don't run into anyone or anything else...


Well, brace yourselves. Are you ready for a throwback / flash-forward?

Before sunset I was out on the porch sketching, and captured these images on the hood of my 1981 Cressida (AKA Defiant II, awaiting electric conversion).

Raw? Absolutely.


'Salamander' is a name I came up with in the 1990s for a similar vehicle that happened to be amphibious.

I have no affiliation with the Chrysler Corporation or with Mattel (Hot Wheels), so if my concept is to be called 'Deora III' it will have to remain fictional and/or be endorsed -- or, built after the Transition, none of that will matter.

Right?



filsmyth
17July2009

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this just in -- Deora III

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Both of these sketches were done after midnight, so these are being posted much more quickly than anything seen here before...



Maybe you've heard of the Deora, a show truck based on a Dodge A-100, which made its debut in 1966. Maybe you've also heard of the Deora II, a Hot Wheels model that was later built as a full-sized, semi-functional concept vehicle...

Well, the other morning I was musing about what I eventually realized should be called the Deora III -- and it was only later that day that I remembered, while writing about it in an e-mail to a friend, that one of the vehicle forms I was fond of sketching in the 1990s was the 'extreme forward control pickup'.


Tonight I finally did a couple of rough sketches. My scanner apparently isn't compatible with my current operating system, so I used the same little pink camera that has served me well for stills and video of my carvings.



These images are as raw as you can get [Can you tell they were lit with a 40-watt bulb?]. I almost want to do another sketch right now, but...

Anyway what I have in mind is somewhere in between the two in proportion, and there are many details to be worked out -- and some things I have in my head that just don't show up in these quick sketches.

Powertrain? As with all other Tellurian Motors offerings, the Deora III is a 'free energy' electric. Mechanically and structurally, it's a variation on BRUTRUCK. Please reference earlier posts for details.

In the sketches there is the barest hint of my intention to incorporate sideways-chevron-shaped 'bumperettes' at each corner. You may be able to imagine head- and taillight arrangements very similar to others in the family, but inverted.

Seating in the cab is for two and two only, in bucket seats just far enough apart to squeeze between -- there is a disappearing 'midgate' at the back of the cab for access to the bed, flanked by glass 'flying buttresses'.

Back in the 90s, when I sketched similar (but curvy) trucks, the concept was that they could be used much like small pleasure boats, but on land. The Deora III features hidden benches in the bedsides, that can be folded out flat for sleeping, sunbathing, or...


Could this truck be amphibious? Maybe.


The original Deora was nuts. It wasn't practical, but it was cool. The Deora II wasn't designed to be more than a toy. The Deora III (if I may call it that) at least has side-opening doors...



Stay tuned (and yes, it's going in the novel).




filsmyth
15July2009

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Estate, et cetera

Have I really not posted here since March?






The images above are supposed to have a transparent background, like some others seen on this blog. Maybe the fault is with Blogger, and maybe it's an issue unique to the Linux version of Firefox... It's annoying, but not the end of the world.




If you have been following along you can probably tell that the Estate is simply a wagon version of the Time Further Out sedan. These images were produced in April. I guess I've been busy with other things since then.

The Estate has a slightly higher roof than the TFO, and an elongated rear. It features seating for up to 8...

Each Tellurian Motors vehicle is built to spec, so it's up to the buyer to choose a swing-out or disappearing tailgate for his or her Estate. If you choose to include the rear-facing 'wayback' seats, bear in mind that the disappearing tailgate will seriously encroach on footroom while open, less so when closed.




...And now to the 'et cetera' portion...

Yes each Tellurian Motors vehicle is 'built to spec'. What this means is that beyond the production of prototypes as examples, all we can do is suggest options. Within reason, you can pretty much get what you want.

'Within reason'? There are things that go beyond the pale. It's an issue of taste, so we will gently refuse certain requests. If you want something that compromises the aesthetic value of any given Tellurian Motors design, you will either be talked down or influenced to look elsewhere.


Of course when Tellurian Motors vehicles will be built, it will be the beginning of a time when anyone can have anything, anything at all. Anyone is free to have a vehicle inspired by any one of our offerings built according to his or her own taste -- just please don't try to call it a Tellurian.



At Tellurian Motors we may or may not be using robotics wherever possible.

What?

I look at my designs and am quite certain that all of them can be built without the use of robotics -- and yet I've incorporated Tellurian Motors into the novel Virtual Dreamer, in which the main character has inherited his father's businesses, including 'Parkersburg Robot'.

Previously I've stated that Tellurian Motors will require no 'tooling' beyond frame jigs for each model -- but recently I've realized that a jig can be adaptable, even robotically so. One jig can be reconfigured as needed, and there is no reason the task can't be handled by robots.


Here I have to make the case for anthropomorphic robots, otherwise known as 'androids'. A robot built in the size and shape of a person will theoretically be able to perform the same tasks as an actual person, including the use of tools. Such a robot would be able to perform many more tasks than one built for a specific function. While task-specific robots are useful in mass-production, at Tellurian Motors we build vehicles one at a time, to spec. We may use a robotic welder, for instance, but that's a device that normally calls for human interaction...

It is quite possible that something as complex as a Tellurian Motors vehicle could be built from start to finish with no human involvement save the request and approval, up to and including delivery in the customer's driveway.

This is what we can expect from robotics.



More 'et cetera'? I have a design in my head for a van that will look very much the same from the rear as it does from the front. I have sketches, but no digital images to share at this writing.


Also I've been revisiting 'TMT' in my mind. The sketch posted here previously portrays a vehicle similar to an El Camino, Ranchero, or Australian 'ute'. While I like the simplicity and palandromicy of the designation 'TMT' (Tellurian Motors Truck), I've been considering the name 'Utruck'... Fine, I'll discard that.

My most recent thought about the TMT is that it should feature the option of rear-facing seats in the bed similar to what Subaru once featured in the BRAT...


Remember EXOVAN? I've been rethinking that as well. Expect considerable refinements.


Something else I've done is to rework an image of the BRUTRUCK into a BRUTRUCK Crew Truck, a four-door, shortened bed version. There is crappiness to that image that will have to be resolved before I can share it here.



It will be my extreme pleasure to be able to deliver Tellurian Motors vehicles to all who desire them -- but that's a long way off. Much more soonly will be their inclusion in the novel, Virtual Dreamer.


Stay tuned.






filsmyth
7/7/2009

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vehicles for planet Earth and beyond

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TELLURIAN MOTORS
vehicles for planet Earth and beyond

Queso it doesn't really look like there's an actual banana-yellow Time Further Out parked on the salt flats. The shadow's all wrong, it's probably out of scale, there are no reflections, and there is no salt on the tires. It doesn't look real at all.

That's okay. Part of the reason I continue to pursue this design theme is that I want people who see my vehicles to question whether they're real. Each form is starkly angular, otherworldly. There are no doorhandles, no mirrors. The glass meets up flush with the body panels, even on the doors -- making the viewer think they might not open.

It's a little tricky, but the side windows open a bit like sunroofs and moonroofs do -- and when they're down all the way, they've disappeared without a trace...


Another part of the reason for the flat panels, as mentioned before, is ease of manufacture. All panels can be cut & folded using a press brake -- no need for stamping dies or laborious hand-forming. A frame jig for each model will be necessary for welding up the chassis from square and triangular tubing. Bodies and frames, ideally, will be stainless steel.

Paint is therefore an option. Customers might rather have brushed or polished, even engine-turned or etched, bare stainless.


One more part of the reason for this design theme is its uniqueness, and last but not least there is the challenge of subtly arranging angles and straight lines into pleasing forms.

Of course not everyone will be pleased by them. You want curves, look elsewhere.

You may have noticed there is no badging on my vehicles, not even a dot for one in any of my recent images. This is not an oversight. If there is a need for an emblem somewhere, it will look something like this:

Tellurian Motors vehicles are meant for the future, built to be enjoyed far into it. Each will be powered by a device that takes Aetheric energy and Converts it to Electricity (ACE).

What I call ACE devices should have become available beginning in the 1930s, but the technology has been suppressed -- heavily, and with extreme prejudice. This technology will be the key to the People of Earth gradually switching to a paradigm of abundance (Utopia, Heaven on Earth), and its 'release' is inevitable.

Dreams beyond avarice... I've always wanted to build vehicles of my own design, and it appears that in the future it will be my bliss to do so. I've never cared about money and will be glad to see it become a thing of the past...

Eventually, Tellurian Motors will provide other types of vehicles -- but I'm not ready to start designing flying saucers just yet.



filsmyth
29Mar2009

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