Client
Master Thesis
Overview
Developed as my Master's thesis at Brno University of Technology, this project explores the intersection of automotive styling and automated manufacturing. It focuses on the bodywork for a compressed-air racing vehicle (pneumobile). The core concept utilizes developable surfaces, allowing the complex volumetric form to be folded entirely from flat aluminum sheets by robotic arms.
Client
Master Thesis
Industry
Automotive
Service
Experimental Design
Industrial Design
3D Modeling
Visualisation
Duration
9 Months
The Challenge
Designed for the Aventics Pneumobile Competition, the task was to body a pre-existing chassis with a strictly defined technical package. The design intent was to utilize robotic manufacturing, which limited the material to developable surfaces. The challenge was to wrap the fixed internal skeleton in a dynamic, streamlined shell without resorting to the boxy aesthetics of traditional sheet metal bending.
The Solution
I utilized the advanced principle of Curved Crease Folding. Unlike traditional origami based on straight lines, bending flat material along specific curved paths forces the metal to twist into rigid, organic 3D shapes. Using Rhino and Grasshopper, I simulated this geometric behavior to ensure the surfaces remained developable while following the chassis hard points. To validate this complex geometry, I built a proof-of-concept model, manually forming the aluminum skin along the curved creases and combining it with 3D-printed parts for structural nodes.
The Result
The final outcome is a striking 'stealth-like' vehicle defined by the tension of the material itself. The project demonstrates how curved folding can generate sophisticated, aerodynamic volumes from simple planar sheets. The resulting aesthetic is raw and industrial, where the structural creases serve not just as visual character lines, but as essential rigidifiers for the lightweight aluminum shell.
PORTFOLIO
Automotive
Automotive
Automotive
Surface Modeling
SubD Modeling
Parametric Design
Industrial Design
SubD modeling
Parametric Design