"The Timeless Racer" by Daniel Simon

Good morning readers,

I would like to share with you an artist that inspired me throughout my time in education and continues to inspire me today. Some of you may not know him by name but there's a strong chance you will have seen his work on the big screen. I am of course referring to German concept designer Daniel Simon. 

Daniel Simon and his Bubble ship from Oblivion
Image courtesy of danielsimon.com

Backed with a degree in automotive design from the University of Applied Science in Pforzheim, Simon spent 5 years in Barcelona at Volkswagen's advanced studio where he eventually became the senior designer for Bugatti automotive. Not many people had the chance to work on the legendary and world famous Bugatti Veyron so this must have been a real honour and certainly a lot of fun.

The Bugatti Veyron
Image courtesy of  bugatti.com

It was in 2007 when Simon published "Cosmic motors", a book that opened the doors to Hollywood. This book was a collection of sketch work and high end 3D visualisations showcasing a work of cutting edge vehicles from an unknown galaxy. Upon discovering this book was the time I knew I wanted a future in visualisation.

I have followed his career closely, witnessing his vehicle designs in such films as Tron Legacy and Oblivion. It's with vehicles where we are very similar as I have mentioned in my previous blogs that I am a huge petrol head and automotive racing nut. Something that I believe can also be said about Simon. The way he combines his passion for design, 3D modelling and all things automotive is incredible. His technique and style are the things that really set him apart, combining high end 3D models with photography and some compositing resulting in a visual that looks convincingly real. 

 

All three images are courtesy of Cosmic motors and danielsimon.com

So with this I am happy to say that Simon has a new book on the verge of release. "The Timeless Racer" is his second book and is the first in a series depicting a racing world that could have existed between 1916 and 2615. This book, set in the year 2027, is due for release in the next couple of weeks. I have no doubt the visuals will be of an incredible standard, I am just as interested in seeing his sketching and Photoshop rendering, as this really highlights his design process and the origin of his final designs and the subsequent 3D models.

All images courtesy of danielsimon.com "The Timeless Racer" and Design studio press.

It has been 6 years since his last book was released and 10 years since he started his first. It will be interesting and also very exciting to see how his style, techniques and process have changed since cosmic motors. All I can say is that I'm looking forward to being utterly blown away, as I have had it on pre-order for 5 months.

You can find out more info on Daniel Simon and his work at www.danielsimon.com. I will leave you with a selection of some of my favourite pieces of his work.

Happy reading.

All four images courtesy of danielsimon.com and Google images.