The Nissan Technical Center in Japan is where many of the carmaker’s global platforms are created, engineered, and perfected before going to market. A key component of that is their clay modeling studio where designers and sculptors come together to define the 3-dimensional characteristics of a car before a prototype is built.
The job of the modeler is to interpret the ideas sketched on paper by designers into the curves and angles of an actual vehicle. Preliminary models are done in quarter (1/4) size to test design options and directions. The best of those become full-sized models in clay.
In this video, Hiroshi Kato and Naoki Maekawa are seen working on the all-new Nissan Note. It’s a unique look into the world of automotive modeling for production.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8LQU4ur0sp4
