Spring is here! Finally all the hot rods can be released from the garage and hit the road! We have an exciting summer ahead of us with a vendor booth at Goodguys car show in Puyallup featuring a couple of our most recent builds, new products and more billet CNC machined parts to show off in July.
We are also sponsoring the Cruise in Enumclaw this year and look forward to many great evenings on Cole street hanging out with friends and checking out all the cars.
This time of year is always particularly busy for us as we work with our customers to get their cars dialed in and ready for cruise nights and car shows.
Renderings
Overview: Over the last few years we have worked with Tavis Highlander at HCR designing and providing renderings for our customers' builds. Tavis is an exceptional artist and designer that has helped us to understand the value of a rendering and what it can do for our builds.
Having a visual of the finished product helps us communicate internally as a team building the vehicle as well as externally with the customer. What something looks like in my head might be different than one of the guys in the shop or the customer, and a rendering clears all that up and helps us to move forward cohesively.
Additionally it gives us insight into the final product and allows us to plan ahead when running the plumbing, electrical, exhaust etc.
The Process
At the beginning of a project typically a customer will have some ideas for modifications, ride height, wheels etc that they would like to see on the vehicle. All that info and pictures are compiled in an email and sent to Tavis.
Sometimes that is pages of ideas and my terrible pencil sketches other times there are just a few key items the customer is looking for that then turn into beautiful digital renderings. We provide a lot of design input bouncing ideas back and forth and eventually landing on something that the customer likes.
Collaboration in this stage is key with the end goal being a vehicle in the customers vision. Tavis's ability to design a car and come up with ideas out of thin air is exceptional. There is no doubt that his work has added a whole new element to our builds. Every time we run out of ideas he has a new and innovative design that gets us moving again. We are not really sure how he does it.
The Product
Typically we are getting a couple exterior views, a couple interior shots, and an engine bay view for a build from Tavis. On other projects that are more detailed end up with renderings of individual components and areas of the car to further dive into more detail. This all depends on the job and the level of detail that we are taking the project. The renderings are also a beautiful piece of art to have framed with the car when the project is all done. Typically this happens long before the project starts so it can be nice to hang the renderings on the wall and stare at them for a couple of months and ensure you like the design or want to make any changes before the build starts.
CAD and Renderings
Our ability to draw in CAD, CNC machine parts and 3D print parts works really well with digital renderings. We can draw a part in our shop and Tavis can essentially plug it into a rendering for us to see on the car. Oftentimes we draw a part that provides the general shape but needs some more design added to what would otherwise be a pretty plan piece. Tavis can take our working model and turn it into a part that has style and fits the build.
Conclusion
We have also worked with other great artists like Jason Rushforth and James Deady. Everybody has their own style and I look forward to working with others as time goes on. Renderings have changed the way we build cars and made the process much easier and more enjoyable. After all, I believe that the process of building the car can be just as fun as the finished product.
Got a classic build you'd like help you with?
Contact:
Josh Sanders; Owner
Sanders Street Rods Inc.
(253) 350-8593
