23/04/2026 - 30/07/2026 (Week 1 - Week 15)
WANG JINYI / 0374697
GCD61804 / Vehicle and Props Design / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Vehicle and Props Design
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Instruction
2. Progress
3. Feedback
4. Reflection
INSTRUCTION
PROGRESS
Week 1
For the exercise we need to draw 3 types sketches of vehicles (land, water and air). I found five reference images for each types of vehicle on Pinterest and began studying the vehicle structures and sketching.
Fig 1.1 Water Vehicle Sketches
Fig 1.2 Land Vehicle Sketches
Fig 1.3 Air Vehicle Sketches
Week 2
For this project, I decided to use the world of Raya and the Last Dragon as the main reference for my vehicle design. I was particularly inspired by the film’s environmental storytelling, floating market culture, and the way boats are integrated into everyday life within Talon.
One of my main inspirations was Captain Boun’s boat design and how the film uses vehicles not only as transportation, but also as extensions of the characters and their lifestyles. Because of this, I decided to focus on designing a boat-based vehicle for my project.
Fig 2.1 Moodboard
At the early ideation stage, I explored different directions for the vehicle’s form and purpose. I was interested in creating a design that could naturally fit into Kumandra’s trading culture while still having its own unique identity. Eventually, I developed the idea of a pawnshop boat operated by a traveling merchant.
For the visual direction, I started researching:
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traditional Southeast Asian boats
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floating markets
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shell and pearl forms
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merchant-related props and objects
I was especially drawn to the symbolism of pearl shells, as they relate to trade, value, protection, and Southeast Asian pearl harvesting culture. These ideas became the foundation of my design direction moving forward.
Fig 2.2 Thumbnail sketches
During this stage, I mainly focused on collecting references, exploring silhouettes, and building the overall concept and world integration of the vehicle before moving into more detailed design development.
Week 3
This week, I further developed the overall direction of my vehicle and props design.
Fig 3.1 Vehicle sketches
The current concept is a pawnshop boat owned by a Talon merchant named Nalan. The design is inspired by pearl shells while still maintaining the traditional Southeast Asian boat aesthetics seen in the film. At this stage, I have already established the overall exterior and interior structure of the vessel, including the trading space, storage layout, and general silhouette.
Fig 3.2 Initial exterior design
Fig 3.3 Initial interior design
During consultation, I was advised to further refine the functional aspects of the vehicle. Some of the questions I need to explore further include:
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How does the boat move and operate?
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What is the main source of propulsion?
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Is the shell-inspired structure stable enough for water travel?
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Would the shape affect movement under strong wind conditions or water currents?
I also started developing the character who owns the boat. Nalan is designed as a young merchant woman from Talon. Her clothing design will reference the costume style and cultural influences seen in the film.
Fig 3.4 Weapon design thumbnail sketch
For the weapon design, I created a shell-inspired anchor weapon. Normally, it functions as a regular boat anchor for docking, but during dangerous situations, Nalan can use it as a weapon in combat. During feedback, Sir Kannan suggested that since jade plays an important role in Nalan’s trading background, I could further integrate jade-related elements into the weapon design to strengthen its connection to the character and overall concept.
Week 4
I began studying the perspective, scale and detailed structure of my vehicle. I used perspective guidelines to check the size of the boat, the height of the canopy, and the amount of space available inside the trading area. I also compared the design from several angles to identify structural inconsistencies before proceeding to the rendering stage.
Fig 4.1 Perspective study
After establishing the basic structure, I started studying the value arrangement of the vehicle, particularly separation between light and shadow.
Fig 4.2 Line weight and value study
Week 5 - Week 6
During this week, I began experimenting with materials through photo-bashing. I collected material references that matched the visual direction I wanted and applied them to the corresponding parts of the boat. The material exploration included aged wood for the hull, translucent pearl-like surfaces for the shell canopy, fabric for the curtains, and small pearl decorations. I adjusted the brightness and texture scale of each material so that the different surfaces could be recognised clearly.
Fig 5.1 Photo-bashing
I explored three colour variations, with each main colour scheme suggesting a slightly different story and personality for the vehicle. After discussing the options with Mr Kannan, I chose the first version which uses an qua-green colour palette.
Fig 5.2 Color study
Once the material direction and colour palette had been established, I continued refining the overall design. i strengthened the colour relationship, material and decorative details to make the boat appear more vibrant and visually distinctive.
Fig 6.1 Rendered Concept Art
Project 1 PDF
Week 7- Week 9
From Week 7 onwards, I began developing the interior design of the vehicle. I divided the interior into several functional areas, including the main trading counter, merchandise display, storage space, curtain partitions, and the boat operator's area. I also considered how Nalan and her customers would move through the limited space, ensuring that the interior remained functional as both a vehicle and travelling pawnshop.
Fig 7.1 Interior design sketches
After establishing the interior layout, I started rendering the interior perspective. The visual style and colour palette were designed to match both the world of Raya and the Last Dragon and the narrative of my pawnshop boat. The intended atmosphere was magical, vintage, refined, and consistent with the visual language of a Disney animated film. To connect the interior with the exterior, I repeated several visual elements such as the aqua-green palette, pearl decorations, curved shell shapes, jade details and warm wooden surfaces.
Fig 7.2 Color & Assets breakdown
Project 2 PDF
Week 10 - Week 12
After completing the vehicle concept design, I began translating the design into a 3D model. I first experimented with shaping, blockout and sculpting in ZBrush. Although ZBrush was effective for sculpting organic forms, I found it more difficult to use for the har-surface and structural parts of the boat. As a result, the overall model was still far from the appearance I wanted to achieve.
Fig 8.1 3D blockout in ZBrush
Though I was more familiar with ZBrush, I eventually decided to model most of the vehicle in Blender. I searched for a range of relevant modelling tutorials online and followed similiar workflows to understand how the boat could be constructed. Through this process, I completed the main hull and the basic structural elements of the vehicle.
Fig 8.2 3D blockout in Blender
For the shell canopy, I created the organic form in ZBrush. After completing the sculpt, i reduced the polygon count and exported it as an OBJ file before importing it into Blender.
Fig 8.3 Unwrap UV of Shell canopy
Once the untextured model was complete, I separated and unwrapped the UVs for each component. This prepared the model for the later material, texturing and painting stages.
Fig 8.4 Hull's UV
Week 13 - Week 14
After completing the UV unwrapping, I prepared the corresponding material textures and connected them to the shaders.
Fig 9.1 Applying texture
Once the materials had been applied, i began playing with the lighting, camera placement, and render settings in the scene. I continued adjusting these elements until the result matched the atmosphere and visual presentation I had imagined.
Fig 9.2 Light testing
After rendering the model, I painted additional details directly over the rendered image. I corrected small visual problems and add texture details that were difficult to create entirely in 3D.
Fig 9.3 Paint over in Procreate
Finally, I referred to an atmospheric background generated with ChatGPT. I adjusted and repainted parts of the background before compositing it with the final 3D render. This helped the boat fit more naturally into environment and created a stronger final presentation.
Fig 9.4 Final Rendered Key Art
Final Project PDF
The Rookies Blog link:
FEEDBACK
Week 2: The idea is feasible. Go ahead and learn more about ship designs.
Week 3: The concept is already there, try go explore more functionality parts.
Week 4: Can, now try to play with the silhouettes, and then do some color testing.
Week 5: The base is already there, you could just add some storytelling about your vehicle, like adding a rope...add some relevant elements over there...go play around with it.
Week 6: Holiday. No class.
Week 7: Different color schemes can convey different narratives, allowing you to communicate specific messages through color. If it leans toward a bluish-green hue, we can envision it as vibrant and lively like jade jewelry flowing alongside water.
Week 8: The photo bashing is fine, you may continue work on your interior.
Week 9: Holiday. No class.
Week 10: The interior assets placement is fine..Maybe you would like to add some small prop that better represents the driver's personal narrative..She is an exotic-style merchant right? Could include some collectibles, a knife, or any other element that strengthens the overall.
Week 11: Class cancelled.
Week 12: Much more better, can. Don't forget to add your character into your vehicle.
Week 13: Why use ZBrush? See, for the hard-surface structure, I highly recommend you to use Blender. For the organic form like your shell canopy yes, you can do it in ZBrush, then export as OBJ format into Blender, then you just arrange it properly, done. No need to waste time on sculpting these details, work smart.
Week 14: Maybe the UV, its not replexed properly. Maybe you should also add solidify, or maybe select the inner face and flip normals.
Week 15: Make a nice poster and orthographics.
REFLECTION
Through this module, I learned the complete development process of vehicle design. During the early ideation stage, I was encouraged to think freely, explore different associations, and use my imagination. At the same time, I also had to make sure that the vehicle remained believable, functional, and suitable for the world it was designed for. This helped me understand that a successful vehicle design is not only about creating an attractive appearance, but also about considering how it works and why each element exists.
The 3D stage had the greatest impact on me. I repeatedly switched between ZBrush and Blender because I had different levels of familiarity with each program and did not fully understand some of their tools and workflows. As a result, I spent much more time on this stage than I had expected. However, I was determined to complete the project, so I pushed myself outside my comfort zone and worked through each technical problem one by one. From modelling, modifiers, and brushes to UV unwrapping, shading, lighting, camera setup, and rendering, every step involved a large amount of trial and error before I could move forward.
At the beginning, I had very high expectations for my work, which made me afraid of failure. However, as I experienced more failures throughout the process, I gradually realised that the value of learning is not determined only by how good the final result looks. What matters more is what I have learned, which skills I have gained, and how I can use that experience to improve my work next time. Each unsuccessful attempt helped me understand the software and workflow more clearly. Although the final outcome may not fully match my original expectations, I now have a much stronger foundation in the complete 3D production process. These small improvements will continue to build up and gradually develop my abilities in future projects.
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