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Time to build in some reflections and details. I started with the side glass and pillars, and added a light reflection. You can also see how I played with warm and cool tones. A cool blue hint on top reflects the sky, and a warm beige picks up some ground color. Taillight and signal lights, mirror, tire highlights are all features that will have to be done right in order to add realism to the design.

If you have the time to design your own wheels, render them separately and import them into your side view. Here, I just borrowed the design from an existing car and tweaked them a bit. Naturally they are a little bit bigger than a production version, but we have seen how big tires are emulating what designers have been doing for many years. You can buy 26 inch wheels these days, wow.

Anyway, showing very little rubber just always looks good. At last it is time to add some highlights. Don't go overboard with it, it can look like pigeon shit very quickly. That's actually an official term. Little white brush strokes should give the car a bit of sparkle. That's all and you are done. Carefully erase some of the line work in areas where it was used to help outline. These don't really exist on a car. Door cuts and grooves should stay.

If you want to put the car in front of a background as I have shown here, you can play with the side glass and make it see-through which gives the car more depth. Place your signature somewhere visible but don't let it interfere with the work.

I hope these steps have helped, and if you are interested in learning more about rendering cars, follow the links listed here and see if there is something that will help you develop your skills as an automotive designer. Good luck. Harald Belker

DVD Series: The Techniques of Harald Belker - Introduction to Car Design and Rendering - Digital Automotive Rendering - Integrating a Vehicle into an Environment Harald Belker is a graduate of Art Center College of Design. He worked as a designer for Porsche in Germany, and Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design, California, later moving into design for the entertainment industry, designing vehicles and props for movies including Minority Report, Armageddon, Inspector Gadget, Batman & Robin, and SpiderMan. www.haraldbelker.com