Simviation Forum - Questions about entering Car Design

Sep 17^th, 2007 at 9:07am

Stubbedtoe18 Offline
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I like cars

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Yah, I am a high school student and am needing to start thinking about what I want to do in my future, and am especially considering entering the automotive design field. What I am not sure is of what I need to do to do so. What classes do I need to take? What colleges will help me achieve my goal of becoming an automtive designer? And I am also curious as to whether Automotive Engineering is the same thing as car design. If any of you guys can help me with my questions or lead me to a website that can, you would be of very great help to me. Also, if anyone has any experience in the field, that would be great too. Thanks a lot

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Reply #1 - Sep 17^th, 2007 at 6:50pm

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
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Lots of math, metalurgy, aeorodynamics. Look for a good engineering school.

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #2 - Sep 17^th, 2007 at 6:59pm

Craig. Offline
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Birmingham

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I.T. Is another key area. Since a lot of car designing is done on computers and in windtunnels. A fair understanding of aerodynamics as MF said is needed, and some understand of computational fluid dynamics could help these days.

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Reply #3 - Sep 17^th, 2007 at 9:32pm

Stubbedtoe18 Offline
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I like cars

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Thanks a lot for that info. It's gonna be hard to get the electives I need in just one year, and no automotive classes on our high school campus are offered.

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Reply #4 - Sep 18^th, 2007 at 2:19am

Mushroom_Farmer Offline
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To the Sooper-Coop Fred
Indiana, USA

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Posts: 1976

Craig. wrote on Sep 17^th, 2007 at 6:59pm:

I.T. Is another key area. Since a lot of car designing is done on computers and in windtunnels. A fair understanding of aerodynamics as MF said is needed, and some understand of computational fluid dynamics could help these days.

Good points, forgot about those. I'm still used to thinking wood and clay models derived from paper drawings. Ah, to be young again. Cheesy

The computer sciences, are especially important these days. Seems everything is done on a CAD program.

&&&&"We're just sitting here trying to put our PCjrs in a pile and burn them. And the damn things won't burn. That's the only thing IBM did right with it - they made it flameproof." && Spinnaker Software chairman William Bowman, 1985

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Reply #5 - Sep 18^th, 2007 at 11:49am

C Offline
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Earth

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Stubbedtoe18 wrote on Sep 17^th, 2007 at 9:07am:

What classes do I need to take? What colleges will help me achieve my goal of becoming an automtive designer? And I am also curious as to whether Automotive Engineering is the same thing as car design. If any of you guys can help me with my questions or lead me to a website that can, you would be of very great help to me. Also, if anyone has any experience in the field, that would be great too. Thanks a lot

As always, where are you? This helps answer lots of questions (ie, no point recommending Coventry in the UK if you live in California etc)!

Quote:

And I am also curious as to whether Automotive Engineering is the same thing as car design.

Put it this way, I did and aeronautical engineering degree, and my course had about 50-75% commonality with the Automotive course in the first two year. So if you are talking about the car's engineering and performance/aerodynamics yes, if you are talking about effectively being a conceptual body stylist, then absolutely not.

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Reply #6 - Sep 19^th, 2007 at 2:48pm

Stubbedtoe18 Offline
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I like cars

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Charlie wrote on Sep 18^th, 2007 at 11:49am:

Stubbedtoe18 wrote on Sep 17^th, 2007 at 9:07am:

What classes do I need to take? What colleges will help me achieve my goal of becoming an automtive designer? And I am also curious as to whether Automotive Engineering is the same thing as car design. If any of you guys can help me with my questions or lead me to a website that can, you would be of very great help to me. Also, if anyone has any experience in the field, that would be great too. Thanks a lot

As always, where are you? This helps answer lots of questions (ie, no point recommending Coventry in the UK if you live in California etc)!

Quote:

And I am also curious as to whether Automotive Engineering is the same thing as car design.

Put it this way, I did and aeronautical engineering degree, and my course had about 50-75% commonality with the Automotive course in the first two year. So if you are talking about the car's engineering and performance/aerodynamics yes, if you are talking about effectively being a conceptual body stylist, then absolutely not.

Yah I'm in Maryland

And I mean more about the asthetics of a car

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Reply #7 - Sep 19^th, 2007 at 3:57pm

C Offline
Colonel
Earth

Posts: 13144

Stubbedtoe18 wrote on Sep 19^th, 2007 at 2:48pm:

Yah I'm in Maryland

And I mean more about the asthetics of a car
[/quote]

In that case I've no idea about where to go. Certainly Coventry University in the UK, one of the best centres for Automotive courses in the UK offers Automotive Engineering, and then also Automotive Design (including design with 3D etc).

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Reply #8 - Sep 19^th, 2007 at 7:00pm

Stubbedtoe18 Offline
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I like cars

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Posts: 875

Sounds exactly what I need, first how cars are built and their underpinnings for the knowledge I'll need, followed by how to actually design cars and build myself a career. Thanks anyways. I could move to the U.K. Tongue

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