Race Vehicle Concept Design: Cinematic Rendering | The Gnomon Workshop

This three-lesson workshop builds on the vehicle created for Chris Beatty’s Race Vehicle Concept Design workshop. Compelling vehicle concepts come first from function and engineering logic, with design emerging from believable mechanical and aerodynamic constraints. In this follow-on project, Chris takes the completed vehicle concept and places it into a short technical explainer sequence set at the Silverstone Circuit. An older game asset of the circuit is repurposed and adapted for cinematic rendering, demonstrating how real-time assets can be reworked for visualization and storytelling.

The workshop is aimed at intermediate artists, concept designers, and 3D generalists who want to bridge the gap between vehicle concept design and animated technical presentation. Key techniques include preparing and refining geometry in Blender, reworking materials and lighting for offline rendering, scene optimization, and building a clear visual narrative around a design. The lessons also cover practical workflows for adapting game-ready assets, managing scene scale, and quickly integrating existing environments into a cinematic pipeline.

By completing this workshop, students will understand how to take a completed concept design and develop it into a short technical explainer sequence in an exciting environment.

3 Lessons

01Asset Development for Realistic RenderingFree

In this first lesson, Chris Beatty shows how to transform a real-time game asset into a photorealistic render in Blender. Chris focuses on shader development to enhance material realism and on lighting techniques that define form and mood. He also covers set dressing, placing the bike into a believable environment to elevate overall visual quality.

Duration: 25m 3s

Asset Development for Realistic Rendering

02Animation, Rigging & Technical VisualizationFree

In this lesson, Chris brings the vehicle onto the track and animates it along a path. Artists will learn how to use a custom rig to keep the bike grounded to the surface for realistic motion. He also explores camera animation and creates an on-the-fly exploded view that reveals internal components clearly and engagingly.

Duration: 18m 32s

Animation, Rigging & Technical Visualization

03Rendering & Compositing WorkflowFree

In this final lesson, Chris shows how to set up render passes in Blender to maximize control over the final image. He then demonstrates how to build a compositing node network to refine lighting, color, and effects. Lastly, he teaches how to prepare and export the finished video to ensure a polished, professional result.

Duration: 27m 31s

Rendering & Compositing Workflow

Primary tools

For this workshop you’ll need:

* Note that these programs and materials will not be supplied with the course.

Skills Covered

effects animation environments for games hard surface modeling hard surface texturing lighting & rendering texturing & shading vehicle design

Who’s this Workshop for?

This workshop is created for intermediate artists, concept designers, and 3D generalists who want to advance their vehicle design presentation skills. It is recommended for artists to have basic Blender knowledge and experience with 3D modeling workflows to maximize their learning potential.

Automotive designers, technical illustrators, and visualization artists can also benefit significantly from these techniques. The workshop helps bridge the gap between static concept art and dynamic technical presentations, giving artists the skills to create clean, engaging design explanations for clients.

Learning Outcomes

By completing this workshop, artists will be able to understand the complete pipeline for transforming vehicle concepts into professional technical explainer sequences.

Key skills include:

How to prepare and refine concept vehicle geometry for cinematic presentation workflows.
How to adapt existing game assets for high-quality offline rendering and visualization purposes.
How to rework materials and lighting systems to achieve professional cinematic quality results.
How to manage scene scale and integration when combining vehicles with environmental assets.
How to build clear visual narratives that effectively communicate technical design concepts.
How to optimize scenes for efficient rendering while maintaining visual quality standards.
How to establish practical workflows for repurposing real-time assets in production pipelines.

Instructor Chris BeattyDesign Consultant & 3D Artist at Chris Beatty Design

Chris Beatty is a designer and 3D artist from England, specializing in conceptualizing vehicles and products for both real-world and futuristic applications. With two decades of experience in product design, visualization, and 3D animation production, he combines technical expertise with creative vision to deliver high-impact designs.

Chris has contributed to high-profile projects in the motorsport industry, including leading the styling of racing cars currently competing in the Indianapolis 500 and collaborating with multiple Formula 1 teams in a creative capacity. His work blends aesthetic innovation with functional design, making him a trusted designer for both competitive and concept automotive projects.

Chris lives in the Buckinghamshire countryside with his wife, kids, and family dog Cooper.

Aesthetics play a huge role in the appeal of race cars, and the universal aero kit for the 2018 season, designed by Chris in collaboration with series head of aerodynamic development Tino Belli, helped to make IndyCar one of the best-looking race series on the planet over the last two years.
- David Malsher-Lopez
Editor of Motorsport Magazine, Editor-at-large for Racer at Racer Media & Marketing, Inc.
Incredibly talented 3D designer. He digested and expanded upon the briefs we gave him for the Formula 1 exhibition. Chris made our lives so easy with pre-visualizations, and conceptual artwork, before rigging up detailed models of the inner-mechanics of a Formula 1 car, the likes of which nobody has ever detailed before. He's a pleasure to work with, and the work itself is always stellar.
- Mark O’Leary
Co-Founder & Creative Director at Jam Creative Consultancy
IndyCar’s secret weapon! His expertise was recognized when the prestigious award for the IndyCar Universal Aero Kit, a complete aero and body package used in the 2018 Indianapolis 500, was presented to engineers Tino Belli from IndyCar, Andrea Toso and Antonio Montanari from Dallara, and Chris Beatty from Chris Beatty Design Limited.
- RaceTech Magazine
racetechmag.com
Chris is an incredibly talented 3D designer. He digested and expanded upon the briefs we gave him for the Formula 1 exhibition. Chris made our lives so easy with pre-visualizations, and conceptual artwork, before rigging up detailed models of the inner-mechanics of a Formula 1 car, the likes of which nobody has ever detailed before. He’s a joy to work with, and his work is consistently stellar.
- Mark Anthony O' Leary
Co-Founder & Creative Director at JAM Creative

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