Opinion AI design discussion

[Design FIRST]

The best illustration yet IMHO:

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Especially the example without the front fender vent. And the application of the faux-radiator grill front shield really works here.

Beautiful automobile-were it only real.

 

[klier]

Stop this AI BS!

 

[kiki voinea]

The best illustration yet IMHO:

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Especially the example without the front fender vent. And the application of the faux-radiator grill front shield really works here.

Beautiful automobile-were it only real.

AI slop , and nothing more

It's based on nothing more than imagination

 

[Luca]

AI slop , and nothing more

It's based on nothing more than imagination

Of course it's just a rendering.....of course.....germancarforum, since Wagener presented the Vision Styling, everyone went wild, saying, ah this will be the new style of the future....applicable already on the 2030 S-Class, but all of us on this blog are not 100% sure what this future will be like.......we can only imagine

 

[kiki voinea]

Of course it's just a rendering.....of course.....germancarforum, since Wagener presented the Vision Styling, everyone went wild, saying, ah this will be the new style of the future....applicable already on the 2030 S-Class, but all of us on this blog are not 100% sure what this future will be like.......we can only imagine

Ok. Let's take it this way :

I find GCF to be a pretty good forum . Nice info . Good users that post good stuff.

This render is not just a render. It's just an 3 minute AI bulls**t , that some dude drinking his matcha in his living room , wrote some prompt words on a random AI generator .

It's lazy work , and is too inferior for GCF , IMO

By the way , it's wrote as a "2027 S class" . We pretty much know how the S class facelift will look like .

And absolutely NO , there will be NO major exterior changes.

And here is my take : I'd bet that you could make the current W223 a W223 Facelift at home with just changing the bumpers/headlights/tail lights (exterior-wise)

 

[SCOTT27]

The best illustration yet IMHO:

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Especially the example without the front fender vent. And the application of the faux-radiator grill front shield really works here.

Beautiful automobile-were it only real.

Not too Shabby. But let’s wait and see what will happen in a few years?

Smoke em if you get em!

 

[Design FIRST]

Stop this AI BS!

Really not intending to pee on somebody's parade (I direct this to those of you who are actually studied, professional automotive designers). I can understand the criticism. The perception that their effort is being diminished is plausible.

But hey, I simply spotted an image of something I personally find attractive. So I shared it. It is certainly in the context of the thread's subject matter. Nothing more. Nothing less. I fully realize that it is not a "real" vehicle and never will be. I find that unfortunate as IMHO it is more eye-pleasing than most anything that Gorden Wagener's teams have been presenting lately. Odd that something as user-easy and effortles as a perhaps free AI program can arguably steal a bit of their thunder.

 

[Design FIRST]

Ok. Let's take it this way :

I find GCF to be a pretty good forum . Nice info . Good users that post good stuff.

This render is not just a render. It's just an 3 minute AI bulls**t , that some dude drinking his matcha in his living room , wrote some prompt words on a random AI generator .

It's lazy work , and is too inferior for GCF , IMO

Ok. Try to look at it this way:

Picture this hypothesis: A highly digital affine young junior designer employed by Mercedes-Benz AG at home on a rainy dreary weekend. Bored as hell. Randomly farting around with some AI sites. He/she "prompts" some proposals that are meandering around in his/her mind and the AI generated youtube image I posted here is presented. He/she likes it and shows it to some collegues on Monday. They like it and it is shown to more senior designers. They like it . And then, something quite similiar is mocked up. And it looks great in their eyes. The mock up appears in a closed door clinic. It is received with enthusiastic applause.

Now-is it really "bullshit" ? Or simply an example of ways to a means ?

And..."too inferior for GCF " ? Kindly explain.

 

[Amat46]

Or the mercedes design these days is so shit that fans are relying on AI to imagine how the cars would/should have looked.

 

[Luca]

Or the mercedes design these days is so shit that fans are relying on AI to imagine how the cars would/should have looked.

that could be the case too

 

[Design FIRST]

Or the mercedes design these days is so shit that fans are relying on AI to imagine how the cars would/should have looked.

A bit harsh maybe. But the major point is: AI can be a very useful ways to a means. Not only a matter of presenting plausible, product viable design exercises, but also an instrument that can be viable in terms of economics and timeliness in the presentation of new products.

But yes, M-B designs have been leaving me a bit disappointed regarding all exercises following the W/S214 E-Class and C236 CLE.

 

[klier]

Picture this hypothesis: A highly digital affine young junior designer employed by Mercedes-Benz AG at home on a rainy dreary weekend. Bored as hell. Randomly farting around with some AI sites. He/she "prompts" some proposals that are meandering around in his/her mind and the AI generated youtube image I posted here is presented. He/she likes it and shows it to some collegues on Monday. They like it and it is shown to more senior designers. They like it . And then, something quite similiar is mocked up. And it looks great in their eyes. The mock up appears in a closed door clinic. It is received with enthusiastic applause.

yeah…..no
This has nothing to do with reality whatsoever.

Also these companies have been using ‘AI’ for many, many years already. Just because it’s new for you doesn’t mean it’s new to them. The way AI is being thrown around as a buzz word these days is getting truly silly.

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

Lets be honest. AI is just a tool for these people to make a quick dollar, without having to invest in any practical skills of their own.
Just chuck an image into an AI model, prompt it to make a sedan version, and then fill a 5 minute video or short with these images with bad music playing, and then rake in the ad revenue.

Its just slop. Pure unfettered slop.
The person who made that video is not a car designer and AI is not assisting their creative process for designing cars. They are farming attention. That is all.

Is that cynical? Yes. Is that reality? Yes.

 

[Design FIRST]

yeah…..no
This has nothing to do with reality whatsoever.

From Concept to Reality: The Development of an AI-Designed Car | Neural Concept

AI is transforming the automotive industry in various ways, from manufacturing to car design. The use of AI algorithms enable designers to make informed decisions on design elements such as aerodynamics and energy efficiency, while also opening up possibilities for unique and innovative shapes...

www.neuralconcept.com

Also these companies have been using ‘AI’ for many, many years already. Just because it’s new for you doesn’t mean it’s new to them.

How could you possibly know whether this is new to me ? Not saying that it is. Not saying that it isn't. But I'm certainly open to embracing new processes. And if they promote bringing new exciting products while presenting a favourable cost/performance ratio paired with increased timeliness, I'm all for it.

The way AI is being thrown around as a buzz word these days is getting truly silly.

Admittedly, the AI topic is becoming almost omnipresent.

 

[Design FIRST]

Imagine this in an M-B showroom:

How will potential customers perceive it's design ? Will most dismiss it as being "AI crap" ? Or will more than a few exclaim: "Wow, what an elegant, dynamic automobile that I aspire to own/lease" ? Hint: the vast majority of these people will not care where or from whom the design comes from. They could not care less about internet automotive forums. They may not even know that they exist. They have no idea who Gorden Wagener or Ola Källenius are. The design appeals to them and they can envision "looking good" in the car. It being a statement about themselves. And should they have the financial means, they'll go for it. And it's manufacturer will make money on it. That is what it is about. And if AI can help facilitate that, then there is quite a bit of legitimacy in implementing it.

 

[Rolf]

If any of you have used CAD or design programs (Autocad, Microstation, Autodesk etc.) for any products, it takes time to produce the shapes and curvatures, lines etc, especially in 3D and then surface rendering them can produce glitches which requires changes of the design. All this is time and money wasted when you have a tight timeline to design a new product.

Using an AI software to produce a fully rendered 3D image of a car, taking only a few seconds by describing in words what you basically want it to look like, can save designers thousands of manhours. The AI design can be modified and tweaked by the designer in so much less time.

Picture yourself as a car designer in the 1970s in Mercedes design studio with Bruno Sacco. As you can see in the background pic, there is are some 3D designs of a car, that looks quite basic with little rendering but if they had to see what the AI can generate then those designers would be totally shocked from amazement.

Even Mr. Sacco himself would be scared of AI as it can produce designs that could be even more attractive than his masterpieces.

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

If any of you have used CAD or design programs (Autocad, Microstation, Autodesk etc.) for any products, it takes time to produce the shapes and curvatures, lines etc, especially in 3D and then surface rendering them can produce glitches which requires changes of the design. All this is time and money wasted when you have a tight timeline to design a new product.

Using an AI software to produce a fully rendered 3D image of a car, taking only a few seconds by describing in words what you basically want it to look like, can save designers thousands of manhours. The AI design can be modified and tweaked by the designer in so much less time.

Picture yourself as a car designer in the 1970s in Mercedes design studio with Bruno Sacco. As you can see in the background pic, there is are some 3D designs of a car, that looks quite basic with little rendering but if they had to see what the AI can generate then those designers would be totally shocked from amazement.

Even Mr. Sacco himself would be scared of AI as it can produce designs that could be even more attractive than his masterpieces.

Eventually you won't have any skilled artists or designers who can tweak the garbage outputs most AI models will churn out, because those skills will have atrophied.

I personally would be perfectly ok with car designers remaining in total control of the design process from paper to rendering.

 

[Amat46]

Imagine this in an M-B showroom:

How will potential customers perceive it's design ? Will most dismiss it as being "AI crap" ? Or will more than a few exclaim: "Wow, what an elegant, dynamic automobile that I aspire to own/lease" ? Hint: the vast majority of these people will not care where or from whom the design comes from. They could not care less about internet automotive forums. They may not even know that they exist. They have no idea who Gorden Wagener or Ola Källenius are. The design appeals to them and they can envision "looking good" in the car. It being a statement about themselves. And should they have the financial means, they'll go for it. And it's manufacturer will make money on it. That is what it is about. And if AI can help facilitate that, then there is quite a bit of legitimacy in implementing it.

Looks crap though

 

[Design FIRST]

Looks crap though

What precisely would you criticize about the design ? I'm genuinely interested. "Because it's AI generated" doesn't count.

 

[AbsoluteUnit]

If one is able to relatively precisely articulate what one wants, it IS amazingly "easy":

Case-in-point not a Mercedes-Benz, but...

Could this be seriously construed as being "ugly" ? Could this be considered impossible to replicate as a real automobile in mass production volumes ? Could this be perceived that it would appeal to far more consumers than the current ID 7 provided that underpinning technology is compelling ? Could this be a resource of healthy revenues originating from a very favorable cost/return structure ? Would a vast number of customers care that this vehicles exterior design is a product of prompt generated AI ?

Ah sure, you know what. Lets just completely take the art out of the equation.
Bin all the design departments and just have someone throwing prompts into a diffusion model, so we can have a bunch of generic samey slop.

Much cheaper than having real people think, conceptualise, draw and whatnot. Just skip the middle man. Cause that's what this is all about right? Saving time and money, without any concern for the environment or the people who spend years perfecting their skills.

Problem with diffusion models is a) they consume gargantuan amounts of power per image generated. And make no mistake, you'll need to generate many images. And b) they can only create something from what already exists. That Vision Iconic is not something an AI could have dreamt up. But it sure can make overly smooth melty looking "concepts" from the Vision Iconic design.