Autodesk and Renault form global alliance on advanced CAD software

Renault’s design department has been using the software at every stage of the design process for every new vehicle model – including the new Clio 3, Europe’s Car of the Year for 2006. AliasStudio is used for Renault’s conceptual design and creative processes right through to digital prototyping, Class A production surfacing and final validation. Maya supports Renault’s advanced design visualisation needs. As a result of this trend, Renault depends on an efficient digital workflow to maximise time by making improvements early in the design process to enable better design innovation and quality. Largely dependent upon Autodesk software, Renault’s digital workflow encompasses modelling, digital prototyping, visualisation and presentation processes, which, it says, support the need to evaluate a greater number of design themes and make faster decisions. In addition, digital prototypes have made it easier for Renault’s design department to collaborate with other members of the extended design team including Renault’s vehicle engineering team, encouraging greater communication, collaboration and faster design evaluation. With Autodesk software, the Renault design department has developed automated processes for creating ultra-high-quality stills and animated images, addressing the challenge of reducing production time and the need to make rendering expertise available for Digital Modellers. The company says that its designers and decision-makers are now able to visualise a virtual 3D model as it evolves within the context of a ‘real’ environment – all within a few hours of calculation.