Concept ideas can come from a wide range of sources and there are plenty of ways to look at concept design. But, for most engineers and designers, only some of concept ideas start from scratch. Instead, many will come from, at least in part, from existing design models. So, let’s take a look at why this is the case.
Where do these existing models come from?
There will be plenty of design ideas that you and your colleagues have created that never make it to a final product. When you are working on concepts, you’ll probably explore a whole range of different design options. Not all of these will make the cut and be developed further. But, it doesn’t mean that they are not good ideas. In fact, they could prove to be ideal for a later project. Instead of having to start a complete new design, you can take the existing concept idea and tweak it to match your needs.
Also, the existing model that you use can come from any stage of the product development process. So long as it matches the aims for your design, it doesn’t matter how far your existing model has been developed. In fact, it is possible to take completed products as a starting point for your concept design. This could just be to make product tweaks or to make more wide reaching design changes.
How can existing models help your concept ideas?
By taking an existing model as your starting point, it can save you significant amounts of time, allowing you to explore more design ideas.
The trick isn’t just using existing designs to inspire your concepts. This alone won’t save you anything but thinking time. If you have to recreate an existing model in your CAD system before you can adapt it to your current needs, then this won’t cut down your workload. Instead, you need to have a interoperable system, that allows you to take the existing model and be able to use it without having to recreate it.
How can you overcome design intent?
Even if you don’t have to recreate your model, there can still be limitations which need to be overcome. Your existing models can be limited by the ingrained design intent. If your new concept idea has a different set of goals and requirements to the model that you are starting with, this can hold back your ability to leverage the existing model.
So, how can you use existing models and still be free with your concept ideas? How can you take your existing model and be able to push and pull surfaces, add in some free form shapes and make the model right for your design? By having a agile design tool that supports design flexibility, you can take your existing models as a starting point for concept ideas, free from restrictions.
Take a look at the video below for more ideas about using existing models in conept ideas:
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