There is an incredible amount of work that goes into the engineering of diesel engine system. The process that use to take place on paper and vellum with strait-edge and pencil has been replaced by the 3D modeling and given a photorealistic look before it even hits the production line with 3D rendering. Adam Wist has a long history in the field and has seen it changed over the decades. He is a technical draftsman and independent animation and visualization specialist. He uses KeyShot to create the highly detailed visuals and photorealistic representations of diesel engines and he is our June customer of the month. Here’s his story.
Modeled in SolidWorks, rendered in KeyShot. Image: Adam Wist, ncd nietfeld GmbH, courtesy Tognum AG
Adam Wist
Modeling/CAD software used
Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks
Creating graphical representation of large engines was once an extremely time consuming task. When Adam began his career as an apprentice at MTU-Friedrichshafen, creating technical documentation for various in engineering departments, 3D prints of engine cutaways would be created by hand, using a combination of vanishing point perspective and elliptical stencils, then copied onto a special foil with ink rapidographs. The whole process would take as long as three months to complete.
It was good training, however, and he decided to spend his evenings familiarized himself with 3D software at the Multimedia academy. “After school the instructor came to me and said, ‘Hey, you’re good. I’ll give you a chance and offer you an internship at our firm.’ Here, I worked on a very large project in full production for 6 months.”
A year later, in 1998, he landed a large contract himself and since then has been working as a freelance consultant. With his experience and creativity, Adam soon grew a large and happy client list and a successful independent career. This was elevated when he was introduced to KeyShot with a project for ncd nietfeld GmbH, conceptual design and engineering firm in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
“I was asked to complete a visualization of a diesel engine in just 14 days. I didn’t know Pro/E or KeyShot at the time. Then, it happened. After a week and half the engine was complete – all textures and materials were created and the print in DIN A3 format was laying on the table. My colleagues where absolutely amazed.”
Adam takes an artistic approach to the images he creates, using the experience from laying out illustrations by hand to create the compositions that make for happy clients. “When I present the final images, the clients are totally amazed. ‘Unbelievable – where did you photograph it? It hasn’t even been built. That’s impossible!’ My response? Yes, it is possible. KeyShot makes it possible.”
Modeled in SolidWorks, rendered in KeyShot. Image: Adam Wist, ncd nietfeld GmbH, courtesy Tognum AG
Modeled in SolidWorks, rendered in KeyShot. Image: Adam Wist, ncd nietfeld GmbH, courtesy Tognum AG
Modeled in SolidWorks, rendered in KeyShot. Image: Adam Wist, ncd nietfeld GmbH, courtesy Tognum AG
Modeled in Pro/ENGINEER, rendered in KeyShot. Image: Adam Wist, ncd nietfeld GmbH, courtesy Tognum AG
Modeled in Pro/ENGINEER, rendered in KeyShot. Image: Adam Wist, ncd nietfeld GmbH, courtesy Tognum AG
