COSMIC-MOTORS

INSPIRATION SHOOT: Kings Of The Hammers

2012-02-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

The 'Kings Of The Hammers' is an off-road race that combines desert racing and rock crawling, first held in 2007. Competitors are so called Ultra 4 cars, capable of speeds over 100 miles per hour for the desert sections, but still contain gear ratios as low as 100 to 1 for technical rock crawling. This Ultra 4 class is unlimited, and every vehicle is customed fabricated by each team.
My images, as always, on flickr. Hit Photography Daniel Simon.

Cheers, Daniel

YOUR COMMENTS

2012-02-11T20:54:00.000-08:00

With the new reply feature in this blog I will be more responsive to your comments.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION: King Of The Hammers

2012-02-10T23:30:00.000-08:00

Took a trip to the desert to get inspired by crazy off road machinery. This one here I didn't catch moving, but it left quite some visual impression. My photography upload from the 'King Of The Hammers' event will follow soon.

Cheers, Daniel

F1: HRT not to run Cosmic Colors Theme in 2012

2012-02-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

The new management of Hispania Racing F1 decided to not carry its 2011 color styling into the 2012 season.
Simon: "Last year was the season when its striking and provocative red-white look propelled the young back marker team instantly into the spotlight of world-wide media and into the hearts of its crew and fans. I am thankful for this opportunity. I wish the new management all the best for the future."

Best, Daniel

PRESS: 12 page interview L'Écran Fantastique

2012-02-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

'L'Écran Fantastique', leading French Sci-Fi Cinema magazine, runs a 12 page feature on my work in this months issue 02/2012. My French is basic, so I don't understand all I am saying there. Be surprised!

Cheers, Daniel

BLOG UPDATE: fresh & white

2012-02-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

I refreshed the look of this blog to visually tie better into danielsimon.com, and some slowing down facebook features were removed. Let me know if some functionality was compromised for you.

Best, Daniel

EVENT: 'Captain America' at ADG award show 2012

2012-02-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

'Captain America' was nominated for best Production Design at the Art Directors Guild Awards, and nomineed production designer (and previous academy award winner) Rick Heinrichs invited us to join him at the award show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where weeks before the Golden Globes were hosted. 'Harry Potter' took the win. It was a great night.

Cheers, Daniel

LIVERY DESIGN: Daniel Simon creates livery for 2012 Lotus Le Mans

2012-01-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

Famed sports car maker LOTUS, surrounded with glorious history and names such as Chapman, Clark, Andretti and Senna, announced a 2012 Le Mans contender today, class LMP2, with a classic Black-Gold livery designed by Daniel Simon.

COVER FEATURE: Daniel Simon GQ Mexico

2012-01-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

My name appears on the currently cover of GQ magazine in Mexico. No specific interview, many double spreads of previously published images, large scale. Gracias GQ!

Cheers, Daniel

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & A HUGE 2012

2011-12-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

I wish everybody peaceful Holidays and a powerful 2012. I will wrap up my exciting involvement in Universal's Oblivion film project next year and have a massive array of fresh personal projects lined up. I am looking forward to this and to sharing it with you.

All the Best, Daniel Simon. Los Angeles 2011.

INSPIRATION SHOOT: Mooneyes Drag Meet

2011-12-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

Went to the Mooneyes Drag Fest this weekend in L.A., saw those ridiculous old school dragster I love so much for real first time. The guys sit right on the differential with 7000 HP going through, not funny if something goes bad. As always, some snaps on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmicmotors/

Cheers, Daniel

INTERVIEW: Las Vegas. Three parts. Very spontaneous.

2011-12-08T17:45:00.001-08:00

Core77, oldest online design magazine, pulled me to the side at the Las Vegas Autodesk University. Three parts, each about three minutes.

Click here to see Part 1. Link to other parts at the end of clip.

Best, Daniel

PORTFOLIO: HYDRA SUBMARINE HD RENDER

2011-10-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

High res final design render of the Hydra Submarine from my portfolio. Subtle weathering, stickers, and a good stereo, maybe. Some details seen in my illustration were removed for the final film.

Cheers, Daniel
© MARVEL STUDIOS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Premiere

2011-09-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

Attending the world premiere of Captain America on Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles. Marvel parked the drivable Coupe (700 hp V8) in front of the Oscar-famed Kodak theater. A beautiful sight and a moment of happiness.

Cheers, Daniel

ART BOOK: CAPTAIN AMERICA DESIGNS RELEASED

2011-07-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

Art Of Captain America Book is here! My credit on this film is Lead Vehicle Designer.
38 of the 240 paged book are exclusively for vehicle design, featuring all seven crafts with sketches and final renderings. Marvel put a fantastic volume together, with lots of explanatory text by us designers. Also includes countless mindblowing character paintings by fellow artist Ryan Meinerding.

Cheers, Daniel

COSMIC MOTORS: F1 Helmet

2011-07-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

F1 driver Vitantonio Liuzzi wore a one-off helmet designed by Daniel Simon during the F1 GP in Germany. Most drivers have an recurring pattern or theme for their helmets throughout their career, so does Tonio. My motivation for this one was to blend it into the car styling as much as possible while not breaking with Tonio's helmet traditions, and contrast the red with a special blue visor by Bell.

Cheers, Daniel

OBLIVION - Universal release date

2011-06-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

The Universal movie Oblivion - by Tron director Joe Kosinski - will open July 19, 2013. Tom Cruise is starring. I am designing under the lead of production designer Darren Gilford. Article here.

Cheers, Daniel

F1 - Canadian GP in Montreal

2011-06-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

It was exciting to be at the Canadian F1 GP and work with the Hispania Team on upcoming ideas. They finished 13th and 17th, great result in a chaotic race.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION SHOOT: F1 vintage photos

2011-06-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

Vintage F1 cars break every gear head's heart. What an amazing sight. The first thing you might notice that they are tiny. So tiny! Most images that you know them from make you think of those monsterous machines, but jesus those things are small. Crazy. Enjoy the closeup shots I took of those old beauties during the ridiculous Canadian F1 GP.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmicmotors/

Cheers, Daniel

COSMIC MOTORS: F1 Grand Prix Barcelona

2011-05-21T23:37:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the F1 track of Barcelona just in time to enjoy a weekend of screaming engine sounds and sports with the Hispania Racing team. The car looks great in person and reads well on the track, a sight I had for the first time now, since I designed the racer's graphic purely digitally.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION SHOOT: Vintage Planes Chino

2011-05-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Had some fun yesterday taking pictures of vintage aircrafts. There is no better way to learn about color, proportion and composition then getting out there and stare at stuff. Like those gorgeous vintage machines. Priceless inspiration from a time when machinery was tanglible. Swing by my flickr (unfortunately not very high res there) if you like !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmicmotors/

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION SHOOT: Supercar Sunday

2011-05-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to start a flickr page with my car photographs. Most of it will be from California car events, but will post other stuff too from Le Mans, F1, trips, etc... anything I photographed myself and feel worth sharing with you. Nothing fancy, mostly emotional shots, not very documentary. Anyhow, swing by if you'd like, it will grow...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmicmotors/

Cheers, Daniel

PORTFOLIO: Light Jet Illustration HD

2011-04-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Small Light Jet was a joy to design. Having the pilot riding on a barrel like fuselage with his arms nestled in chopped off wing sections was the key idea. The style language then followed the Light Cycle, established earlier. Gun barrels were arranged to line up with the pilot's arms, visually extending him into the weapon.

PORTFOLIO: Light Runner Sketch HD

2011-04-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

Continuing the series of Tron Legacy showcase images is the final Light Runner design drawing. It's a hybrid of my standard sketch technique with ball pen and Prisma markers and a 3D Alias wireframe, completed with a Photoshop airbrush layer. Seen is the out-land mode with expanded tires, rotated wheel hubs for ground clearance, exposed rockets and a heavy rear to illustrate some acceleration.

Cheers, Daniel

PORTFOLIO: Light Runner Image HD

2011-04-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

With the movie out and today available on disc, I will publish step by step some portfolio pieces of my work on Tron Legacy, depending on approval by Disney. As you know, if you work for a film, its not yours, the studio owns it. So this piece here was published in the latest issue of Auto&Design, and I rendered it in Bunkspeed Shot. It's the orginal design data that I created with the help of Set Designer Joe Hiura. This view shows the coherent concept of exterior, interior and chassis. Tire tread is an after thought and not in the movie. Enjoy in HD.

Cheers, Daniel

CAPTAIN AMERICA: new trailer

2011-03-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

See a few new shots of the Hydra vehicles coming to you this summer. I love Joe Johnston's overhead shot of the sub, check the entire trailer in HD here.

Cheers, Daniel

FORMULA 1: HRT F111 is alive

2011-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Under the vivid Spanish sun, the HRT F111 had its highly anticipated world premiere. Check out high res images exclusively here (by Sutton-Image.com) , and drop your opinion here or on www.facebook.com/cosmicmotors !

Read press release at the official F1 website here.

Cheers, Daniel

FORMULA 1: HRT F111 upcoming presentation

2011-03-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

On Friday the 11th of March, at 13:00h, Hispania Racing will present its new car for the 2011 season at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The drivers of the Spanish team, Vitantonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan will unveil the F111 with the livery design by Daniel Simon in pit lane and will attend a short photo session alongside the President, CEO and Team Principal. Right after the act, media are invited to join the team at the pis box 33 (VIP area number 33, first floor).

Full press release here

Cheers, Daniel

WALLPAPERS: fixed link

2011-02-17T17:03:00.001-08:00

The Cosmic Motors Wallpaper link is fixed and back alive. More additions soon!

http://www.cosmic-motors.com/wallpaper/wallpaper.html

Cheers, Daniel

FORMULA 1: HRT F111 with Cosmic Motors livery released

2011-02-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Although Daniel Simon and his label Cosmic Motor live mostly in the future, he also has a strong passion for motor racings bold iconic liveries from the past, and he has drawn inspiration of them in creating Hispania Racing´s new livery. Daniel says: "I miss fearless visual statements and large beautiful numbers on today´s racing cars." And: "Playing with the restrictions of what

you can do to a complex F1 body is fun. There are many don´ts, but I found a way to lay courageous racing essence on the car."

Team principal Colin Kolles: "Daniel has created a wonderfully confident look for our new car which really

captures the effort the whole team has put into developing the F111. The car design and the graphic design perfectly complement one another and mark the real beginnings of our ambitions."

Read about it on:

Official F1 website

HRT Hispania Racing website

All full res images on DanielSimon.Com !

What do you think about it?

Cheers, Daniel

TRON LEGACY: Full Resolution Render LIGHT RUNNER

2011-02-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

Mental images, the Berlin based company behind the world leading render engine mental ray and iray published a full resolution render I did on for Tron Legacy. Its the Light Runner at speed, rendered on iray on nVidia's cuda cores through the package Bunkspeed Shot. This one here is only 2000px for legal reasons, go to mental images here and get the full 5000 px...

Cheers, Daniel

OFFICIAL: F1 team HISPANIA RACING and COSMIC MOTORS

2011-01-22T00:36:00.000-08:00

The HRT Formula One Team has scored an early result in the 2011 Formula One season in reaching an agreement with Daniel Simon of “Cosmic Motors” fame to create a new corporate image for the team. Ted Dobrzynski, president of VIAGP.com introduced the world renowned vehicle concept designer and visionary illustrator to team principal Colin Kolles, who was quick to recognise a unique and valuable opportunity for his team.
In the opinion of Colin Kolles, Hispania Racing Team Principal "Hispania Racing is growing step by step, and this improvement is becoming a reality with the signing of exceptional professionals in different areas, as is the case with Daniel. Formula One has always been on the cutting-edge and leading technology and the latest trends, and Daniel´s futuristic ideas will provide the touch of nerve and innovation we all want to see in this sport."

Press Release

Formula1.com

God Speed,
Cosmic Motors

UPDATE: ALIEN / OBLIVION

2011-01-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

Ridley Scott's Alien prequel is "dead", the great news is that the script morphes into an original stand alone film Prometheus, Fox release date March 9, 2012. There might be some connections to the Alien DNA. Read more here.

I just started designing full time on Untitled Kosinski Project, an adventure I am involve with since 2009. It's an original story, with the lead team of Tron Legacy: Director Joe Kosinski and Production Designer Darren Gilford. No release date yet.

Best, Daniel

TRON LEGACY: Cover Story reaching US shelves

2011-01-05T16:09:00.000-08:00

With a natural one month delay, the UK mag '3D Artist' arrived at American newsstands today. On 10 pages, it features an insight interview with exclusive images about my vehicles design work on Tron Legacy. Hope you enjoy.

If the US prize tag is too steep, read it at Barnes&Noble with a Starbucks coffee, smirk.

Cheers, Daniel

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 ...

2010-12-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

... to everybody in this and other galaxies. May your dream come true.

Daniel + Cosmic Motors

NEW - Website update press

2010-12-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

The press link on danielsimon.com is relaunched and will be kept up-to-date. It's showing print publications to look for at the news stand and links to current online interviews with Daniel.

http://danielsimonpress.blogspot.com/

Cheers, Cosmic Motors

200th FOLLOWER - Welcome

2010-12-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

I welcome the 200th follower and every other one! Thank you for being here, I try to post new things as much as I can. Thanx for you patience, the movie business is a high security, multi-million-dollar business, so little me can't just upload 'stuff' anytime. Trust me, there are lots of things I wanna share with you. The time will come! Also, lots of fun Cosmic Motors stuff is in the pipe, but I am still cooking on it to meet the high expectation.
And let me know what you guys thought of the Tron vehicles in the film, it is out now! Critic will make the next ones even better.

Cheers, Daniel

EVENT: Tron Book Signing Confirmed

2010-12-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I am confirmed for the Artist Meet & Greet. Hope to see you tomorrow at Nucleus. Info in prior post.

Cheers, Daniel

EVENT: Tron Book Signing and Q&A

2010-12-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, meet some artists behind the Tron Legacy film! Listen to their individual 20min talk, ask them questions, and get your 'Art Of Tron' book signed!
Saturday, December 18th, at Gallery Nucleus, Alhambra. Confirmed are David Levy, Neville Page, Phil Saunders, Fabian Lacey, and Dylan Cole. I am still juggeling with my schedule, will confirm asap when I make it!

More info here!

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Tim's Rocket II

2010-12-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

Living in L.A., you see lots of crazy stuff on the road - patrol paradise. But when I heard Tim Cotterill on his Rocket II trike the other day thundering by in normal traffic in Venice Beach, I could not feel more ordinary and boring, designing just virtual fantasies! Lol. Tim makes a living creating little frog sculptures (yes, frogs, awesome), and had this monster built at the famed Blastolene Brothers.
Check out this video and don't mind the uber-cheesy 80ies film style, it's about the spirit of building such marvellous machine. Kudos for ever.

Cheers, Daniel

TRON LEGACY: Darren Gilford explains Light Cycle background

2010-12-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Tron Production Designer Darren Gilford speaks about the long history of the new Light Cycle design, reaching almost four years back. Click here to read at FAST COMPANY.
If you are not familiar with movie terms, a production designer is the design director, overseeing every aspect of the films look, from costumes, colors, sets, buildings, vehicles, etc. Darren is special because he is an active designer himself, not the rule in Hollywood!

TRON LEGACY: Behind the scene feature

2010-12-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

UK based magazine 3D Artist features a 10 page interview, going in depth about my vehicle design work on Tron Legacy. Computer struggles, Hollywood challenges, art department pipeline and many exclusive new renderings

and making of photos. Text by Lynette Clee.

Magazine is out now in the U.K. just in time for the film release and will be at newsstands world wide in January.

Best, Daniel

TRON LEGACY: Light Cycle featurette

2010-12-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Disney put together this promo short film, where I explain some thoughts that the design team under the lead of Production Designer Darren Gilford put into the new Light Cycle. 4 Minutes are too short to give you all the info you are looking for, but I hope you find some interesting things here.

For HD quality, please follow to youTube.

Best, Daniel

TRON UPRISING: Lead Vehicle Design

2010-11-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

I am currently working as Lead Vehicle Designer for TRON: UPRISING, a long time undercover - now announced - animated TV series of Disney. Coming 2012. Director: Charlie Bean.

Source: Variety

Cheers, Daniel

DRIVE: a book to get

2010-11-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

With many of my new designs waiting to get released into media freedom, I take the chance to tell you to get DRIVE, Scott Robertson's latest book!

I just flipped through the very first print run (in stores in a few days just in time for Christmas!), and I gotta say, Scott is the man. Not to butter up my own book editor or push a friend, I actually hate talented people. I am writing 'cause DRIVE is awesome, just look at the cover alone. Scott just jumped on

3D (Modo) and bangs out all those cool concepts with joy. You may think on some pages "What the hell? He is all over the place!" but that is exactly what most of us don't dare to do - experimenting without care. The result is that everybody of any taste will at least find one totally inspiring vehicle in DRIVE - and that's priceless. Scott, you are the man.

order here

Cheers, Daniel

COMPUTER TIPS: new Bunkspeed SHOT PRO testing

2010-11-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Being told by Bunkspeed to be the first dude to test the new upcoming Bunkspeed SHOT PRO, I thought I drop a line about my first impression - it's a great software, especially if you sport a cuda-core enabled GPU by nVidia (get the GTX480 for just 500 bucks and fly away).
Both Bunkspeed and mentalimages (the render engine) offer some great new stuff: turntable rendering (with practical features like setting an overall render time limit, render pickup at a specific frame...), glow shaders can be doublesided now (screw you normals!) and unsolid glass renders with alpha channel. You must know that SHOT builds on the iray render engine from mentalimages - a brand new render technology and its good being part of it.

Cheers, Daniel

COMPUTER TIPS: Do not use Poser 8

2010-11-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

My advise to everybody: Do not purchase or use Smithmicro Poser 8. I repeat: Do never ever touch that software. And I don't give you my purchased copy to safe your life.

Cheers, Daniel

CAPTAIN AMERICA: high res set pictures

2010-11-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

Entertainment Weekly just released a cover story about Captain America, including the first official pictures showing the look and feel of the film.

More images here.

Cheers, Daniel

SYD MEAD: new book preview

2010-10-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Have a first look at Syd Mead's new book Sentury II on DesignStudioPress' facebook page:

Cheers from Japan, Daniel

BREAKING: Disney releases Tron Light Runner clip

2010-10-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today Disney released an exclusive film clip showing Quorra and Sam in the Light Runner. Follow the link and click 'Quorra Film Clip'.

Cheers from Tokyo, Daniel

CAPTAIN AMERICA: filming

2010-10-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Just coming back from the film sets of Captain America at Shepperton Studios in London. Sure I can't share anything. I am posting to let you know that everything I saw was done with passion and that the movie gonna look amazing.

Best, Daniel

TRON LEGACY: new art work released

2010-09-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Disney just released some more art work for Tron Legacy.
This one is the updated Flynn bike, with some bullet points explaining the thoughts behind its subtle re-design. As you might know, the bike we all know from the first film is a compromise. Mastermind Syd Mead originally designed a very sleek, open rider bike, but computers could not render that back then for the film. So together with Tron director Steven Lisberger, they had to come up with an enclosed design quickly to put it in the movie. That's what became the now iconic Lightcycle.

It was an honor to give it a very subtle re-skin to tie it visually better into the new film, while keeping its wonderful 80ies industrial appeal. As you see, it's different all over, yet immediately recognizable. Think Porsche 911 exterior over the last few decades.

I keep you posted as Disney keeps releasing stuff.

Hope you like it, Daniel

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: Wow Robot

2010-09-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Oh my god, will it never stop to see awesome new robot concepts. Look at this guy, and its getting more interesting from 0:40 on. And the gag at 0:50, priceless.

Hat tip, Daniel

CAPTAIN AMERICA: first design released

2010-09-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

As always, no comment from me on designs prior to film release - but always happy to share images with you that the studio or press released. Enjoy.

Cheers, Daniel

ALIEN PREQUEL: joining design team

2010-08-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to report that I joined the design team working with Ridley Scott on his much anticipated prequel of ALIEN (currently untitled). As you might know, Mr. Scott is the mastermind of the original Alien movie of 1979, and other motion picture milestones like Blade Runner and Gladiator. Stay in the loop at imdb.

Cheers, Daniel

COMPUTER TIPS: Bunkspeed SHOT product release

2010-07-28T17:39:00.000-07:00

If you are into 3D modeling, you should check out Bunkspeed SHOT. It was released yesterday, and I am just coming back from the Siggraph show in Los Angeles where it was launched.

SHOT is a stand alone real time raytracer using HDRI and hell it delivers. Of course, it renders bad ass results at unlimited resolution too. I support the developers with interface ideas, and they are very eager to streamline their product.

As a designer on intense movie productions like TRON LEGACY or CAPTAIN AMERICA, I need to deliver photo real images of whatever vehicle I am working on at any given moment - lets say a producer walks in and wants to take a shiny image into a meeting in a few minutes. Thats when this product comes into play on my machine.

What you should know is that Bunkspeed cooperates with graphic card giant nVidia. So, if you own a newer nVidia card with CUDA processors, that software will fly. (Just bought a nVidia GTX 480, and hell it's freakin' fast (and loud )).
Download your trail version of SHOT and play with it, it's absolutely worth it!

Cheers, Daniel

TRON LEGACY: Brand New Trailer

2010-07-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

This piece premiered today at lunch at Comic-Con in San Diego. I didn't make it, although only two hours away... Click and enjoy.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: 500 years to travel around a star

2010-07-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

What's the biggest star we dicovered so far? Someone named it VY Canis Majoris. It takes about 500 years to fly around its equator in a jet fighter - at full speed. It doesn't care about the sun, the earth or your hobbies. Its shear size is incomprehensible and freaks me out!
I'm the biggest nerd fan of the Apollo moon program, but if I put it in scale to those dimensions ... well.
Watch this great animation on youTube in HD, and remain in awe for the rest of your day.

Cheers, Daniel

COMIC CON SAN DIEGO 2010: schedule

2010-07-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

TRON LEGACY Panel - Thursday July 22nd, 11:15 - 12:45, Hall H ( Q&A with director, producers and all actors )

CAPTAIN AMERICA Panel - Saturday July 24th, 6:00 - 07:00, Hall H

more info about all Comic Con events here

Cheers, Daniel

CAPTAIN AMERICA: wrap up

2010-07-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

I just finished my vehicle design work on Marvel's promising feature film project 'Captain America'. It's been eight amazing months, and I hope the movie will be everything the fans are waiting for.
Thank you Marvel for considering me, and thank you director Joe Johnston (design god from the original three Star Wars episodes turned director- latest movie The Wolfman) , production designer Rick Heinrichs and all involved inspirational artists for a great time at the art department in Los Angeles.

Once the movie is out, I hope to share some art work with you. Until then, god speed Captain America.

Cheers, Daniel

COMPUTER TIPS: Windows 7 and Wacom Issues

2010-06-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

I ***ing hate computers. Testing software, hardware, every day a new problem if you work on the edge.
If you switched like me to Windows 7 (welcome to 64 bit and lots of RAM) and employ a Wacom tablet, you will notice all sorts of fuck ups (annoying ripple effects, Tablet PC crap, etc..) Click here, some blogger offers helpful fixes:

http://nx9420.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-fix-tablet-issues-with-wacom.html

And to all Mac users, lets hope Apple did not forget about a new MacPro ... it's about time.

Cheers, Daniel

TRON: First trailer for the video game 'Tron Evolution'

2010-06-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

How could I miss that? Disney showed the trailer for the upcoming video game TRON: EVOLUTION at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards here in L.A.
A stunning Olivia presented the clip, our full size Light Cycle model guarding her back.

To see the video, click here!

Best, Daniel

COSMIC MOTORS: U.K. release

2010-06-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that Titan Books, a major U.K. publishing house for books and comics like Akira, Batman, Star Wars, James Bond and many others, just released Cosmic Motors. It is the same content and look (just an additional Titan Books logo here and there) and will improve the availability in Europe.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: air racing on the edge

2010-06-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Red Bull Air Race is one of the event on earth that comes closest to all the racing madness envisioned in scifi flicks and computer games. I include myself in dreaming about this stuff when it comes to design new vehicles and stories for Cosmic Motors. But on earth, real shit can happen. Click below and see how pilot Matt Hall escapes a horrifying crash with skills and luck. He dips his wing tip into the water at high speed by "looking into the turn", apparently a mistake at out-of-this-world-level of flying.
Although bad endings are part of racing too, I won't post any accident clips in this blog. So here we go.

Go air racers go!

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: lockheed martin monowing rotorcraft

2010-06-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

This is the Samarai UAV project. Getting its name and concept from the flying Samara fruit, it could be an awkward, yet simple flying machine. Not for personal transportation, but filming, spying, surveillance, etc. As impractical as it looks, don't forget it doesn't have any exterior moving parts due to its mono-winged layout. That makes it a rugged contender for easy to handle / carry on vehicles.

For more, read this Lockheed Martin Samarai pdf file.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: incredible flying machine

2010-06-04T08:50:00.000-07:00

Watch this Quadrotor maneuvering in a lab of University of Pennsylvania and let your imagination fly. It is truly awesome, especially the precision it displays. Whether pre-programmed to this flight path or autonomously guided - I can't stop thinking of a speed contest through a three dimensional maze. Wow. Cosmic Motors Quadrotor Racing, anybody? Hat tip to Grasp Lab.

Cheers, Daniel

INSPIRATION OF THE DAY: real life minority report interface

2010-06-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

I will start posting a few things on this blog that I stumbled upon on my daily web safari, lets call it "Inspiration Of The Day". It will be related to space, technology, robotics, sciences, etc. Stuff that inspires me and hopefully you too. Some of it might be dated, some new, don't care.
Today I saw this presentation at 2010 TED, with John Underkoffler showing a real Minority Report User Interface. It's jaw dropping and reality soon.
Cheers, Daniel

COSMIC MOTORS: new wallpaper available

2010-05-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Click here to download the latest and greatest Cosmic Motors wallpaper. Up to a sharp 2560 px for a 30 inch screen. Enjoy!

Best, Daniel

MOVIE STUFF: Lightcycle sketches on helloflynn.com

2010-05-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

HelloFlynn.com features two light cycle sketches in high res, which were displayed at Disney's viral marketing gig at Comicon 2009 in San Diego. The website has a sweet retro-touch, its worth signing up!

Image Source: helloflynn.com

DANIEL SIMON: Interview 3D artist magazine

2010-05-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Worldwide available British 3DArtist magazine features ten pages about Cosmic Motors, my thoughts behind 3D modeling and latest projects. At US stores one month later, around June.

COSMIC MOTORS: reprints

2010-05-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce that the third print edition of COSMIC MOTORS paperbacks arrived at Design Studio Press and book stores worldwide. The unchanged book content was printed with a brand new process - called sublima - resulting in an even better image quality. The mighty hardcover version is currently sold out.

Best, Daniel and the team of Design Studio Press !

TRON BILLBOARDS - HIGH RES

2010-05-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

Since Disney booked a billboard on Santa Monica Boulevard here in Los Angeles for the entire year, its quite a fun game to see what new Tron billboard they come up with every month. I will upload officially released high-res version to keep you in the loop.

Best, Daniel

TRAILER OFFICIAL: TRON LEGACY

2010-03-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

The first official 3D trailer for Tron Legacy hit theaters with the release of Disney's Alice in Wonderland.
Follow the link to enjoy it in HD.

Cheers, Daniel

DANIEL STUFF: Favorite Cars

2009-12-07T21:52:00.001-08:00

I just composed a list of my top 16 favorite race cars. Have a look and leave a comment! Click here ->
http://cosmicmotors.blogspot.com/

Cheers, Daniel

TOKYO: LECTURE TOUR THROUGH JAPAN

2009-10-23T03:08:00.000-07:00

Final stop was the recently opened HAL College in the heart of hilariously crazy Shinjuku, Tokyo. The school is that impressive cocoon - style high rise in the center of this panorama:

More then 400 students attended this Cosmic Motors event, thank you for the warm welcome, all the questions and the patience with the signing. I hope I could give you inspiration and motivation in return.

Again, thank you to the team of HAL for the invite, the translator, the technicians, the photographers and my producer.

Arigato gozaimasu, Daniel

OSAKA - NAGOYA: LECTURE TOUR THROUGH JAPAN

2009-10-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

I am currently touring Japan - Tokyo Shinjuku, Osaka, Nagoya - giving lectures for design students in car, graphic and computer design at all three installations of the HAL College of Technology & Design. HAL is tied in a cooperative relationship with leading high-tech companies such as Nintendo or Microsoft.

"Arigato gozaimasu" to all the directors and staff of HAL for this one week invitation, the incredibly elaborated itinerary and the very pleasant stay. Also, I bow to my producer Michiko Durinski for the entire Japanese communication and realization.

Above: HAL College in Nagoya, Japan - what an incredible piece of architecture. Took the night shot from my hotel across the street, nice view. The newest of the three HAL colleges in Japan was opened last year in Tokyo. Its a fifty-story high-rise in Shinjuku, only a few steps from the location of "Lost in Translation". My design school had just 4 floors. And I have never seen such a friendly staff in my entire career.

Best, Daniel

Click here for HAL design school Japan

BERLIN: PHOTO SHOOT OF NEW CREW MEMBERS

2009-09-25T00:43:00.000-07:00

Cosmic Motors is honored to present two new crew members: "Adean", our new dont-mess-with-me pit crew supervisor, and "Alupa Ace", promising speed-uberfrau with a TX 1000 race license.
The shoot in Germany's fun metropolis Berlin was a delight, and I thank my wonderful two model friends. Philip, assistant on set, thanx for doing the dirty work of carrying helmets and holding flash lights.

Check the pilot section of Cosmic-Motors.com here: CLICK.

More soon, back in L.A. now. Best,
Daniel!

LOS ANGELES - TRON LEGACY

2009-07-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Just have wrapped on Tron Legacy - after working for almost one entire year as the vehicle designer on this wonderful project. Thank you Disney for making it happen. And thanx to everybody on the team and crew, it was an incredible experience. More insights in 2011 !

So ... hope to see you camping the 17th of December 2010. God speed Digital Domain!

Ballz, Daniel

SAN DIEGO: MEET ME AT A BOOK SIGNING

2009-07-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

I will sign books at the crazy Comic-Con fair in San Diego. Meet me at the DesignStudioPress booth, currently scheduled for Thursday July 23rd, 4pm.

Best, Daniel!

More info about the show here: Comic-Con Website

COSMIC MOTORS WALLPAPERS. FINALLY.

2009-05-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hi! After so many people kicking frequently my cosmic ass, I cranked some night shifts and created a few Cosmic Motors full size wallpapers. More to come!

Click the link below to download full resolutions and enjoy. Frankly, looks best on your 30" at 2560 px.

Cosmic Motors Wallpapers here!

Gotta run, Daniel

MY FIRST TEST CANON 5D MkII

2009-04-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I rolled out my new Canon 5D MkII and stepped on a seductive battlefield... a friends fashion show in Los Angeles. That camera rocks. I still have to figure out some fancy features, but I caught fire and will return taking Cosmic Motors related beauty shots this summer. May the casting begin.

I shot this show opening in poor and warm stage lighting with 50mm at 1.4 aperture, 4000 ISO. No flash.

Best, Daniel

ALIAS AVAILABLE FOR MAC!

2009-04-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Alias, my preferred 3D software package, is now also available for native Mac. I will test it next week, I heard good things about it and prices went down. Thank you for putting the Galaxion car on the packaging. Btw, the final surfaces on that car were masterfully handled by Erik Viking Skoglund.

More about the new Alias 2010 here!

Best, Daniel

LOS ANGELES: INTERVIEW WITH SYD MEAD & DANIEL SIMON

2009-02-28T18:40:00.000-08:00

The march issue No 189 of Japanese/English magazine CAR STYLING features a 14 pages article "Conversation between Syd Mead and Daniel Simon". The interview was initiated by Car Styling board Mr.Fujimoto, Mr. Matsunaga, Mr. Kaneko as well as Roger Servick and Michiko Durinski.

In "The essense of Concept Design" we chat about or design philosophy, job experiences and share thoughts about future and past. Mr. Mead and I know each other since a few years now and became friends, but never spoke together in public before.

Thank you for the wonderful afternoon at the L.A. Autoshow and the nice drinks you organized. Car Styling magazine is available worldwide in special bookstores or online - see below.

Best, Daniel

http://www.sydmead.com/

http://www.carstylingmag.com/

PUMA GLOBAL AD CAMPAIGN DESIGNED BY DANIEL SIMON

2009-01-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

This is a recent design adventure into the world of sportswear - a global ad for PUMA. The project was directed by the danish agency Robert/Boisen. Posters should hit Puma stores around the globe this week.

I designed the legs following certain design briefings by the client. The given ad theme can be described as the following: Unveiling some uber-tech soccer boots that a fictive Puma research lab is developing secretly. But until these magic shoes are available in the far future, you better stick with the latest foot wear you find in Puma stores today.

For 3D modeling I relied on Autodesk AliasStudio 2009 software and rendered the final wire in Bunkspeed hyperShot Pro 1.5

Best, Daniel

design: Daniel Simon COSMIC MOTORS www.danielsimon.com
client: PUMA AG www.pumafootball.com
agency: ROBERT/BOISEN & Like-minded www.rblm.dk
modeling: AliasStudio2009 www.autodesk.com
rendering: hyperShot Pro www.bunkspeed.com

LOS ANGELES: DANIEL JOINS FILM UNION

2009-01-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

I am happy to be accepted as a member of the American art directors guild, the IATSE Local 800. This allows me to legally work as a designer on U.S. feature films.
Best, Daniel

http://www.artdirectors.org/

LAS VEGAS: BOOK SIGNING

2008-12-04T00:00:00.001-08:00

Wow, thanks everybody for waiting in line for so long. That was truly amazing. Thank you!

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Best regards, Daniel

LAS VEGAS: A SPEECH ABOUT THE FUTURE

2008-12-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

It was a pleasure being a keynote presenter at the huge Autodesk University event, with a total of about 500 presentations over one week and 9000 guests. The Venetian Casino Hotel in Las Vegas was probably the only place on earth to host such a monster event. So, thank you Autodesk (Chris Cheung!) for the invitation and to you for the overwhelming response on my presentation. Hope to see you again!

More info click here!

Best, Daniel!

LOS ANGELES: SPEAKING AT THE L.A.AUTOSHOW

2008-11-18T00:39:00.000-08:00

I was honored to be invited to the Los Angeles Auto Show as a keynote speaker on November 20th, 2008, at the L.A. Convention Center. I shared some critical and naive thoughts about motor racing of the future.

Best, Daniel

http://www.laautoshow.com/

SAO PAULO: F1 WEEKEND WITH FERRARI

2008-11-02T17:45:00.001-08:00

Thank you Peter, Scuderia Fiat & Ferrari for that amazing invitation to the final GP of the F1 season 2008. That nail-biting event had no happy ending for Felipe Massa, who visited us in the Fiat hospitality shortly before the race. Then, when he crossed the finish line first, we celebrated his F1 world championship - not noticing that Hamilton surprisingly slipped passed Glock's Toyota in the very last moment, earning that one little point he needed to win the championship instead! I had tragic moments between all the Brazilians! But congrats to the young Lewis.

Massa, leaving the pits at the Saturday qualifying, to set another Ferrari pole position. Photo by Luca!

Me in the Ferrari box, shortly before the Sunday race, trying to sneak out with a front spoiler ...

Ferrari pilot Felipe Massa visiting our hospitality, shortly before the championship show down. I was running around a corner at our cafeteria to get some food and stumbled right over him. Embarrassing-session. Sorry Felipe! Poor guys, how do they manage all that craziness?

So again, thank you Peter and everybody at Fiat & Ferrari for that spectacular & inspirational weekend.

Daniel

SAO PAULO: SPEAKING AT THE MUSEUM OF ART

2008-10-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

I am glad having been invited as a speaker to the Evento De Design at the Museum of Art in Brazil's cultural melting pod Sao Paulo. The MASP is right on Avenida Paulista, one of Sao Paulo's crazy main streets. I was talking about my thoughts on future transportation and showcase some of my work.
Panel discussion on stage. Form the left: Anisio Campos - brazilian design legend. Me - being myself. Peter Fassbender - Head of Fiat Design Brazil. Lorenzo Ramaciotti - Head of Fiat Design incl. Maserati, formerly Chief Executive Officer of Pininfarina, developing the Ferrari Enzo, F430 and others.

It was very nice to meet everybody and I apologize if there was little time to catch up afterwards due to the tight schedule of my visit. Viva Brasil!

Abracos, Daniel

ROCKET RACING LEAGUE: COSMIC-MOTORS DESIGNS PLANE GRAPHIC

2008-08-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

The Rocket Racing League celebrated its historic inaugural flight of the first contender - the Bridenstine DKNY Rocket Racer! At EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, WI, a two-time NASA Shuttle commander piloted the rocket plane.

The racing graphic of the DKNY-sponsored rocket plane was developed by Cosmic Motors in cooperation with DonnaKaranNewYork and the Bridenstine team. Due to technical requirements you can't do what you want. Within these boundaries we came up with a pretty clean and retro-futuristic look.
Thank you for this fantastic opportunity! Jim, good luck for your first racing season!! Granger, all the best for you huge project! Andy & Michelle - good job! For more info click here:
http://www.rocketracingleague.com/
To see the plane taking off at the airfield of Oshkosh on 07-29-08, click below!
Best, Daniel

TOKYO: BACK IN TOWN

2008-07-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

I am back in Tokyo for the final presentation of a consultancy project. At a rare free moment I found myself with my Japanese producer in a Tsutaya bookstore in Tokyo, a sophisticated supplier of art and design books. Supported by Born Digital Inc. they arranged a Cosmic Motors promo shelve. Thanx, also to Rintaro-san from Tsutaya! So cool.

I am back on my drawing board soon.

Best, Daniel

LE MANS: 24 HOURS OF INSPIRATION AT ASTON MARTIN

2008-06-16T08:50:00.001-07:00

I am always seeking for inspiration - this is what drives me to kick off new Cosmic Motors projects. So this weekend is hard to beat: the 24 heures du Mans - the glorious endurance race in France, where makers like Porsche, Ferrari and others wrote motor sport history.

We have been lucky enough to spend it inside the heart of the wonderfully Gulf-colored ASTON MARTIN RACING team, thank you Chris and all the nice Aston staff. Congratulations to David and his whole equipe for the GT1 victory of car No 009!! Fabulous. Marek, the car looks so awesome!! You are the man.

Thanx for the great hospitality.

Best, Daniel !
PS After all I am German, so: Audi, well done!

TOKYO: THANK YOU

2008-06-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the overwhelming interest in the presentation and book signing. I was flattered by an audience of about 300 viewers from various Japanese industries such as Honda, Sony, Canon, Bandai, Sega or Sanyo and design schools.
Also, a huge "arigatô-gozai-mashita" to the team of Born Digital Inc., Autodesk Japan and my japanese producer for creating a trouble-free event.

Please, feel free to leave a comment, as there was unfortunately little time to get in touch with everybody.

Best, Daniel

TOKYO: COMO SPOTTED IN STORES

2008-05-20T00:32:00.000-07:00

The japanese edition of Cosmic Motors was spotted in several quality book stores in Tokyo, such as Aoyama, Sanseido, Shosen or Kinokuniya. Pretty cool. Keep in mind that about 3000 new books are published every month in Japan. So being in the shelve is actually quite sweet.

Best, Daniel

TOKYO: MEET ME AT A COSMIC MOTORS EVENT

2008-05-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

Born Digital Inc. Japan announced to host a Cosmic Motors event in Tokyo. I will speak at the Bellesalle Kanda Convention Building, 1:30 pm, June 2nd, 2008.
I will present my work flow followed by a Q&A. Japanese translation included. It's free - you can book a seat here:

http://www.borndigital.co.jp/news/topics/concept_seminar/

You better speak Japanese to handle that link ;o)
Hope 2 c u there, Daniel!

KANYE WEST - COSMIC MOTORS

2008-04-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Grammy Award winner and hip hop guru Kanye West (Flashing Lights, Homecoming, Stronger) adds COSMIC MOTORS to his blog, saying "Ok...the very best space ships...perhaps".
Mega. I should do some album covers with him. Love his sounds.

Check out the Kanye West blog here!

Best, Daniel!

NEW YORK: COSMIC MOTORS BOOK SIGNING

2008-04-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Everything seemed to be set for a COSMIC MOTORS book signing at the Forbidden Planet store right at New York`s Broadway. But the schedule was too tight - the books came in a few hours late. I was already thundering in the cab to the airport.

Next time, New York.

Best, Daniel!

NEW YORK: COSMIC MOTORS RADIO INTERVIEW

2008-04-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

COSMIC MOTORS Radio interview at Harry Allen`s friday show NONFICTION on WBAI-NY / 99.5 FM's.

After the recording at his Wall Street Studio I could not resist to take a heli flight over
Manhattan, they just took off in front of the studio from a peer. Nice trill!


 
I will post a link once the radio show is on air.  

Best, Daniel!

LOS ANGELES: ART CENTER VISIT

2008-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Thanx for the warm welcome at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.
Great students, great talents, great spirit.... lots of fun!

Sorry if one or the other dedication doodle in the book was a little off - at least I tried!

Best, Daniel!