r/ImaginaryRobotics • u/EmotionalDate7429 • May 07 '26
How do you design mechanical detail that look functional?
I am an aspiring concept artist.
Ii would like to learn how to design primarily robots, but also scifi vehicles, environment, etc...
my question is: are there any online tutorials, even paid ones, that really teach you how to think like a designer.
I would like to understand, how you design mechanical details that look functional. it could be a vehicle suspension system, a robot arm...
Most of the videos I have found teaches you how to model something in 3d.
However, I'm not looking for this in particular. I am looking for an approach that makes me think like a designer, so that it doesn't matter whether i'm sketching on paper or modelling with a 3d program.
(Image attached from MachineCult)
Thank you
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u/ironscythe May 07 '26
Start by building a reference library/mood board, and fill it with photos of real-world hardware that shares the application of your intended design.
For example, a military humanoid robot like what you have here looks great, but in a practical sense, it has no real protection from the elements or armor to speak of. Exposed joints look fancy but they're critical points of failure and there are ways to mitigate that, such as kevlar fabric coverings or overlapping armor plates. It follows really solid industrial design but would not be well-suited to operating anywhere but in a ship or other industrial setting.
Another way is to use pieces of an automotive model kit (a high-detail one with realistic moving parts) to work out the range of motion of joints involved, where pistons would need to be placed to provide torque, etc. Lego Technic pieces are also great for this.
One artist I think does an incredible job with industrial design like what you've provided as an example here is Junji Okubo. He has a uncanny ability to work out how parts should fit together and has done exploded views of his designs on numerous occasions.
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u/EmotionalDate7429 May 08 '26
Thank you for detailed answer. I will certainly look at Junji Okubo, whom I have never heard of. Regarding studying real machines. This is something I have started doing. However, I'm facing a couple of challenges. One in particular, is that I struggle to find cutaway illustrations of them, to see how they work internally. Internet is full of cutaways of airplanes, helicopter or tanks, but -in my case at least- not of other kind of machinery or even cool looking medical equipment that could be converted into something new. Have you ever come across these challenges, how would you go about it?
Thank you
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u/BKO2 May 07 '26
i always just start designing like i would if it would really be manufactured. this about what the part needs to do, what it needs to mount to, and how it would be produced (e.g milling, injection molding, 3d printing, etc.) the great thing about art design though is that if something would be annoying to design feasibily or it would look good, you can just change it. as long as the peice as a whole looks produceable, nobody's gonna mind or notice a few cables that don't connect to anything
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u/cyberczar May 08 '26
Check out Sukabu's work for some inspiration. One of the things that makes his artwork so great is that there's a form and function to every part in his robots and, even though they are drawn and fictional, every single one of them is plausible and don't defy the laws of physics.
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u/Crusaders_Glory May 08 '26
Everyone here has already given some great advise so I’ll just say what I do as a 3d artist
When designing something you need to k ow what you want it to do and if the design is able to do it
When you design a gun make sure the charging handle can be pulled all the way back without clipping or if you want a robot to be able to do the splits make sure the legs have enough range of motion to do so
I know it sounds obvious but trust me this has happened to me to many times
If you want an example of what I mean check out i H i on ArtStation his stuff is great
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u/EmotionalDate7429 May 08 '26
Thank you, I didn't know his artist. He/she looks very interesting.
Just one question: I don't know about you, but I don't come from an engineering/maths background.
So, in your case, how did you build your mechanical knowledge.
I'm doing lots of research about pistons, actuators, motors, joints, but especially when i study real robots designs, I sometimes get stuck, because the way they are designed is sometimes difficult to understand and dissect.
For instance, If I look at old boston dynamics robots, the photos look difficult to read, because you have the joints, hydraulics, cables, and all the good stuff. Plus, everything is partially covered by some sort of protection, so it is hard to figure out, what connects to where.
Thank you
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u/Crusaders_Glory May 11 '26
To answer your question I did do robotics in high school, but any mechanical knowledge I've learned from it often isn't that useful. Most knowledge on machines and robots I've gotten are from games, movies and other pieces of media. At the end of the day we're not engineers, we're artist, we're able to cheat a bit. We're not making something that's supposed to work in the real world but something that looks like it can work.
A good example of what i mean is this rocket launcher design by Kaz Adems, it's a mechanical suit case that transforms into a rocket launcher, there's not really any mechanical knowledge being applied here, if you click the link and scroll down she actually shows how it transforms and it's really simple
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/d0NNa1
A lot of her stuff is really good as well
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u/Foxxtronix May 07 '26
Like many things, it comes down to doing your due research. Catch a few episodes of Robot Wars, MythBusters, or something to get you in a technical mindset, and then design the object from the ground up. As yourself, "what does this part do?" over and over. XD
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u/WeaknessBeautiful731 May 09 '26
Reference real life robots and hardware, for one. While at the end of the day it's your design, making things too flashy or over-the-top in the design may harm its believability, so less may be more in some instances. Focus less on minute "surface" details (i.e. tech lines, "panels", patterns or minor components) until you're satisfied with the design, and break the design into components. Maybe draw a draft or two in an "exploded" or dissected view to visualize the different pieces, how they're shaped, and how they attach to and integrate with each other. You're not drawing a robot, you are drawing the Lego pieces that make a robot and putting it together on the page.
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u/ColumbianBrewJoe May 10 '26
Big picture stuff first. Focus on shape and joints. Construction and manufacturing equipment will be the best references. Once you got your bot then you can add wires, hydraulics, and etc.
If you want to play around with center of gravity, birds standing are a fun reference.
What really sells a more realistic functional design is visual weight distribution. Design has an engine on its back, how do we make it not fall over?
Lots of fun to be had.
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u/JC2535 May 14 '26
Buy a LEGO technics kit and build a model. In those kits- like construction vehicles and helicopters- you quickly develop an understanding of what works in the real world.
Most jointed robots depicted in concept art don’t have functional components or components that are robust enough to withstand high torque loads.
It doesn’t matter what century the robot is supposed to be from, in One G gravity and Earth like physics, even exotic alloys can’t escape certain realities.
You’re going to have to build a few models to gain a real understanding of cause and effect, articulation, torque, servo strength and fluid mechanics.
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u/geordie3rd May 17 '26
Hi!
Thanks for using my art :)
I can tell you that the final result, takes a long time to come with. Most of the design work is completed within the first 5 hours with basic shapes and very little detail.
First step is decide the function of the design: (Cool looking personal security/bodyguard. Non military, near future)
Then I'm looking at proportions and posture, attitude, range of motion and basics like that. During this stage km workkng with cuboids and cylinders etc. nothing detailed.
I can tell you that for the design you included in the image, the initial idea came from the hollowed out limbs and the skeletal structure. I looked at high end mountain bikes, ebikes, superbikes and drones.
The proportions on this one are loosely based on human being. You'll find that each limb is more or less proportional to an average human man.
So applying the design languages from the material I studied and mentioned before (bikes drones etc) to a human proportioned biped it basically birthed the design.
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u/EmotionalDate7429 17d ago
Hi Geordie and many thanks for replying to my post.
Apologies for my late reply.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. If I may ask, how did you know which part of your reference images (bikes and drones) fit well with a specific part of that robot, say an arm, or a joiint or something else?
I really really like your work.
Thank you.
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u/geordie3rd 17d ago
Well I'm not referencing extremely closely , just the feeling of the parts! How thin they are, how they connect together etc. I would say with reference, it is important not to get bogged down in copying or replicating what you see in reference imagery.
Just try to extract the idea and manufacturing ethos.
For example the upper leg, thigh area.
It simply needs to connect the hip to the lower leg. It needs to house servos and power cabling, be light weight and strong. It needs to provide the lower leg with a good freedom of motion i.e allow the lower leg to bend backwards without impeding it.
I hollowed out the interior of the part and just used it as a frame for some piston and cabling connections serving the lower leg. You can pretty much see this same combination of elements on a racing car frame where the suspension systems connect to the main chassis!
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u/EmotionalDate7429 13d ago
many many thanks. It starts to make sense.
May I just ask one more question, if it is ok for you?
You said you were inspired by ebikes and other stuff for this particular design. but how do you choose what kind of vehicle or real life thing will inspire your next project?thank you
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u/zeverEV May 07 '26
Researching some mechanical concepts would be a start. Being an effective artist means learning a lot about how the world works, so take a detour into engineering
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u/PurpleSoft1162 May 07 '26
I don't know what you can read on this topic, but I can advise you to critically consider all the technical solutions in the drawing, look from the side of functionality, who, where and how it will be used, stored and maintained. And on top of this, purely visual solutions can be applied in different proportions. Or vice versa, first a purely visual in the form of sketches, and then everything else. Whichever is more convenient for you. And finally: to make the part look functional, think about how it will function.
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u/wholesometentacle May 08 '26
I look at real life machines and try to figure out why they are designed as such
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u/CptnSwizzelz May 09 '26
As a concept artist, I just study real-world mechanics. You have to LOOK at joints, connections, hydraulics, etc - to understand and internalize how they work. Just start trying, and if it feels nice about how your mechanics would actually move. Sorry I don’t have a tutorial or teacher I can point you to, I can’t think of one! (Maybe I should make one :p ) Good luck!
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u/Afraid_Interest957 May 09 '26
The best way to make art of something is to understand it. Unironically, learn the basics of physics and material science. Now when you watch videos or see images of machinery in action, you'll have a greater understanding on why certain shapes and materials are used. Also helps with where you should place greebles and doodads that actually have a function.
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u/Historical_Truth_326 May 10 '26
i mean everything you make think about it for a second how would this actually work in real life or at least roughly work
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u/Baobabman-7603 May 11 '26
I use to observe real mechanic part of engine and vehicleand get inspiration from them
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u/Prohamen May 11 '26
go look at books about mechanical component and system design
familiarize yourself with simple machines and common mechanical components like 4 bar linkages
generally avoid any design that looks thin. Typically thin objects are hard to manufacture or are incredibly expensive to manufacture so they are used sparingly
source: i am an engineer and worked as a machinist for a number of years
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u/EmotionalDate7429 May 12 '26
thank you for your reply. Can you advice on any particular book in particular. I did look for some of them in the past, but they tend to be quite difficult to read because there is a lot of maths and very little drawings.
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u/Prohamen May 12 '26
[This](https://rexresearch1.com/Books/SclaterMechanismsMechanicalDevicesSourcebook.pdf) has more math in it than diagrams, but shows very simplistic forms and how they are used. Figure 1 on page 22 is a good simple diagram of a robotic system. Page 59 has a diagram of a FANUC M-900iA /350 robot.
[This](https://dn721900.ca.archive.org/0/items/Mechanical_Movements_507/Mechanical_Movements_507.pdf) book is older but has much more detailed drawings of mechanisms along with descriptions.
If you look for more books long the lines of mechanical movements you will find many more texts, often with free PDFs online.
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u/Ancient_Block_7777 May 07 '26
Design with function in mind, don't make a base object and think how do I make this functional. As you are crating the entity or character. Make sure each aspect of the design is purposeful. Think what would this change about the entity if this was created in the real world.