solidThinking

Ron Mendell

Iron models for the movie industry

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Ron Mendell is one of the most talented concept artists serving the Hollywood motion picture industry. For the past 20 years he has designed cars and gadgets to fill just about any film studio need.

Ron has recently contributed his creative talents to the films Spiderman 2012, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Iron Man 1 and 2, and Thor.

Previous productions include all three Jurassic Park films and War of the Worlds, among many others.

The nature of his profession requires Ron to work at different studios as he completes one job and moves on to the next. This way, his design environment and his peers are constantly changing and bringing new experiences and influences along the way.

Design for the Art Department

The Art Department is the main visual hub for the look of a movie from sets and costumes to props and vehicles. Ron Mendell serves the Art Department providing concepts, illustrations and digital models.

“Design is 100 percent of what I do,” said Ron. “Typically after sketching out initial designs, I jump right into solidThinking where I can quickly and effortlessly turn my initial pencil sketches into a real 3D model that can be developed on the fly. The construction history feature of solidThinking is huge! An amazing tool that keeps this process moving quickly. After final approvals of the given project, I have a file ready to be output as a grown part.”

Prior to using solidThinking, Ron Mendell’s process was manual, where he would start with pencil and paper and continue to develop his ideas until a final design was approved. This process involved sketching, color markers, paint, etc. The final steps included drafting, dimensioning and sectioning until enough 2D drawings were generated to hand off to a craftsman. “The biggest problem was translation. If enough drawings and views were not generated, then that left room for error on the craftsman end,” Ron said. “If the person building my design interpreted a line as a relief rather than a scribe, then things could go wrong very quickly. With solidThinking, I can provide a 3D file that explains everything.”

“Speed is another important benefit. After initially building a model in 3D, I can very quickly rotate it to see it from any angle as opposed to taking the time to accurately draw another view. I can then apply textures and materials to see what it will look like. Equally important is having the ability to email a file to a vendor that can build the part on a 3D machine," Ron added.

solidThinking in Iron Man 2

Ron Mendell frequently designs hardware-type gadgets and weapons, which he also developed for Iron Man 2, the superhero film featuring the famous Marvel Comics character, Iron Man.

The recently released book, The Art of Iron Man 2, showcases the evolution of all things Iron Man, from concept to realization. Taken from this illustrated book, the images below show the rendering of one of several 3D models developed by Ron Mendell using solidThinking as well as the final built model in the Iron Man 2 movie.

“After a session of modeling, I spend more time applying materials and rendering to generate concepts for approval,” explained Ron. “A fully rendered model is much more impressive than a wireframe or grayscale render. My clients (actors, directors, producers) want to see what a final product will look like.”

Having the ability to design as well as build, Ron Mendell knows how to build solid design. This is clearly evident in his stylistic sketches and renderings that start based on real world materials, dimensions and constraints. If it can't be built, he wont draw it.

Ron Mendell lives and works in Los Angeles, USA www.ronmendell.com

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