ECD Automotive Design brings customers closer to their

KISSIMMEE, Fla., March 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ECD Automotive Design (ECD) today introduces its latest breakthrough innovation in its custom luxury car design process. Positioning itself at the forefront of virtual trends within the automotive industry, ECD now creates a photorealistic design video of each customer’s unique custom build, allowing them to view their dream car months before its completion. Created with Epic Games’ 3D creation tool Unreal Engine, the realistic animation with dynamic physics and lighting effects looks like something out of a movie or video game. Click HERE to see a 3D design video of a custom Defender build.

ECD is the world’s largest Land Rover restoration company, specializing in customizing 25-year-old vintage Defenders and classic Range Rovers into modernized luxury vehicles that celebrate each customer’s creativity and style while maintaining rugged charm. beloved of traditional Land Rovers. Each ECD vehicle is an individually designed work of art, rebuilt in-house from the frame and top up and customized down to the seams of the seat so that no two on the road are ever the same.

ECD offers an endless array of custom features to choose from for its customer base. After choosing from ECD’s range of classic Land Rover models – whether it’s a Defender 90, Defender 110, Defender 130, Series IIA or Range Rover Classic – customers make further customizations, from styling from bodywork to paintwork, tire and wheel specs and much more, as well as a long list of accessory options such as grilles, roll bars and winches to name a few. only a few. Most notably, customers can choose from nine different drivetrain solutions, including a 450 HP Tesla electric motor. For the interior, customers also select seat configuration and styling, audio and infotainment systems, and have a wide choice of leather colors and stitching to create something truly individual.

Once customers have finalized their custom design, a 3D model of the car is digitally rendered with a variety of programs and powered by Unreal Engine. A design video is then created with the model, teasing the build to come. The cinematic video includes exterior pans, interior shots and graphic callouts that highlight key features of the custom build. High-fidelity textures, precise lighting and dynamic shadows make it look both stunning and immersive. As one of the most popular software frameworks in the gaming industry, Unreal Engine has been used for well-known titles such as Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition and fortnite. Unreal Engine is also widely used in film and television with the Oscar Ford versus Ferrari and Disney The Mandalorian all implementing it as a CGI tool.

“It’s incredibly powerful software that puts ECD at the forefront of automotive design and ahead of the curve compared to other boutique car manufacturers,” said Tyler Godby, 3D Artist and Developer for ECD. “With Unreal Engine, visual fidelity has increased exponentially. Everything from the way the light shines to the reflections in the glass helps make videos look realistic and not out of an old video game.

Godby has been doing 3D modeling and design both as a hobby and professionally for over 20 years. Since joining ECD, he has led enhancements to ECD’s proprietary 3D rendering software and deployed the Unreal Engine implementation for design videos. Godby uses a custom-built PC with an Intel processor and an Nvidia 3070 card — typical gear for game developers — for his design videos.

Coming soon, more detailed and realistic weather environments and effects will only enhance the individual ECD experience. For example, if a customer is based in Colorado, the design video will showcase their restored Defender with a photorealistic mountain backdrop. Blowing snow will accumulate on the hood of their vehicle, simulating the appearance of the vehicle in everyday life. The 3D model can even be incorporated into a photo background, seamlessly inserted into an image of the customer’s driveway next to current vehicles.

“The possibilities are truly endless with this technology, and it will only improve the service we provide to our customers,” said ECD co-founder Scott Wallace. “We plan to use the engine to create an interactive online configurator that customers can play with. They can zoom in and out and make updates to their build in real time, adjusting paint color, seat leather type and more with just a few clicks.

Additionally, ECD hopes to use Unreal Engine to create a virtual reality (VR) experience for its customer base. With a VR headset and controllers, customers can experience the interior of their custom build and, just like the online configurator, instantly change different parts, such as seats, finishes and furniture. For more information on how to build your own vehicle, please visit ecdautodesign.com.

About ECD Automotive Design
ECD Automotive Design (ECD) is a creator of restored luxury vehicles that combine classic English beauty with modern performance. Each vehicle produced by ECD is completely bespoke, a unique piece designed by the customer through an immersive luxury design experience and handcrafted in 2,200 hours by ASE-certified master craftsmen. The company was founded in 2013 by three British “oilers” whose passion for classic vehicles is the driving force behind exceptionally high standards for quality custom luxury vehicles. ECD’s global headquarters, known as “Rover Dome”, is a 45,000 square foot facility located in Kissimmee, Florida, home to 60 talented craftsmen and technicians, who hold a combined 61 ASE and five certifications of masters level. ECD has a logistics center in the UK that sources and transports 25 year old work vehicles to the USA for restoration.

Media Contact
Ericka Rivera
Turbulent public relations for ECD Automotive Design
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2d6480f9-2e22-495c-9d30-e4bbd117f5ff

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