How do you get people excited? Give them something to talk about.
For years, human-machine interfaces (HMI) have been weighed down by limitations that left designs feeling more functional than fantastic. But a new day is dawning.
Real-time technology has opened up a path that turns screens into a source of wonder that can radically alter how drivers feel about their cars via interactive 3D graphics.
The Rivian R1T is now rolling off assembly lines with an Unreal Engine-powered driver display, and in 2022, the GMC Hummer EV will hit the streets with Unreal Engine in its digital cockpit. The future is in motion, and from what we are hearing, more is on the way.
Introducing the Unreal Engine HMI Design Challenge
Across the globe, automotive design teams are asking: “How can we use HMI design to make the driver feel adventurous, or luxurious, or sporty?” So we thought we’d build that question into a challenge.
This January, HMI designers of all stripes can show the world how their concepts buck traditional designs during the “Unreal Engine HMI Design Challenge.” Created in partnership with Car Design News (CDN), this competition asks designers to rethink what’s possible with real-time technology.
Want to show drivers something they’ve never seen before? Depict visual information in a more elegant way? Or get your work in front of design leads from some of the world’s most innovative automotive manufacturers? Then this competition is for you.
Prizes
Grand prize winners will get to develop their concepts further with an expert judge, before seeing their design featured in the 9th edition of Car Design Review, CDN’s annual print publication that is read throughout the automotive industry.
Timing
We are accepting submissions from January 26, 2022 – April 1, 2022, and will announce the winners in April.
What the judges are looking for
Our panel of judges are drawn from major companies like GM, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Nissan, Hyundai, Human Horizons, Ather Energy, TVS Motor Company, Triumph, Rivian, and Toyota, and will be looking mainly at your creativity—not features sets and implementation. Since design language is the focus, the judges want to see how well you’ve incorporated a polished HMI that transports passengers and evokes a feeling of adventure, luxury, or sport.
How to enter
Anyone is eligible to submit their HMI concepts regardless of your background. If you don’t have any experience designing HMI systems, that’s okay! Whether you’re an architect, artist or gameplay designer by trade, this is your chance to get your concepts noticed by major manufacturers.
That said, while we encourage participants from diverse backgrounds, we also want to make sure all entries are judged on an equal playing field. So to that end, all participants will be required to use the same design template for the contest.
To learn more about the Unreal Engine HMI Design Challenge please, register for our upcoming Exploring the New HMI Design Template in Unreal Engine webinar. During the webinar, we’ll provide an overview of the tools you’ll be using in Unreal Engine, walk through the template we created, and share a few tips that will help you submit the best possible entry.We’ve also created a special training page that will help you learn to use Unreal Engine if you are just starting out. You can find it here.
With Unreal Engine, you can completely reinvent the in-vehicle experience. We can’t wait to see how you do it.