Chapter 1: Proportion Systems & Stance

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Proportion Systems & Stance for Vehicle Concept Artists

Proportion is the grammar of vehicles. Long before a viewer notices surface detail, the relationship between wheelbase, track, ride height, body volumes, and center of gravity tells the truth about role, handling, and intent. Stance is the sentence written with that grammar: the way mass sits on contact points, the angle of posture under load, and the line of energy that carries the machine forward even at rest. Concept‑side artists use proportion and stance to discover believable fantasies quickly; production‑side artists preserve those relationships so the build remains faithful through modeling, rigging, and optimization. Understanding proportion, perspective, and silhouette together allows vehicles to read instantly from the game camera and to remain coherent under constraint.

Proportion systems anchor exploration to measurable relationships. A wheelbase establishes the primary rhythm of a ground vehicle, while track width sets lateral authority and roll stability. Short wheelbases produce eager yaw and pitch, long wheelbases communicate stability and speed, and the ratio between wheelbase and overall length determines overhangs that suggest approach, breakover, and departure angles. Track width relative to wheelbase and body height hints at roll behavior and cornering grip; a wide stance paired with a low center of gravity reads planted, whereas narrow track or tall mass suggests tippiness and utility. Ride height negotiates between terrain and speed, revealing whether a chassis prefers sidewalks, dunes, or launch pads. Even for non‑wheeled craft, analogous dimensions exist: strut spacing and span for walkers, nacelle spacing and wing chord for aircraft, rotor diameter and mast height for helicopters, and thruster spread and gimbal range for VTOL and space frames.

The center of gravity is the hidden protagonist of stance. Where mass concentrates dictates how the machine rotates, accelerates, and settles after impact. When shapes suggest a low, centered CG—battery trays beneath the cabin, engine mass behind the front axle, fuel tanks close to roll centers—the silhouette feels composed. When mass lifts high or moves forward of the contact patch, the vehicle appears nose‑heavy or precarious, a choice that can serve intimidation or comedy if it matches the brief. In cutaways and callouts, reinforcing CG logic with plausible placement of dense components lets animators and physics partners derive convincing motion without overcompensation.

Perspective is the stage on which proportion plays. A small change in horizon placement or lens length can distort perceived stance, so concept artists must design at the camera the player will actually use. A chase cam with a moderate FOV flattens verticals and emphasizes plan view; a cockpit cam at wider FOV stretches foreground elements and exaggerates dash depth. To preserve truth, block in primary volumes in simple 3D or on a well‑constructed grid before committing to paint. Establish a consistent eye height and vanishing set for the project, then preview silhouettes and value patterns at scale. Production‑side artists inherit these decisions and keep them consistent in orthographics and callouts so downstream teams do not chase a moving target.

Silhouette is the contract with readability. The outline must convey class, faction, and role at distance, which means proportion is doing most of the work. Large, low‑frequency masses tell the story from far away; mid‑frequency beats afford identity at mid‑range; and high‑frequency details appear only where the camera lingers. Stance reads in the negative spaces as much as the positive ones: the gap over the wheels, the daylight under a hull, the rake from nose to tail, and the angle of rotor discs or wing sweep. If a vehicle transforms, each pose needs a complete silhouette logic, with shared landmarks so players never lose track of orientation.

Designing with proportion starts by locking a metric scaffold. Even during blue‑sky exploration, select a nominal wheel diameter or contact span and let wheelbase and track cascade from it. Commit to a cabin datum for eye height, knee clearance, and control reach to constrain canopy depth and beltline. Set ride height for unloaded and compressed states and check approach and departure angles against the terrain or obstacle kit expected in game. For aircraft, lock wingspan and gear geometry relative to hangar doors, landing pads, and taxiway widths so level design can plan. For VTOL and spacecraft, fix gimbal clearance and emitter spacing to avoid self‑inflicted thruster wash and to guide VFX placement.

Stance is shaped by how mass resolves at contact. Sag at rest hints at spring rate and load, while anti‑squat, anti‑dive, and caster trail cues can be suggested with subtle geometry and wheelhouse rake. Exhaust vector direction, radiator inlet area, and brake cooling ducts tell a story about intended duty cycle. On walkers and mechs, stance relies on foot proportion, ankle articulation ranges, and pelvis position over the support polygon. On hover and maglev craft, the visual “air cushion” is sold by skirt geometry, emitter arrays, and the distance between lift sources and CG; too narrow and it looks unstable, too wide and it appears wasteful or sluggish.

Perspective‑aware proportion sketches keep exploration honest. Begin with a neutral three‑quarter view where the horizon passes through the vehicle’s nominal CG height; this prevents unintentional heroization from a low camera or diminishment from a high one. When exploring aggression or elegance, change stance first, details second: lower rooflines fractionally, widen track subtly, or advance the front axle relative to the cabin to imply “pounce.” Paint light to emphasize mass hierarchy, not to hide it. If a pose requires forced perspective for drama, back it up with a measured ortho to avoid misleading production.

Production‑side handoff preserves proportion by making it measurable. Orthographic sheets carry scales, wheelbase, track, overall length and width, ride height at rest and at full compression, and explicit pivot coordinates for doors, hatches, landing gear, control surfaces, and weapon gimbals. A metrics page records stance angles, camera offsets, and cockpit sightline cones so UI and animation have fixed references. Cutaways show heavy components placed where the silhouette implied them, aligning CG estimates with the exterior read. Exploded views clarify which structural members are rigid and how body panels layer over subframes so deformation and destruction can be modeled without breaking silhouette logic.

Proportion must survive LODs and platform variance. When budgets tighten, silhouette and stance are the last things to compromise. High‑frequency detail yields first, followed by medium‑frequency accents, but the large volumes and their relationships should remain identical from hero to lowest LOD. Trim sheets and decals can carry identity when geometry thins out, and livery zones can reinforce stance lines with value and color that persist across distance bands. On mobile or last‑gen targets, consider simplifying canopy curvature, wheel arch complexity, and greeble density while preserving track width, wheelbase, and roofline rake.

Faction language is carried by proportion as much as by surface detail. A salvage faction might widen track and exaggerate ride height with visible lift blocks and patched subframes, while a sleek technocracy compresses ride height, seals seams, and hides structure behind continuous skins. Keep emblem geometry aligned to proportion lines—centerline spines, shoulder planes, and light signatures—so branding reinforces stance rather than fighting it. Monetization and skins should respect these anchor lines; a paint job that breaks the shoulder or beltline undermines class readability and makes the vehicle feel off‑brand.

Testing proportion in level is a design act. Place the vehicle proxy in representative scenarios—ramps, stairs, narrow alleys, bridge trusses, hangar bays—and observe silhouette under game lighting and fog. Check camera occlusions at idle, acceleration, braking, drift, pitch, and roll extremes. Verify that stance remains legible during screen shake and VFX events. Adjust wheel arch gaps, canopy frames, light positions, and fender edges to preserve key reads. When conflicts arise between proportion truth and level geometry, negotiate with design using measured deltas in wheelbase, track, or ride height rather than patching with superficial detail.

Across indie and AAA, the rhythm differs but the craft is the same. Indie teams discover proportion in combined pages—silhouettes, a measured side ortho, and a quick block‑in paintover that checks stance at the actual camera distance—then refine directly in engine with greyboxes. AAA teams formalize proportion through a sequence of gates—silhouette lock, metrics lock, ortho lock, rigging check—so large groups can work in parallel. In both cases, the quality of the result depends on protecting the early relationships that define identity and handling.

Closing the loop means letting proportion lead every other decision. When wheelbase, track, ride height, and center of gravity are coherent, perspective reinforces truth and silhouette becomes unmistakable. Details can change with optimization and skins can shift over time, but stance remains the memory players carry. Whether you are inventing a light scout for an indie dust‑bowl or stewarding a flagship VTOL for a AAA franchise, make proportion your north star and let every deliverable—silhouette boards, orthos, cutaways, callouts, and paintovers—serve it.