To jumpstart his career as a designer, Jake took night classes at Art Center College of Design. Eager to go to the college full-time, he petitioned the government to give him a grant that would fund his four-year degree. Jake’s perseverance paid off. With the promise of funding, Jake spent the next few years fine-tuning his draftsmanship and understanding of the design process so that he could gain entry to the highly competitive school.

“I worked really hard to improve my portfolio and skills,” Jake says. “I had to convince the department chairs I’d be good for the school – it wasn’t easy. The school’s bet on Jake was a good one. I made the dean’s list and impressed a lot of people.” I was exactly where I belonged.”

When instructor Bumsuk Lim offered a motorcycle-design class, the first of its kind at the college, and tasked students with creating an innovative cycle design, Jake sketched out three different concepts oriented around a singular goal.

“I set out to create a new riding experience – I call it diving acceleration. I knew I wanted the motorcycle to shift positions according to speed and the rider’s position to be under-slung. I also knew the vehicle would be electric.”

“I turned to AliasStudio when it was time to decide exactly what technology I’d use. I built a 3D model in AliasStudio around different technical components, such as batteries and the electrical motor.”

The design’s turning point came when Jake decided to use pneumatic muscles made by Festo to steer the bike.

“Once I started packaging the Festo system, which is based on the human muscular-skeletal system, my design crystallized. In AliasStudio, I sketched over a few of those muscles, my accumulator, air compressor, and batteries. When I brought the concept to class, everyone agreed: this was it.”

Now settled on a wearable motorcycle concept that he called Deus Ex Machina, Jake set out to refine his design in AliasStudio. He played with sculpting forms around his technical components using the software’s flexible modeling tools, and used AliasStudio’s advanced surfacing tools to quickly iterate realistic-looking surfaces.

“A flashy sketch is nice, but if you can’t understand a surface or transition, it’s worthless. With AliasStudio, it’s really easy to do many different design iterations quickly, while staying true to the technical components. It helps me put together a design that fits a technical package in about a day.”

Jake points to the ability to customize his AliasStudio menus as a huge time saver.

“When your tools are scattered, you waste a lot of time looking for what you need. With AliasStudio, I take my marking menu, drop in the tools that I’m using, and then they’re right there when I need them.”

For Jake, achieving the right look for Deus Ex Machina was paramount.

“I wanted this to be a lifestyle vehicle that Oakley, Motorola, Bugatti, and Puma could co-brand. Just as you wear Bugatti leathers away from your bike, I wanted the wearable aspects of the Dues Ex Machina to extend beyond the vehicle. It needed a spectacular, appealing aesthetic.”

AliasStudio helped Jake clearly visualize his designs, so he’d know whether he was achieving the right look.

“I like the hardware shader, lighting, and cinematic effects I can get with AliasStudio. I can easily build an environment to render my design in context, which helps me see where I should make design adjustments.”

The Deus Ex Machina proved to be an incredibly innovative design. When parked, the bike would stand upright, allowing the rider to step in and strap it on like a full-body suit. Thirty-six pneumatic muscles would take commands from the rider’s body movements to steer the vehicle. Powered by lithium-ion batteries and ultracapacitors, the bike is theoretically capable of 75 mph. In the words of Popular Science, “It’s one of the most innovative concept vehicles we’ve seen in ages.”

Not only did Jake’s design grab the attention of media, it also garnered interest from transportation industry people, catapulting his prospects post-graduation.

“Typically, a student project is seen by a dozen people. I had a chance to show Deus Ex Machina to Syd Mead, of Blade Runner fame, and David Robb, the design boss for BMW’s motorcycle business. I never imagined getting this kind of opportunity.”

Even while he’s finishing school, Jake is already experiencing career benefits. He’s designing a motorcycle for an Indian company and an electrical bicycle for a company in California. However, Jake hasn’t abandoned his primary goal.

“I’ve gotten such great exposure, so many doors have opened. But I’m working first on getting my degree – that’s my main goal right now.”