Daniel Benöhr

My story

I have been fascinated with technology since childhood. Everything of large proportions that moved — like airplanes and trains — fascinated me. Eventually, I started bringing my own ideas to life by drawing what I saw and complementing with my own ideas. As I grew up, I discovered the power of the digital world and moved from paper to computer. A whole new world of possibilities opened. I began building and coding interactive experiences, exploring existing rail design by reconstructing the German InterCity 1 and the American Amtrak Superliner double-decker coaches, while also looking toward the future by designing my own concepts for double-decker train interiors and light rail systems.

Over time, I started reaching the limits of what was possible in terms of performance and realism within a game engine, which led me to discover Blender. It became the tool that allowed me to transform my ideas into highly accurate visual representations of how I envision the future of rail infrastructure. With Blender, I moved beyond the limitations of game-engine based design and began realizing my ideas in far greater detail. At the same time, I started exploring the technical and engineering aspects of rail vehicles themselves, which began influencing my designs and allowed me to think not only from the perspective of the passenger, but also from the perspective of the engineer and operator.

The next chapter

As my work becomes increasingly sophisticated and developing into real world concepts, I am starting to reach the limits of what Blender is designed to do best. In order to work in greater detail and technical accuracy, I will be shifting to Rhino 8 to adopt the workflow of the industry.