The SWAT RHINO R-2377 is a special rescue vehicle coming soon to the LAPD in year 2020. It is heavily armored and made to rush into intense situations safely transporting a large team of SWAT officers. This 3D concept design is a personal project done for fun by Gurmukh Bhasin. Read on and enjoy.

The reason it is called the SWAT RHINO R-2377 is because it is a near future truck designed specifically for the (fictional) LAPD swat unit. When starting the design I was looking at a lot of amphibious military trucks for their shape language and armor and as the truck started to take shape it began to look like a Rhino to me. So I thought it would be fun to name it the Rhino R-2377.

- Gurmukh Bhasin

For the past 2 years I have been working as a 3D Concept Artist at Cloud Imperium Games, designing spaceships for the record breaking Star Citizen. In November I was contacted with a opportunity to do an article for 3D World Magazine and I decided I wanted to do something new for the article. I figured it was time to change it up a bit and I came up with the idea to design a near future (2020) ground vehicle. I chose the LAPD because I live in LA, and I chose to make it a SWAT vehicle because I started to imagine something big and heavy driving through scary parts of LA, transporting police officers safely into dangerous situations.

- Gurmukh Bhasin

I was heavily inspired by the shapes and feel of Amphibious Military Trucks, mixed with SWAT trucks you see used in law enforcement today. Both sources of inspiration are known for being big, strong and I think beautiful due to the utilitarian influence of their designs.

- Gurmukh Bhasin

My process for designing the Rhino and pretty much all the design work I do is a mixture of 2D and 3D design. At the very beginning of the project I do very lose sketches with paper, a brush pen, a ball point pen and markers. Once I have a quick design direction down, I start looking for photo reference of real world things to give me guidance on my design. Next I jump into my Maya, a 3D modeling software by Autodesk to start exploring my design in 3 dimensions. At this point I am starting with very simple shapes and blocking in the over all mass of the vehicle. Next I start to build up the details by cutting in simple shapes and slowly layering up the complexity as I continue to explore the design in Maya. Once the 3D design is complete, I bring my model into Keyshot to start adding materials, graphics and lights to create the final images. I render a few views out of keyshot and bring them into Photoshop to do final touches, adding dirt, scratches and weathering to help bring the design to life.

- Gurmukh Bhasin

The idea starts in my imagination as a quick story I create myself. It usually is something I think would be fun to create and something others would potentially find interesting to see. As I move through the design exploration of a project, the ideas are continually changing with every move I make. The process has to be organic and open. The final is never the same as the original picture I had in my head, but it is constantly evolving into something better as I test out what I am thinking. My main tools were Autodesk Maya, Luxion Keyshot and Adobe Photoshop.

- Gurmukh Bhasin

There are always challenges when creating a 3D concept design. Usually you will have an idea (light bulb moment) in your head that you think we be super cool, but once you start to test it out in 3D it usually fails. But testing that idea leads you down a path where after 3-5 attempts at the part you are trying to design, you will come up with the right solution. I guess I don't necessarily see these as being challenges, and more just a necessary part of the design process. For me, if any part of the design big or small is bothering me, it keeps me up at night. So on my own, I change every single part of what I am making till I am 100% in love with it. There weren't any revisions for this piece. Instead it is an evolutionary process where you continue to build on the design part by part till it is 100% perfect in my eyes.

- Gurmukh Bhasin

About Gurmukh Bhasin

Gurmukh Bhasin is an architectural designer turned 3D CONCEPT ARTIST, who currently hails from Los Angeles. His addiction to adventure and all that is creative, was fostered at a young age -- boarding school in India, architecture school in Arizona, and skateboarding through the streets of Barcelona, by way of graduate school at the Southern California Institute of Architecture [sciARC]. Gurmukh's work draws significantly from his life experiences, and provides a constant source of inspiration as he continues to explore the seemingly untapped intersections between reality and imagination.

While immersing himself in the professional realm of architecture for many years, Gurmukh discovered that his true passion lied in the concept phase of design. Essentially, a self-taught digital artist, his method and aesthetic is unique in that it draws from his background in architecture and real world design. Using tools such as Maya, Keyshot and Photoshop early on in his design development process, Gurmukh is constantly examining new ways to merge traditional and contemporary design techniques when creating surreal and often times un-earthly environments, architecture, vehicles, and props.

A self-proclaimed "eternal student," Gurmukh sees great potential in the future of digital art and design. He hopes that his undying curiosity and enthusiasm to seek out what lies beyond the bounds of his current expertise will ensure that he gets an opportunity to play a significant role in multiple creative fields.

You can find more of his works on his Behance profile or website.