Form development
3D visualization

Chess Pieces

A two-week group form study translating chess movement into a family of physical pieces. I focused on 3D modeling and visualization, helping the team compare the forms and communicate the complete set.

Rendered chess set with sculptural pieces on a marble table

Role: 3D modeling and visualization
Team: 4 people · 2023
Duration: 2 weeks
Tools: Autodesk Alias and KeyShot

Making the rules visible

The brief was to create a unique chess set that still communicates the traditional rules. Our group used vertical rods as a shared base, changing their height, count and direction to express movement and hierarchy.

The first direction made the pieces feel related, but their rank needed to be clearer. Comparing the forms side by side helped us refine the differences while keeping the set coherent.

Swipe across each diagram to see all six pieces.

Angled view of the pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen and king, with different heights and rod arrangements — A shared form, with differences in height and arrangement

Side view of the pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen and king compared against horizontal height guides — Comparing proportion and hierarchy

Top view of the pawn, rook, knight, bishop, queen and king, with diagrams showing their movements — One family, six different movements

From model to prototype

I worked on the 3D models and visualizations to help the group compare the pieces as a system. The team then used 3D printing to take the forms off the screen and compare their scale and proportions on a board.

The painted prototypes brought the height variations and shared base into a physical setting, giving us another way to judge the hierarchy across the set.

Blue painted chess-piece prototypes on a board during development — Printed and painted prototypes

Blue 3D-printed chess pieces arranged on a chessboard — Comparing the set on the board

The result

The final concept uses one repeated element to connect the pieces, with differences in height and arrangement expressing their roles. KeyShot renders show the set in context and make the relationships between form, material and lighting easier to assess.

Rendered chess set on a round table in a contemporary living room — The full set in context

What I learned

I learned to develop a family of forms rather than judge each piece on its own. Small changes in height, repetition and direction can make the set feel related while giving each piece a distinct role. Moving between models, prototypes and renders helped me compare those relationships.

Skills I developed: Translating an abstract rule system into physical form.
Developing a coherent product family and visible hierarchy.
Communicating a group concept through modeling and visualization.
Tools & methods: Autodesk Alias for 3D modeling.
KeyShot for materials, lighting and context renders.
3D-printed prototypes and painted form comparisons.