26.02.09
The Rebirth of a Legend
The Making of Phase 2: “Performance”
Phase 2, "Performance", focused on the technical innovations, road handling and the impressive performance in terms of engine power and the dynamics of vehicle movement. At this point, the image content was no longer entirely computer-generated but was a combination of real video clips with 3D animation and CGI-visualization components. In part, the vehicle depicted in the four sequences was retroactively integrated into the real video clip without the transition between the real and the computer-generated vehicle being discernible to the eye of the beholder. "X-ray" images of the drive train and the engine in motion give the viewer a glimpse of the technical aspects of the vehicle. An accompanying high-level narrative and the Berlin actor Jan Sosniok posing as the Scirocco’s driver were to impart more personality and movie character to these videos.
In Phase 2 the user can again select from among the video sequences that show the Scirocco’s transmission, body and drivetrain “in action”. Clicking and moving the 360°-rotatable Scirocco cube in a given direction will open one of the four videos. The user will now "drive" from the virtual cube navigation into the real video and the vehicle in the cube will morph into the real vehicle that is at the center of the following video. At this point, the virtual vehicle assumes the perspective position of the real Scirocco in the video, the cube disappears and in the following sequence the Scirocco that had been floating in the cube now begins to run on the road.
Tests Initial trial renderings were produced to obtain an authentic impression of the background |
Final In the final composite, the new VW cult vehicle is embedded in the background and the scene looks real |
Cube transformation in the real video
The combination of computer-generated imagery and partially real video clips of the vehicle and its surroundings was the most technically demanding part of production. The greatest challenge in this production segment was to implement the transition from the CGI into the real vehicle in a way as to make it imperceptible, meaning without any visible breaks in the picture. Accordingly, the virtual vehicle had to fit perfectly into the position of the real vehicle, precisely duplicating its contours and reflections. The change-over from one viewing angle to another also had to be precisely manipulated. It was accomplished by retouching and partly painting the real-world background into the CGI scene. It ultimately allowed us to generate a seamless transition of the background.
Another highlight of this phase was the creation of the “X-ray” view of the Scirocco’s engine and, respectively, of its drive train. For both shots, we first took a video of a road section in the Nevada desert. In the process we surveyed, photographed and documented the road sections. Next, the videos were tracked to allow the transfer of the real camera into a synchronous virtual camera.
With the aid of that camera, the on-site documentation and the respective 3D sets, MACKEVISION was finally able to put the virtual vehicle on the road in photorealistic quality. In exact, painstaking time-related and spatial detail, we produced an animation of the Scirocco by means of which we could then stage a slow-motion run that would allow an "X-ray" view to provide a glimpse into the technical elements of the vehicle. In the last animation phase, “Experience”, the user was able to express his personal preferences; by rotating the cube, he could change the color of the Scirocco. The color selection, once made, automatically launches a video sequence in which the visualized vehicle appears in the desired color and embedded in an appropriate color-compatible surrounding scenery. Other selectable options besides color included rim styles as well as different interiors. This video sequence was taped at real Las Vegas sites and subsequently CGI-edited. In that fashion, set extensions, for instance, created a more dynamic environment while also building a suspense curve into the video sequence. The result was a Web special for the new Scirocco, blending real video recordings with high-end 3D visualizations. Centrally controlled by Hamburg-based Tribal DDB, the new Scirocco Web site has already been adapted for nearly 40 countries worldwide.
You will find the "Best-of" the production in the premium section of this Web site: www.digitalproduction.com
 Animated The roadside animation of the new Scirocco also provides a glimpse of the vehicle’s interior |
 Website Looking at the website you will see different styling versions of this cult vehicle from Wolfsburg |
Tools used in the production process
In the production of the Scirocco imagery, the tools used by MACKEVISION experts included 3ds Max & V-Ray (rendering), Nuke (composition), Avid (editing), Photoshop (retouching), Iridias Framecycler DI (color correction), SynthEyes (3D tracking) as well as numerous proprietary tools developed in-house. To be able to justify our claim of “the highest quality within a minimum of time” and to ensure a smooth interchange between the tools employed, our CGI specialist developed a system- and software-transcending production pipeline. The core element of the pipeline consists of images in a uniform EXR format for camera paths and HDR geometries with supplementary channels. This allows, in addition to RGB and alpha channels, for the loading of selection masks, Z-channels, shades, light layers etc. in one scene and within a single rendering process. Accessing all tools used by MACKEVISION on one and the same basis helps avoid the loss of image information in the interaction between set data and 3D and 2D tools. It also reduces the error rate as well as the rendering time required in the rendering process since the channels are rendered jointly rather than separately as is usually the case.
3D visualization as a strategic advantage
Nowadays, 3D visualization does not only permit the early launch of a marketing campaign. It also provides nearly unlimited elbow room in the creative presentation of marketing concepts. Moreover, this method affords carmakers and agencies substantial freedom in terms of configurability, adaptability and reusability of the 3D image content – especially when a prototype is not available. 3D product applications have long been employed in all sectors and branches of the industry. Today’s enormous demand for imagery and the exponentially increasing need for customizable image content or for the illustration of technically complex scenarios would be impossible to satisfy without 3D visualization – especially in terms of the flexibility, speed and cost economy inherent in this type of visualization.
The entire production cycle from the start of the implementation phase on the basis of the creative concept up to the finalization of the Web special took less than two months. VW’s marketing machine was able to shift into full gear for its latest debutante which, as the “80s Revival”, is to link up with the success stories of the past, long before its market introduction. Without the use of 3D visualization that concept, with emphasis on operating convenience and the interactivity and dynamics of the Web special, could not have materialized. Besides, showing different equipment variations and options would in each case have required another prototype which, for cost considerations, would have been an unthinkable proposition for the carmaker. This Stuttgart-based provider of creative services has proved in other automotive industry projects as well that it can do just fine without a vehicle prototype or, rather, that it can create a top-quality visualized prototype even before the physical one is developed (ref. DP issue of 01:08).
 The author of this article is Joachim Lincke, managing director of MACKEVISION Medien Design GmbH, Stuttgart.
MACKEVISION Medien Design GmbH was founded in 1994. The company has its roots in the production of conventional advertising films. Today, MACKEVISION Medien Design GmbH, employing more than 60 specialists, is among the world’s market leaders in the realm of 3D visualization, animation, visual effects and post-production for ad agencies, film studios and industrial clients. The company’s head office is located in Stuttgart, with branch operations situated in Munich and Detroit.
|
|
|
