Expectation Shattering Sound
ROLE: Concept, Design, Animation, Compositing
CLIENT: N/A
An exploration into a microphone so good you have to keep it away from anything breakable.
For this personal project I knew I wanted to hone my 3D chops and also explore the Arnold renderer. What better way to do it than with some shiny technology right?
Some Thoughts on the Process
If you’re going to advertise a shiny new product, letting it spin and sparkle in 3D is a safe bet. The glass effect required a combination of simulated glass destruction for the large pieces along with a more simple particle emitter to add a ton of tiny debris.
Another new challenge I faced in this design was using the Arnold renderer. The model came in with standard C4D materials applied so the first step was recreating all of those with Arnold shaders. I was blown away by the speed and quality of the images I was getting right out of the box. I used a combination of HDRI lighting and Arnold lights to make sure there was lots of light for those little particles to reflect.
The IPR window really is a game changer. Being able to see real time updates as you move your lighting around makes it feel like you’re lighting a real set. It allows you to focus on being creative. I promise I’m not sponsored by Arnold, I’m just excited about it.
My original designs had the microphone existing in a purely black universe but I found that felt a little bland. Thanks to the wonders of compositing I was able to add this subtle concrete grunge to the background which really grounded the scene and made it feel more authentic.