Apple Vision Pro's Immersive Experience!
Apple Vision Pro, a Virtual Reality (VR) headset. I mainly used 3D animation techniques and worked extensively with Cinema 4D to produce professional visuals. I extensively explored animation and camera techniques with Cinema 4D, aiming to give viewers the experience of watching a short film and showcasing the complexities of 3D motion graphics.
Animation Phase
Given my passion for first-person shooter (FPS) games, I drew inspiration from popular game trailers, notably the Battlefield 2042 trailer, which I admired for its dynamic and engaging visuals. This inspiration led me to recreate a similar action scene. The ultimate goal was to produce a promotional video that was not just a showcase of visual effects, but an immersive preview of an actual game. This video would feature the game’s interface initially, display a selection of different aircraft skins to choose from, and culminate in an exhilarating battle scene, giving viewers a taste of the gameplay.
The process began with setting up the environment using .vdb (volume database) files to simulate the clouds. These files are essential for creating high-quality volumetric effects such as clouds and smoke in 3D environments. Given the complexities involved, especially the high render times associated with .vdb files, careful planning was required.
Each cloud was crafted adjusting size, rotation, and position to fit seamlessly into the scene for each camera shot. This level of detail was necessary to maintain realism and continuity across different views and sequences.
To populate the cockpit, I sourced a human model online and chose to use Mixamo, a service that provides rigging and animation tools, to rig and the character. This allowed me to efficiently integrate apilot into the aircraft, enhancing the realism of the cockpit scenes. Each animation was created step-by-step, ensuring that movements were smooth, which was critical for the immersive experience I aimed to offer.
Using .vdb in Animation
Utilizing .vdb files was one of the most challenging aspects of the animation process.
These files, while powerful for creating realistic volumetric effects, significantly increase rendering times. It was so significant to use these resources as needed as possible. I avoided using .vdb elements that would not be visible in the final camera shots or contribute meaningfully to the scenes, as they could potentially slow down the project with unnecessary rendering elements. The positioning of the clouds often required the camera to move through them, creating complex interactions between the light, the clouds, and the aircraft. This necessitated constant adjustments to ensure that the clouds appeared consistent and realistic from different camera angles and lighting conditions. I spent several days tweaking the settings, often revisiting and adjusting the clouds’ placement and density based on the feedback from reference videos and simulation previews.
