by tompainter | Aug 11, 2015 |
Bigman R&D – Truchet Awesome algorithmic artwork The tangram The tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle where the objective is to arrange 7 geometric shapes to form a specific image such as a bird or a tree. It was brought to the west in the 19th century and became a fashionable overnight sensation. Bigman brand identity At Bigman we solve puzzles every day and we love elegant and bold designs. The tangram combines both of these, so we thought it would be the perfect branding device for our own visual identity. After a few years of producing tangram art by hand, we decided it would be great if we were able to generate these artworks automatically. Get your geek on We coded a custom computer program, that we named Truchet, that was capable of producing one of a kind tangram grids of any size. Coloured grids We got Truchet to a basic level where it was capable of generating randomly coloured patterns that fitted perfectly together. To gain more control over what we were creating we set rules that would generate any colour scheme we liked but still letting the computer do all the hard work. This meant we were able to match specific colour ways from corporate identities or choose harmonious colours automatically using scientific colour theory. We were pretty happy with what we had created. The King Just when we were feeling pretty content we hit upon the idea of using photographs to set the colours of our tangram images, and our new style was born. Branded images We now have the perfect way to quickly and consistently brand images as uniquely ‘Bigman’. We can feed in abstract images for more decorative designs...
by tompainter | Aug 6, 2015 |
Smart For Two Photo realistic CGI vehicle Mixed media We often have clients who come to us wanting a digital object inserted into a real world environment. With the use of CGI we can create photo realistic products that can be placed seamlessly into any photograph. This Smart For Two image we created is an excellent example of this. Reaping the benefits Using CGI to create a car may seem more complicated than traditional methods but it is a great way to enhance photographs and has so many benefits. Faster – photographing this scene would have involved a huge amount of preparation, including obtaining the permission required and organising a crew. Cheaper – where large physical objects are involved CGI has a great advantage and so the costs of creating work are much less. Flexible – as we have no constraints we can create anything digitally and are able to control and alter every detail of an image. Creating the illusion Lighting is key to make these images look as natural as possible. We took to Brighton beach to get the background shots for this project. Whilst there we also took the image shown here, which was able to capture a 360 of the environment. We were then able to replicate the information we had about the lighting using computer software. This meant that the digital car looked natural in the background because the lighting was identical and not guessed. Finishing touches Once the CGI car had been modeled we could insert it into the background image, adding highlights and shadows and finally a touch of Photoshop wizardry to finish the image...
by tompainter | Jul 12, 2015 |
MGM Advantage Creative character design Quirky marketing campaign Bigman were contacted by the Brighton based advertisement and design agency, Killer Creative. They were working with MGM Advantage on an idea for a space themed marketing campaign and needed our help to add a touch of playfulness to the project. Artistic inspiration In order to achieve the fun look MGM Advantage wanted in the image series we were producing, we explored a number of different creative styles that could be used. It was decided that the perfect style for our work would be a charming plasticine look, which would give our characters a unique appearance and form the basis of a great lighthearted campaign. Paper planning We knew that before beginning the hard task of rendering 3D plasticine images we would need to have a thorough plan. The best way for us to do this was by creating very detailed pencil drawings of each plasticine element. This allowed us to explore and develop a variety of different ideas that we would then transform into a digital image. Charming organic CGI We chose to make the plasticine figures very organic, incorporating all the bumps and finger prints that would have been there if they had actually been modeled, which meant our work had a human touch. Our finished work was a great success, injecting some soul into what could have been another cold computer generated image and creating a completely unique style that will stand out from others. Similar Projects Circle Health September 13, 2022 TMPW AAbot Augmented Reality December 3, 2019 BBC Doodlebugs July 2, 2018 Sony Eyepet Augmented Reality May 30, 2017 Puppy May 26, 2017 Talk...
by tompainter | Jul 1, 2015 |
Prudential Informative 3D messages Financial illustrations We worked with design agency Further Creative to produce this campaign for the financial services giants Prudential. They wanted an informative series of 3D illustrations to use on their website. An engaging message The work that we created would need to be based around keywords relating to Prudential’s services conveying their message to the audience. We didn’t want our image to be too generic and so started working on a way that we could incorporate the text in an interesting and engaging way. Integrated text We began this work by giving the Prudential font the 3D treatment to create bold, stylised text, which we could then integrate into stock images to bring the messages to life. As we didn’t just want flat text we chose to arrange the words as a sculpture, livening up the lettering by rotating and layering it. Photo realistic shading Once our text was positioned we needed to make sure it looked as though it belonged. We reverse engineered the lighting from the stock photos and applied it to the text, adding reflections and shadows to create the illusion that it is physically in the imagery. Similar Projects Buhler Sorting Machine Explainer July 18, 2018 Puppy May 26, 2017 The World in Your Hands May 6, 2016 mCommerce May 5, 2016 TIPPS Ear Plugs April 20, 2016 Brugal Rum April 6, 2016 Truchet August 11, 2015 Smart For Two August 6, 2015 MGM Advantage July 12, 2015 Bacardi July 5, 2015 Prudential July 1, 2015 Scottish Government June 30, 2015 Action Man June 24, 2015 NCP June 22, 2015 Zurich Municipal June 21, 2015 Pixar Euro Pixels June 20, 2015 Sourz June...
by tompainter | Jun 30, 2015 |
Scottish Government High end 3D retouching What frozen things do in summer The Scottish Government needed some imagery to go with the launch of a new initiative. Their idea was to create an intriguing and eye catching visual by transforming a traditional snowman into a fun summery one. Challenge accepted This project posed some problems for us as all we had to work with was this stock photo of a winter snowman. CGI magic CGI is the perfect tool to create this kind of image. We are able to skilfully retouch any image, creating new elements that are consistent with an existing photo. Classic retouching Our first step in this process was to remove the winter clothing from the original image so we had a blank canvas for our new clothes. Perfectly tailored We used 3D modelling to create all the new elements on the image, mapping out every detail precisely. On the shirt we wanted an extremely high level of detail in order for our CGI to look realistic so we even created buttons, seams and creases. Naturally lit It was vital that the lighting of our digital clothing matched that of the original picture. We replicated the blue tinted, wintery lighting from the original and added it to our new elements so that the two were coherent. Similar Projects Circle Health September 13, 2022 TMPW AAbot Augmented Reality December 3, 2019 Buhler Sorting Machine Explainer July 18, 2018 BBC Doodlebugs July 2, 2018 Sony Eyepet Augmented Reality May 30, 2017 Puppy May 26, 2017 The World in Your Hands May 6, 2016 mCommerce May 5, 2016 TIPPS Ear Plugs April 20, 2016 Brugal Rum April...
