3D animation examples in engineering and industry

Aviation and innovation

How do you convince investors of a system that cannot be photographed yet? The ATS aircraft towing animation became a proof of concept: it helped secure funding in the USA, and the test prototype at an airport in Oklahoma turned out to match what the animation had shown earlier. The same models produced print visualizations and graphics for the patent application.

• proof of concept before the prototype
• investor presentations
• graphics for patent documentation
• visualizations for PR materials

Machinery and drives

A machine has to be understood, but also remembered. Transforming KAAST machine tools into robots made the product the hero of a campaign, and the story proved strong enough to get a second episode. For AFL Motors, one model built from CAD files fed the advertising, catalogues, online shop and trade show stand, showing airflow and geometry that a photo cannot capture.

• a brand that stays in memory
• one model, many channels
• design fidelity from CAD files
• trade show and catalogue materials

Automotive and vehicles

Components hidden under the body cannot be shown without taking the car apart. The 360 animation for Knauf Industries instantly shows where the EPP part sits and what it does, without cutting the body or long descriptions. For Tip-Topol, the camera drives under a moving vehicle and shows the suspension air bellows where they actually work, something no real camera can film.

• the role of parts invisible to a camera
• a product shown without disassembly
• presentation for the website and trade shows
• vertical versions for social media

Industrial and technological processes

On a trade show stand a boiler looks like a cabinet with doors, and the whole design advantage sits in the burner. A cross-section animation opens the unit in front of visitors and explains a process that words cannot show. For Hexonic, one set of models produced cross-sections, a heat exchange animation and packshots for the new brand identity.

• a cross-section instead of a description
• visitors' attention at trade shows
• sales and training material
• technology and branding from one model

HVAC and heat exchange

On a diagram an HVAC installation is a set of lines. Cross-sections of units, media flow and an animation of the whole system in a building show how the solution works and why it is worth choosing. The presentation can be prepared from documentation before a prototype exists, and instructional films explain how to control entire systems.

• media flow shown directly
• the whole system working in a building
• a presentation before the prototype
• instructional films on controls

Construction and structures

Insulation works hidden in walls, under floors and under the roof. An interactive cross-section model of a house shows every application of Knauf Therm products in one graphic and went onto the manufacturer's website as a presentation for customers. TLC steel structures, prepared from CAD files, are visible in full, at the scale of the hall.

• building layers from the inside
• an interactive presentation for the website
• every application in one graphic
• a structure at the scale of the whole building