THINK: Transparent

ScanLAB Projects

scanlabprojects.co.uk

THINK: Department forTransport, UKx330 Case Study 02

ScanLAB Projects


ScanLAB Projects

scanlabprojects.co.ukCrash v2

ScanLAB Projects


THINK: TransparentUK Department for TransportRural Roads Campaign

In the summer of 2014 ScanLAB Projects worked with director Giles Revell, post production house The Mill and advertising agency AMV BBDO to create Transparent a short educational campaign video to warn against the dangers of rural roads. The work collects a series of rural locations to build up a virtual film set, in which the fateful story of a road accident unfolds.

ScanLAB Projects developed the initial aesthetic concept and approach and were responsible for on location 3D capture and data processing. They oversaw the final production, animation and rendering by The Mill, London.

Client and Team

ScanLAB Projects: Matthew Shaw, Soma Sato, Thomas ParkerAMV: Producer - Anita Sasdy, Creative Team & Co-Directors - Steve Jones & Martin LoraineWe Folk: Producer - Oz Thakkar, Co-Director - Giles RevellThe Mill: Executive Producer - Cat Scott, VFX Producer - Jarrad Vladich, 3D Lead Artists - Tom Raynor

About the Work

More fatalities from motor accidents happen on rural roads than on the motorway, in fact, 60% of all road fatalities in Great Britain happen on rural roads. This work is part of a campaign for the Department for Transport’s THINK! road safety campaign which warns drivers of the dangers on country roads and encourages people to slow down by braking before the bend, not on it.

Using LIDAR scanning technology the work makes an entire rural landscapes totally transparent. These scans were then animated in post-production to show a car speeding along a country road along which we can see through trees, buildings, earth and people. Thanks to the LIDAR technology, the viewer can see the danger through the bends; the driver, however, can’t. As a result, the speeding car careers into an oncoming tractor in a fatal crash. The end titles suggest that, if a driver could see the danger through the bend, they would slow down. Brake before the bend, not on it.

Transparent Corner

One of a series of bendsin rural roads scaned tobuild up a LIDAR landscapein which the campaignvideo is set

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ScanLAB Projects


Haybale Field

Six scans within ahayfield covering anarea of approx 4 acres

ScanLAB Projects

scanlabprojects.co.ukCrash v2

Crashed VW

An elevation of a purposefully crashed VW Golf, for the final accident scene of thecampaign video

Crashed VW

The aligned series of scans which make up the digital version of the crashedVW Golf

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Location:

VW Crash _ v01 + v02

ScanLAB Projects


Technique and Workflow

In order to build up the large LIDAR landscape in which this animation is set a series of locations across West Sussex in the UK where 3D scanned throughout August 2014. In total thirty individual locations where selected for key elements that make up part of this fateful journey.

On Location:12 days on locationVarious resolution scans from 1/2 to 1/4484 scans in totalHDR colour by Nikon D7000

Each location was visited and a plan for on location scanning developed by the team at ScanLAB Projects, in consultation with the directors and the 3D graphics team set to work on the project. Using the Faro x330 a complex series of locations where captured, from heavily forested landscapes to wide open fields and a series of road features including railway bridges, farm entrances and tight corners. The interior of a country pub and the entirety of a working dairy farm also feature in the landscape created. In addition a series of vehicles, actors and extras were also captured using the x330.

When working on smaller elements, a single person or an object in a field a few as 3 or 4 scans were referenced together using sphere targets. In a few cases a single scan is used. Some of the larger locations, for example the farm and the large landscape seen in the opening shot, are a collection of up to 60 individual scans. On these larger scale locations referencing is always target based, using 145mm and 200mm diameter reference spheres.

When scanning vehicles, interior locations or people care was taken at all stages to deal with the negative impact of reflect surfaces and glass. All vehicles were chosen for their relative matte appearance. In addition all glass surfaces and lights were coated with matte vinyl before scanning.

When scanning people the x330 would not be the technology of choice in most cases. However it was decided that to maintain a consistent aesthetic the same scanner should be used across the entire work, from landscape scale subjects to humans. Subjects were asked to stand as still as possible and each scan was repeated several times to ensure at least one good version was successfully captured

Fields + Road

A series of two vast fields anda road bending through the middle. Scanned in a single afternoon using theFARO x330

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Processing:As scan data was aligned and processed using FARO Scene 5.2.5. For the initial visualisation .POD files were exported for use in Bentley Pointools v8i. All data was cleaned and edited in Bentley Pointools v8i. For final rendering and processing at The Mill .XYZ files were exported and delivered. All colour processing was completed in PTGui and in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of image adjusting software

Visualisation + Rendering:Initial visualisation was completed in Bentley Pointools v8i by ScanLAB Projects. The final animation, camera construction and rendering was completed by The Mill using Houdini by SideFX.

The Success of the x330

This work required the capture of a range of complex, vegetated locations and a variety of surprising and unusual objects. The flexibility of settings on the x330 allow the same instrument to be used for a long exterior scan and a quick, vehicle interior scan. For example the x330 on ½ resolution was capable of capturing an entire field in a half hour scan. For the interior of a VW Golf a single 7 minute scan provided enough visual information for the project. The flexibility of setups also allows great adaptability in a complex filming scenario. The requirements of directors, the nature of the weather and the availability of locations are constantly fluxing external factors. While rigorous planning was in place for most of the scanning this was not always possible. The Faro x330 is transportable and adaptable enough for some decisions to be made on the fly, on location to speed up or alter the data captured in response to changes in storyboard or changes in the weather.

About ScanLAB Projects

ScanLAB Projects are one of the UK’s leading providers of large scale 3D scan data. They specialise in visualisation of pointcloud data for film, tv, advertising and the creative industries. Their work has been broadcast internationally and exhibited at leading cultural institutions across the world. They are currently working with leading architects, scientists, broadcasters and artists on a portfolio of projects worldwide.

Tractor

The scanned tractor which results in the final accident scene

Longues-sur-Mer

The series of four artillery positions at Longues-sur-Mer, Normandy

SCAN DfT_120014

Ball Cross Inn

The staged pub scene, 3D scanned in the x330 andwhich features in the final animation

Stills copyright AMV/The Mill/DfT/ ScanLAB Projects Stills copyright AMV/The Mill/DfT/ ScanLAB Projects








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