Mercedes AMG - The Reverse 180
A Study on Workflow and Speed
As a major car enthusiast, the “Reverse 180” is my first ever attempt at a photorealistic approach to a vehicular stunt using 100% CGI. In fact, this is the first time I ever animated a car, period. Every element in the final product is a photorealistic 3D element, including the entire backdrop. From city buildings to trashcans to the camera movement itself, I built the composition and animation entirely using Blender 3.0. The purpose of this shot is not only to demonstrate the use case for my VFX methodologies in a client scenario, but also to examine and create the feeling of speed through various techniques in the 3D workflow and pipeline. Obviously, a lot of great references from Ken Block’s Gymkhana films, as well as Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One visuals were studied!
First Successful Smoke Vortex Simulation
Smoke emission from fast-spinning wheels took multiple drafts and a week dedicated to developing a realistic vortex, ultimately concluding on using an invisible cylindrical shape to represent emission from the tires.
The foreground and background matter incredibly when it comes to creating the sense of speed. I opted for a tight, urban environment for two reasons: first, the close-proximity obstructions such as the street poles, boxes, and trashcans assist the viewer in understanding how fast the camera is moving. The second reason is because nobody in their right mind would promote such a stunt with such a car without a great deal of licensing… making this a near-impossible shot to own.
