Virtual photographs impress automotive sector

An ARTVPS product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 17, 2003

Burrows has expanded its commitment to ART VPS rendering solutions with the addition of a further three high-end RenderDrive 3D rendering systems.

Burrows has expanded its commitment to ART VPS rendering solutions with the addition of a further three high-end RenderDrive 3D rendering systems.

This expansion means that Burrows will be able to rely on a network of nine RenderDrive systems to deliver stunning imagery to its roster of automotive clients including Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Mazda, and will support expansion of the 3D department at Burrows to meet the increased demand for its 3D visual services.

A world-leading creative marketing communications company, Burrows first experienced RenderDrive in October 2000 and has since used ART VPS technology on many projects - including launches for the Jaguar X-Type, Ford Thunderbird, Ford Fiesta, and Ford TransitConnect new vehicle models.

Burrows use RenderDrive to create very high quality, high-resolution still images - what ART VPS refers to as virtual photographs.

These virtual photographs are used by Burrows clients extensively in public affairs and marketing materials such as brochures, press kits, and technical seminars, reducing the amount of real photography required and offering more flexibility in the creation of the shots.

Indeed, it is often the case that a real vehicle is not available for photographic shoots when Burrows begin their projects.

Burrows highly skilled designers, and the ART VPS RenderDrive systems, enable photographic quality images to be created without costly prototypes or production vehicles being required.

A vehicle can be placed in any environment, innovative technical aspects of the vehicle can be highlighted, and the cabin interiors can be explored and experienced - all without reference to a physical vehicle.

However, these are not just artistic representations of the design, but truly virtual photographs created with the original 3D CAD data and using real world physically-based rendering algorithms to calculate the image.

Burrows use RenderDrive as part of its N.Visage visualisation workflow.

N.Visage allows Burrows to use the original manufacturing data directly from the client to create high quality images that include every detail of the final product.

According to Keith Harmer, 3D Studio Manager at Burrows, no other 3D rendering solution is able to cope with the massive CAD datasets that Burrows work with.

"We've experimented with other rendering tools", he comments, "but only RenderDrive has the capacity and the robustness to reliably deliver high-resolution images from these massive datasets".

RenderDrive's rendering speed and image quality are also important for Burrows.

"The quest for the highest quality is painstaking", adds Harmer.

"We're always pushing the envelope, improving on every job, and sometimes we'll go through many iterations on a particular aspect to get it right.

With RenderDrive we've got the time to take pains over it and ensure an excellent result".

The benefit of Burrows services for its clients can be immense.

"The cost of using physical prototypes and real photography is enormous", says Harmer.

"The images and animations that Burrows create can help our designers make decisions on brochure design and how the vehicle is visualised - often based on the 'hero' shots that dramatically capture the essence of the car's design - at a much earlier stage in the development process".

For ART VPS, this business benefit of minimising mistakes and reducing time-to-market, is at the heart of its focus on virtual photography, according to Craig Wareham, VP Marketing at ART VPS.

"3D CAD is widely used to deliver design and engineering benefits.

Adding virtual photography solutions such as Pure and RenderDrive to existing CAD installations leverages these benefits across the whole manufacturing enterprise", says Wareham.

"By enabling and simplifying better design communication you can accelerate decision-making and increase satisfaction for all stakeholders in a project".