Case: Newtec – Sorting

When reality needs animation

Animated realism is the natural way to go

At Newtec in Southern Denmark, an industry leader, around 150,000 carrots pass through a sorting machine every hour.

There is a lot of speed at Newtec.
The same was true for our 3D team during the process, where both small and large objects in the product film were built from scratch with 3D animation.

Animations highlight your selling points

Newtec’s sorting machine detects the shape, color and quality of every vegetable that passes the machine’s row of cameras.
The cameras are controlled by the machine’s software, which is based on AI technology, and was therefore an important detail to highlight in the story.

But along the way we encountered a challenge.
It was physically impossible to access the part of the machine where the cameras are located.
For hidden effects or closed environments in products, there is often no alternative.
In such cases, animation is a best friend and indispensable in film production.
That’s why animation was the right solution here.

We have years of experience in delivering photorealistic animation where it is almost impossible to distinguish between reality and animation.

Book a free inspiration meeting with us and learn more about the possibilities of using animation in your next film project.

Animations that solve complications

Animation can fulfill requests for specific visual expressions, but it can also overcome unforeseen challenges.

Working closely with Newtec, we decided early in the filming process which situations and scenes animation could add important properties to objects and environments.
But then Newtec’s machine was updated with new features during the process.
For fast-moving companies, it is quite normal that product optimizations of a technological and design nature are made many times over.
In Newtec’s case, the elements that sort out useless vegetables were redesigned and re-colored during the filming process.
An extra camera was also added to the machine.
All changes that could be updated directly in our files and system, saving both us and the company a lot of work.

In an animated universe, we can make changes on the fly.
This provides flexibility and favorable conditions for both the customer and us.

Alternatively, we would have to make fresh footage and send out a film crew for the purpose.
But because all the elements of the machine were already modeled in vector graphics, changes could be incorporated alongside the film production.

Animations showing features

There are several reasons why our 3D artist and lead animator on the project, Anna, recreated carrots and potatoes with animation.

Realistic look

The obvious reason to go the animation route was the appearance of the vegetables.
Selecting physical potatoes and carrots to represent the row of vegetables rejected by the machine was not an option.

To bring out the diversity, Anna recreated the vegetables according to the qualities requested by the customer, without holding a real carrot in her hand.
In addition to working with the mold itself, Anna fine-tuned the texture and gloss to create a realistic look.

Rotations

Next, function was an important factor as the vegetables had to rotate on their own axis.
Real carrots and potatoes can’t do that for good reason.

Streamlined environment

When we mix the two worlds; 3D animation and moving images, it can also be because we want to change a minor detail.
This is the case with Newtec’s machine, which was given new feet.
A major change that is less in focus is the entire environment in which the machine stands.

With 3D animation, we can have 100% control over the environment in which we place products, which has its advantages when we want to streamline the environment, avoid different backgrounds and reduce visual noise.

Read about the many benefits of using 3D animation in movies

SORTING CARROTS

Customer:	Newtec A/S
Production company:	Zoom Film Aps
Category:	Product movie
Year:	2022/2023
Services:	3D animation, brainstorming, idea generation and storyboarding

SORTING POTATOES

Customer:	Newtec A/S
Production company:	Zoom Film Aps
Category:	Product movie
Year:	2022/2023
Services:	3D animation, brainstorming, idea generation and storyboarding