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About the Model Design  So, if you are here you are probably wondering how our Corvette youtube video came to be. In November 2011, Jalopnik posted drawings of what they claimed would be the actual, final new Corvette design. Naturally, this caused some controversy, as the drawings depict a radically restyled design with many cues that deviate from Corvette history. During a visit to the Corvette Museum in Kentucky during early 2012, I started thinking about how the Jalopnik speculations might look as a 3D model, where the drawings are reconciled to each other to produce something we can image from a human height. Also I thought that a few of the features might be a bit out of proportion, and very slight edits would make a world of difference in how sleek this design could look. A batch of spy photos of the C7 test vehicles (heavily camoflaged) driving in public appeared in February 2012, which seemed to confirm many aspects of those earlier Jalopnik drawings. So, in April 2012 we at Trinity Animation set about working on a good 3D car model that combined the best of everything known about C7. We fit this work in around our regular animation work.
I should explain - the video is 100% animated. That is, using the same process you may have seen for 3D animated movies such as "Toy Story" and the fanciful CG worlds of "Avatar," our team constructed a computer model of the car that can be rendered in a way that looks real. This process involves virtual "sculpting" the 3D shape of each part of the model as polygons, using a mouse. Next, the artist creates materials in the software that will look like car paint or other surfaces. Environments are built in a similar way to the car model. Next, the software allows the artist to create and place virtual "lights" to light the car and scene in various ways -- some that would be impossible in the real world. Finally the images are computed at full quality, a process that may take hours for a single frame. Each minute of animation consists of 1800 frames, so it can be a big job to compute those. Finally all these frames are combined with other effects (such as depth blur, glows and flares) and the final movie is produced. 
The Car & Driver spy photos also seemed to indicate that all the marker and brake lamps would be LED based so we used that as well. One interesting design cue revealed in the spy photos is the quarter windows that appear behind the main side windows. This would be a new feature on a Corvette, and we think it looks good in this design. About the Modeler  Chad Koerner created the 3D car model. Chad is a graduate of Full Sail University and is employed as an animator at Trinity Animation, where he creates images and movies for a variety of clients. A: There were actually a few things we had to create that were not shown in the "spy photos" or the Jalopnik drawings. The interior structure of the headlight was the area that needed the most work.
A: I have never worked on a project like this before, although we've built a lot of cars for the animated TV series we work on - the spy comedy ARCHER on FX. We produce all kinds of vehicles in our work as background artists for that show. But they are rarely seen close-up and our background elements are painterized, rather than realistic. So obviously the level of detail and final quality on this Corvette model are far greater. A: Yes, this project had unique challenges. There are a lot of wildly conflicting illustrations of the 2014 Corvette from magazine covers, the web, and of course the spy photos and Jalopnik's illustrations. Ultimately we had to piece the car together and reconcile the conflicts bit by bit. Some bits like the rear vertical parking lights are pure conjecture - they are similar to those cool side marker lamps that border each wheel. A: To prepare for the project I trained with the League of Shadows for about 6 months. I also reviewed hundreds of Corvette images and videos. Q: What was your favorite part? A: Oddly enough, I really love the way the windshield wipers turned out! About the Animator
About the Music
In addition to his role as Trinity Animation CEO, Jim Lammers has always loved music, so with this project he created and performed all original music. The opening ominous notes are played by Jim on a cello. The bass and drums are also performed live, along with the guitar parts. The rest is sequenced using the instruments that are part of Cubase 6, which is the software used to record and mix the many audio tracks that make up the finished result. The music was designed to start with a mysterious feeling, progressing to something rhythmic and driving (for lack of a better word!). The car engine sound effects were recorded directly from Jim's 2012 Grand Sport Corvette. About Trinity Animation - Founded in 1994, Trinity Animation is a Kansas City based animation and visualization service best known for its work on the hit TV series Archer. Trinity Animation produces visualization for architects, manufacturers and entertainment producers from around the world.
- F. A. Q. - Q: Are you connected with General Motors or Chevrolet or Corvette? Q: I hate it! I love it! How can I buy one? It won't look like that. Q: Is any of the animation from video or photoshopped pictures, or live action you filmed? Q: What software did you use? What hardware? Q: How can I learn to use this 3D software? Q: How big is your render farm to compute all of this? Q: Can you give me your 3D model for my own experiments? Q: How detailed is the model? - Credits - Animation produced by Trinity Animation, Lee's Summit, MO ©2012 • Car Modeling: Chad Koerner • Environments adapted from scenes created by Evermotion: Thanks to Jalopnik.com and Matt Hardigree for their inspirational artist's illustrations of this car. Rendered with VRay by Chaos Group "Corvette" and the checkered flag logo are registered trademarks of General Motors. - Disclaimer -
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