Role: motion design, rigging, post production
Software: Adobe After Effects
Software: Adobe After Effects
When Sambarock Ad Agency approached me to create a Rubik's Cube in Motion Graphics, I initially believed it would be the most challenging aspect of the project.
Nops....
it turned out to be more complex than that, the ad also needed to appear 3D on a cornered avenue in Times Square, NY. This was back in 2018 and the famous 3D street displays in Shinjuku Station, Tokyo, weren't even a thing yet:
So, I had to come up with my own solution for this.
Simple enough, just make the cube, chop each face into nine bits, slap a camera on each face and call it a day, right? Right?
Creating that Rubik's Cube opened up a whole new can of worms. Turns out, computers don't really like Rubik's cubes. bUT I learned a game-changing secret: all those tiny cube bits had to pivot right at the center of the whole structure. but After Effects' limitations handling 3D in 2018 presented more obstacles. It calculates layer positions before dealing with the 3D space, restricting my rig to just four moves before it break. I managed to push it to eight moves by modifying the display texture while animating, creating a convincing illusion.
By the way, did you know there's an algorithm for solving Rubik's cubes? That gave me a glimmer of hope for adding some cool moves.
Now, with those technical challenges addressed, it was time to tackle the "3D-but-not-really-3D" display problem. The specifications for the display only requested a SINGLE video, AND THAT posed a unique challenge.
Times Square, with its busy and high-profile nature, offered no room for trial and error.
So I created a 3d simulation of the actual corner HAVE A SAFE ENVIROEMENT to ITERATE EXECUTION IDEAS. But The tests with cameras placed at the front and side of the cube were disastrous.
So I created a 3d simulation of the actual corner HAVE A SAFE ENVIROEMENT to ITERATE EXECUTION IDEAS. But The tests with cameras placed at the front and side of the cube were disastrous.
After a few days of struggle, a solution finally dawned on me: I would animate the entire project in 3D, using a camera directed at the cube's corner. Then, I would run the animation and adjust the cube's perspective to fit the rectangular display. It might not be the most elegant solution, but I took pride in devising it independently, as I had never encountered a similar approach before.
All things considered, the client was thrilled with the results and even sent someone to Times Square to film the ad. It marked my very first gig on the big screen in Times Square, and showing it to my kids was an absolute blast.
