Case Study

3D Scanning Figurines For BBC Drama
Another project for Emmy award-winners Huge Designs. The figurines were created for the BBC drama And Then There Were None. We had a small window of opportunity to 3D scan the figurines so they could be animated in the title sequence.
Video courtesy of the BBC with thanks.

The 3D Scanning Brief

We were asked to 3D scan each figurine, clean up the mesh and export as OBJ files along with texture. All the sculptures needed to be 3D scanned within 24hrs. Read on to see how we did it...

3D Scanning the Figurines

Scanned at our London base, each figurine needed some little self adhesive targets applied so the handheld 3D scanner could 3D scan as accurately as possible.
The texture was automatically captured at 300dpi, but more importantly the high resolution surface quality including discrepancies and blemishes were captured brilliantly.

Cleanup & Finishing the 3D Scans

After 3D scanning each sculpture was post-processed using VX-Model - Stray points and vertexes, holes and targets were all cleaned up and the 3D file exported to Pixologic's ZBrush so it could have the final pass before decimation. In ZBrush we're looking to refine areas that have been post-processed but need a little extra work. Sometimes also a client may want design modifications or improvements and ZBrush is great for this type of work.

3D Scan Accuracy

The Creaform Go!Scan 20 we use has accuracy and resolution up to 0.1mm. Once the 3D scan is cleaned and decimated there really is no better way of capturing complex surfaces and geometry. The figurines were decimated to 150k polygons.

The Final 3D Scans

24hrs after starting our client received a download link and could move immediately into texturing and animation. The actual figurines returned to production ready for filming...
The Completed Title Sequence
Title Sequence for the BBC's And Then There Were None.
Produced at Huge Designs.
Video courtesy of the BBC with thanks.

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