At a Glance
NASA partnered with Aquent Studios to tell their mission stories to the public with 3D models of spacecraft and terrestrial bodies.
Capabilities Engaged
- 3D Design & Animation
- Art and Creative Direction
- Creative Operations
Project Overview
Challenge
NASA is taking humanity to the stars, but their dependence on public funding means they have a duty to share their progress via information campaigns. They needed accurate 3D graphics for use in mission visualizations, websites, and visitor experiences.
Approach
Aquent Studios assembled a team of 3D Artists, Texture Artists, and Art Directors. Next, we stood up a 3D asset production workstream with creative operations. We embedded Artists with engineering experience to translate technical CAD data to 3D models that could run in a web browser.
What We Did
Creative Operations
Consulting based on creative operations best practices
Once onboard, our team set up a creative studio pipeline complete with creative operations, including client request intake, project management processes, art direction, quality assurance, and client approvals.
3D Design
From mechanical engineering to real-time assets
CAD data and measurements were provided for every asset while we were tasked with converting them to common 3D mesh file formats capable of running in real time for interactive experiences on websites and more.
Creating photorealistic 3D models
Each model was made more believable with the addition of details like gold foil on an interstellar probe or dust on a rover's wheels. Once complete, many artist renderings seen on nasa.gov and major news articles are indistinguishable from photos.
