San Paulo-based animation and design studio Lobo created some high velocity effects for Train, a new animated spot highlighting the raw power and AWD capabilities of Toyota’s Kluger. The commercial is now hitting the Australian market.
Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney commissioned Train with Lobo directing and The Ebeling Group handling production. The spot has the Kluger, Toyota’s latest crossover beauty, racing with a sleek bullet train on a self-generating road. The locomotive swerves back and forth, trying to cut off the Kluger to no avail. The Kluger zips further ahead in style, easily pulling off complex moves as it leaves the competition in its AWD dust.
Saatchi and Saatchi’s post house in Australia provided a Maya model of the Kluger, which was also used in Toyota’s "White" campaign. Lobo re-edited the footage from the "White" spots with new lighting and flex render passes, and created the CG environments and the bullet train. The Kluger footage was animated in 3D with Alias Maya and composited in Adobe After Effects.
Train presented two considerable technical challenges. First, a tech member of the Lobo team had to write a specific Maya script to animate the 3D rocks and gravel that make the road the Kruger cruises on appear to build itself. Second, a tricky sequence required the train to rotate around its rails as it zipped through a screwdriver loop. In animating this section, Lobo had to generate the train’s complex maneuver while maintaining the impression of excessive speed.
The animation work done for Train demonstrates how CAD vehicle models can be applied directly to commercials. To view the spot, go to www.theebelinggroup.com/teg/raz_dropbox/toyota/toyota.mov.
