In this project the idea was to develop a ten second 3D animation that would explain the mechanism of a specific object. I chose the corkscrew because I thought it would be a cool challenge to just try to model and rig the object using Cinema 4D Xpresso nodes to drive part of the animation.

Before jumping into all the technical part of the project I had to study the object and it’s mechanism. The way all the parts connected and move was very important to structure the rig. Also, I studied the history, cultural and social influences of the object. Basically I used the same research approach as in the “Apple” project, but with a bigger focus on the object mechanics.

 

So after gathering all that info I started to think about the modeling and animation. Modeling was a really fun challenge. And rigging was easier than I thought.

Surprisingly this little animation had lots of components and I had to be quite organized so I could keep up with everything in the scene.

The look was based on a cartoon style shader. I opted for this approach because I needed a really flat style but still being able to have highlights so I could enhance the surface details of the corkscrew. A bit different from the 3D studies look approach!
The music, “The Red Army Chorus - Let’s drink, from "La Traviata" (Giuseppe Verdi), in my mind, is the perfect choice for this piece. I can’t think of anything else that would be better suited for this object. It just works!

I also did sound design and recorded some sounds with a real corkscrew.

I love this project because I was able to do the entire 3D production pipeline: research, modeling, shading, rigging, animation, rendering and also a bit of compositing. But I admit that playing with Xpresso was the most fun for me. It really is a very accessible tool and also essential to help and enhance the animation process.

When I finished the project, I obviously celebrated with a glass of wine! Lot’s of fun!