Work · Case study

Bole by MES: a machine assembly film, built from CAD

MES wanted to show two production machines, a Bole injection moulding machine and an MP70D blow moulding machine, assembling piece by piece in a dark showroom that matches their brand. The film and stills were built from the manufacturers' own STEP files.

Client: MES
Input: STEP CAD files, photos and a walk-around video
Delivered: Assembly film, 4K stills, alternate-branding version
Tools: Maya, V-Ray, Substance Painter, Nuke

Clay to final

Approved in clay before a single material was added

Every shot was signed off as a clean clay render first, so camera, timing and framing were agreed while changes were still cheap. Drag the slider to compare the approved clay with the finished frame.

Final photoreal frame of the assembled Bole machine

ClayFinal

How it was made

From STEP files to finished film

CAD in, accuracy kept
The manufacturers' STEP files were imported and cleaned. Where accuracy mattered, the exact CAD geometry stayed in, so every part is where the engineers put it.
Choreography in clay
Both machines were exploded and re-assembled part by part, with the camera move and timing reviewed as clay renders.
Client rounds
Feedback from MES, including door timing, framing and panel layouts matched to photos of the real machines, was folded in before final rendering.
Materials and light
Painted steel, castings and chrome were textured in Substance Painter and lit in V-Ray to match MES's dark showroom look.
Render and comp
Final frames rendered in V-Ray and finished in Nuke, plus 4K stills cut from the same scene.
Versions
Logos sit on separate decals, so an alternate-branding version only needed the logo frames re-rendered.