Case study / 3D · Animation · Simulation · Motion / VFX · Anamorphic Content · Large-Format Display

Infosys — Australian Open 3D Anamorphic Billboard

Anamorphic 3D production, character animation, physics simulation and compositing for a large-scale Melbourne billboard.

Project Type: Commercial
Year: 2023
Client / Company: Infosys

The finished billboard from street level in Melbourne.

View original campaign post ↗

Project overview

Produced while working with Charles Elena for Infosys' Australian Open campaign, this project involved creating the 3D content for a large-scale anamorphic billboard in Melbourne.

The campaign concept, script and original character assets were supplied. My role was to turn that material into the finished 3D execution — including scene production, character setup and animation, physics and particle-based motion, lighting, rendering, compositing and preparation of the perspective-corrected content for the physical display.

The defining challenge was that the illusion had to work not simply as an animation, but from a specific position in the real world.

Reconstructing the Viewing Geometry

An anamorphic display only resolves correctly from its intended viewing position.

During production I had limited physical information about the installation, so I reconstructed the billboard geometry and recessed display space from reference photographs and the available dimensions.

That reconstruction became the basis for the camera-mapping and projection setup used to generate the final perspective-corrected imagery.

Building reference photograph with colored planes marking the recessed display geometry — 01 / Recess geometry over the building reference.

Character grid composited into the reconstructed billboard on the building photograph — 02 / Content mapped into the reconstructed display.

Saved 3ds Max viewport showing nested wireframe scene geometry — 03 / Production scene geometry in 3ds Max.

Character Setup & Animation

The original character assets were supplied for the campaign. My work involved preparing and staging them for the billboard sequence, developing the character animation and integrating the visor, ball interaction and scene-specific motion into the final production.

Main character in a 3ds Max viewport with rig controls visible — Main character with rig controls visible.

Front viewport of the visor fitted over the character’s face — Visor fit, front view.

Side viewport showing the visor silhouette and scene guides — Visor and scene guides, side view.

Character animation pass

The character reacts to the tennis ball inside the billboard recess.

Physics & Particle-Based Motion

The tennis-ball sequence required the balls to behave as a moving physical mass while still reading clearly inside the constrained billboard volume.

The production scenes contain rigid-body and particle-system work used to develop the motion, followed by look development, lighting and integration into the final display environment.

Wireframe render of the clustered tennis balls — 01 / Wireframe cluster.

The same tennis-ball cluster with yellow felt shading and branding — 02 / Shaded cluster.

The same shaded cluster inside the blue display environment — 03 / Display integration.

Tennis-ball motion breakdown

Simulation and look-development work for the tennis-ball sequence used in the final animation.

Final oblique render with the tennis balls and campaign lettering inside the billboard — The tennis-ball sequence in the final billboard render.

Rendering & Finishing

The final delivery combined rendered 3D elements with additional graphic and effects work, followed by targeted correction passes where individual regions needed refinement without rerendering the entire sequence.

The ball correction pass isolated the affected region so it could be composited over the existing render.

Cropped render patch showing the tennis ball and the character within the affected region — Localized ball correction pass, cropped to the rendered region.

Iteration & Delivery

The project went through several campaign revisions before the final version was approved. Different timings, animation beats and endings were tested while the underlying anamorphic setup remained consistent.

The final version was produced under a very compressed turnaround, with only a short calibration window available once the content could be evaluated against the real display.

The perspective solution worked correctly during the first proper calibration test.

Earlier 15-second building preview

A shorter edit with a different ending from the final street-view sequence.

Output vs. Viewing Angle

The media delivered to the physical display does not look identical to the image perceived from the intended viewing position.

The portrait image shows the prepared display output. The oblique view demonstrates how the same scene resolves when seen from the designed audience position.

Portrait billboard output frame showing the character inside the blue recess — Portrait output prepared for the display.

Corresponding oblique render of the character inside the blue billboard recess — The scene from the intended oblique view.

Final Result in Melbourne

Street view of the installed billboard showing tennis balls and campaign lettering — The tennis-ball sequence on the installed billboard.

Recognition

Victorian Premier’s Design Awards 2023

Communication Design — Finalist (project)

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