Sky Q UHD
Updated: Sep 4
PRODUCTION
Studio | The Mill (London) |
Role | Rigging 3D |
Year | 2019 |
Software | Maya |
Agency | Sky Creative Agency |
THE PROJECT
A campaign by Sky Creative Agency and The Mill showcasing the Ultra HD offering on the Sky Q
platform. The concept: drop the viewer right into the image, hurled from one world to the next
through pixel transitions that break apart and reassemble into a new setting. Three fully CGI
environments follow one another : a Grand Prix starting grid, a moon landing, then the African
savannah amid a herd of elephants. A showcase of the depth and detail that Ultra HD brings to the
screen.
MY ROLE
I handled the rigging of the elephants in the savannah sequence, building two distinct rigs: one for
the adults and one for the calves, each tailored to its own anatomy. The trunk was given a
switchable IK/FK system, letting animators choose between direct control and chain flexibility
depending on the shot. I also set up shape correction on the legs for more realistic bending where
skinning alone falls short. Finally, I embedded a tension map into the rig: data that pinpoints the
areas of skin most stretched or compressed during animation, reused at render time to add detail
precisely where it's needed. All built in Maya. This creature rigging work ties into my character work for advertising, in the same vein as what I developed on PlayStation Now, where several assets each called for their own rigging approach.
