Recently Orchard was commissioned by AKQA and Volvo to create a full CG animation as part of the launch of the EX-90, Volvo’s first purpose-built EV. This would be a key part of the company’s keynote presentation and be shown to the world’s press and the wider public on a giant 6k screen.

Volvo’s internal studio had already created a look and feel we had to match. They work in Maya, so the first challenge was to get our C4D renders to match this style. The second challenge would be to animate and bring to life the Volvo team’s UI. This was a particular challenge as the UI was still being finalised right up until launch day.

The talented team here at Orchard went to work on this extremely challenging project with our usual zeal. Creating 90 seconds on full CG at 6k in this time frame would push us to new levels. We started by retexturing the car interior and rebuilding all the textures in C4D and Redshift. Another team matched the lighting and render output to Volvo’s exacting finish. A third team had started receiving assets for the UI and getting each screen animation agreed upon with the teams at AKQA and Volvo.

So after 15 days straight, the team achieved what seemed an insurmountable task, 90 seconds of high-end CG and UI animation. We are incredibly pleased with the final film and know the launch was a massive success.

We want to thank the teams at AKQA and Volvo for their part in creating the animation. Working as a cohesive team is the only way these projects reach such high standards.

You can watch the entire launch keynote below.

Software: Cinema 4D, Redshift, After Effects

CLIENT: AKQA and Volvo Sweden

ANIMATION STUDIO: Orchard Post

ANIMATION DIRECTORS: Martin Cook and Luke Barker (Orchard Post)

ANIMATORS ORCHARD: Ashley Tyas, Myles Low and Nathan McLean

EXEC PRODUCER: Kabir Malik