Our Defence Imaging wing was commissioned by UK marine engineering company Houlder Ltd to create a computer generated video to demonstrate the concept of operation of their Turbine Access System (TAS) in a simulated offshore wind farm.
The animated video was required to show the approach, docking, transfer of personnel, and undocking from the off-shore wind turbine. The principal part of the design is the multi-axis stabilized gangway which allows people to transfer safely from the vessel to the wind turbine. The video was carefully planned initially with storyboards to work out the sequence of events. The position and speed of the boat was a large factor which was approved via animatics. The dynamic simulation of the sea was crucial during this project and Houlder supplied us with sea simulation data. Rigging of the multi-axis passive hydraulic armature proved very interesting and was a good challenge for our 3D rigging skills! Another challenge was the ocean scene which apart from the simulated sea, also need a realistic sea surface created with proprietary shaders.
The project was delivered to a tight deadline in time for public release at an international trade show. The video was very well received by Houlder, and was subsequently used for marketing and design awareness purposes. The system went on to win the Spirit of Innovation award at the 2011 Seawork exhibition and gained funding from the Carbon Trust Offshore. The TAS (Turbine Access System) is now available commercially.
“Defence Imaging’s animation proved a very useful tool during the launch of our Turbine Access System – which went on to win several innovation awards. The team not only responded with a well-crafted technical and creative solution, they hit some tremendously tight deadlines around our exhibition commitments. Highly recommended.” — Marketing Manager, Houlder