How to Commission
Contact us by email or phone to discuss your requirement. If you would like an estimate, then please detail the project and supply us with any supporting material so that we can fully understand the brief.
Before a project commences, we will often meet the client to discuss the project, although this is not always necessary. In fact, some of our projects are conducted without meeting the client, especially if meetings are unnecessary, or the distances make it impractical.
Project development stages
The client will be kept informed of the project development, and we will produce work-in-progress material such as stills, animatics, and animation clips. Multiple stages of approvals with the client may be undertaken before the final video or project is complete.
How long does a project take?
Every project is bespoke to the client's requirements, and depending on complexity, project durations range from days to months. We will agree delivery time scales with the client and where required, will tackle urgent fast-turnaround projects. We are a flexible team; for instance we successfully delivered many 3D photo-realistic graphics projects for Dyson where the deadlines were unimaginably tight and inflexible.
How much does it cost?
Organisations like to know the bottom-line cost for a project and this is generally the way we work — agree a price for an established goal. However we can also work on an ad-hoc basis providing rapid support when needed, acting like a virtual in-house team. We can adapt and advise during the lifetime of a project to maximise the clients investment and suggest costs savings where appropriate.
3D production pipeline
The steps involved in the production of 3D are briefly illustrated in the overview diagram to the right. 3D Animations generally have more stages than stills, whereas stills may not always require all the stages (no animatic, storyboard, animation, and often less post-production).
What materials do we need?
Depending on the type of project, there are usually ways of helping us in the early stages that will smooth the production process significantly, and ultimately have an impact on the final costs and delivery schedule. Every project is different, but we will often ask for as much information as is necessary to complete the brief. We regularly work under NDAs and security is paramount. Information that we often require may include sketches, photographs, 2D and 3D CAD, and product samples.
3D Graphics specific information
Wherever possible please make all efforts to supply CAD data as this will speed up this stage of production and keep costs to a minimum. Please be aware that creating a 3D model from scratch using reference material can be labour intensive, and that the time taken is generally proportional to the accuracy and detail of the final model. This process can be accelerated if the client supplies us with existing 3D CAD models, but 3D models do not always translate perfectly and may require further work to either clean-up or enhance the model before our use.
Where the client cannot supply us with a CAD model, the 3D model will need to to be constructed by ourselves or sourced from a third party such as an online 3D model reseller. Reference material supplied by the client will help us in geometry creation.
Supplied image information
Please supply images such as logos at the highest resolution possible to ensure that our final output is of the highest quality. For bitmap images, lossless formats are preferred, eg TGA, TIFF, PSD. 'Lossy' formats such as JPEG, GIF, and PNG may be satisfactory but be aware they generally lose quality when saved, compromising quality.
Delivery and output formats
Where the output is digital, delivery is usually via FTP. Other methods can be arranged if required; in the past when physical delivery has been crucial to meet deadlines, the project has been couriered to the client.
Depending on the type of project and requirements, we can supply a range of final output formats which depend on the client's requirement.
Terms and conditions
Please contact us for contractual information
NEWS
Proto Imaging supported AEUK's winning £50m bid to supply the RN with the Vahana modular workboat family. Our CGI visuals demonstrated the full product family in unprecedented detail.
Our bid-support CGI graphics supported BMT DSL's successful bid to become design contractor of the new Norwegian Logistics and Support Vessel
The BOTT GmbH commissioned us to create 3D CGI promotional video for the Modulo storage system and to work closely to deliver the 3D CGI Vario online configurator tool
Offshore wind turbine maintenance is a crucial requirement - we produced simulation videos to demonstrate the motion of a minimal roll, ultra-low centre-of-gravity crew-ship design. .
Proto Imaging created a series of 3D animated movies and stills to demonstrate Houlder Ltd's Khobra LNG transfer system.
Proto Imaging created CGI visualizations to support BMT's winning design bid for the new Royal Navy Tide Class MARS Tanker. Commissioned by the MoD, the Tide Spring vessels have now entered service with the RFA.
Sub-contracted via JWT Advertising, Proto Imaging created a range of CGI movies for Shell's V-Power and Nitro+ global marketing campaign
3D wayfinding infographic signs for 27 Dubai Metro stations. These infographic displays are the primarly navigation displays installed throughout the Dubai RTA system
Proto Imaging supported an International Transport Design Consultancy to create a series of CGI visualisations to win high level tenders and support production throughout duration of the design process.
