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Geekery: The Blackbird Can Be Any Car You Want

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Jun 7 2020

This unassuming vehicle is a fully adjustable rig that can mimic any car on the market. Any. Car.

The Mill, a VFX studio out of London, joined fabricator JemFX to build the Blackbird – the rig that can imitate motion and be skinned as any car. It has an adjustable chassis that can be extended or shortened to match a wheelbase, and the suspension can be adjusted to various heights and how the rig handles. This is important given that it has a human driver that has to be able to respond to the feel of a sports car versus a minivan so each vehicle will look realistic.

It’s loaded with a camera array with heavy-duty stabilizers, and motion capture equipment. The software behind the system is really impressive in how it can change the feel/appearance of the drive. The innovation won a Cannes Lions award for innovation. All it needs is a wheel swap, some length/height adjustments, and some CG and it can go from being a Chevy Spark to a Lamborghini Aventador.

 

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The demo reel for the Blackbird includes car commercials for Genesis, Acura, GM, and Chevy (paired with The Mill’s CG artists).

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Author: Mars Garrett
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