MODE for iPhone Video and Hamilton Sundstrand Touch-Screen Kiosk

While millions were standing in line waiting for their new iPhone 3Gs, Del Padre Digital was capitalizing on the craze.

Del Padre recently completed a new, HD video that will serve as a marketing vehicle for SpeakerCraft of Riverside Calif., promoting the company’s new product, MODE for iPhone®. The piece is now being used by SpeakerCraft in viral marketing campaigns, direct mailings, and as handouts at several national trade shows.

The completed production coupled HD video footage – filmed using the Redrock Micro 35 mm lens kit and Nikon prime lenses mounted on a Panasonic HVX200 – with a number of 3D renders created by the Del Padre team. New York-based voiceover artist Brian Kelsey provided audio production and narration, and various graphics and video effects were generated using Adobe After Effects and digital video platform Adobe Premiere.

Nino Del Padre, president of Del Padre Digital, spearheaded the project, and noted that a tight deadline and the inherent difficulty of shooting video of electronics such as the iPhone made the use of 3D renders doubly important.

“Shooting the shiny surface of the iPhone created some challenges for us in capturing video, and also created even more need for the photorealistic 3D renders,” Del Padre said, adding that the award-winning Autodesk® Maya® software was used to create the renders. “We had a very tight deadline on this one due to the recent fervor over the 3G, but we are really happy with the results, and that we could complete this project concurrently with sales of millions of Apple’s newest product.”

MODE for iPhone by SpeakerCraft essentially transforms the iPhone into a remote control that can be used with home theater and multi-room audio systems, as well as every iPod within a household. The interface operates much like other iPhone applications, and displays song information, artist names, genres, and playlists on the interactive touch screen, making accessing music simple and intuitive.

MODE is the latest product introduced by SpeakerCraft, a company with a three-decade history of innovation. After inventing the in-wall speaker and manufacturing them for the most prominent companies in the business, SpeakerCraft developed its own brand, based on the ever-expanding need for quality sound in the home. Today, the company is the largest supplier of custom installed audio/video products in the world.

Del Padre Digital was founded in 1991, and specializes in video production, interactive CD-ROM design, and high-end Web design. Its clients include NASA, the Space Science Institute, LEGO Systems, and Barnes Aerospace. Del Padre has worked with SpeakerCraft and its daughter companies, Proficient Audio and Emphasys, since 2005. Through this relationship, Del Padre has created everything from full Flash Web sites to E-marketing campaigns, and provides sophisticated 3D product renders and product photography for both packaging and marketing purposes.

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As the planes roared overhead, Del Padre Digital placed key information regarding new, exciting developments in aerospace at people’s fingertips recently, at the famed Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England.

Del Padre created an interactive, touch-screen kiosk for Hartford, Connecticut based aerospace manufacturer Hamilton Sundstrand, which was incorporated into a trade booth at the biennial Airshow, and operated by the user operating a 21-inch touch screen. Farnborough International Airshow is the largest, most internationally attended aerospace event in the world.

Del Padre Digital’s president, Nino Del Padre, said the project was completed in just less than four weeks, in order to be ready in time for use at the airshow in July.

“We have worked with Hamilton Sundstrand in the past, creating trade show videos to illustrate the different product groups that comprise the $5.6 billon dollar company” said Del Padre. “The project was particularly complex and detailed, but we completed it in a record time, start-to-finish.”

Most of the application was created using Flash 9, along with Photoshop to prepare complex component shots. The application was loaded onto a dedicated PC for smooth playback, and each component was accessed either by a list within an on-screen side bar, or by touching the corresponding part of the aircraft shown on the screen.

The Farnborough Airshow is not only a draw for the public due to its spectacular air demonstrations. It’s also a key business event for the aerospace industry, resulting in more than $40 billion orders for components from participating vendors every other year.

Hamilton Sundstrand, the result of the 1999 merger of Hamilton Standard and the Sundstrand Corp., employs approximately 19,000 people at more than 50 major facilities worldwide, and is among the world's largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and industrial products.

Del Padre Digital was founded in 1991, and specializes in video production, interactive CD-ROM design, and high-end Web design. In addition to Hamilton Sundstrand, its clients include NASA, the Space Science Institute, LEGO Systems, and Barnes Aerospace.

Take the "Fake or Foto” Challenge

Today we're presented with images in movies, on TV, and in the press that are of such good quality we don't even think to consider whether the picture is of something that exists in reality or if it was generated by computer software. Movies can be considered as being at the high-end of the range of uses for computer generated imagery that mimics real-life, but there are many more day-to-day examples that challenge our ability to tell what's real and what's not.

3D rendering and visualization is an affordable technology for quickly and realistically depicting products or architecture visually. When a product, program, or concept is still in its early stages 3D rendering can be used to create compelling imagery to tell the story. Besides being great for marketing, 3D visualization saves prototyping time and expense, and it lets users see physical conditions not obvious in 2D. Read More..

Autodesk recently used a few of our renders for their “Fake or Foto” Challenge. Spend a few minutes with our reality check and see if you can tell the difference...

New Riley Martin site featured on the Howard Stern show.

The new Riley Martin website that we have been working on was featured on the Howard Stern Show this week. The Howard 100 news team said "Rileymartin.tv, you've got to check it out. Somebody creating what's billed as the Official Riley Martin site and doing one heck of a job on the design of the introduction"

Featuring information on The Coming Of Tan Audio Book, Riley Martin Symbols, Riley Martin Show Archives, Howard Stern Parodies and video downloads. Official Riley Martin merchandise including t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers and much more coming soon.

Stay tuned to Howard 100 for an exclusive news story about the new site next week. Check out the site for yourself at http://www.rileymartin.com/ and be sure to sign up for news updates!

It's been a while. Whats new at Del Padre Visual Productions

Thought I'd take a break from the usual format and use this Miniblog as a chance to tell you a little about what we've been up to. We just finished up a project with a company launching a new iPod product called George. It hasn't hit the stores yet, but if you want a sneak a peak you can check out our featured video. It's pretty wild. We combined Maya product renders with HD footage shot with Redrock Micro's M2 35mm lens rig. We also handled all creative and copywriting for the spot, making this a full branding effort. The company that created George is Boston-based Chestnut Hill Sound. They, and George, won best in show at Mac World back in January. Nice job guys.

I should also mention that we just won a pretty exciting award ourselves. This had to do with another special client of ours, Speakercraft. The project that we collaborated with Speakercraft on, a video to promote their new product, MODE, won the prestigious Telly award. To put this in perspective, past recipients include; Nike, CNN, HGTV, Microsoft, FX Networks, Comedy Central, etc. Not bad for a guy who was told he might not make it past Mrs. Stevenson's math class in the 6th grade! Needless to say, I am very proud of our team for this incredible national recognition.

You can read more about shooting with the M2 in the March issue of Studio Monthly. We wrote the cover feature reviewing the system and offered up some tips for shooting with a 35mm lens. You can also check out the footage online. Special thanks to Bob Zemba from Robert Charles Photography for the great production stills and lens insight.

Nino Del Padre
Del Padre Visual Productions
Helping Businesses Exceed Expectations

The benefits of 3D product rendering and visualization

3D rendering and visualization is an affordable technology for quickly and realistically depicting products or architecture visually. When a product, program, or concept is still in its early stages 3D rendering can be used to create compelling imagery to tell the story. Besides being great for marketing, 3D visualization saves prototyping time and expense, and it lets users see physical conditions not obvious in 2D.

Gone are the days of computer animation as a novelty and also passed are the days when it was reserved for feature films or large, well-heeled corporations. Today, the service can be tailored to the needs of nearly any organization in a number of ways, and can also have some specific, measurable effects on a company's growth. Research has shown that the availability of interactive 3D product presentations instead of still images affect some important aspects of buyer behavior, including the amount of time spent examining products and purchase likelihood.

Using what's called a wire-frame model, the principles of geometry, and an extensive process of lighting, shading, texturing, and eventually rendering an image, digital artists can create photo-realistic images that in many cases are almost impossible to discern from an actual photograph. Different materials, colors and lighting can be evaluated on a design in its proposed environment without ever producing a prototype.

The speaker on the left is a 3D render and the one on the right is an actual photograph.

Photo-realistic images can be created from sketches, photos, sample drawing, customer-specified dimensions or CAD formats. CAD systems depict data exactly and generate usable images, but the images generally look very computer generated and obviously not "real". The environments the product can be placed in are often less than stellar in most CAD programs. To make the image photorealistic, the rendering program has to mathematically calculate real world governing physical equations of light transport. This aspect is often not in the capabilities of the product designer, but needs to be capitalized on visually.

While static, 2D images are often enough to gain attention, when the camera moves through a home, the viewer soars over a mountain, or the product is assembled before your eyes, the message becomes clear. When combined with interactive media, 3D rendering can be dynamically controlled creating a truly immersive experience.

To encourage cross-selling, 3D rendering can be used to create "virtual showrooms." For example, furniture, windows, lighting and floor finishes along with your products can be placed and viewed together in a virtual room.

Most of us are not conscious of the visual cues we take from advertising and product packaging, however, the fact remains that visuals are the single largest influencing factor on purchasing decisions. Photo-realistic images can add 3D realism to 2D print projects and presentations such as ads, point of purchase displays and product logos, for example.As always, you are welcome to contact us directly and put our knowledge of 3D rendering and product visualization to work for you.

Nino Del Padre
Del Padre Visual Productions
Helping Businesses Exceed Expectations