Animated Drive/Fly Thru’s
If you have been using your 3D VIRTUAL MODEL of the development you may have already been using the controls to move around the terrain and view the site from various positions. This is a good way to establish what issues there are, if any, with your design, but it relies on you manoeuvring into position manually which raises the question of “how do you show clients what the development looks like without you going to show them…?”.
An ADDITIONAL option that can be applied to your 3D model is that of an ANIMATED DRIVETHRU’ or FLYTHRU’.
These animations can be programed into the 3D Virtual model and run when activated or they can be converted to movie files which can be sent to the client to show a particular event.
Because these animations use the 3D Model that you already have, the additional animation programming is relatively inexpensive.
Drive/WalkThru’
A drivethru’ animation can be used to replicate a car journey along a pre-meditated route such as a main road adjacent to a proposed development where the “driver’s” eye line is always viewing the development all along the designated length of the route. This type of animated option can also be used to replicate a walker who is hiking on a tourist path and can show if the development will cause any significant visual intrusion.
By marking where, along the route, you can actually see significant intrusion, you can identify stretches of road where screening mitigation can be applied to reduce the impact. This also works well if the development is an Overhead Line for instance.
FlyThru’ (Site Orbit)
A ‘Site Orbit’ animation is basically flying around the development with the eye line viewing the development from a circular route at a selected radius and height above ground level. It is an excellent way to show Clients & Stakeholders all views of the development in one showing.
FlyThru’ (Selected Route)
A ‘Selected Route’ flythru’ animation works on the same principal as the ‘drivethru’ except the eye level is at height giving more of a bird’s eye view of the development. This type of animation can be best suited to give an overview of the development in its location where you can see how it relates to the surrounding area (e.g. along an overhead line route).
These types of animations are excellent as visual aids at stakeholder consultations where they can be displayed on screens, laptops (or even phones), to give a clearer idea of what the proposed development looks like in its location. During the public consultation phase of the project the videos can be added to the clients website or, as shown here, uploaded to YouTube as a way of creating broader awareness of the project.
Local Planning Authorities may also consider you using this additional medium as being thorough and transparent in proving your development design will work in a clear and easily understandable way.
As a way of definitively showing what visual impact (or lack of……?) your development has to the local community, it cannot be matched by 2D documentation or photo montages.
Additional examples of both Drivethru’s & Flythru’s can be viewed on the Videos & Free Downloads page of this site.