Software Used: Adobe After Effects, Premier Pro, "Adobe Suite", Cinema 4d, Blender.

Client: National Geographic Magazine, 2021.

The role involved key responsibilities in the 3D modeling of a village in Burkina Faso and creating animations to show the construction of two types of houses—one using traditional mud techniques and the other with modern materials like brick. The project highlighted the shift from mud to contemporary construction methods, delivering an engaging visual product that demonstrated the traditional building process and the evolution to modern materials.

Details of 3D modeling:
Tasks included designing the village layout and modeling two types of houses—one built with traditional mud techniques and the other with modern methods. Textures and materials were carefully applied to enhance the visual quality, accurately representing the materials typical of the region, which are used in the construction of the homes

Details of Animation of the Traditional Mud House:
The next phase involved animating the construction of the traditional mud house, showcasing the step-by-step process and ancient construction techniques.

Details of Character Animation in Construction:
Character animations depicted workers using manual labor and traditional tools, such as mixing mud, molding bricks, and plastering walls, bringing the historical building techniques to life.

Character Rigging and Animation.

Final Project View

Link to the official National Geographic website

Monica Serrano, Charlotte Li, Matt Chwastyk, and Eve Conant, NGM Staff; Ronald Paniagua; Alexander Stegmaier

Sources: Hirohide Kobayashi, Kyoto University; Lassina Simporé, University of Ouagadougou; Directorate of Cultura Heritage, Ministry of Culture of Burkina Faso; Thierry Joffroy, Université Grenoble Alpes

The story appears in the february 2023 issue of National Geographic magazine.