Role Description: 3D Animation, Modeling, and Rendering of AR-15 Ammunition Damage Comparison.
Project: The Blast Effect, The Washington Post.
My Role: 3D Modeler and Animator.

Storyboard, Data and Design Adjustments

Animation of the AR-15 weapon.

In this project, I was responsible for creating a 3D animation for an interactive report produced by the American newspaper The Washington Post, which visualized the destructive power of a bullet from an AR-15, a weapon commonly used by mass shooters. The first part of the project involved creating a comparison between a smaller caliber bullet and an AR-15 bullet, modeling both the bullets and the weapon’s interior using information provided by the researchers. Then, an animation was developed dramatizing an attack with the AR-15, showing the internal damage caused to the victim’s body. Additionally, I created visualizations based on real autopsies, modeling human figures to represent the victims and their injuries.

This project presented several challenges, including character rigging, achieving the desired visual style from the Project Manager, and particularly the realistic animation of how internal organs are damaged when struck by the bullet. The visual style of the affected area also had to be carefully studied and recreated.

Cinema 4D was used for the entire project, with Mograph and Deformers for the internal body animation. Translucent shaders were applied, and the scene was rendered in Octane Render. The project also involved modeling the environment, characters, weapon, and ammunition. Continuous reviews were conducted by researchers, scientists, and the Project Manager.

Skills Used:

- 3D Modeling and Texturing.
- Character Rigging and Animation.
- Visual Effects.
- Video Editing and Color Grading.

Software:

- Cinema 4D.
- Adobe After Effects.
- Adobe Premiere Pro.

Final Project View

About this story

Reporting by N. Kirkpatrick and Atthar Mirza.
3D modeling and animations by Manuel Canales and Ronald Paniagua. Jon Swaine and Alex Horton contributed to this report.
Design and development by Aadit Tambe, Anna Lefkowitz and Rekha Tenjarla. Design editing by Madison Walls.
Editing by Ann Gerhart, Peter Wallsten, Chiqui Esteban and Wendy Galietta. Additional editing by Jordan Melendrez, Kim Chapman and Tom Justice. Additional support by Frank Hulley-Jones, Angela M. Hill, Natalia Jimenez, Sarah Murray, Courtney Beesch, Angel Mendoza, Bishop Sand, Kyley Schultz, Brandon Carter, Ashleigh Wilson and Bryan Flaherty. Video credits: Bystanders take cover outside the Odessa Cinergy Theater during a shoot out with law enforcement in 2019 in Texas.....

March 27, 2023.

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