FORD Uses BUNKSPEED for Concept Car Images
 LOS
ANGELES, California, January 9, 2007 - BUNKSPEED, a leading provider of
high-end visualization software and services, today announced that Ford
Motor Company used BUNKSPEED’s patent-pending software solutions to create
advanced media images for the Ford Interceptor concept.
The Ford Interceptor concept celebrates the best of American muscle,
combining eBuilt Ford Toughi attitude with the sporty elegance of Fordis
iconic 1960s sedans.
In a special collaboration between BUNKSPEED, Ford and international
photographer David Burgess, the team created a collection of digital images
of Ford’s modern American muscle car, so media could start reporting on the
concept even before it was fully built.
Interceptor incorporates Fordis patented four-point ibelt and suspendersi
design in the front and rear seats, an innovation that showcases possible
next-generation safety belts.
“Leveraging BUNKSPEED’s technology and David’s talents as a seasoned
photographer, we were able to offer media a complete set of digital images
that brought the data of the Ford Interceptor concept to life in a
real-world environment, complete with natural light and proper reflections,”
said Jennifer Flake, Ford Motor Company’s director of Global Brand Imaging
and Design Public Affairs. “This was a first for Ford, giving us greater
flexibility and helping save time and money. But even more importantly, the
feedback on these digital images has been as positive as it has on the
Interceptor itself.”
The four-door muscle sedan, the Ford Interceptor concept features a
5.0-liter Cammer engine that runs on E-85 ethanol and produces 400
horsepower.
Ford already uses BUNKSPEED’s visualization software to help quickly
render data and see how vehicle designs look – and virtually “drive” in
naturally lit 2-D environments while under development in its global design
studios. But Flake wanted to push BUNKSPEED’s software applications to see
if the team could create high-quality press images for Ford’s newest concept
car – which was revealed Sunday at the North American International Auto
Show in Detroit.
The Ford Interceptor concept celebrates the best of American muscle with a
four-door that marries "Built Ford Tough" attitude with the sporty elegance
of 1960s sedans.
While other software packages allow automakers to use digital data to
create vehicle images, most still require teams of people to invest in
expensive, labor-intensive retouching to blend photographed environments
with the digital models. With BUNKSPEED’s software, the “production team”
was reduced to a crew of one: Burgess.
A modern, all-American sedan concept, the Ford Interceptor features
substantial, sometimes brutish, surfaces and sections that give the concept
its modern, powerful look.
The photographer and his assistant shot backgrounds for the car outside
of Las Vegas. Using a spherical camera, they captured a 360-degree
environment, including full lighting data. Burgess used his digital camera
to shoot back plates of the main area he envisioned for the backdrop of the
car. Then, Burgess – who had never used BUNKSPEED rendering software –
cranked up his laptop and merged the concept car’s data file into freshly
captured environmental image files in just a handful of hours.
“Being able to test the creative theory – and having the flexibility to
make changes quickly – was liberating,” Burgess said. “I’ll admit, I was
skeptical that this application would really deliver what was promised. So
many times in the past, computer-generated images have come up short –
either requiring tremendous amounts of retouching or taking weeks to achieve
the right results.
“Delivering such high-quality images that happen to be computer-generated
has opened up photographers’ worlds. We now have a new tool that allows us
greater creative freedoms within a more realistic time frame – without
compromising images’ realism or quality. It will be interesting to see how
this application might further push the creative frontier for photography
within both media and marketing.”
Said BUNKSPEED’s Founder and CEO Philip Lunn: “We are very excited about
the success of this project. This collaboration represented a benchmark for
further use of our solutions at Ford. We proved that BUNKSPEED’s
visualization solutions are easy to use but still deliver highest quality.
We are looking forward to helping Ford continue to forge new ground in how
it creates and captures vehicle imagery with a complete implementation of
BUNKSPEED’s solutions.” Images and additional information about the Ford
Interceptor concept can be seen at
http://autoshows.ford.com.
About BUNKSPEED
BUNKSPEED is a leading global provider of visualization software and
services for design, engineering and marketing. Headquartered in Los
Angeles, California, the company is advancing visualization by developing
paradigm shifting technologies for decision making in the digital design
process, as well as bridging the gap between design, engineering and
marketing. BUNKSPEED’s customers include Nissan, Ford Motor Company, Volvo,
Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Pininfarina, and Mercedes Benz Advanced
Design North America. For more information on BUNKSPEED’s products and
services, visit www.bunkspeed.com.
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Source: Material used in press releases is often supplied by external
sources and used as is.
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