WT CAD/Unreal

Technical

July 2024

Sydney, Australia

The CWK is always exploring what new technology can do. In recent years that has included state-of-the-art software that creates VR and photo-realistic event fly-throughs, allowing our clients to see their vision come to life before setting foot on site – to observe, feel, and tweak the most minute elements of their projects, including all lighting and show elements.

Delivery

A lot of these trailblazing technologies were originally created for the gaming industry. When we started using Unreal Engine, VR, AR, motion graphics and animation together, we became one of the first (and only) agencies to offer highly detailed, immersive previews for event environments, ready to be experienced in full 3D.

Each project begins with a single source of truth, using Vectorworks to develop the technical plans including all signage, fixtures and measurements. UnrealEngine does the 3D visualisation that simulates the full event environment through realistic textures, visuals and lighting. The technology has already proven to be a valuable time and money saver for clients, reducing costly errors and saving thousands in reprints. It also increases event sustainability, making it easier for clients to review and give feedback, so changes can be made ahead of event delivery.

We’re now testing the animation potential of Unreal, looking at how we can create virtual worlds (bioms) and integrate them into real-life scenes via green screens, enabling us to update content live. We’re experimenting with inserting people into other worlds without time-consuming and expensive set builds, using advanced rendering that takes less than half the time of other systems. We’re creating real lighting scenarios so we can see the whole show as it will appear to the audience before we’ve even set up any rigging. And the possibilities of the technology are only just being realised!