Project Overview

This project features the signature real-time animation created for the Nation of Speed gallery at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Serving as the exhibition’s thematic introduction, the piece immerses visitors in the evolution of high-performance machines—aircraft, rockets, race cars, and experimental vehicles—across the history of American innovation.

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Artistic Concept

The visual language draws from archival photographs, engineering blueprints, and the museum’s collection of iconic artifacts.
Rather than documenting each object literally, the animation synthesizes their forms into a cinematic sequence that communicates speed, engineering precision, and technological ambition. Dynamic camera motion and stylized transitions evoke the energy of competition and the progression of mechanical design over time.

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Technical Approach

As the 3D Artist, I was responsible for the complete asset and animation pipeline:

• Hard-surface modeling based on museum artifacts and historical references

• PBR material authoring for accurate metal, paint, and composite surfaces

• Rigging and mechanical animation of moving components

• Cinematic keyframe animation and VFX

• Offline cinematic rendering produced in Unreal Engine, optimized for exhibition playback

The real-time workflow enabled high-resolution output suitable for large-scale museum display, maintaining visual clarity and performance over long-term continuous operation.