The Client: NASA Ames Research Center Video Production Group
The Project: This animation was commissioned as the closing image of a historical documentary about NASA Ames Research Center shown at a gala dinner saluting NASA Ames' personnel. The video also plays at NASA Ames' visitor's center and may be broadcast in the near future.
The Requirement: NASA producers asked us to develop an animation that would describe the awe-inspiring feeling generated from space exploration and leave viewers with confirmation of NASA Ames' accomplishments and plans for the future. This project was produced in the high-definition (HDTV) 1080i format.
Our Solution: To accomplish the "feel" required for this animation, we used planet image maps from Jet Propulsion Laboratories to create a camera pullback through the entire solar system at faster than light speed. We then directed the camera to arch around the planets, asteroids and rings and take viewers past Pluto (and Charon) until they are lost in the wake of a passing comet.
A Detail: When we pull back from the Earth, the lights on Earth's dark side come on as the Earth passes from twilight into darkness. This is the result of a little nifty animating of ramps and texture maps within Maya, and adds to the shot's overall realism.

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