50TH ANNIVERSARY GONVARRI BURGOS

The exhibition

Commemorating 50 years of Gonvarri Burgos

This exhibition arose from Gonvarri's need to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its Burgos factory. Gonvarri is a leading company in the steel and aluminum transformation sector whose values include its commitment to responsible management and its solutions based on sustainability.

The exhibition, held in its own factory in the capital of Burgos, consisted of a tour through several rooms in order to show its production process, show its privileged position in national and international markets and look back to where it all began 50 years ago (2017).

This exhibition has a lot of real materials such as car skeletons or copper coils but also a lot of audiovisual products such as videos, a virtual reality experience or a videomapping on a model. In 3DUBU, a working group of the University of Burgos associated with the research group CAYPAT, we are proud to have produced all this audiovisual content and, below, we present both the exhibition and the path we have taken to face one of the largest productions of reconstruction and dissemination of industrial heritage carried out in Castilla y León.

Making of

Gonvarri's 50th Anniversary exhibition has involved a multidisciplinary working group of dozens of people, but at 3DUBU we focus on the audiovisual part, the direct result of our work. We are responsible for the creation of the audiovisual products of the exhibition as well as for making certain decisions about the design and, ultimately, the overall "look" of the exhibition. This phase is also used to decide on the software to be used for the different tasks, in this case betting on free software, using Blender for 3D and Unreal Engine 4 for programming.

Explanatory videos of each of the rooms
Vídeo conmemorativo de los 50 años de Gonvarri Burgos.
Virtual reality experience
Graphic design and signage
Space and lighting design
Videomapping (video projection) on a real model partially 3D printed.
Event's dissemination web site
Making of

Preproduction

Starting the project

In this type of large and ambitious projects it is very important to achieve a clear and organized workflow. That is why, in 3DUBU we create from the first day a line of work that includes annotations, scripts and storyboards to be able to face the production in the right way. A storyboard is a type of script that uses images instead of words; it is a document that tries to replicate shot by shot the future videos and other types of audiovisual products such as presentations or designs. From all this documentation, demos and the first versions of the content are created.

3D modeling and texturing

Creating the virtual world

Modeling for video, graphic design and virtual reality is very different. Each purpose requires specific tools and a specific way of working and that is why the workflow created by the multidisciplinary team of 3DUBU has been based on optimization. Each model in this experience has been designed with its purpose in mind.

An example is the objects that appear in the distance in some of the videos. These objects have less detail than the main objects of the virtual reality experience, thus saving production time and improving the performance of the rendering and visualization equipment.

Lighting and rendering

Exporting audiovisuals

Once the 3D models are ready with their respective textures and materials applied it is time to assemble the scenes and illuminate them correctly in order to render them. Rendering is the process of converting these scenes to an image, either photo or video. This process requires a lot of attention to detail as it is the part of the production that has more impact on the final result but at the same time has to be optimized as computer equipment requires a lot of time to perform the rendering so you have to find the right balance between quality and time.

From the idea to the final result

Before and after

Virtual reality

Tailor-made immersive experience

The fixed virtual reality experience, visualized through the Oculus Rift goggles, is a key part of the exhibition.

In this realistic experience, the user is guided through the entire steel and aluminum transformation process that takes place in the plant: from the moment the raw material enters its train siding until it leaves in the form of a coil of up to 40 tons.

It is a kind of guided tour both through the Gonvarri Burgos factory and through time. In this virtual world you can see highly detailed reconstructions of the company's first offices (recreated from old photos and plans) and their evolution, as well as how the plant has been expanded to meet new expansion and growth needs.

The scale model

Video projection on a 3D scale model

The idea consists of a video projection (videomapping) on a realistic scale model. The creation of the model has involved different phases such as modeling and 3D printing of various parts, printing of graphic designs in different materials and the purchase of parts and complementary materials such as those that are part of the environment.

Another important task is the creation of the video that is projected onto the model, which must not only fit into the model but also provide added value, playing with the shapes and perspectives of the real space without losing the narrative of what is to be transmitted to visitors, in this case, the production process of Gonvarri Burgos.

Finally, the fixed installation is mounted in the factory itself.