BAUR: CGI product video for the PD-TaD 80 inside

About the project

At a glance

Our services: concept · 3D model · camera tracking · CGI compositing · editing

Video before the product

A finished film while the device was still in development.

Not a single shoot day

Existing drone footage instead of an elaborate production.

Real and 3D without a cut

The camera glides seamlessly from the real road into the 3D world.

All four seasons

Shows at a glance: usable anywhere, in any weather.

BAUR

For almost 80 years, BAUR has developed high-precision testing and measuring technology for power grids: cable testing and diagnostics, cable fault location, cable test vans and insulating oil testing.

In short: BAUR helps keep power grids running safely and without disruption.

The client

A product that didn't exist yet

For the launch of the PD-TaD 80 inside BAUR needed a product video showing how mobile and versatile the new measuring system in the cable test van is.

The catch: the device was still in development during production. A classic shoot was out of the question – there was simply nothing to film yet.

The starting point

The solution

01 · 3D instead of a camera

We chose a CGI approach, meaning computer-generated imagery. A 3D model of a minibus was given the livery of the real BAUR test vans. We deliberately simplified the loading area so that attention lands where it belongs: on the new product.

3D-Kabelmesswagen von BAUR, eingefügt in eine echte Drohnenaufnahme

02 · Real roads, virtual test van

Instead of shooting new footage, we gathered suitable drone shots of roads in different seasons. Camera tracking transfers the movement of the real camera into the 3D scene – so the virtual van drives exactly on the real road. The big advantage: the picture can switch from the real scene into the 3D world and back without a hard cut.

03 · Light, shadows, reflections

For the van to truly sit in the scene, the lighting has to be right. 360° light captures (HDRI) recreate the real mood – from a cloudy evening sky to the midday sun. For believable reflections we even place invisible trees in the scene: you only see them in the windscreen and as shadows on the vehicle.

04 · Anywhere, in any season

The core message: the PD-TaD 80 inside works anywhere, without fuss. So in the video the test van drives through all kinds of landscapes and all four seasons. Viewers grasp the versatility without anyone having to explain it.

For data protection reasons, third-party integrations require your consent to be loaded. More information can be found in our data protection declaration.

The result

BAUR had a product video for the launch, even though the device itself wasn't finished yet. The test van looks real, the transitions between live footage and 3D are invisible and the message lands without many words.

Because the video needed no shoot, there was no shoot planning, no locations and no weather risk. And the 3D model remains available for further visualisations.

What we learned: a product video doesn't have to wait until the product is finished.

3D & CGI