More Transformers Prime

Here's a little more artwork from Transformers Prime. The best CG animated show on television...of course I'm not being entirely biased since the show has won seven Emmy Awards in just the first two seasons! Not many action adventure shows can boast accolades like that...actually none! Although the series is officially complete with the final episode having aired earlier this year, we still are eligible to win further honors for this year's third and final season.

This diagram explains many of the initial design needs for the Autobot headquarters interior. The use of Sketchup throughout the production was an invaluable tool that made everything easier for designers, storyboard artists and our partners in Japan...Polygon, easily the best CG TV animation studio in the industry!

Overall view of the Autobot HQ

Technical diagrams for the Autobot HQ set. 

Details for the sets were sometimes easier to do as isolated drawings to avoid burdening the Sketchup file with too much data.

All the monitor graphics, whether they were in the Autobot HQ, in any Decepticon facility, in the Mech hideouts or even in the military installations were designed specifically for the shows by background designer Marcelo Bonifacio. This is just one example of the hundreds done for the show.

View of the Autobot HQ from the ground bridge.

With amazing lighting during the scene when Raf is saved, you are reminded what a beautiful looking show this really is.

Most importantly, the believable sets grounded the show for the awesome character designs provided by the ridiculously talented Jose Lopez.

The Autobot headquarters was originally located in the base of a hydroelectric power plant, but it had to be changed to avoid any similarities with the feature films. Consequently we relocated the headquarters into an abandoned secret military silo base located inside a desert mesa.

I distinctly remember Polygon stating that they were very confident about modeling their architectural sets but in fact were a little nervous about the treatment and modeling of natural environments. I think they kicked that challenge in the ass...

Yet another example of an absurdly awesome natural environment.

Creating the city of Jasper was an exercise in making the mundane interesting. This is achieved by recognizing proper scale and proportion while paying attention to the everyday details.

Stepping into city planner mode, we designed a section of a small town with actual city zoning that makes sense. From street level views, stuff like this helps make the set feel authentic.

Designing Decepticon architecture was fun and challenging. Where the challenge of making Earth based designs register as believable, the Decepticon architecture had to feel menacing and alien without feeling too fantastic and ridiculous. This first concept sketch was modified to feel less ornamental.

The Decpticon tower on Earth

Concept sketch for a section of a renewed Cybertron. Unfortunately this design got a little lost in translation...

 

The Nemesis glides through the atmosphere above Earth...this really doesn't look like a Saturday morning cartoon to me.

These technical diagrams illustrate the design details for the interior of Unicron. It's a complex looking space, but simplified once again through the use of Sketchup. Jason Park did a wonderful job articulating this concept and it's no wonder that he also won an Emmy this year for his outstanding work on the show. 

The interior of Unicron's artery. I'm really proud of this space. The concept was to create a space that reads both organic and mechanical. I think we achieved this quite well.