Sweet! | ICE CREAM EXPLORATIONS

We’ve taken a delicious plunge into the frosty delights of ice cream with our latest in-house film, “Sweet!” This project showcases our innovative approach to crafting photorealistic ice cream and waffle cones, each sumptuously draped in velvety chocolate. The exploration into the art of frozen treats goes beyond mere visual indulgence; it is a testament to our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in digital artistry. Leveraging advanced procedural systems and custom solvers, we’ve meticulously crafted every texture, drip, and swirl to not only look delectable but feel startlingly real. This blending of cutting-edge technology with our team’s raw artistic flair creates a sensory experience that stirs the imagination. “Sweet!” represents our ongoing dedication to keeping our creative vibes fresh and inventive, always exploring new ways to merge technical prowess with visual art in the coolest ways possible.

Creating the Chocolate Pour + Toppings

One of the standout technical challenges in creating “Sweet!” was the realistic simulation of chocolate being poured over ice cream, followed by the toppings that sink into and get coated by the chocolate. To achieve this, we had to develop custom solvers and techniques specifically tailored to handle the complexities of the interactions between the fluid chocolate and the solid toppings. This included accurately simulating the indentation of the toppings into the soft chocolate surface, ensuring the toppings were coated evenly as they fell, and maintaining a natural, cohesive flow of all elements together. The custom system we created not only met these challenges but also provided us with extensive creative freedom. It allowed us to experiment with a variety of fluid toppings like caramel and different types of chocolate, and to pair them with an array of solid toppings, enabling limitless possibilities in our visual storytelling. This innovative approach significantly enhanced the visual impact and realism of our animated treats.

Procedural Waffle Cones

In “Sweet!”, we tackled the complex challenge of creating waffle cone ice cream cones procedurally, capturing their transformation from flat sheets into the iconic cone shape familiar to all. Crafting this system involved overcoming the difficulty of accurately simulating the way the material wraps and folds, maintaining the integrity of the cone’s textured surface throughout the animation process. The procedural system we developed provided the flexibility to animate these cones dynamically while preserving their characteristic textured appearance. This allowed us not only to replicate the authentic look of waffle cones but also to ensure their structural stability and visual consistency in every frame. The end result was a highly versatile tool that gave us creative freedom to feature these cones in various scenes, enhancing the realism and appeal of our animated sequences.

Procedural Waffle Cones

In “Sweet!”, we tackled the complex challenge of creating waffle cone ice cream cones procedurally, capturing their transformation from flat sheets into the iconic cone shape familiar to all. Crafting this system involved overcoming the difficulty of accurately simulating the way the material wraps and folds, maintaining the integrity of the cone’s textured surface throughout the animation process. The procedural system we developed provided the flexibility to animate these cones dynamically while preserving their characteristic textured appearance. This allowed us not only to replicate the authentic look of waffle cones but also to ensure their structural stability and visual consistency in every frame. The end result was a highly versatile tool that gave us creative freedom to feature these cones in various scenes, enhancing the realism and appeal of our animated sequences.