Categories:

City Animation: Touring Times Square

Jim Lammers

May 4, 2018

Categories:

City Animation: Touring Times Square

A New York Architectural Animation

Trinity’s Quintessential City Animation Brings Times Square to Life

This is a 3D rendered image from Trinity's city animation is of New York's Time Square. This image displays the corner of a large building on Time Square. A blocked off area with red tables and chairs is located between the buildings where 3D modeled people are displayed eating and roaming the sidewalks. — Trinity’s artists have created an accurate 3D modeled replica of the New York Time Square featuring detailed architecture, sidewalks, signs, plants, people and more. In the image above, human figures are displayed roaming the sidewalks going about their daily lives, providing a realistic depiction of New York.

In this city 3D model animation, Trinity and its clients, the Durst Organization and Jones Lang LaSalle, take on of the most iconic street scenes in America: Times Square between 42nd and 43rd Streets. Time Square is often described as the heart of Manhattan’s Theatre District. Nine historic theatres are located nearby on 42nd Street. The area took its name from the The New York Times newspaper and is best known for the enormous billboards that flash across the Square. Tourists will also l find Madame Tussaud’s just a stone’s throw away from the location shown in this city animation, as well as Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum. It is estimated that as many as 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, all under the watchful eyes of the Times Square Precinct of the New York City Police Department.

Trinity produces immaculately detailed 3D imagery displaying the exterior of a retail store located on the New York Time Square.
Trinity artists take viewers on a tour of the interior of the retail store located on Time Square.

360-degree photographs of Time Square, serve as reference imagery for Trinity artists while creating this city animation.

Trinity artists started this city 3D model animation project by taking extensive 360-degree photos to capture a sense of the lively bustling activity of the area. The artists skillfully built in at least two major animated billboards which play high-definition movies in the initial scenes of this city animation. As the virtual camera moves forward we get a view of the pedestrian rest area in from of the retail space in question. Trinity artists added just enough pedestrian traffic to give the viewer an accurate sense of the activity in Times Square which still allows the viewer to see the details of the retail space.

The city 3D model animation was commissioned to demonstrate the potential commercial retail location the tenants had in mind for high-end retail. With the assistance of Trinity artist’s, the client designed an engaging retail interior which serves to entice pedestrians to come in and browse the merchandise. Trinity artists created original artwork for the interior of the retail store. They completed the city animation by creating realistically rendered clothing, shoes, and other products to line the shelves. This city animation brings home the message that this location could be the destination of a prosperous, upscale retail outlet.

This displays 2 sperate images. The left is a photograph of a building from Time Square, and the right is the 3D modeled replica that Trinity Artist created for the city animation — The left image is a photographed building from Times Square that Trinity artists used as a reference to create the accurate 3D model of the building on the right. Notice that Trinity artists personalized the images on the digital screens and billboards. They are also able to manipulate the time of day, amount of people, and car placement to their liking.

Photographs of Time Square at many different angles are used as reference imagery so Trinity artists can create accurate 3D models of the architecture and more.