British Airways, with Framestore · Plane rig
British Airways A380 new fleet
For British Airways' new fleet A380 advert, I built the plane rig at Framestore in Maya. It had fully automated engine control, landing gear that folded in and out from one attribute, wing bend, and three levels of global controllers on the flight path, so animators could fly it through whichever shots the client chose late in the process.
- Client
- British Airways
- Studio
- Framestore
- Role
- Plane rig
- Tech
- Maya
The challenge
British Airways' "A glimpse inside our new A380" advert showcased the airline's new fleet. The aircraft needed a rig that animators could fly through any shot. The client was still deciding which shots to use until quite late in the process, so the rig had to be ready for anything.
What I did
I built the A380 plane rig with:
- Fully automated engine control.
- Landing gear driven from one control attribute. The gear opened and closed automatically, folding in and out, so animators only had one value to key.
- Wing bend, so the wings could flex in flight.
- Primary, secondary and tertiary global controllers on the path constraint, giving animators layers of control over the plane's flight path.
The outcome
The rig was ready for whichever shots the client chose, and the A380 flew in the finished British Airways advert.
