Geekery: The Blackbird Can Be Any Car You Want
This unassuming vehicle is a fully adjustable rig that can mimic any car on the market. Any. Car.
The Mill, a VFX studio out of London, joined fabricator JemFX to build the Blackbird – the rig that can imitate motion and be skinned as any car. It has an adjustable chassis that can be extended or shortened to match a wheelbase, and the suspension can be adjusted to various heights and how the rig handles. This is important given that it has a human driver that has to be able to respond to the feel of a sports car versus a minivan so each vehicle will look realistic.
It’s loaded with a camera array with heavy-duty stabilizers, and motion capture equipment. The software behind the system is really impressive in how it can change the feel/appearance of the drive. The innovation won a Cannes Lions award for innovation. All it needs is a wheel swap, some length/height adjustments, and some CG and it can go from being a Chevy Spark to a Lamborghini Aventador.
The demo reel for the Blackbird includes car commercials for Genesis, Acura, GM, and Chevy (paired with The Mill’s CG artists).
