Named after a small pine tree in Japanese, Komatsu is an international heavy equipment manufacturer established in 1921. Fabricating construction, mining, forestry and military equipment, Komatsu pushes the bounds of innovation by employing cutting-edge technology to engineer some truly impressive machines. To highlight new features and build brand loyalty, they entrusted Zookeeper to create a number of animations to showcase their new products.
Komatsu needed an eye-stopping way to head up their new merchandise shop for their European division where they sell scale models, apparel and all sorts of fun gear. We imagined an actual physical shop with merchandise inside and clouds above, then built it in a 3D space using Blender and set it in motion with a dynamic, unforgettable bouncing-into-place action.
Instead of a hard-to-manage video shoot, Komatsu wanted to create animations they could feature on their website and social platforms that would highlight their next-generation proprietary features, like intelligent Machine Control that enable its operators to improve productivity and efficiency. Animating a number of videos like the ones below, we had to be extremely precise in both the illustration of the exact machine details and in the animation of all movements, which had to faithfully replicate the construction equipment’s operation.
Using photos and videos as reference, we created a slew of illustration of the heavy construction equipment.
After we illustrated each specific piece of heavy equipment, we took the illustrations into After Effects and put them in motion.
Komatsu enlisted us to create a series of more than a dozen animated GIFs that would be used for text replies or posting anywhere on the internet—a great way to extend and personalize the Komatsu brand, and create fun interactions with customers.
–David B., Komatsu
