The CharacterShop - Case Study

Introduction

The CharacterShop is an award-winning team of character-obsessed artists specialising in animation, content creation, and digital effects production for TV series, commercials, and beyond. With over a decade-long partnership, NTI has supported their creative journey, providing state-of-the-art 3D production technology and robust IT infrastructure tailored to their unique needs.

Customer Challenge

As a leading animation studio, The CharacterShop faced the challenge of keeping pace with the ever-evolving demands of 3D production. Their existing rendering setup was becoming a bottleneck, particularly for projects requiring complex fur rendering, such as their latest Bush Baby World series. Excessive render times for features like ray tracing, subsurface scattering, and fur were limiting their creativity, forcing them to compromise on the quality of their work.

Additionally, the studio required a reliable IT infrastructure to handle the data-intensive demands of their animation pipeline while ensuring seamless collaboration and efficiency.

Solution

NTI provided The CharacterShop with a tailored solution, leveraging our Gold Service Level Agreement (SLA) to deliver premium support and expertise. Our tech team conducted a comprehensive site audit, gaining insights into their workflow and setting up a robust IT infrastructure. This included configuring switches, networking components, rendering systems, and Synology storage solutions to streamline their operations.

To enhance their creative capabilities, we supplied industry-leading tools such as 3DS Max, CPU and GPU workstations, graphic cards, render nodes, and the Hair: Farm plug-in. Recognizing the need for improved rendering efficiency, we introduced The CharacterShop to Redshift, a GPU-based rendering solution. After thorough testing and consultation with fellow animators at Blue Zoo, they transitioned fully to Redshift, enabling faster and more consistent rendering.