Overview
"Neon Dreams" is my most ambitious project yet—a fully CG cinematic short blending 3D animation, VFX, live-action integration, and high-end compositing. The film follows a Toyota Supra speeding through a neon-lit cyberpunk city, capturing a sense of escape and surreal immersion.
To enhance realism, I composited myself into the scene using green screen footage, seamlessly integrating live-action with CG. This project pushed my skills in cinematic animation, atmospheric effects, and CG integration, blurring the line between reality and a hyper-stylized digital world.
The Challenge
To bring Neon Dreams to life, I had to solve several creative and technical challenges:
Seamlessly integrating live-action footage (myself) into a fully CG environment.
Creating realistic car physics and animation for natural movement and interaction.
Designing a cyberpunk city rich in detail, depth, and dynamic lighting.
Simulating atmospheric effects like rain, fog, neon reflections, and light diffusion.
Compositing and color grading to enhance realism and cinematic impact.
1- Concept & Inspiration
The vision for Neon Dreams was inspired by:
Cyberpunk 2077 aesthetics – Think rain-soaked streets, neon lights, and futuristic cityscapes.
Need for speed – Cinematic car chases with high-speed camera motion.
Live-action and CG integration – Combining real footage with a fully animated world.
2- Modeling & Scene Setup
To bring Neon Dreams to life, I modeled and optimized both the Toyota Supra and the Cyberpunk city environment, ensuring a balance between detail and efficiency for smooth animation and rendering.
Toyota Supra – High-Detail Modeling & Optimization
The Toyota Supra is the heart of this animation, requiring detailed modeling and material setup to interact realistically with the lighting and reflections.
Blocked out the main shape to establish correct proportions.
Modeled intricate details like headlights, vents, and rims for realism.
Optimized topology for smooth shading and reflections.
Applied PBR materials to create realistic car paint, glass, and metal surfaces.
Cyberpunk City Environment – Building a Neon World
Creating a believable, futuristic city was key to setting the right mood. The challenge was to make a detailed, immersive environment while keeping it optimized for rendering.
Procedural Road & Sidewalks:
Used displacement and texture blending techniques to create a realistic wet street look.
Modular Asset Creation:
Modeled different types of buildings, and used some Assets for variety and depth.
Procedural Crowd Simulation:
Used Procedural_Crowds addon to populate streets with animated pedestrians.
Street Props & Details:
Added objects like streetlights, traffic barriers, puddles, and fog layers to increase realism.
3- Dynamic Animation
To make Neon Dreams feel dynamic and cinematic, I focused on realistic vehicle movement, controlled camera work, and environmental interactions to create an engaging and immersive sequence.
Car Animation & Physics:
Created realistic suspension, acceleration, and drift motion using rigging and keyframe animation for smooth curves and weight shifts.
Camera Animation:
Designed cinematic camera shots with smooth transitions, motion blur, and depth of field to emphasize speed and immersion.
Traffic Simulation:
Used the Transportation addon to populate the streets with moving cars, enhancing realism and energy.
Bringing It All Together:
After carefully integrating the car animation, traffic, and environment, the scene started to come to life. Here’s a look at the animation before lighting and final effects.
5- Lighting Setup
Lighting played a huge role in defining the look and feel of Neon Dreams. The goal was to make the scene moody, cinematic, and immersive, ensuring the car and city interacted seamlessly.
Neon Light Sources:
Placed emissive lights in neon billboards, street signs, and building windows to create dynamic color contrast.
Progressive Light Passes:
Built the lighting in stages, from street lamps to neon glows to atmospheric fog, refining each pass to ensure harmony in the final render.
4- Live-Action Integration
One of the biggest challenges was placing myself inside the CG world while making it feel seamless and realistic.
Integrating into Blender:
Imported the keyed footage into Blender, aligning it with the CG scene for perfect perspective and depth.
Filming & Keying in After Effects:
Shot myself on a green screen, then used keying techniques, light wrapping, and color grading in After Effects to match the scene’s tones.
6- Compositing
The final stage of Neon Dreams was all about bringing everything together in After Effects.
Blending render passes, applying post-processing effects, and fine-tuning colors to achieve a polished cinematic look.
Compositing & Visual Effects:
Combined all render passes in After Effects, adding extra VFX like light glow, atmospheric fog, and depth enhancements to refine the cyberpunk aesthetic.
Render Passes & Breakdown:
Rendered multiple passes (mist, ambient occlusion, glossy direct & indirect, emission, etc.) to have full control over each visual element.
Color Grading & Look Development:
Used DaVinci Resolve to fine-tune colors, adjust contrast, and match the neon-lit, rainy night feel of the scene.
Sound Effects & Finalizing:
Added immersive engine sounds, tire screeches, rain ambience, and atmospheric effects, ensuring the scene felt alive and cinematic.
Final Outcome
"Neon Dreams" is a fully realized CG short film that merges high-speed action, a rich cyberpunk world, and advanced compositing techniques. By blending 3D animation, live-action, and VFX, I created a cinematic experience that showcases both technical skill and artistic vision.
