In this whimsical Oreo project, we set loose our 2D and 3D artists to create a whirling tornado of CG milk and cookies. See below for our creative development, from exploring the initial design to adding the final touches.

We started the design process by exploring rough 2D sketches to block out the overall shape, proportions and composition of the tornado. Our in-house concept artists were able to quickly explore lots of different designs to find the right sense of balance and weight to the shape of the tornado, from the tightly twisted spout at the base, to the energetic opening of the funnel.

It was important to get the sense of scale right between the liquid, the cookies and the glass, but to also capture the powerful momentum and energy of a tornado.

To achieve this, we sculpted the entire milk tornado in CGI, allowing us to create one continuous flow and have control over the scale and frequency of the contours and liquid edges twisting around the tornado. We carefully sculpted each splash of liquid with a directional flow to achieve a spinning momentum to the vortex.

CGI also gave us full control over the look and feel of the milk, with consistent lighting, reflections and shadows to maintain the form of the tornado, whilst keeping the viscosity and translucency of milk. CGI cookies were then placed into the tornado, so that the liquid collisions could be sculpted around them.

The fully sculpted tornado was then taken into post production for the final touches. This included adding small photographic details such as bubbles within the milk, textures to the oreos, and crumbling cookie particles; motion blur was added to blend all the elements together and give a sense of movement. 

Overall, it was a great project to create a whimsical image for Oreo, whilst showing off our 3D artists' sculpting skills.