4/30/15

IP3 - Infinity Power Partners

Pre-Production

Concept & Scripting

For IP3, Infinity Power Partners needed a 3D conceptual animation that could take complex energy procurement data and turn it into a clear, compelling narrative. The aim was to show off the inner workings of their proprietary procurement history software—specifically how it helps users analyze, compare, and forecast energy decisions across various timelines and risk profiles. We anchored the project in a script built around real-time data analysis, side-by-side scenario comparisons, and historical procurement intelligence—each scene directly tied to a key function of the platform.

The client came in with a full suite of assets—branding guidelines, high-res graphs, and their existing logo. These weren’t just reference points; they helped shape the structure of the visuals. Every scripted line drove a specific animation concept—from the signature orbiting logo rings to immersive data environments and clean UI simulations. These narrative beats guided the look development and animation planning from day one.

Rapid Prototype (RP)

As with any project heavy on technical data, we kicked things off with a Rapid Prototype phase using conceptual styleframes. Built in Cinema 4D and post-processed in After Effects, these frames focused on composition, metaphor, and digital texture. This was our first alignment checkpoint with the client—to lock in atmosphere, clarity, and tone before diving into animation. Once approved, we translated these concepts into previsual assets that would anchor the motion design process.

We repurposed the animated 3D logo rings from a previous job, but completely reworked the motion. A new camera path was built to orbit the rings, evoking a flow of data and creating a sense of spatial depth. This move became the backbone of the animation—linking each scene through orbital transitions with varied speed and curvature.

A big part of prototyping was reconstructing the client’s 2D charts into full 3D models. We took their chart references and vector files into Cinema 4D, then extruded and animated the data in three dimensions. To show data complexity and timeline growth, each bar became a cluster of smaller cubes using Cloner objects, animated to rise in sequence—like watching the data assemble itself in real-time.

To push the geometry further, we duplicated each chart model and added Atom Array modifiers. This gave the visuals glowing wireframe edges that highlighted data direction and structure. 

We also tested how camera movement could carry metaphor. In one prototype, the camera rode the path of a data chart like a rollercoaster—highlighting volatility and market movement. These early tests were critical in setting the pacing and flow of the final edit, using smooth orbits to build tension and fast dives to deliver impact across scenes.

Early Visual Styles Explored

The initial visual direction leaned heavily into a conceptual sci-fi interface: transparent surfaces, spherical UI, and glowing grid overlays inside softly lit, volumetric spaces. We explored several interface designs that balanced tech credibility with artistic abstraction—radar-like overlays, rotating metric rings, and floating projection planes all played a role in early concept development.

Motion tests focused on UI behavior we knew would be vital later: pulse effects for real-time updates, expanding data nodes for scenario selection, and grid projections to ground the space. We ran these in low-fidelity preview renders to fine-tune how readable and spatially coherent each element felt, making sure everything would scale well as the project moved forward.

We also built out tests for UI complexity stacking. In one sequence, we prototyped a floating display updating in real-time, riffing on the circular geometry in the client’s logo. This included animated code lines, loading bars, and placeholder text that created a believable "live feed" look. These were reviewed for visual rhythm and tech realism—futuristic but still grounded.

Another heavily tested idea was the “special report” display—a floating dashboard that emerged over a gridded floor with charts, timestamps, and performance metrics. The design blended a heads-up display aesthetic with elements from financial dashboards. Motion prototypes included bar graphs animating in, line graphs spiking with data events, and labels snapping into place—all set within a drifting, parallaxed camera move to give dimensionality.

For the rollercoaster metaphor, we ran camera tests along spline paths that followed 3D chart data—complete with the kind of rhythmic motion that reflected market fluctuations. These had to strike a balance between speed and clarity, ensuring viewers could keep up while staying visually immersed in the data landscape.

Style Choices and Reasoning

Going with a 3D conceptual style wasn’t just a design decision—it was a tactical choice to solve a hard communication problem. Infinity Power Partners offers a complex, highly technical product: a data tool that helps users make procurement choices with a trader’s insight. That level of depth called for a visual language that was clean, smart, and modern—something that could carry abstract, multi-layered data without losing clarity. A flat 2D approach wouldn’t cut it. It would’ve flattened distinctions between data types and buried the timeline logic that sets IP3 apart. With a 3D space, we could spatialize the story—turning graphs into landscapes, numbers into architecture, and comparisons into immersive walkthroughs.

The floating ring visuals, pulled directly from the client’s logo, became a strong metaphor for orbiting data and continuous analysis. Orbital camera paths and circular UI elements drove home the idea that this platform never stops working—scanning, comparing, forecasting. That was critical to showcasing how users could toggle between scenarios like Base Plan, Scenario #1, or Scenario #2 and examine each from multiple angles. The camera’s ability to pivot and orbit matched the product’s promise of deeper visibility.

We built the environment dark and soft-lit, which gave the glowing data plenty of contrast and made each UI element pop. In early tests, we added subtle haze and floating particles to reinforce a sense of scale and space—so viewers felt like they were inside the data, not just watching it. The sci-fi design language—grids, flares, wireframe atoms, rotating metrics—gave the software a modern, forward-leaning feel, but it stayed grounded in function. Every visual decision tied back to narrative needs: clarify, highlight, compare, or signal change.

This style was tailor-made for the forward curve charts and scenario comparison shots that anchored the story. Extruding these as 3D forms—with glow edges and real-time animations—made their meaning immediately clear. Depth showed time. Height showed value. Side-by-side stacking showed contrast. And overlays like code streams, connected data points, and live UI made the experience feel alive—like the platform is always running analysis under the hood.

The goal wasn’t just to make it look good. It was to make it work harder. The style turned static numbers into an immersive, decision-making environment—exactly what Infinity Power Partners brings to the table: clarity through complexity and smarter strategy through deeper insight.

Full Production & Post-Production

Look Development

With the structural groundwork laid during Rapid Prototype, Full Production was all about refinement—tightening movement, sharpening material realism, and pushing lighting and environment to deliver a polished, high-fidelity result. Everything was built out in Cinema 4D, with the Standard Renderer handling final outputs. We rebuilt lighting setups from scratch to add layered depth—foreground chart structures pulled forward with contrast, while floating UI elements hung in space with real parallax. Materials were tuned for clean reflections and glow layering, ensuring each chart and data object held visual separation. Wireframes created with Atom Array highlighted geometry edges, reinforcing precision and digital sharpness.

The moving logo rings got a deeper ambient treatment. Behind the rings, we added a particle field that moved subtly, creating visual parallax and signaling technical depth. Glints and glow ramps were dialed in to react in-camera with the logo’s motion, establishing the sequence’s visual signature and overall tone.

Design & Animation

Each scene’s animation was built directly off the RP phase, then refined for pacing, smoothness, and clear storytelling. Camera movement did most of the narrative lifting—gliding through data terrain, orbiting around sets, and diving into UI views with cinematic weight. We used speed changes to create rhythm—especially in the rollercoaster-style scene, where the spline-rigged camera tracked along a 3D line graph to illustrate key ideas like compression, expansion, and buy signals.

Bar charts were built using Cloner, stacking each column from dozens of cubes that animated up in time with the voiceover. Fracture objects and Turbulence fields let other charts break apart on cue—visually symbolizing obsolete ideas or flawed structures. Animation timing was controlled with effectors and null rigs to stay agile in editorial and maintain pacing throughout.

In critical scenes, interface elements were embedded into the animation flow. Rotating metrics, orbiting UI rings, and radial overlays snapped into place with narration cues. We used tight timing curves to hit each beat visually and verbally, making sure the animation felt locked to the messaging.

Technical Details

All animation and rendering was done in Cinema 4D using the Standard Renderer. We separated backgrounds using alpha channels for full flexibility in compositing. Cloner drove the layered bar charts. Fracture + Turbulence added destruction effects. Atom Array highlighted geometry and structure. The rollercoaster sequence used a spline-follow camera rig, while ring transitions used orbital rigs built around central nulls.

Final render passes were composited in After Effects, where glows, overlays, and depth layers could be dialed in shot by shot.

Some shots called for non-standard solutions. The rollercoaster scene featured a camera that physically rode a line graph shaped by historical pricing data—each twist representing a shift in market condition. Bar charts weren’t single objects but clusters of cubes animated with cloners and effectors to mimic live data reveal.

Fracture + Turbulence let us break data apart on cue, with wind fields adding natural motion. Atom Array created structural wireframes without crowding the scene. The “updating” UI was based on the logo’s radial symmetry, animated with scrolling code, loading bars, and pulsing overlays.

Final Compositing & Color Grading

After Effects handled the final look. 3D renders were composited over grid-based backgrounds with UI overlays, animated metrics, and motion-tracked labels. Lens flares, radial glows, and soft shadows added visual depth. Compositing let us precisely place every overlay and maintain clear visual hierarchy.

Color grading was tuned to make the data pop—contrasting bright charts against deep backgrounds, matching brand specs, and enhancing legibility. Curves, glow intensity, and motion blur were tweaked shot by shot.

We layered in subtle VFX to boost complexity and guide attention. The intro with the moving rings used parallax particles and a shallow depth field to create a cinematic open. “Risk Parameters” featured a dynamic plexus of glowing points and lines, vibrating with activity and anchored by a lens flare “core” that pulsed with narration.

The rollercoaster chart had floating price points that tracked alongside the camera path, reinforcing timeline markers. The “updating” scene showed a full refresh cycle—scrolling code, animated loaders, and a circular tick system that played off the brand’s logo geometry.

Infographics, UI Overlays & Data Visualization

Data wasn’t an afterthought here—it was the entire backbone. Every frame featured structured, animated visualizations custom-built to represent real-time platform behaviors. These weren’t generic overlays—they were designed from scratch to show how the IP3 system actually functions.

From the jump, data took center stage. Bar charts emerged from glowing grid floors, complete with floating labels, numeric values, and metric tags. Clusters of animated cubes brought movement and depth. Supers like “Transparency,” “Risk,” and “Control” were more than labels—they were tracked, interactive layers locked into camera space.

UI elements surrounded each data structure—spinning indicators, synchronized gauges, and pulse-driven overlays. We built these with thin lines, blur trails, and alpha masks to make them pop without clutter.

The forward curve comparisons got their own system: multiple glowing lines representing different scenarios entered frame with pulse and speed cues. As each line moved, its legend tracked and locked in position. Grid overlays floated behind, giving reference without distraction.

The “updating” scene showcased a fully custom UI built to mirror how IP3 might operate in real time. Orbital loaders, scrolling data, and pulsing refresh indicators surrounded radial dials and ticker rings—every element designed to convey live analysis.

“Special Report” scene simulated complex performance dashboards. Bar stacks, data callouts, and percent deltas animated in with ease curves and bounce easing, echoing polished enterprise UI behavior. Ghosted layers and grid overlays added depth, while floating UI text tracked independently from the camera for parallax.

In “Risk Parameters,” we leaned into abstraction. Floating nodes linked by reactive lines rewired themselves based on movement and proximity. A central flare pulsed with each beat, and radial rings created a strong visual hierarchy. The space was layered with scanlines and glow distortions to signal activity.

Each UI element was fully composited—timed, masked, tracked—to maintain order and clarity. Subtle glows, soft blur edges, and kinetic text helped simplify even the densest visuals, making complex data approachable and cinematic. This wasn’t about flash—it was about making strategy feel intuitive.

Brand Consistency

Everything tied back to the brand. The client’s ring logo wasn’t just decoration—it drove camera paths, UI layouts, and animation transitions. Fonts, colors, and line weights followed the brand guide closely. Even charts were rebuilt using the client’s original vectors and PDF assets. The final look—clean, technical, layered—was a direct expression of the brand’s promise: clarity through data, strategy through intelligence.

Delivery

We delivered a 1080p ProRes master. The video was built to hold up across formats—from presentations to social. Text stayed sharp, detail held through compression, and we pulled stills from key frames for use in slide decks and marketing assets.

Transcript:

When you work with Infinity Power Partners, you get access to our proprietary procurement history software, giving you a clear view of the past and present. The analysis of your history is where we start making decisions on the future. Put our tools to use to make better procurement decisions. With infinity, you'll be able to make real-time comparisons of your procurements in ERCOT against the full range of available structures.

Infinity software pulls from a comprehensive database of power history, giving you a transparent view of your procurement against the forward curves going back in time; the ability to see what different power structures would have cost over time; an opportunity to input your risk parameters into the analytical process; control of the tool and your load data to select the options you wish to compare.

This data auto-updates every week, so Infinity Power Partners is always ready to make procurement comparisons, regardless of how recent the procurement was made.

Instead of using anecdotal or, I think we got it right analysis. You'll be provided a snapshot report on the different structures, performances, and a detailed analysis of your procurement.

This is a data-driven technical history lesson. It's a guide to determining your range of options, including your risk parameters and site-specific requirements. The analysis of your procurement history gives you an edge when negotiating your upcoming procurements. For example, look back in time. You need to know when buy signals occur, when the market gets bearish - expansion, and when the curves start compressing, which usually signals that something is about to happen.

You need to know what's happening today to guide your decisions for tomorrow. This gives nontraders like you and your company a truly technical trader-like approach to power procurement, placing you in a position to learn from history is unique to Infiniti's process. We put history into action.

Here's how it works. We simply upload your past procurement. Enter your current plan as the base plan and then select different scenarios, giving you a cumulative comparison of procurement options.

Save time. Save money. Save your energy. Hire Infinity Power partners today and you'll look forward to tomorrow.

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