CityEngine and National Geographic Megacities

[Procedural Inc.]

For National Geographic Asia's "Megacities - Kaohsiung" episode, Worlds Away Productions was tasked with creating a digital 3d model of the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan for use in 6 CGI sequences. The six sequences, with a total running time of just over 6 and a half minutes, examine different aspects of the unique features of Kaohsiung, from the existing and future shipping port and MRT plans to an examination of their unique solar stadium and their processes for converting garbage to electricity. The show starts with a CGI sequence that takes the viewer from a global level view down to a sweeping tour over the entire city.



Driving CityEngine was GFX artist Sam Calabrese, "The CityEngine workflow using real-world street data from OpenStreetMap.org worked great. Not only did it streamline the process of laying out the procedural buildings, but gave our city a realism that we could never achieve using some arbitrary procedural layout process”. Calabrese adds, “The rule-based system CityEngine uses allows a great deal of flexibility when we need to adjust the mix/type of buildings generated in a given area, especially on tight television schedules. I can’t imagine doing this show without it.”



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