Neon Mary ← Back to work

Case study  —  Client work

What happens when an elevator cable snaps?

A 3D explainer for Smarter in 10, a YouTube channel that explains everyday engineering in about ten minutes. The brief: show why a modern elevator doesn't fall, one safety layer at a time.

Excerpt (70 s) from the delivered episode: governor → machine brake → safety gear.
Client
Smarter in 10 · YouTube education
Format
5:37 explainer · 4K · subtitles
Turnaround
4 days, brief to delivery
Tools
Blender · Unreal Engine 5 · Remotion

The challenge

Hollywood has taught everyone that one snapped cable means a free fall. The real answer is a chain of independent systems, and most of them are hidden inside the shaft. The episode had to make that chain visible, keep a calm, sophisticated tone, and never show anyone falling or getting hurt.

  1. 01

    Spec first

    Before the job was awarded, we built a short spec in the channel's own look: the cabin, the rope snap and their sting. That spec won the job.

  2. 02

    Script to shot list

    The final voice-over set the timing. Every line got a shot: what the viewer has to understand, and which part of the mechanism shows it.

  3. 03

    A real mechanism, built in 3D

    Shaft, counterweight, governor, brake, safety gear and buffers were modelled to work the way the real parts work, so the camera can cut inside and show cause and effect.

  4. 04

    Review and delivery

    Watermarked reviews, a round of notes, then the 4K master with subtitles and an end screen, on time.

Inside the episode

Traction sheave and motor: the machine room, labelled in 3D
Traction sheave and motor: the machine room, labelled in 3D
Overspeed governor: the moment it detects too much speed
Overspeed governor: the moment it detects too much speed
Machine brake: second layer of protection
Machine brake: second layer of protection
Safety gear wedges biting into the guide rail
Safety gear wedges biting into the guide rail
1854, Elisha Otis: a 2D engraving-style history beat
1854, Elisha Otis: a 2D engraving-style history beat
All four safety layers in one view
All four safety layers in one view

Episode 2  —  In production

Why do trucks drive with wheels off the ground?

The second episode moves outside: a dump truck on a highway, over a bridge and in a quarry, built and lit in Unreal Engine 5. The same truck then turns into a clean CAD model, so the viewer can see the lift axle work.

Shots from episode 2 (48 s, no sound): road, bridge and quarry, then the move from the real truck into the CAD explanations.
The bridge: a loaded truck crossing a valley viaduct, built and lit in Unreal Engine 5
The bridge: a loaded truck crossing a valley viaduct, built and lit in Unreal Engine 5
The quarry: tipping a load of gravel
The quarry: tipping a load of gravel
On the road: the weathered dump body
On the road: the weathered dump body
CAD: the lift axle mechanism lowering on its air bags
CAD: the lift axle mechanism lowering on its air bags

★★★★★  Client review

“Ladislav did a great job. He delivered on time and to the specs that were required. I would work with him again in the future, thank you.”

Smarter in 10 · now in production on further episodes together

Need to show how something works?

Products, machines, medical devices, science. We build the mechanism in 3D and explain it.

Start a project