This is not particularly BMW news, because we don't know for sure whether BMW has ever made use of this technology, or dealt with this company. But BMW's competitors, such as Mercedes-Benz, have. The bottom line: If you ever had any doubt whether the cars you see on television, in films, or in commercials are real or computer-generated imaging, keep on doubting.
The company is called The Mill, and it created the Mill Blackbird, which it claims is the first fully adjustable vehicle that can provide the basis for photorealistic computer-generated cars—anytime and anywhere—without depending on a real, actual car.
Science fiction giant Arthur C. Clarke postulated that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. We know a little bit about advanced technology in the form of computers and graphics and motion capture and stuff like that, but the cars generated by The Mill using the Mill Blackbird seem pretty much like magic to us.
Watch the video and see what you think. Then, the next time you see a very well done Mercedes-Benz commercial, try to figure out if you’re looking at a real Mercedes or the Mill Blackbird wrapped in Mercedes-looking pixels.—Scott Blazey
The Mill, JemFX, Performance Filmworks, and Keslow collaborated on the Mill Blackbird.
[Photo and video courtesy of The Mill.]
