Meritage Homes Animated Construction Standards

IBACOS, Inc. approached Lyon Ritchie to develop animated videos for Meritage Homes. Construction Standards is a collection of 3D illustrations and instructional animations that concisely demonstrate the builder’s core practices to Meritage Homes' construction supervisors. The set of videos interwove IBACOS' branding and displayed subtitles for the voiceover work performed by the talented Mike Morrison of Digital Media Workshop.

Problem

Meritage Homes needed training for site supervisors and was eager to roll out a video series. IBACOS asked us to create animations that give an overview of a building system and highlight critical points. These videos would need to be easily viewed online and formatted for distribution through the client’s online leaning management system (LMS).

Our Approach

We began pre-production planning with a tentative list of video topics from IBACOS for a series of training videos that would consist of voiceover, photography, illustration and 3D animation. Due to the volume of anticipated work, file exchange, reviews and communication, we outlined a proposed production workflow, indicating various checkpoints and expectations at each stage of the production process.

While the client reviewed the roughcut, we built out the environment, prepared props and motion graphics and refined the camera work. Near the end of the project, there were eight videos in the pipeline at various stages.

Rather than present the building assemblies in isolation, we proposed using a persistent environment to help anchor the viewer. It would also preserve the spatial relationships between the systems of a home, and show how they were interrelated, a detail that can aid in retention of the instructional material.

Solution

We provided a rough edit as soon as we received an approved script, so that we could discuss which shots would be fully animated or supported by client-provided photography. This rough edit included the 3D scene in various states of progress with an overlay of the script. Wherever possible we built out the set, or stage, so that those areas of the environment would be available for upcoming videos.

As the project progressed, the house took shape, providing a more complete backdrop and a sense of progression.

Results

The collection for Meritage Homes resulted in 15 videos that have become a key component in Meritage Homes' LMS. More importantly, the process identified new ideas for instructional opportunities that IBACOS could leverage to augment its existing library of training tools and resources for homebuilders. Lyon Ritchie delivered over 30 finished videos and subtitle tracks compressed for web delivery – over 80,000 frames of 3D animation at HD resolution.