CAD + Animation PROJECT

Beaulieu 4008 zm-ii Super 8 film Camera

Modeling + Animation of Assembly/Operation

about

Modeled the assembly and inner-workings of a 1970's French-made Beaulieu 4008 ZM-II Super 8 Film camera.
Over 320 parts were modeled using Creo Parametric, and then were digitally disassembled and rendered using AutoDesk 3ds Max.

The process

The initial objective was to model, animate, and render a fairly complex mechanical device, showcasing how the device was assembled, as well as how it operated.

One day while scouring a second-hand store, this vintage Super 8 film camera was spotted and seemed to be a perfect candidate for the project, due to its before-digital vintage. The working condition of the camera was unknown, as it came without a battery and the proprietary replacement batteries were rare and expensive.

The next step was to look for some sort of service manual for the camera. After scouring countless forums and Super 8 enthusiast websites, the best we could find were user manuals, which were not exactly very helpful in determining how best to disassemble the thing. And so, after acquiring a set of precision screw drivers and some calipers, we dove into disassembling the camera.As we disassembled, pictures were taken, so we could later determine where and how the parts were attached.

Each part was painstakingly measured and faithfully reproduced using Creo Parametric. These models were then imported into AutoDesk 3ds Max. Within 3ds Max the parts were mated with each other as to create a fully assembled digital version of the camera. Then the camera was (virtually) disassembled, while also manipulating camera angles/trajectories, as well as the trajectories of individual parts.

After countless hours of modeling, animating, rendering scenes on five computers concurrently, and editing the final clips together, the end project can be seen above.