CGI / RETOUCHING / POST / VR / AR / DIGITAL ART
Mondlicht Studios GmbH was established in 2019 by three worldwide famous digital artists: Dmitriy Glazyrin, Maksym Khirnyy and David Schäfer. Together they offer more than 40 years of experience for your creative projects in advertising and CGI.
- Automotive CGI (interior & exterior)
- Architecture CGI (interior & exterior)
- Advertising
- Postproduction
- Retouching
- Matte Painting
- Digital Characters
- Virtual and Augmented Reality
headquarters
Focus
Portfolio
Track Dedicated: McLaren P1 GTR animation
Since the video with Brabham was released, Mondlicht team thought about the next personal automotive project we would like to create in Unreal Engine. Finally, we chose our hero. This time Mondlicht team was inspired by the power and beauty of McLaren P1 GTR.
We have never had a chance to try it on the road yet, but we are sure that it would be a breathtaking experience. In the animation, we were trying to communicate our admiration for the car's possibilities and design and its special kind of charisma.
Our motion designer Nikolay Okolita started from scratch working on the concept and idea of the animatic. Stefan Evrard, our Unreal Engine expert, implemented the idea to amazing video in Unreal Engine. It was crucial for the team to demonstrate the car's beauty, but not to lose its temper and dynamics.
smart: paper town
Have you ever built paper houses when you were a child? Mondlicht Studios decided to remember fun childhood days and create a paper town. But instead of magical castles, we went for an urban environment and transferred a modern district into paper, including its stylish residents.
Mercedes-AMG G 63
Mondlicht team continues to explore endless possibilities of Houdini. This time, we were fascinated by the process of stalagmite creation. These amazing formations start from a single drop of water, slowly evolving to beautiful crystals of bizarre shapes. Keeping the idea of transformation in mind, we decided to create a unique environment for our next automotive project.
Under the hood: Automotive X-Ray series
Staging technology as charming as design is gaining popularity, thus getting more and more attention in advertising. Mondlicht created these shots after researching how to beautifully display what is ‘under the hood’.
To achieve an excellent result, we invested time in working on the materials and trying different options. In addition to the various transparency effects, we added a warm glow to highlight specific areas.
HONDA CGI
The project with Honda Civic Type R was inspired by vibrant purple jacaranda trees you can find in Southern California. Originally, those trees appeared in San Diego thanks to the efforts of Kate Sessions - a pioneering female horticulturalist. Later jacaranda trees were planted all over California and became one of the most recognizable trees in the region. The project was created in collaboration with Dmitry Bocharov.
DX Racer | Green Edition
Mondlicht Studios and playd® team joined forces to create a new project, inspired by DXRacer - a gaming chair with optimal ergonomic support, large angle adjustor, high-quality breathable materials, lumbar and head support.
Porsche 911 by Singer // 3D & Motion Design Show
The project was created for the 3D & Motion Design Show organized by Maxon. Our CEO Dmitriy Glazyrin was one of the speakers at the show and showed how to work on automotive projects from scratch.
To create the project, we used HDRI AND BACKPLATES LOS ANGELES set "Long Beach" produced by CTC Creative Studio by photographer Dmitry Bocharov. The car model was created by Szymon Kubicki. Stylish Porsche 911 by Singer became the perfect choice for the location and event.
Utopia - Amazon Prime - Keyart
Very happy to join forces with Rhubarb agency to create the Key Art and Outdoor for “Utopia” – a new series by Amazon Prime Video.
Nike Air Max 270 / Animation
As the big fans of Nike creations, we couldn’t resist creating a project for this model. In the animation, we wanted to accentuate the design of the product. Nike is famous for its durability (as well as crystals for their strength) and Air Max - for its air pocket (which is so comfortable that you can literally run on the rocks even on another planet). One more beautiful addition is the colour of the crystals, which emphasize the look of the sole.
F1-Renault R.S
Mondlicht Studios joined forces with Vitaliy Yakin and Denis Kilty to create a passionate personal project for this stunning racing car. We wanted to celebrate the achievements of the legendary car manufacturer and emphasize the technological perfection of the car.
Blueberry dessert: full CGI food project
The series of images was created for "3D Visualization Course" at Skillbox Online University. During the course, we show students how to work with different types of visualizations: automotive, interior, food and many others.
This chapter is devoted to the peculiarities of food projects. We are showing the whole process of visualization – from choosing the models and creating materials to working on lighting, atmosphere and post-production.
Nike Air Max 97: EVOLUTION
Working on the concept for Nike Air Max 97, Christian Tresser was trying to combine incongruous things into the harmonious design: progressive materials, metallic finishes on mountain bikes and even ripples of water in puddles. The Nike Air Max 97 became the symbol of fashion evolution although sneakers spent less than a year on store shelves.
The process of evolution became the main source of inspiration for our team. It's strongly connected with the world we live in and the things we create. Which is why we placed the sneakers underwater – after all life started from there. The project depicts the combination of the natural process of evolution and technological progress – two essential principles of human development.
Porsche Ireland
One more project for award-winning creative studio Floss Creatives. Our team was happy to work on the images with Porsche 911 Carrera S – one of the most beautiful cars in the world.
Porsche 911 Carrera S perfectly fits into the picturesque landscapes of Ireland with dramatic skies. The color of the car creates nice contrast between the background and the vehicle – the main hero of the images.
The car was created in 3ds Max and V-Ray, the background and post-production – in Adobe Photoshop.
Turkey - #TogetherToday
Advertised Brand: Turkey
Executive Creative Director: Selim Ünlüsoy
Creative Group Head / Copywriter: Tolga Sirkeci
Creative Group Head / Art Director: Mehmet Demirel
Head of Advertising: Murat Derman
Advertising Lead: Nazlıgül Şentürk
Account Manager: Ceylan Sarıgöl
3D Artist: Mondlicht Studios
Mercedes-Benz EQC 4MATIC
The trend towards conscious consumption is affecting every aspect of modern life.
When we choose products, we pay attention to so many issues we never thought about before. Which is why the right balance is the driving force.
Ambitious, elegant and powerful as its owner, Mercedes-Benz EQC 4MATIC demonstrates the harmony between luxury, efficiency and comfort.
The car and the environment were created in 3ds Max and V-Ray, post-production was done in Adobe Photoshop.
Honda - Moonlight
Stunning Honda NSX Supercar inspired us to create a new CGI project. We chose the moonlight atmosphere to emphasize its style and beauty. We produced three full CGI environments and retouched them a little bit in Photoshop.
British sport: Aston Martin Vantage
Striking and powerful Aston Martin Vantage captivates you at the first sight. We couldn't resist the temptation to create a series of beautiful images for this car.
Working on the images our team was trying to emphasize the stunning shapes of the car, which is why we chose a clean and open environment and worked with the lighting.
Another exciting part of the project was post-production – we worked not only on colours and grading but added additional details to make the images more fascinating.
STC Business: Welcome to a world led by possibilities
The project created for STC - a Saudi Arabia-based telecommunications company that offers landline, mobile, Internet services and computer networks.
One of the most noticeable parts of the images is the buildings of extraordinary forms. The images were created in 3ds Max, V-Ray and Photoshop.
How the comfort looks like: new Audi Q8
New Audi Q8 is stunning, audacious, and ready for any challenges! The perfect combination of the aesthetics of legendary Audi Quattro and futuristic details gives Audi Q8 elegant and powerful look. Outstanding design inspired our team to create a new project.
Nestle - Ice cream
Image was created for one of the parts of Skillbox Digital Graphic educational course.
Cursed Treasure
Creating the project for new CGI-course for Skillbox Online University, CreativePeople and Mondlicht Studios combined forces and decided to create a poster and a small animation for the fake movie “Cursed Treasure”. We were looking for inspiration in the daring spirit of pirate adventures and priceless jewellery masterpieces.
Bergader TV & Online Ad 2020
For Bergader we created a TV and online ad. The full version aired on 31.12.19 on ARD in Germany.
Concept and idea by The Wunderwaffe
CGI and animation Mondlicht Studios
Sound department Giesing Team
Mazda — Woodworker
An image created for Mazda.
Panasonic // Virtual Product Studio for IBC 2019
Together with our partner KST Moschkau GmbH we presented the latest developments
in real-time virtual studio production at the Panasonic Business stand on IBC2019 in Amsterdam. The live show demonstrated the whole workflow from concept to a complete virtual studio solution.
Porsche - Underwater road
The image created by our team was selected for 135 issue of 3D Artist magazine and Lürzer's Archive book 200 Best Digital Artists 2019/2020
Lexus NX - Gold&Black
Our team was inspired by the idea to blend together fashionable Gold & Black style and CGI car images. We imagined what would happen if a fashion designer had a chance to create a still car set. We wanted to show three different scenarios such as Forest, Desert, and Cityscape and we decided that luxurious Lexus NX would become the best hero.
BRABHAM BT18 UNREAL DEMO
Proud to show you our new project – “Brabham Unreal Demo” created with our colleague Serhii Cheban and his team Cube In Cube. We created the project to demonstrate our possibilities of producing videos in Unreal Engine.
Mercedes-Benz EQC - Black Edition
Our whole universe is ruled by numbers, algorithms and mathematics.
We can only grasp a fraction of our own world. But an automobile, in its entirety, truly is one culmination of our understanding of beauty and scientific development. Let us be proud of what we have achieved.
Reviews
the project
Photoshoot & Graphic Design for Advertising Company
"They clicked with the creators and really understood what the vision was."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m a senior producer for a production agency that’s part of a larger advertising production agency. We have lots of different clients, most of them in the pharmaceutical industry.
What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?
There was a new product that came up from one of our clients, and the challenge was they couldn’t afford a full photoshoot. There were people in this image that we needed to capture, so the art directors and creative team felt that a CGI approach would allow us a little bit more flexibility. Using stock photos wasn’t going to work because it wouldn’t give us enough control over the image.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Mondlicht Studios created the image for an advertisement. It was a simple image with a simple animation aspect and illustration elements. This image was to be used for a digital ad, and potentially for a print ad. I’m not really sure if they’ve launched it to the public already, so I don’t want to say too much about it.
A good way to describe this image is it’s supposed to look real with a natural and space environment created in CGI. It looks so real that it had to look like a photograph, but there’s also a graphic element that had to be put on top.
What is the team composition?
There were like four people that were always on the emails. Initially, we talked to the owner, one of the other artists, and then we dealt exclusively with their production person. However, we only had one person from the whole team to go back and forth with.
How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?
The creative team had heard of Mondlicht and put them in the mix for bidding. We had to triple bid on the project because there was another big project coming through. For this specific pharmaceutical client, we always do triple bids, and Mondlicht was part of that process.
They came in and bid just over $25,000, which was higher than the other competitors. Mondlicht Studios was just at the right price range and went above and beyond the project.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested just over $25,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked together from September–October 2020. They finished it really quickly and everything looked pretty good. Even the client didn’t have much to say other than it looked really good.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They were just really good partners and they did excellent work. Everyone was really happy, despite the very few changes that we needed to make. They were really accommodating and were able to show us different options. Overall, we would rate the partnership as a success because they executed the work so well. It was on time, on budget, and there weren’t any snags at all.
They were also super responsive. They clicked with the creators and really understood what the vision was. They made us feel confident that they could do this, and with a high-level of expertise, make the image look very realistic.
How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
They were great at organizing files and were very responsible. We agreed early on that we would work a certain way, and established a linked folder where they would send us JPEG images to review — this is where we would also put our feedback. It was a simple process and it was really easy to keep track of things.
We would communicate through this linked folder and via email. We had a schedule that we followed and had a certain number of rounds to review the output, since the client also needed to see the project for them to give their feedback. I’d say, we were communicating pretty regularly, even though we were going on a schedule.
What did you find most impressive about them?
We were impressed with their creative vision and efficiency.
During the bidding process, when we were explaining our idea to them, they were already ahead of the curve compared to some of the people we were bidding on. They really got the idea, and even started some of the work during the bidding process just to show us what they were capable of doing.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Honestly, I’m hard-pressed to come up with something, but there was one time they sent me the files before I needed them. They work too fast sometimes, but I wouldn’t even say that because it didn’t cause any problems. I just had to make sure that anyone else who had access to that folder, didn’t access the file until it was 100% approved.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
I could imagine that we were organized too, so we were a pretty good match. We had a very clear vision and we were responsive as well. I guess my advice would be to match their effort, energy, and efficiency they’re going to put into the project, so that it goes as smoothly as possible.
the project
Digital Background Creation for Design Agency Car Ads
"Their attention to detail is amazing."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
Designory is a California-based agency. I’m an art director, and I work in the Tokyo office. We mainly work with car manufacturers.
What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?
We couldn’t do location shooting because of the pandemic, so we decided to digitally create two hero shots for a car.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Mondlicht has produced two main still visuals for two different models. The project is still ongoing, and they’re supposed to make six more within the next month.
The challenge was to create a fully 3D CGI environment for each model. From there, we would just change the car position and create still images.
What is the team composition?
I’m mostly chatting with David (CEO and Co-Founder), but also with Maksym (CEO) and Dmitriy (Art Director).
How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?
I did research on the top CGI companies in the world. One prerequisite was for them to have experience in the automotive industry. I looked at Mondlicht Studios’ portfolio and had several interviews with them, and they seemed to have the best skills.
How much have you invested with them?
The two main visuals they’ve created had a cost of $35,000. The six additional structures will cost another $35,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with Mondlicht in mid-May 2020, and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The quality so far is outstanding. Mondlicht is by far the most skillful partner I've worked with in terms of technical aspects, but there’s also an impressive creative side. Unlike past partners, they'll come up with several solutions based a rough overall idea.
They deliver updates every day on where they are on the project, and they’re always trying to find the best solution to meet the client’s requirements.
Everyone on the client-side was amazed by the quality of the two visuals. Nobody could tell that they’d been created digitally. That’s how photorealistic they are. I was really surprised by the quality of the work.
How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
They usually deliver 1–2 days before the deadline, which gives us more time on our side to review their work. If I ask them to give me two proposals on one visual layout, they always come up with more. That makes it easier for me to decide and to get it approved by the client. They’re doing everything they can to make this as smooth as possible.
What did you find most impressive about them?
It’s the quality of their visuals. Mondlicht is specialized in the automotive industry, but they’ve done work for footwear and food companies. This has given them a broader perspective for whatever they’re working on. Their attention to detail is amazing.
Are there any areas they could improve?
This was my first time going full CGI. Mondlicht is used to this process, and they’re giving us guidance on deadlines and all the necessary steps. I don’t know how they could do any better.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
Clients should trust Mondlicht’s guidance on the overall production process, and let them express themselves when it comes to visual creativity and communication. Give them a brief and overall feel for the visual, and let them think about it from there. That’s the best way to capture Mondlicht’s creativity.
the project
Data Prep for Marketing & Advertising Company
"Their professionalism and great skillsets makes collaborating with them a good experience."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the former head of production at Staud Studios, an agency and company production house.
What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?
We needed a vendor to partner with us on an automotive-related project which involved doing data prep and CGI data work.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They’ve helped with graphic prep, preparational car data, and the retouching of the many pictures we produced together. Mondlicht Studios has mostly worked in Maya, but also in 3ds Max, Unreal, Photoshop, and add-ons like Painter and tracking tools.
To complete production videos, the team has gathered Maya files, created animations, and made renderings.
What is the team composition?
My primary point of contact was David (CEO, Mondlicht Studios).
How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?
They were referred to me by a colleague.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested $50,000-$100,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
Our engagement began in July 2016 and it’s ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
They realize the KPIs and the creative and art directors have been highly satisfied.
How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
In addition to being very good with communication and scheduling, the team is always transparent and goes above and beyond in their drive for quality production.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They have deep knowledge of their software and they scripted their own tools. The fact that they are able to convert high-polling data models to low-polling analytics shows how excellent their knowledge of the automotive field is.
Are there any areas they could improve?
In my experience, I can’t say they need to improve anything. At some point, they should consider growing the team in order to do larger productions.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Their professionalism and great skillsets makes collaborating with them a good experience.
the project
3D Modeling for Car Developer
"If you need a partner to rely on during complex projects with many constraints, you can't go wrong with them."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
We are a 100% subisidiary. Founded to deal with complex product data and digitalization . I myself am Head of Development. We are part of the virtual engineering department, and are mainly dealing with 3D Data preparation for the online car configurator.
For what projects/services did your company hire Mondlicht Studios?
We did hire them for the 3D modeling of the following passenger cars. We also hired them to aid in building a unity soft-configurator/demonstrator to showcase our cars. - and assist in tool-development along the way.
What were your goals for this project?
We tried to develop toolset and processes that enable us to remodel a fully configurable 3D model of a passenger car with reasonable effort. We were mainly using maya, python and webgl.
How did you select this vendor?
Our company has worked with them in several 2D visualization projects for marketing and sales.
Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.
We had to develop features and structure of a 3D car model, which we wanted to remodel. The main challenge was to reduce the amount of data, to make our CAD cars renderable on mobile/low end devices.
They are known for taking care of everything proactively, mainly hired for modelling the 3D model, they helped with testing and developing the tools needed to do so.
What was the team composition?
We had Maksym and David working on the projects, over the course of the project they brought in and coordinated several external partners to aid where needed.
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
Our customers were very pleased with the models Mondlicht created. Our CEO made the creation of models in the manner of Monlicht a key strategy. We had several requests for the creation of more 3D models.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
We did daily calls for status tracking scope adjustments in the rework, review phases. Other than that Mondlicht was working independantly to our complete satisfaction. We use Jira for all our development projects.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
The point that they are taking care about everything around their projects. They come up with solutions. They almost make you feel bad for all the work/heart they put in to make you succeed.
Great partners! If you need a partner to rely on during complex projects with many constraints, you can not go wrong with them. Any task you give them you can consider done - without any second thought. They are every project managers dream.
Are there any areas for improvement?
They should advertise their consulting capabilities more. They are not your typical media-agency and they shouldn't try to. Honest consulting no upselling - always in your interest.
the project
Animation & Photography Services for Creative Comms Firm
"We had a fantastic time partnering with them because of how engaged they were in the work."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the creative director of The Wunderwaffe. We are an advertising agency, but we also specialize in events and cultural engagements.
What challenge were you trying to address with Mondlicht Studios?
We were looking for someone to provide animation and other digital media services for our company.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We worked with Mondlicht Studios on two projects: one for a cheese manufacturer, and the other for an optician. They provided a range of interesting and engaging projects and digital artwork.
The team created visual effects using stills, as well as commercial video production. They’re responsible for all photography and post-production work as well, and provided one of our clients with postcards representing the artwork they did.
What is the team composition?
There were three or four people that worked on the projects.
How did you come to work with Mondlicht Studios?
Mondlicht Studios reached out to our organization on LinkedIn with their services, which is how we initially made contact. Their portfolio was great, so we went through a small test before deciding they would be a great fit for our needs.
How much have you invested in them?
We spent €53,000 Euros (approximately $57,200 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from November–December 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Our clients and our organization both have been extremely satisfied with our engagement with Mondlicht Studios.
The commercial was designed to air only once, at a very specific time. The slot was placed ten minutes before the Chancellor’s national address, so we knew the entire country would be watching. Mondlicht Studios worked around the clock to create the commercial in time.
After it showed, people called and emailed us with positive feedback.
As for the images we created in our other project, our cllient has been out of stock of all 24 different postcards Mondlicht Studios created. All stakeholders agree the work is not only funny and pleasing but high-quality as well.
How did Mondlicht Studios perform from a project management standpoint?
The team was always available to call both day and night and often worked long hours to complete our projects. Our teams relied on phone calls and WeTransfer to stay in touch.
Mondlicht Studios always delivered both on time and on budget.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Mondlicht Studios loved our project. We had a fantastic time partnering with them because of how engaged they were in the work.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No. If anything, they’re more valuable than the rates they charge.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
If you have a really creative thing to do then go to Mondlicht Studios. If you bring them an exciting, challenging project, they’ll produce fantastic results.
Internal stakeholders were extremely satisfied with the partnership they had with Mondlicht Studios. The team was highly responsive and accommodating during the entire project, and was able to deliver high-quality output. They also impressed the client with their foresight and creative vision.