National Geographic is known for its high standards when it comes to photo reporting. And where real-world photography reaches its limits, Cinema 4D is there to help get the job done.
Flash is required! --
The National Geographic Society was founded with the aim of exploring the globe and is best known for its periodicals, which have been published continuously since 1888. The National Geographic Magazine has long since established itself as the epitome of photographic reporting for all topics related to geography. Often, complex topics cannot be illustrated well enough simply using photography, which means that informational graphics have to be added whose quality is held to the same high standards as the original photographs. A very unique case was the report about the Gebihe caves in China. One of the cave's chambers, the Miao chamber, was scanned with a laser and Cinema 4D was used to create spectacular informational graphics for the magazine and the National Geographic website.
The Miao chamber is approximately 852 meters long and reaches heights of 190 meters, which makes it the second largest known chamber worldwide. This enormous natural phenomenon was scanned using a laser and about 15 million measuring points were generated, which were used to create a virtual cluster of points that basically reproduces the Miao chamber virtually. Using this data and the photos shot by National Geographic photographer Carsten Peter, the Berlin, Germany-based studio for professional visualization and informational graphics, ixtract, was given the job of visualizing the chamber for the National Geographic Magazine.
The fist challenge that this project presented was to create a precise model of the chamber's spatial composition using the data supplied. When asked about the challenges faced by the ixtract team during this project, Stefan Fichtel said: We first had to deal with the gaps in the data caused by projecting rock formations, boulders and other obstacles, which prevented the chamber from being measured in its entirety. We used Cinema 4D's XPresso feature to create a customized Displacement object, which was placed around the object like a flexible, opaque outer skin. This object was then adapted to fit the geometry, which helped solve lighting issues later in the project.
The team also had to color the cave walls. Using textures was not an option because the size required for the desired resolution would have made them too large. This is why we simulated all textures using Cinema 4D's own shaders. Modifying the shaders to make them look like real cave walls required a lot of creativity! More than 100 layers in different channels were mixed while making sure that the antialiasing was flicker-free, which was a challenge in and of itself, recalls Stefan.
The project initially called for a printed informational graphic only but as it turned out, a complex animation ended up being created for the National Geographic website. This animation was designed to be a type of virtual walkthrough of the Miao chamber. At certain points, the walkthrough were to consist of photos made by Carsten Peters. This animation had two sections in particular that posed problems , remembers Stefan. First, the points from which the photos had been taken had to be located. The expedition members weren't able to tell us where these were because it was simply too dark. The second issue that we had was that we were working within a very tight deadline and we had only 2 weeks to render about 2,400 images for 90 seconds of animation!
The Motion Camera was used to create the animated camera so that the locations of the photos were combined seamlessly with the camera's movement. Then things suddenly got interesting during rendering: In the middle of the project it was announced that the interactive version, which had a resolution for use on iPads, had to be rendered in full HD after all - and the team had no way of knowing if the rendering could be completed on time.
Stefan Fichtel about the situation: Unfortunately we had to do without features such as Global Illumination, etc. and had to find additional ways of keeping render times as low as possible. Render time for only one version of the 90-second animation (2,400 images) was 4.5 days (60 GHz, 50 i7 cores with 140 GB RAM). In order to meet the deadline, render times had to be reduced to 12 -15 minutes per frame, without compromising on realism, which we were fortunately able to do.
The results achieved by the team at ixtract are outstanding and a proud Stefan Fichtel states: National Geographic works with only two external studios worldwide - and we're one of them!
Learn from the pros
ixtract has established itself as an studio and Stefan Fichtel has built a reputation as a Cinema 4D specialist whose abilities are reflected in the work he produces. Stefan also works as a consultant and trainer, e.g., for companies who want to integrate Cinema 4D into their existing production pipelines. Stefan offers his services either on-site or at his own facilities. The clients decide what they want to learn and Stefan will also create a customized course on an individualized or group basis. Courses are offered for beginners as well as advanced users, and specialized topics such as XPresso are also covered.
The National Geographic supercave documentary:
www.nationalgeographic.com/china-caves/supercaves/
ixtrax Website
www.ixtract.de
Miao cave link:
www.behance.net/gallery/17171609/ixtract-Miao-Cave-Animation
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
National Geographic is known for its high standards when it comes to photo reporting. And where real-world photography reaches its limits, Cinema 4D is there to help get the job done.
