Projects · No Need to Rush Life
Animation · Bachelor Project 1 · 2021–2022
Animation · Bachelor Project 1 · 2021–2022

No Need to
Rush Life.

Alpine Roads · Sound Design · Animation

Watch
Role
Visuals
Sound Design
Collaborators
Kilian Konz
Stefan Wolf
Duration
6 Months
2021–2022
Tools
Houdini
Blender
Nuke
FL Studio / Audition
Premiere Pro
01 — Project Description

Overview

The biggest project I'd undertaken at the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg — the first of three projects required during three years of studying MultiMediaArt. Originally planned as a previsualization, I quickly realised that with a bit of extra effort it could become a fully completed animated short.

The short film tells the story of a driver navigating Austrian alpine roads who ignores every road sign — ultimately driving off a cliff. A huge thanks to Kilian Konz for composing the music and bringing all my ideas to life, and to Stefan Wolf for helping create the satisfying gear-shift sound using his car.

Alpine Bench
Alpine Bench
NNTRL · 2022
Sheep Escape
Sheep Escape
NNTRL · 2022
Final Shot
Final Shot
NNTRL · 2022
Erdnut Pictures Logo
Erdnut Pictures Logo
NNTRL · 2022
Title Animation
Title Animation
Houdini · 2022
Top Shot Sheep
Top Shot — Sheep
NNTRL · 2022
Sheep Dancing
Sheep Dancing
NNTRL · 2022
Aggressive Driver
Aggressive Driver
NNTRL · 2022
Gear Shift
Gear Shift
NNTRL · 2022
Pistons in Trunk
Pistons in Trunk
NNTRL · 2022
Wide Alpine Shot
Wide Alpine Shot
NNTRL · 2022
Squirrel on Road
Squirrel on Road
NNTRL · 2022
Squirrel on Lens
Squirrel on Lens
NNTRL · 2022
Speed Sign
Speed Sign
NNTRL · 2022
Focused Driver
Focused Driver
NNTRL · 2022
Sound Barrier
Sound Barrier
NNTRL · 2022
Reading Llama
Reading Llama
NNTRL · 2022
You've Been Warned
You've Been Warned
NNTRL · 2022
02 — Behind the Scenes

Process

The idea came while driving on the freeway past multiple signs. "What if you drove so fast the signs would feel like an animated movie?" A quick sketch became the first previs, which then became this animated short film.

The project began with extensive storyboarding and previsualization to establish the pacing and visual rhythm. 3D environments were built in Blender and Houdini, with particular attention to the Austrian alpine landscape and realistic road infrastructure. Sound design played a crucial role — from engine sounds to atmospheric mountain ambience.

§ Previsualisation
From Blockout to Previs
Video
First 3D Previs Blockout
Blender · 2021
1
First ever 3D previs blockout.
Video
Final Proxy Version
Houdini · 2022
2
Final proxy version — essentially the final render with everything set to proxy quality for fast iteration.
03 — Technical Breakdown

Simulation.

This was the first time I used Houdini to do anything with simulations. And after a lot of struggling, I managed to get a smoke sim that looked good enough for the title animation. It was a great learning experience and I got to understand how powerful Houdini's procedural workflow can be — even though I needed a lot of time to get back into it after this project.

Video
Houdini Smoke Sim Struggle
Houdini · R&D · 2021
First Contact with Houdini
I couldn't get the smoke to dissipate slowly enough and spent quite a bit of time on it to get it working. Just adjusted density ramp in the end.
04 — Takeaways

Learnings

Key technical and organisational skills built over six months of production.

Technical
Skills
3D · FX · Audio
Advanced 3D modelling and environment creation
Houdini smoke simulation and procedural workflows
3D animation and vehicle rigging
Professional sound design and audio post-production
Project
Management
Planning · Collab
Long-form project planning and execution
Collaborating with sound designers and composers
Balancing creative vision with technical constraints
Iterative development from previs to final product