3D animation of medicines and chemical containers

Cleverfish needed 3D animations that could clearly communicate how sealed containers for medicines and chemicals actually work: the precise mechanics of lids opening, closing, dispensing, and resealing. These aren't decorative animations. Every movement had to reflect real engineering constraints, showing exactly how each mechanism functions under real-world conditions.

The core difficulty was accuracy. Pharmaceutical and chemical packaging relies on tightly engineered tolerances. The animations needed to convey that precision while still being visually compelling enough for marketing and product communication.

I built everything in Autodesk 3ds Max, starting with detailed 3D models of each container type based on the actual product engineering.

For the dispensing and pouring sequences, I used MassFX rigid body dynamics to simulate realistic physical interactions: lids catching, contents shifting, seals breaking cleanly. This gave the animations a grounded, believable feel that hand-keyed motion alone wouldn't achieve.

The lid sliding, opening, and closing animations were driven by custom rigs I built specifically for each mechanism. Every rig matched the real mechanical behavior of the product, so the motion reads as engineered rather than generic.

The final deliverables were a set of illustrative 3D animations showing the full open/close cycle for multiple container designs. Each animation clearly communicates the product's mechanical design, making complex engineering immediately understandable at a glance.

This project is from 2009, but the core skill it demonstrates (translating precise mechanical engineering into clear, accurate 3D animation) is exactly the same discipline that drives product visualization work today.