Esri’s CityEngine Used to Create Oscar-Nominated Effects in “Blade Runner 2049”

March 1, 2018—Esri Canada today announced that Framestore, a visual arts studio with a presence in Montréal, Québec, has received a nomination for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Designers at Framestore used Esri’s CityEngine application to recreate portions of the City of Las Vegas, Nevada as seen in the movie “Blade Runner 2049”.

 “We were tasked in creating a futuristic Las Vegas for the year 2049. We had to fly over the main strip of Vegas on a long sequence shot,” said Didier Muanza, lead environment TD, Framestore. “CityEngine seemed to be the best choice to help us generate a present day 2017 model of Vegas which was used as the base for the futuristic version.”

 CityEngine is a sophisticated 3D modelling software used in professions such as urban planning, architecture, film and other entertainment industries. Framestore designers used CityEngine for only one month and generated a 6.759km long, 4km-wide set with more than 1,400 buildings. Realistic textures were based on aerial and oblique photos of the Las Vegas main strip.

Image © 2018 by Warner Bros. & Framestore.

 For more information on CityEngine and how you can transform your 2D GIS data into a Smart City models, visit esri.com/cityengine.

About Esri Canada

Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower people in business, government and education to make informed and timely decisions by leveraging the power of mapping and spatial analytics. These solutions enable organizations to better manage their resources, plan their future and collaborate within and beyond their organization. Esri Canada’s products and services help advance successful digital transformation. The company serves 12,000 organizations from 16 offices across Canada and is based in Toronto. In 2015, Esri Canada became a Gold Standard winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies and in 2016 was named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures. More information can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.