Pre-Production

Concept & Scripting

This project was built as a customer-facing educational tool to help explain how solar systems interact with home energy use, utility grids, and billing mechanics. MP2 Energy wanted an animation that could strike the right balance between informative, technically accurate, and approachable—designed for residential users who might be new to the solar world. We proposed a stylized 3D visual style focused on isometric clarity, leaning on simplified environments, easy-to-read infographics, and a tactile, toy-like material approach.

The initial brief outlined a modular breakdown of the solar installation journey—from site evaluation to mounting panels, system activation, real-time monitoring, and tracking solar credits. The scripting process was built around step-by-step clarity and logical energy flow, which helped guide early decisions around house layout, character actions, and grid tie-ins. MP2 provided a script draft built on themes of customer empowerment, billing transparency, and grid integration. We broke this script into a series of visual beats, each designed to convey a single idea: installation, interconnection, energy sourcing, and billing reconciliation.

To visually separate different players in the solar ecosystem, we created three distinct characters representing MP2, the installer, and the utility provider. Each was given a bold silhouette and a distinct color palette: blue for MP2’s rep, yellow for the installer, rust-brown for the utility tech. These characters had both narrative and functional roles—appearing at key milestones like inspections, system setup, and customer handoff. Their designs were intentionally semi-cartoonish to avoid realism and keep the focus on the energy journey.

Rapid Prototyping

Our rapid prototyping (RP) phase started with environment logic. We blocked out the house in Cinema 4D with graybox geometry—prioritizing modularity and legibility. The house was designed with clarity in mind: symmetrical layout, large windows, and a clean front-facing structure perfect for isometric camera staging. Even at the RP stage, the house was built to accommodate future cutaways, with uniform room sizes and wall depths calibrated for clean cross-section reveals.

Characters were rigged and posed early in the process to test scale, layout, and tone. We didn’t animate them at this stage, but we used key poses to validate shot logic—for example, an installer with a panel near the home or a utility worker inspecting the meter. RP sequences were framed using a mix of orthographic and subtle isometric angles, minimizing distortion while allowing for sweeping, cinematic camera moves.

A centerpiece of the RP phase was the cross-section diagram shot—visualizing solar generation, grid draw, and in-home usage. This required building out custom assets like meter arcs, a glowing piggy bank, and animated transmission lines looping around the house. We mocked this up first in After Effects using flat vector elements, then rebuilt it in 3D to maintain spatial continuity. Early tests included directional sunlight indicators, animated pulses along wiring paths, and tick counters synced with placeholder VO to test pacing.

Camera planning was intensive. Most shots were designed to flow continuously without cuts, using spline-based camera rigs to simulate smooth dolly motion through and around the space. We toggled occlusion on and off to pass through geometry when needed, supporting long one-shot sequences that reinforced continuity and kept the story contained within a unified visual world.

Early Visual Styles Explored

We explored a variety of shader strategies before landing on the final look. Early tests included AO-heavy white renders, grayscale plastic, and GI bounce setups for warmth. We ultimately locked in a soft matte shader for the environment—low specularity, gentle contact shadows—so that characters, solar components, and infographics stood out cleanly without overwhelming the frame.

Test renders helped define the lighting tone for different moments in the narrative. We explored morning, midday, and night settings, each with unique key light temperatures and sky backdrops. Daytime scenes leaned on warm whites with faint shadows to keep blue solar panels and green energy lines legible. For night scenes, we used area lights and point-source glows, layered in compositing, to show usage and transition into credit tracking—visually marked by the piggy bank UI.

Prototyping Animation Concepts

We ran motion tests centered on mechanical legibility. For the rooftop install, we blocked out panel placements and bracket animations using low-poly guides and grid-based snapping. Character movement was kept minimal, using placeholder rigs to test object interaction and spatial alignment—especially on the sloped roof where readability was key.

One key test explored blending metaphor with data visualization. For the arc meters in the cross-section scene, we built radial fill animations that matched the voiceover rhythm, testing multiple placements before choosing a top-center layout that didn’t conflict with character or room actions. The piggy bank UI was prototyped as a glowing in-scene object—less of a floating overlay, more like a physical icon that gamified energy savings.

Client Feedback Shaping Direction

Client feedback helped refine the balance between abstract and grounded visuals. While early UI overlays floated in screen space, MP2 pushed for integration—so we repositioned meters and infographics to exist physically within the environment. This included anchoring radial meters to the camera’s 3D space and adding shadows and glow effects to make each element feel embedded.

Technical feedback also played a big role. Initial wiring paths didn’t reflect actual solar routing. MP2 SMEs provided diagrams showing real-world inverter connections, breaker placements, and transition points from panel to meter. We used this input to overhaul cable paths and refine all junction logic. The same went for the energy meters—ensuring "IN" and "OUT" readings followed correct sequence logic and that meter animations showed upward progress during solar generation.

Accessibility and clarity were top client priorities. We removed technical jargon and abbreviations from onscreen labels, and made sure each character’s appearance had a narrative trigger. Color was a major focus too: green always meant solar, blue was grid, and orange was for household usage. These visual rules were defined early and enforced consistently through every stage of production and post.

Full Production

Look Development

We built the production style entirely in Cinema 4D using the Physical Renderer with Global Illumination enabled, opting for a clean, non-photoreal aesthetic. The goal was to present technical processes in a way that felt universal, approachable, and structured. GI lighting gave us soft, natural falloffs that paired well with the matte white surfaces of the home model. Lighting was tuned for clarity—not mood—so that colored elements like the characters, solar panels, and meters popped with high contrast.

The main set was a stylized version of a typical American home—a monochrome shell that acted like a mental blank slate, allowing any viewer to project themselves into the story. This avoided location-specific distractions while keeping the setting relatable. Interior props were purposefully simplified. Appliances and furnishings were modeled just realistically enough, with softened edges and diffuse textures, always placed with intent to support moments of energy use or character action like laundry, cooking, or screen time.

Characters were the only fully colored and textured pieces in the environment, making them instantly stand out in the visual hierarchy. Their skin tones and wardrobe grounded the story, while their stylization kept the look clean and conceptual. During the RP phase, characters were posed statically to shape framing and scene flow—later, they were hand-animated and rigged for final motion.

Design & Animation

Animation work started by overhauling all character movement. Using RP camera layouts as a baseline, we layered in nuanced gestures—installers giving walkthroughs, families interacting with devices, technicians working with meters. These movements brought the schematic world to life, making solar energy feel tangible and user-driven.

The solar install sequence was hand-animated with technical accuracy. Characters moved across a sloped roof plane to lift, align, and secure solar panels, with cable routing carefully animated down the siding to the junction box. The action stayed simple but made the process feel intuitive and real.

Transitions played a big role in maintaining flow. Instead of jump cuts, we used extended camera movements—like dolly pushes and orbit rotations—to shift between interior and exterior views. These transitions kept the visual journey continuous, reinforcing the end-to-end experience of going solar.

Cross-Section Shot: Core Visualization & Technical Challenge

The cross-section shot was the most demanding sequence—conceptually and technically. A fully built, two-story model was opened up to reveal internal rooms, lit and animated to show real-time energy behavior. Characters moved through daily routines, syncing perfectly with moments of energy use—everything in the shot was driven by the idea of linking behavior to energy logic.

This shot acted as both explainer and centerpiece. Visually, it blended architectural rendering with motion design. Actions like working at a desk, cooking, or walking between rooms were intentionally timed to create visible spikes in energy usage, tied directly to animated UI overlays.

We used layered infographics—solar gauges, export/import meters, real-time usage bars—all composited in After Effects using ID passes from Cinema 4D. Electricity was shown as color-coded animated lines (green for solar, blue for grid), with directional movement using scrolling textures. A piggy bank icon was introduced as a light visual metaphor for solar credit accumulation—animated in AE and timed for clarity.

What gave this sequence impact was its stripped-down clarity. With the clay style and diagrammatic overlays, viewers immediately understood how in-home decisions affected energy flow. The slow, continuous dolly-in reinforced ideas of visibility and control, perfectly aligning with MP2’s goal of making an invisible process understandable.

Technically, the scene required intense organization. Each character was rendered with an ID pass for selective post work. Infographic overlays were aligned using nulls exported from C4D, letting us sync data movement with AE timelines. We handled final timing refinements in post, dialing in the pacing between narration and animated visuals across two toolsets.

Style Choices and Reasoning

The decision to use flat-shaded, simplified visuals was deliberate. By skipping photorealism, we kept attention on interaction and function—core ideas for explaining solar routing and billing. The design leaned heavily on accessibility: clean edges, soft lighting, and iconic visual cues.

The cross-section especially benefited from this minimalist style—it functioned as a live diagram. Any extra detail (reflections, texture noise) would’ve distracted from the main message. Instead, we stuck with a visual language similar to a textbook or dashboard, but with enough animation to keep it alive and engaging.

Technical Details

All modeling and animation were done in Cinema 4D. Characters were manually rigged and keyframed—no mocap or automation. Lighting relied on the Physical Renderer with GI for realistic bounces and soft shadowing. Major scenes were rendered in passes: beauty, shadows, AO, and object buffers, all structured for compositing flexibility.

Electricity flow lines were animated in AE using shape layers, matched precisely to 3D wiring paths. This gave us the freedom to fine-tune direction and speed late in the pipeline. The day-to-night shift was fully handled in post—using lighting pass blends, gradient overlays, and sky replacements to complete the look.

Post-Production & Delivery

Final Compositing & Color Grading

Post kicked off with a focus on clarity and precision—layering motion graphics over stylized 3D renders without sacrificing the clean, diagrammatic logic of the scenes. Each shot was rendered with object buffers and multiple lighting passes, giving us the flexibility to dial in color and emphasis exactly where needed. In After Effects, we composited meter arcs, animated power flow lines, glowing UI elements, and iconography directly into the 3D space using Cinema 4D’s exported 3D camera tracking.

Color grading was handled non-destructively with adjustment layers built for a soft, minimal palette. We used curves and levels to lift highlights on solar elements while keeping the background environment muted and desaturated. Scene transitions used animated exposure ramps to carry narrative momentum—for example, the shift from solar generation in daylight to grid drawdown at night was handled with blended lighting passes and subtle gradient overlays to keep the cut smooth.

Brand colors were applied consistently across UI: green for solar, blue for grid, orange for household use, pink for bill credits. We reinforced this system with rim lighting and glow effects so users could instantly recognize data points, even on smaller screens.

The visual style called for a light touch, but well-placed VFX brought focus and rhythm to the piece. We applied fast blur and additive glow to energy paths, giving them a subtle, pulse-like energy—just enough to create a “living circuit” feel without drawing too much attention. The piggy bank coin animation—one of the few metaphorical visual beats—was grounded in the scene with bounce easing and soft shadows to keep it cohesive with the cutaway view.

Lighting played a key role in guiding viewer attention. Interior home lights brightened subtly during high-energy-use actions like running the oven or laundry—often syncing directly with the voiceover. 

UI motion (dials, credits, energy arcs) was timed precisely to the narration using time-mapping in After Effects. All overlays were animated with shape layers and vectors, which gave us full control over pacing and layout without needing to re-render any 3D scenes.

Infographics, UI Overlays, Data Visualization

Data overlays drove the visual logic. Every UI element was designed to do double duty—grounded in the physical 3D world while also acting as a clear, symbolic guide to energy behavior. Think output meters on panels, directional arrows from the grid, animated batteries—all physically placed in-scene but animated and triggered through 2D compositing.

We followed a deliberate sequence: elements appeared only when directly relevant to the voiceover. During the house cross-section, the solar flow sequence—home > meter > grid—was broken into three steps, each one adding a new animated line or icon. Arc callouts and icon pins were tied to the render’s object buffers to keep placement locked, even during complex camera moves.

We treated every UI graphic as part of the home ecosystem—not abstract overlays. That approach aligned tightly with the client’s education goals, making concepts like solar credits and usage sourcing feel real and easy to follow.

Final Edits & Optimization

Final edits zeroed in on clarity, branding, and voiceover sync. We fine-tuned the pacing—sometimes shaving or adding a second here or there—to get perfect alignment between what’s being said and what’s onscreen. Overlay animation timing was also dialed in so that key visuals hit exactly when mentioned. These were surgical tweaks handled in After Effects with time remapping and precise opacity blending.

Brand alignment stayed locked throughout post. The MP2 logo was always present on the blue-suited character, solar diagrams steered clear of conflicting palettes, and all UI typography followed the approved font family. 

Delivery

We delivered two final versions of the video: one with a branded call-to-action screen at the end, and one without. Both were exported in 1080p resolution with audio mixed to spec and captions embedded.

Transcript:

Congratulations. You're signing up for the simplest solar program in Texas. Period. For your home's individual solar program, three organizations work together to provide you the installation, your solar energy, and your backup grid electricity.

MP2 Energy is your retail electric provider, and you'll receive a monthly bill from MP2 for your grid electricity usage. Your solar panel installer is your solar electricity manager and panel maintenance provider.

And your electricity distribution provider manages the power lines and all of the infrastructure that brings you electricity from the grid.

So let's get started and get those solar panels on your roof.

After the initial site review, the solar company will install your panels.

Next, your installer works with the distribution provider to ensure inspections are performed. If you pass your inspection, the distribution provider installs your new meter and will alert you in the installer that it's safe to turn your system on.

It's important to not turn it on until your distribution provider tells you it's okay. Check.

Now it's time to get generating. The system is now operational, and your solar is making and using clean energy. As your solar panels generate power, that electricity can go to different places, your home or the grid. If the solar power goes straight to your home and you're using exactly the amount that you're generating, you won't use any electricity from the grid at all.

If your solar panels are generating more power than your home is using, then the electricity is exported to the grid. MP2 will credit you for this extra power. But remember, when panels aren't generating enough electricity, you'll need to draw power from the grid. You'll see charges on your bill for this delivered electricity as well as charges for the grid usage from your distribution providers just like you always have.

Have a question and are unsure of whom you should call. Simply visit MP2Energy.com/Solar for a guide.