Pre-Production

Concept & Scripting

The Water To Sea (WTS) Technology Overview project was driven by a clear mission: visualize a high-fidelity, technically accurate representation of an advanced offshore produced water treatment system. The client came to the table prepared—with CAD files and proprietary schematics. That foundation ensured every visual tied directly back to real-world engineering and equipment logic. The entire story was grounded in technical superiority, not creative metaphor—especially when showcasing WV’s patented Thincell process against outdated electrocoagulation and membrane filtration systems.

Voiceover scripting and visual sequencing moved in tandem. Early recordings were dropped into animatics to set the visual rhythm. Multiple review cycles—both internal and client-side—led to pinpoint script edits: retimed lines, technical comparisons added, and language tailored for regulatory accuracy (IECEx and other compliance standards).

Additional documentation helped guide flow diagrams, safety standards, modular configurations, and staging, all of which directly fed into the 3D scene construction.

Rapid Prototyping (RP)

Rapid Prototyping acted as a working proof-of-concept—testing spatial relationships, equipment layout, and camera movement before locking anything in. All CAD files were converted in-house to STEP format and imported into Cinema 4D. Each model went through polygon reduction and cleanup to streamline performance without losing detail—essential with this level of mechanical complexity. At this stage, shaders and lighting were basic on purpose—just enough to highlight structure and motion.

The RP process tackled both real-world and abstract spaces. Equipment was placed in context (on an FPSO deck) but also isolated space for internal cutaways. This dual-space setup became central to the final visual language.

Technical Deliverables

• Blocked animation of the fluidized bed and electrode dissolution using texture-driven dissolve shaders

• Rigged camera for a continuous flythrough of the full FPSO layout

• Pre-viz fluid animations showing treatment flow and direction

• Split-screen layouts comparing WTS and traditional electrocoagulation setups

Camera animation happened during RP, not after. That let us test and refine spatial clarity in real time. A fully rigged human asset was introduced early—with red (competitor), blue (WV-branded), and yellow hazmat gear (chemical handling) options. Each was tested for fit, visibility, and collision in complex environments. Their movements—media handling, crane ops, and electrode loading—were baked into RP from the beginning.

When showcasing traditional EC systems, we leaned into an intentionally bleak aesthetic—minimal shaders and lighting that reinforced their inefficiency. These weren’t symbolic contrasts; they were strategic storytelling choices.

Client feedback came in hot and early, and it shaped everything: bus bars were removed, the power distribution system was repositioned, mechanical operations like carbon vessel fills and grate tilts were animated, and entire sequences were reordered (e.g., ThinSep before ThinFloc). Updated VO lines followed suit—refined to reflect these visual shifts and hit harder in comparison scenes.

The RP milestone locked in scene timing, layout, and pacing. From here, we could move forward into final lighting, shading, and rendering with confidence.

Early Visual Styles Explored

Shader testing kicked off in parallel with RP. The goal: clearly differentiate “clean” and “contaminated” water states, along with material accuracy for every component. All tests ran in Cinema 4D’s physical renderer to stay in line with the project’s final delivery pipeline. Ocean shaders included animated displacement and reflections; internal components used a mix of brushed metals, corroded aluminum, polypropylene, and composite tubing.

The visual language was developed for clarity, not metaphor. Dirty water was dirty—particle-heavy and murky. Corrosion was rendered with displacement maps and real-time material blending. Everything was shown as it functioned in the real world—up close and in cross-section when needed.

Early animations of passivation scaling (around EC plates) were built with material blending tied to reference imagery from the client. These didn’t suggest decay—they showed it in a technically accurate, visually legible way.

Prototyping Animation Concepts

Many of the most challenging animation problems were solved before final render. For instance, the dissolve effect on the bipolar metal electrodes—a core client differentiator—started as an animated texture and geometry mask. Later, that evolved to include bubble simulations and procedural particles.

Camera movement got just as much attention. From long dolly shots to uncut flythroughs, the camera design aimed to walk the viewer through the entire system with spatial clarity and a continuous visual logic. These shots were reworked repeatedly based on feedback around timing and clarity.

Client Feedback Shaping Direction

The client’s feedback wasn’t just helpful—it was essential. It shaped almost every choice from animation to shader logic. Some key edits included:

• Grates tilting up to show internal access

• A new “non-passivated” EC section to emphasize how legacy systems fail

• Realistic workflows for media replacement to show minimized downtime

• Repositioning the power distribution system near the customer interface, then animating it lifting off the blueprint for visual clarity

• Updating the carbon vessel fill sequence to show a bottom-up animation

• These weren’t cosmetic tweaks. They changed how the project was built—redefining animation flow, asset placement, material use, and visual priority. The client also requested specific adjustments to color codes (e.g., removing red from pressure glands, adding black for accuracy), safety visuals (adding railings on both sides of stairs), and brand placement (strategically inserting WTS logos in hero shots and detailed views).

Full Production

CAD Integration & Technical Accuracy

Full Production kicked off with a full integration of the client’s detailed CAD assets—covering everything from the electrochemical system to pressure vessels, membrane variants, and auxiliary infrastructure. Each model was brought into Cinema 4D and ran through a rigorous cleanup and optimization workflow: mesh triangulation fixes, re-topology adjustments, and clean hierarchy organization. Non-functional elements were hidden or grouped for performance, leaving only essential components active in the scene.

Accuracy wasn’t negotiable. Every animation, cross-section, and fluid path had to align exactly with the engineering specs. The CAD geometry acted as the technical blueprint, locking in dimensions, spatial relationships, and port placements. This level of precision made it possible to visualize scientific comparisons between Water To Sea’s proprietary technology and legacy systems.

The production process remained collaborative. Internal notes confirmed several revision rounds that dialed in motor control positioning, inlet/output port placements, and dynamic component layouts. 

Texturing & Material Pipeline

We used a Physically Based Rendering (PBR) workflow to author materials. Each component type received a tailored shader: stainless steel, painted surfaces, glass indicators, rubber hoses, and various polymers. A dedicated clean/dirty fluid shader system was built to make water stages visually clear.

Fluid paths were defined using gradient materials and subtle differences in roughness and reflection, allowing the viewer to track treatment from the customer interface skid through Thincell, ThinSep, and ThinFloc.

For competitor tech, the look was intentionally minimal: flat grey matte shaders with no reflection or wear. The contrast visually underscored the messaging around Water To Sea’s technical edge.

Character rigs were built in Cinema 4D’s character tool, using looped keyframes for realism. Outfit colors signaled operational context—red for competing vendors, blue for branded WV use, yellow hazmat for safety scenarios. Characters were staged to reinforce machinery scale while keeping the tech front and center.

Lighting & Scene Composition

Lighting was tailored by environment. Daylight rigs were used for shipboard shots, while studio lights handled product-focused visuals. Ocean environments used HDRIs built to replicate overcast conditions, complete with volumetric haze and realistic ocean reflectivity.

Key shots like “equipment crane transfer” were lit using directional sun with area fill lights for definition. Shadows were softened to ensure visibility on fine details.

Inside the pressurized vessels, we used spotlight and volumetric effects to simulate real-world inspection lighting. Walkthroughs of the entire system were built around single-camera passes timed precisely to the voiceover.

Animation Systems

Camera work prioritized clarity and narrative flow. Many scenes featured one continuous camera movement, following the water from entry to discharge. Movement curves were optimized for readability—no hard stops or unnecessary overshoots.

Crane rigs were handled using spline IK systems, with payloads rigged to physics-based nulls to mimic bounce and cable movement. Other systems, like electrode grates, vessel caps, and rotors, used keyframed animation for accurate mechanical motion.

One critical sequence—showing electrode replenishment—was revised multiple times. It synced with the VO line, “one worker needs to replenish each reaction chamber,” and was refined to include hand pose adjustments, added stair rails, and improved metal insertion visibility, per client request.

A complex split-screen visual was also created to highlight the Thincell advantage over standard EC. Metal decay was visualized using transparency-driven dissolve shaders. White residue built up on plates over time, based on photo references and real degradation patterns.

Fluid Flow & Cutaway Simulations

Fluid movement was depicted using spline extrusions and procedural noise displacement. Each spline was matched to CAD inlet/outlet ports for accuracy.

Electrode decay was animated using displacement maps and particle FX—air bubbles and particulate trails added in After Effects via Element 3D.

Technical diagrams like the PFD and standards map were animated in 3D using toggled labels, line paths, and schematic highlights. Proprietary data was blurred or obscured as instructed in internal communications.

Post-Production

Visual Look & Color Grading

Post work was handled in After Effects using multi-pass renders from Cinema 4D: beauty, AO, shadows, reflections, Z-depth, and object masks. These allowed isolated adjustments for every element—equipment, environment, and fluid all processed independently.

The look was unified across scenes with consistent grading. Ocean and competitor shots used cooler, desaturated tones. Water To Sea visuals were sharper and richer—more contrast, deeper shadows, and more definition. LUTs, curves, and selective exposure gave each scene its polish.

Onscreen Graphics & Technical Callouts

All callouts were built using 3D camera and null data from Cinema 4D to lock labels in space. This was critical for continuous motion shots where parts needed to stay labeled from multiple angles.

Electrode decay was enhanced in AE with custom particles, motion blur, and bubble FX. These overlays were all generated in post using Trapcode and stock visual elements.

Corrosion effects were driven by displacement and fractal masks. For close-up EC animations, Element 3D was used with grayscale maps deforming geometry in real time.

Membrane scenes used glow shaders to suggest pressure-induced fouling. A soft flicker indicated declining performance across time.

Typography followed Water To Sea’s brand rules: technical sans-serif, all caps, semibold, and quadrant-aligned per shot. Logo animations were built in Element 3D with dynamic lighting and reflections tied to the HDR environment.

Overlay graphics—like standards, footprints, and electrical schematics—were animated with low-key wipes and blur transitions to maintain a clean, utilitarian look.

Delivery

The final product was rendered at 1920x1080, H.264 MP4 format. Alternate versions were delivered for specific contexts:

• Website hero cut (no VO, minimal titles)

• Full technical version (VO, annotations intact)

• Subtitled versions (English and Portuguese)

Closed captions were supplied in both SRT and burned-in versions. All outputs were compression-optimized for smooth playback across a wide range of platforms.

Transcript:

The customer has spoken.

Offshore produced water treatment needs a simple continuous treatment solution that minimizes filter media. Water To Sea listened.

The Water To Sea system combines  proven and patented treatment technologies for global offshore produced water, flowback water and slop water.

The temporary service package is built to a global offshore industry standard and tailored to meet national standards.

The heart of the system is an innovative Electrochemical Process coupled with separation and automated monitoring technology.

The result is an automated package with a compact footprint and lighter weight, which treats at a higher flow rate and requires less manpower than current offshore alternatives. All leading to better value and improved economics for our customers. 

A perfectly adaptable closed system, designed for constantly changing fluids conditions without sacrificing performance. 

Here’s how the patented process works:

The produced water will flow through our customer interface skid which can be safely adapted for changing pressures and flowrates.

Then into our patented, pressurized Thincell technology, which cleans produced water with a combination of electrolytic oxidation, emulsion destabilization, electrocoagulation and flocculation.

Flocs are then separated using our patented ThinSep technology and removed within minutes, faster than ever achieved before.

After ThinSep separation, the water is polished using our patented ThinFloc technology.

Results are monitored, then water is released overboard, meeting global environmental discharge standards.

Water To Sea’s treatment solution includes a mobile power distribution system which allows for a single tie-in and can be easily located close to the customer’s motor control center for simple power termination.

Water To Sea’s Thincell technology utilizes five distinct and patented processes; a completely pressurized vessel, a unique electrical transfer system, a non-passivating and non-corroding anode and cathode that require no cleaning due to proprietary design and coating, a completely bipolar sacrificial multivalent electrode and a unique treatment cell that incorporates a fluidized bed with optimum current density. Thincell creates minimal waste, a claim no other temporary treatment technology or service company can make.

Thincell’s unique design results in low energy needs, minimum maintenance costs, reduced HS&E risks, smaller footprint, much lighter equipment design and continuous high-volume treatment rates.

Compare Thincell to traditional Electrocoagulation, a method that uses hundreds of metal plates or discs as the electrodes.

The “dirty little secret” is that almost immediately, the metal plates begin to corrode and scale, or passivate.

Efficiency through the process drops, requiring more power while the capacity to process fluids continues to decrease.

After efficiency decreases enough or maximum power has been reached, the system needs to stop.  The plates must be lifted out, replaced with new plates. (pause) To reuse them, they must be acid washed or disposed of completely no matter the configuration.

The size and weight of the equipment, excessive downtime, reduced treatment rates, costs and, most importantly, risk to persons on board have been the primary challenges to using traditional Electrocoagulation in most applications.

In the Water To Sea system, only one worker is needed to replace the consumed metal electrodes, replenishing each reaction chamber to keep the system running.

Quite a difference.

Now, let’s compare the Thincell process to the global benchmark, which utilizes filtration media.

The amount of media required is determined by flow-rate and inlet water quality and can include hundreds of individual canisters or tens of thousands of pounds of bulk media. 

The filtration media spends quickly and has limited life at high-treatment rates and at elevated concentrations of contaminants such as solids, oils and emulsified fluids. 

Media replacement requires frequent shutdowns, taking roughly twice as long at twice the cost. And there’s the long-term responsibility for all the waste filters and bulk media disposaL  

Even newer options being introduced into the market as consumable- and chemical-free, such as membranes, are not.

Membranes are an expensive consumable and are extremely susceptible to irreversible fouling, which leads to extended downtime due to frequent replacement. The treatment rates are low because 50-80% of the inlet flow goes to the reject line forreprocessing before compliant discharge or disposal.  Minor increases in treatment rate require a significant increase to the footprint.

Imagine the deck of a fixed or floating production platoform. The footprint and weight of the package is a big consideration for the customer.

Even cranes have limitations on weight they can lift.

This is a representative footprint of the current global benchmark for temporary produced water treatment that can treat up to 7,500 barrels per day.

This is the Water To Sea package that can treat up to 12,000 barrels per day.

With its automated components, also consider that the personnel needed to run the Water To Sea unit is less than the filtration package.

Simple, economical, continuous produced water treatment at high-flow rates. Water To Sea.