When the Shedd Aquarium reopened its Oceanarium exhibit recently after a nine-month, $50 million facelift, it included a 3D animated video of a South African penquin habitat, created by full-service media design firm Mightybytes.
The 12-minute video, with two kinds of penquins, orcas, seagulls and a storm, serves as a backdrop to the Oceanarium’s new children’s “playscape.”
The animated environment is masked to fit a 25x15-ft. screen within custom rock.
The playscape, said Mightybytes owner/creative director Tim Fricke, “teaches kids about the 12 penquin behaviors, such as their nesting, sliding down glaciers and jumping into the water.”
The Oceanarium project began in June, 2008 when Mightybytes responded to the Shedd’s RFP for the exhibit. After being awarded the contract, Mightybytes began work in earnest last October.
A staff project manager and four staff and freelance animators worked on the job in-house, using 3d Studio Max, Photoshop and After Effects.
Mightybytes also developed two interactive kiosks with a one-week turnaround for the Oceanarium. One kiosk features a claw with which children can pick up objects and trigger an interactive video display.
The other kiosk, built within a miniature submarine, features a sonar screen and its own interactive video of underwater life.
For Mightybytes, the big Shedd exhibit was its biggest animation job, "and our most ambitious 3D computer animation project," said Frick. Last year marked the company's best year ? but business midway through 2009 has already surpassed 2008.
Frick said the company has more than made up for a slowdown of video and animation work with a rise in web-targeted projects.
"Web design, development, flash, and online video are as strong as ever. We have seen a slump in video and animation jobs over the past two years, which we attribute to YouTube and the availability of cheaper HD cameras," he said.
In another museum job, for the Lincoln Bicentennial, earlier this year Mightybytes created "Everybody's Lincoln," a Flash activity where users can "Lincolnize" themselves with top hats and beards ? winning photos were featured on subway platforms and buses around the city.
The project can be viewed at
They also developed a similar application for the Chicago Office of Tourism's Explore Chicago site, "Put Yourself in Chicago," and an interactive animation that helps users explore city neighborhoods, at
Mightybytes is also nearing completion of an HD video from the opening gala of the Art Institute's Modern Wing.
In the midst of all this work, the company is preparing to move into a new, 2,000 sq. ft. apartment space just up Clark Street from their current Andersonville apartment facility.
The new space is "being rehabbed specifically for our networking, technology and beer-making needs," Frick said.
"Since we regularly brew our own homemade brand of beer ? or Mightybrew, as it is more commonly known ? having a full kitchen was a necessity in our search for the perfect space."
Like their current facility, the new space includes full audio, video, animation workstations and recording booth.
Mightybytes has a staff of eight and a rotating docket of specialist freelancers.
Mightybytes is at 5235 N. Clark; phone, 773/561-7529. See