Forensic 3D Animator: Crash Reconstruction (3ds Max / Reverse Projection Photogrammetry)

I am presently looking for one or more contractors to help with forensic 3D visualization work on a project by project basis. The work supports technical analysis and demonstrative exhibits used in litigation, insurance, and government matters, so accuracy, repeatability, and a defensible methodology matter more than cinematic polish. You will be working from: laser scan point clouds, drone photogrammetry, surveillance video, dashcam and body cam footage, scene photographs, vehicle scans, and physical measurements. If you have the 3D skills but are new to some of the forensic specific methods, say so in your proposal. I am happy to walk you through the forensic side. What you’ll be doing • Building accurate 3D scene and vehicle models from laser scan point clouds, photogrammetry, and survey data • Registering, cleaning, decimating, and meshing point clouds, and converting point cloud data into usable geometry for animation and analysis • Generating photogrammetric models from photographs and drone imagery when scan data isn’t available • Lens distortion removal and camera calibration for still photographs and video footage from a wide range of cameras (surveillance, dashcam, body cam, cell phone, action cameras) • Reverse projection photogrammetry / camera matching, meaning solving camera position, orientation, and focal length to place evidence imagery into a measured 3D environment • Speed and position determination from video by camera matching vehicle or pedestrian positions across sequential frames and extracting time distance data • Producing forensic animations and still exhibits driven by reconstruction data (EDR/ACM crash data, timing analysis, sight line and visibility studies, occupant kinematics, day/night and lighting conditions) • Sight line, obstruction, and visibility analysis from driver eye position • Documenting your workflow clearly enough that the methodology can be explained and defended under cross examination Required skills and experience • Strong, demonstrated proficiency in Autodesk 3ds Max (primary pipeline) • AutoCAD and general Autodesk ecosystem familiarity • Working knowledge of Autodesk ReCap or equivalent point cloud processing • Hands on experience with 3D point clouds and meshes: registration, cleanup, decimation, retopology, and mesh generation • Understanding of real world scale, coordinate systems, and measurement accuracy. Everything must be dimensionally correct and traceable back to source data • Comfortable working from imperfect, incomplete, real world evidence rather than clean CAD input • Clear written communication in English and reliable responsiveness • Ability to work under confidentiality. An NDA is required before any case material is shared Software (experience with any subset is valuable, tell me which) Core: • Autodesk 3ds Max • AutoCAD • Autodesk ReCap • Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere) Camera matching / tracking / photogrammetry: • PFTrack • SynthEyes • Agisoft Metashape, RealityCapture, or equivalent photogrammetry package • CloudCompare, FARO Scene, Leica Cyclone, or similar point cloud tools Modeling, animation, and simulation: • Autodesk Maya • Autodesk MotionBuilder • ZBrush • Substance Painter • SideFX Houdini • Blender (acceptable as a supplement, not a replacement for the Autodesk pipeline) Video forensics: • Axon Investigate, iNPUT-ACE, or comparable forensic video analysis software Bonuses • You already hold your own licenses for some or all of the above. This is a meaningful plus and will factor into rate negotiation. If you don’t, I can provide or purchase licenses for the tools a project requires. It is not a disqualifier, just tell me up front what you have and what you’d need. • Experience with, or willingness to learn, vehicle crash simulation software such as PC-Crash, HVE, or Virtual CRASH. This is a bonus and not a requirement. I am glad to bring someone up to speed on these platforms if the rest of your skill set is strong. • Your own capable workstation (GPU, RAM, and storage adequate for large scan datasets) Terms • Contract, project based, with the potential for steady ongoing work for the right people • I expect to hire more than one contractor from this posting • Some work is deadline driven around litigation schedules. Realistic availability estimates matter more than optimistic ones • All case material is confidential. NDA required. To apply Please don’t send a generic proposal. Address the following directly: 1. Which of the listed software packages do you use regularly, and which do you hold your own license for? 2. Describe a project where you camera matched footage or a photograph into a 3D environment. What software did you use, and how did you handle lens distortion? 3. Have you worked with laser scan point clouds? What was the source (FARO, Leica, Trimble, drone photogrammetry) and what did you do with the data? 4. Share portfolio work most relevant to this posting. Technical or measurement driven work is far more useful to me than a demo reel. Redact or omit anything confidential. 5. What is your typical availability per week, and your time zone? Applications that ignore these questions will not be reviewed.