M&M’s Choko

3DATLBTL

High-end CGI production and character development for Mars, Inc., focused on modernizing legacy brand assets and engineering production-ready 3D models for global 360-degree advertising campaigns. The project bridges the gap between classic brand identity and contemporary high-fidelity digital media.

Agency

/Year

2016

/Client

BBDOMars

Tools Used

RoleCreative Designer

StatusCompleted

Launch Date2016

LocationRussia

M&M's Commercial Campaign: CGI Character Production & Asset Modernization Translation of the campaign phrase: "Melts in your mouth, not in the heat"

Campaign Concept & Creative Vision This commercial campaign builds upon the iconic brand philosophy of M&M's, adapting it for seasonal digital activations and out-of-home (OOH) media. The visual narrative utilizes structural contrast—juxtaposing the resilient, crisp shells of Red and Yellow against a dynamic, melting Chocolate Bar character. This execution reinforces product durability and emotional engagement across digital touchpoints, delivering a playful yet highly polished summer-themed aesthetic.

Melts in your mouth, not in the heat"

Project Overview & Core Objective The primary objective was to engineer publication-grade 3D character models for official utilization by Mars, Inc. across diverse promotional channels. The core challenge centered on a comprehensive architectural overhaul of the legacy Chocolate Bar character. This asset was completely re-imagined, re-drawn, and structurally transformed from a flat design into a fully articulated, production-ready 3D asset featuring a complex skeletal system, precise material shaders, and advanced rigging properties engineered to support high-fidelity promotional animations.

( Project Scope )

3D Production Pipeline for Print & Digital OOH
Developing robust, multi-platform assets optimized for high-resolution print media, digital display networks, and interactive out-of-home platforms through a meticulous technical workflow:

Character Re-Engineering & Modeling: Executed complete volumetric modeling of Red, Yellow, and the updated Chocolate Bar from foundational geometry, ensuring flawless brand compliance and silhouette integrity at arbitrary render scales.
Advanced Material & Texture Shader Development: Crafted high-resolution, production-grade procedural materials to realistically replicate the semi-matte candy shell gloss, subsurface scattering of chocolate, and tactile surface imperfections under direct, high-key studio lighting.
Deformation & Dynamic Blendshapes: Built customized topology layouts and morph targets to authentically capture organic melting physics, fluid surface transitions, and expressive, high-impact facial deformations without breaking mesh continuity.
High-Fidelity Render Optimization: Configured linear color workflows and multi-pass render layers (including depth, ambient occlusion, and specular channels) to facilitate seamless compositing into hyper-realistic environments for digital signage and large-format print layouts.

( Challenges )

CGI Rigging, Television Integration & Portfolio Standardization
CGI Rigging, Television Integration & Portfolio Standardization Establishing technical scalability to ensure complete cross-media compatibility, fluid character performance for broadcast television, and standardized asset integration for future AI-driven generative pipelines:

1
Production-Grade Skeletal Rigging: Engineered a comprehensive cinematic skeletal rig for the revamped Chocolate Bar character, implementing advanced Inverse Kinematics (IK/FK switching) to facilitate complex secondary motion and organic deformation during dynamic animations.
2
Broadcast-Ready Animation Framework: Developed an optimized rigging architecture tailored for fast-paced commercial television pipelines, allowing animation teams to seamlessly execute fluid physical actions, weight distribution, and expressive gestures.
3
Unified Digital Asset Delivery: Standardized all final 3D meshes, clean topology maps, and layered texture archives into optimized industry formats, securing a versatile and future-proof asset library for the client’s global marketing ecosystems.
3
Production Pipeline Integration: Finalized the core character package with clean naming conventions, optimized bounding boxes, and comprehensive technical documentation, ensuring immediate readiness for external animation studios and post-production houses.

(Results )

The finalized 3D character models and promotional assets were strategically integrated into a comprehensive 360-degree advertising ecosystem. By leveraging the technical flexibility of the high-fidelity assets, the campaign achieved seamless visual synchronization across global touchpoints, maximizing brand visibility from high-impact out-of-home installations to dynamic digital and interactive spaces.