CASE STUDY
BUILDING THE FUTURE
How We Created an Entire City in CGI to Showcase Grand Rapids’ Transformation
Overview
Grand Rapids is experiencing one of the most significant transformations in its history.
Multiple organizations are developing new destinations, public spaces and infrastructure along the Grand River, including a new soccer stadium, amphitheater, mixed-use developments, riverfront improvements and expanded pedestrian connections.
Experience Grand Rapids needed one unified visual that could show how these projects would come together in geographical context and help audiences understand the scale, proximity and momentum shaping the city.
Working from architectural plans, CAD models, mapping data and live-action footage, IDEOLOGY created a complete CGI environment of Grand Rapids. The final 90-second campaign film follows two kayakers down the river as future developments rise around them, allowing viewers to experience the city’s future before it is fully built.
A complete campaign library built for tourism, digital advertising, social media and sales.
Challenge
No single visual existed that showed how every riverfront development fit together.
With seven independent projects moving forward at the same time, residents, visitors, investors and project stakeholders had no easy way to understand how each development related to the others.
Maps lacked emotion. Architectural renderings focused on individual properties. Existing footage could show the city as it was, but not the connected riverfront it was becoming.
Seven developments. Seven separate sets of plans.
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The plans showed what each project would become, But they did not show the future they would create together.
The challenge wasn't just technical, it was conceptual. How do you make people fall in love with buildings that don't exist yet? How do you create anticipation for a transformed cityscape while honoring the Grand Rapids that residents already cherish?
Unify independent developments
Bring seven separately planned projects together within one geographically connected visual environment.
Reveal the future city
Help audiences experience major landmarks and public spaces before construction had begun.
Show geographic relationships
Demonstrate how each development connected to the river, downtown and the surrounding pedestrian network.
Build excitement early
Create a compelling tool for residents, visitors, investors and project stakeholders before the developments were built.
Creative Solution
Instead of explaining Grand Rapids' future, we wanted audiences to experience it.
We developed a cinematic journey that follows two kayakers down the Grand River as familiar surroundings gradually transform into a fully realized vision of tomorrow. Rather than relying on isolated architectural renderings, every major development was brought together inside one connected CGI environment, allowing viewers to understand how the city's future would take shape as a whole.
Building Grand Rapids from the ground up in CGI
Rather than showcase each development individually, we built a complete digital recreation of downtown Grand Rapids in CGI. This allowed every future landmark to exist together within one geographically accurate environment, giving viewers a clear understanding of how the city's transformation would unfold.
By recreating the entire riverfront instead of isolated buildings, we could visualize proximity, walkability, and the relationship between each development. The result was a unified vision of Grand Rapids' future rather than a collection of separate architectural projects.
The Process
From architectural plans and field production to CGI, animation, and compositing, every stage brought tomorrow’s Grand Rapids closer to reality.
A look into our production workflow.
CAD Files + Site Plans
Architectural plans established the scale, placement, and future footprint of every development before the digital city was built.
River Scouting
The team mapped camera positions, kayak routes, lighting conditions, river movement, and geographic reference points before filming began.
Live-Action Capture
Real footage of the Grand River established the camera journey, while two kayakers were filmed on blue screen for seamless integration into the scene.
Building the City
Our animators recreated downtown Grand Rapids using CAD files, architectural references, mapping data, and detailed environmental assets.
Bringing It to Life
Buildings rose from the landscape as crowds, traffic, lighting, water, and environmental details transformed the model into a living city.
BLENDING REALITY
Live-action footage, blue-screen performances, and the fully rendered environment were combined into one continuous transformation.
Client Perspective“Thankfully, IDEOLOGY has a team of animators that really worked around the clock to make our vision become a reality. I’m not sure AI could truly match the effort that the animators at IDEOLOGY put in. ”
Jack Stanley
Video Media Manager, Experience Grand RapidsBuilt by Human ArtistsIn an era where many studios are exploring AI shortcuts, we made a deliberate choice to invest in human artists. Every building, every animated character, and every detail was crafted by hand. This approach supports the creative community while producing work that feels intentional, authentic, and emotionally resonant.
Production Highlights
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Rebuilding the Workflow
Architectural CAD files were not created for animation. They contained thousands of unnecessary elements, complex geometry, and datasets large enough to overwhelm a traditional production workflow.
Our team spent weeks stripping down files, rebuilding assets, optimizing geometry, and developing a new pipeline capable of managing an entire city inside one production environment.
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Building a Living City
The environments were populated with custom character rigs, pedestrians, cheering crowds, fishermen, kayakers, vehicles, lighting, and activity throughout the riverfront.
Those details transformed the project from an architectural visualization into a version of Grand Rapids that felt active, diverse, and inhabited.
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The Carousel Horses
One of the most memorable additions was not part of the original architectural plans. Our animators sent the historic carousel horses galloping through the river before they arrived at their home inside the Public Museum.
The moment added a recognizable piece of Grand Rapids history and gave the animated world an emotional connection that a traditional building visualization could not provide.
Every environment, character, and animated detail was created by artists.
Results
The campaign gave Experience Grand Rapids, its partners and the broader community a shared vision of the city’s future.
Launched as the centerpiece of Experience Grand Rapids’ development marketing initiative.
Earned an enthusiastic response from stakeholders, development partners and the Grand Rapids community.
Built excitement for 2026–2027 developments before construction was complete.
Equipped tourism and sales teams with a powerful tool for attracting visitors and investment.
Created a future-ready format that can evolve as developments progress and new projects are announced.
Explore the Transformation
Explore each destination featured throughout the campaign and see how CGI helped visualize the future of downtown Grand Rapids.
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Lyon Square
A public plaza with pedestrian paths, greenery, seating, colorful lighting, and a river overlook reconnecting downtown to the water.
Opening Day Aerial Shot
Animated Still
