Hurricane Heist

As part of the VFX team on the action thriller The Hurricane Heist, directed by Rob Cohen, we were tasked with creating highly detailed, textured 3D models of several vehicles, including an M939 Army Truck, a Chevrolet Pickup and a Ford Crown Victoria sedan. The film follows a group of criminals attempting a daring heist at a U.S. Treasury facility during a Category 5 hurricane. The vehicles were central to several high-speed chases, storm sequences, and action-packed stunts, used by both heroes and villains.

Using a Leica P40 LiDAR scanner alongside Sony a7R cameras, we captured the vehicles from multiple angles, using our hybrid laser scanning and photogrammetry approach. Due to their size and complexity, we combined tripod-mounted LiDAR scans with photogrammetric images, ensuring every grille detail, axle component, and interior feature was faithfully recreated. Furthermore, the images captured enabled us to accurately texture the digital models with their respective paint schemes.

The work was carried out during the hot Bulgarian Summer months in and around Nu Boyana Film Studios. However, what stands out most in retrospect is the bleak, windswept, and largely deserted airfield where many of the vehicle sequences were filmed.