Digital Midwest brings 3-D, animation to business world

Digital Midwest might be a youngster as companies go, but its technical team is turning concepts into 3-D images for clients across the country. From the courtroom to the boardroom to the movie theater, Digital Midwest has been bringing projects to life through animation since January 2000.

The company is part of the Farnsworth Group, an architectural, engineering, sur-veying and scientific firm, according to David Beach of Digital Midwest. Beach, along with Michelle Beach and David Blincoe, uses computer technology to provide forensic, architectural and broadcast animation.

Digital Midwest has its roots in the Farnsworth Group, where David Beach first worked as an architect. As architectural animated walk-throughs became more common, Beach urged Farns-worth Group to establish a separate company devoted to computer animation services. "We had a few clients who already existed within our architectural clients, but our main client base has come from cold calls," he said.

Those cold calls have led Digital Midwest to its hottest market law firms. Digital Midwest provides forensic animation to law firms and expert witnesses.

Forensic animation puts an auto accident or product liability situation in animated form to be used in court. "For the most part, people have been very receptive and glad to find someone who can do forensic animation locally," Beach said. "That was the first niche market we really went after."

Michelle Beach's degrees in math and physics increase her ability to create for-ensic animation and have helped Digital Midwest build its presence among law firms. "I'm able to work with expert witnesses and translate their mathematical data into applicable data for motion simulation," she said.

Architectural walk-throughs are another prominent part of Digital Midwest's client base, and center upon the helping clients understand and make decisions about their building projects. "A lot of the work we do in architecture is done with groups of people who have to make decisions," David Beach said. "What 3-D animation does is create an image that allows everyone to see what is going to happen."

Now Digital Midwest has set its sights on Hollywood. "Our next goal is broadcast and film animation," David Beach said. "We are currently negotiating a contract for a feature film. For this project, we'll be digitally altering 23 special effects shots."

The film could gain Digital Midwest a powerful entrance into the world of Tinseltown computer animation, according to Beach. "Financially, it's quite a bit of money for us, but in terms of getting us established in that market, it's enormous," he said. "There are a lot of firms like us who will be collaborating with special effects studios. We're hoping to pick up our share of that work."

Dan Blincoe said the company is well on its way to getting its piece of "the broadcast animation pie," as well. "We are expanding our clientele to include production companies, television stations, advertising and marketing agencies, and film productions," he said.

Digital Midwest has taken on such high-profile projects as animated footage of the latest Silver Dollar City attraction, the Wildfire roller coaster, and forensic animation in a case still in litigation, Hart vs. Bridgestone-Firestone Inc. et al., for the law firm of William H. McDonald and Associates of Springfield. "We animated the rollover of a pickup truck based on the testimony of an expert witness," Beach said.

Beach said that the company also has done animation for the Discovery Center showing the center's future over the next five years. "That was an interesting project because the Discovery Center is going to be a prominent part of Jordan Valley."

According to Michelle Beach, the top priority at Digital Midwest is getting the word out about the accessibility and cost-effectiveness of computer animation. "Our goal is to introduce and promote the use of this technology in the Midwest," she said. "Computer animation, as used in the courtroom, is very accessible and affordable, and we want to share this service with as many firms in the Springfield area as we can."

David Beach eschews the idea that all things high-tech are found only on the coasts. "Some of the best talent and imaginations are found here locally, and this kind of work can be done anywhere," he said. "Computers are making the world a much smaller place."