This animation had quite a few challenges. I pushed the boundaries of 3D camera movement and physical proprieties. I transitioned from a 3D to a 2D style of animation to communicate the best possible way to demonstrate the working area of the laser. The cutting examples section was built parametrically so that if the client wanted to output a video on just cutting examples, I would be able to quickly export them. I configured the dotted lines on the inside of the cut area and a shaded area to show inside the block. The edge of the cut was my biggest challenge to animate. The model of the laser cutting into the metal was animated on the polygon level and baked as an FBX sequence to simulate the effect. The piece of metal is a heart stint; somehow this pattern lets the metal expand and contract. The rig was completely built in Xpresso and was driven off a single null tracing a path.
