Forensic animation
case
studies.

Each of these cases came down to one question, and we built the visuals to answer it. Client names stay confidential. Settlement figures appear only where counsel has made them public.

Read the cases → Start with a brief call
CR-2024-001 · Interactive sightline tool

Could anyone have seen it happen?

The question

A special education student was assaulted by a peer in a sensory room next to his classroom. The school district said a staff member would have seen it if it had happened.

What we built

We scanned both rooms with lidar for exact dimensions and photogrammetry for surface and lighting detail, then rebuilt them in Unreal Engine 5 with the real doorways, windows, and furniture.

Max Hulburt, the studio's founder, chose to build a tool instead of a video. A video shows one vantage point. The tool let anyone at the mediation move the staff member around the room, in a top-down view with a cone of sight or in first person, and look for a spot where both rooms could be adequately supervised. There wasn't one.

Outcome

The tool was presented at mediation. The mediator cited it as a key factor, and the case settled for $8 million.

Settlement as reported by Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire.

Recognition

In 2026, trial counsel Vince Bartolotta and John O'Brien of Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire received the Outstanding Advocate Award from Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for their work on this case.

Tools

Lidar · Photogrammetry · Unreal Engine 5

Interactive tool3D evidence
More on interactive exhibits → More on line-of-sight exhibits →
CR-2024-002 · Product liability

Why did the wheel give way?

The question

A 99-year-old man fell backward when a defective wheel assembly on his rollator walker gave way. He landed on a tile floor and struck his head on a wooden bench.

There were no witnesses.

What we built

A photorealistic reconstruction of the wheel failure and the impact that followed.

We captured the motion with Xsens MVN Animate, built the assets and cleaned up the capture in Maya, created the likeness with MetaHuman, and rendered the final shots in Unreal Engine 5.

We also animated a cutaway of a properly manufactured wheel assembly, then showed how the manufacturing defect in this walker made the wheel fail under normal use.

Outcome

The case resolved in the plaintiff's favor before trial, on confidential terms.

Tools

Xsens MVN Animate · Maya · MetaHuman · Unreal Engine 5

Product liabilityMotion capture
More on forensic animation →
CR-2024-003 · Product liability

How did bacteria reach the surgical site?

The question

A patient developed a serious infection after open heart surgery. The source was a heater-cooler unit in the operating room that had been contaminated with bacteria during manufacturing.

What we built

A 2D animation showing how the unit's normal operation would aerosolize the contaminated particles and carry them toward the sterile field.

It traces the airflow from the unit to the open surgical site, step by step.

Outcome

The case settled on confidential terms.

Product liabilityMedical animation
More on forensic animation →

Other matters resolved under confidential terms, so their figures are not listed. Results depend on case-specific facts and do not predict future outcomes.

Contact

Start with
a brief call.

Tell us about the case and what the mediator or jury needs to understand. If we can help, we'll say so directly. If not, we'll refer you to someone who can.

Send an inquiry +1 (619) 736-9921