GoPro HERO11 Mini
Motion. Lighting. Precision.
This was a personal project created to showcase the GoPro HERO11 Black Mini through a dynamic 3D product animation. Working with a pre-existing model, my main goal was to focus entirely on cinematic camera work, moody studio lighting, and mechanical animation inside Blender to bring the product to life.
Camera motion and mechanical animation
I handled all the animation and camera rigging in Blender, designing smooth camera paths that transition between wide hero shots and tight macro close-ups with shallow depth of field. Beyond the camera movement, I animated the mechanical features of the GoPro itself—including the folding bottom and rear mounting fingers, as well as a detailed exploded view of the lens assembly to reveal the internal glass elements and housing rings.
Studio lighting, surfaces, and rendering
For the presentation, I went with a dark, low-key studio lighting setup using soft rim lights to carve out the silhouette of the matte-black body against the black background. This lighting approach really helped highlight the contrast between the different materials—from the textured rubberized grip and anodized metal heat sink to the glossy buttons and optical lens reflections.
The process behind the project
What I enjoyed most about this personal study was pacing the animation and guiding the viewer’s eye using light and camera motion. Timing the fast camera transitions with the mechanical movement of the lens breakdown and watching the rim lights sweep across the edges was a really fun way to push my product visualization and animation skills in Blender.
- Discipline
- Animation, lighting & renders
- Artist
- Khaled Mansour
