Case Study: How Big Leap Helped Flaig Magnetsysteme, Germany Enhance Product Marketing with 3D Product Animation

Flaig is a German magnetic lifting systems manufacturer, based out of the Black Forest region, Germany. Their patented product, the magnetic system, was developed with one unique idea: to create the perfect magnetic lifting mechanism that served a handful of key industries. This included steel service centres, foundries, forging plants, shipyards, metal fabrication/cutting operations, and heavy steel handling.

They were able to turn it into a range of products specialised for different lifting objectives, with each assigned its own weight category with varying activation mechanisms. Big Leap took on the challenge to show their products to the world and make them relatable. This was obviously a 3D requirement, and we had to dive into details such as where the factory is located, what the product line looks like, what their operating mechanisms are, etc. The target audience in mind was certainly the businesses across the above-mentioned industries that required reliable lifting solutions.

Flaig’s FX Permanent Lifting Magnets are a unique technology. The range is versatile with specialised designs for different workpieces and safety features that the traditional lifting magnets cannot claim. However, communicating these technical advantages through brochures and static product images cannot make the same impact as a product explainer video. The challenge was to simplify this engineering complexity into a clear, engaging visual story that highlighted the product's real-world value.

Big Leap’s objective was this: to make their products easily understandable to anyone who comes across them – their technology, different mechanisms, designs and weight capacities. It had to be simple, neat, yet advanced in terms of how the work was approached. Our method was to imagine an ideal Flaig customer and work out a 3D product explainer video structure that would easily communicate the product in a way that he fully understands.

The primary steps included a thorough learning process across all of their products—the types, the weights they were specifically designed to lift, different designs and their activation mechanisms. To make the best product explainer video, we had to understand the technology first—how each product is operated, what it was made to lift, and how much weight it can handle.

Secondly, we would come to the design. When the tech is understood, the design tells the rest of the story. For example, the pneumatic lever on the FX Lifting Magnet is activated by pressing a switch-like tip on the top and a pull action. Anyone would imagine a simple lever pull unless they are familiar with the engineering. But when you know, you instinctively understand how that lever is meant to be pulled so the animation of that particular mechanism would be as accurate as possible.

Given the complexities in the product mechanism, we wanted the 3D animation to not just explain the product but also express what it feels like to operate one. How it carried its categorical significance in the design, and how the design made the operation a little more convenient and ergonomic.

The client asked to start with an aerial shot that both showed the location and its German manufacturing identity. Also in the preliminary storyboarding process, it was pointed out that the location, Pine Forest, didn’t have the type of trees we had in mind. The client and our team worked in tandem to bring out a 3D product explainer video that felt real and accurate but also dynamic with all the transitions it needed to keep the viewer engaged. The audience would not only understand the product but also have a gist of how it actually works and which product suited their requirement.

The most important things had to go first. So, in a way, our design followed the necessity. In that order, we started with the location with an aerial shot that glided into the garage and toward the product that was placed on the table.

It started with sleek 360-degree shots of the product. Then we jumped into the parts inside it that gave it its German reliability. An almost cinematic, thorough recap of the parts inside, a cut into a majestic lineup of all the products, followed by separate product overviews for each along with detailed specifications.

Illustrations were prepared according to the client’s specifications. 3D modelling was done with pinpoint accuracy to completely align with Flaig’s product aesthetic. The cinematic element in the animation was deliberate, and text animations, along with motion graphics, also tried to accentuate YES’ style with the selection of the fonts. Motion graphics and text animations became crucial towards the end, where a lot was needed in writing to convey product specifications and other reminders such as return policy and recyclability.

This part combined both Big Leap’s and Flaig’s representations and paid tribute to the amazing collaboration.

Sound was important, but this one didn’t need a lot of it. Since the product line leaned more towards visual storytelling, we had to be careful to pick a score that served two objectives at once: to keep the homogeneous visual style unaffected throughout the video and let the audio flow nicely alongside it. The track we used was neutral, yet definitely fitting for the intended purpose.

The client was delighted with the way we took on the challenge, not to mention the applause for the fresh take on the animation style that adopted a much more cinematic style, including transitions, cuts and shot selections. There were a few suggestions from the client’s side before final refinements, but for the most part, it was a creative process that brought both us and the client under a sense of common purpose and creative pursuit.

The main creative highlight about this work is the way we were able to complete the whole process. We had creative freedom, but the task was to not take advantage of it. Every decision, every shot, had to align with the intended goal: explaining the product visually in a way that everyone can understand.

Illustrations strictly followed the product design and its integrity. In the animation stage, we tried to give them the best animated representation possible by keeping the colour, design and functionality intact.

Being realistic was not only a choice; it was a creative requirement. Apart from the visual style, dynamic transitions and cuts, the product needed to look exactly as it does in real life. This level of realism needed micro-level understanding of the product—it needed to include everything from design strategy to ergonomics and actual functionality.

Rather than the number of deliverables, what mattered to the client was a comprehensive take on their product. A well-made product 3D explainer video was the objective here.

With 3 minutes and 30 seconds in our hands, we were able to come up with a 3D product explainer video that covered everything from location and product line to specifications and return policy.

The client’s objective was to make a video that covered their product range and its specifications along with standard compliance policies such as return policy and sustainability initiatives. The video took its time, yet was visually compact and structurally comprehensive to cover all these.

The comprehensive structure of the 3D product explainer video helped our clients relay their product’s unique features to everyone, including partners, customers and the general audiences alike. The storytelling was simple; the 3D rendering was realistic; the sequencing, cinematic transitions and cuts kept the viewer engaged throughout the length of the video.

The video has reportedly greatly increased Flaig’s conversion rate, with the simplified product explanation and comprehensive narrative style and intact structure.

Big Leap’s core philosophy was always to prioritise our client’s needs. In our estimate, the video works not only because of its sleek style or ultra-realistic rendering—it was also because of our team’s ability to connect with what really our client needed on a human level. All of us at Big Leap knew this: our job is not to show off our skills but to understand this simple animation principle.

It was because of this collective understanding at Big Leap that we were able to put together the right style, structure and tone that maintained and prioritised the client’s brand voice throughout the video.

This is what our esteemed client, Mr Horst Flaig, CEO of Flaig Magnetsysteme, had to say regarding our 3D product explainer video:

“We had the pleasure of working with BigLeap for our animated explanatory video at Flaig Magnetsysteme, and we couldn't be happier with the results! From start to finish, their team was professional, creative, and attentive to our needs. The final video perfectly captures our message in an engaging and clear way, helping us communicate more effectively with our audience. We highly recommend BigLeap to anyone looking for top-quality animation and excellent service. Thank you, BigLeap, for your Fantastic work! Mit freundlichen CrüBen/ Best Regards “

Why we took up this work was majorly because of its scope and the innovation. A unique technology, a state-of-the-art product line that needed not just regular branding materials but a 3D video that perfectly encapsulated everything about it—the idea, the real-world problem it solved, product-specific details and manufacturing integrity.

Our structure prioritised the same pattern while creating a 3D rendition that did not just resemble the original product but reimagined it into its actual scope. The realism contained Flaig’s spirit, and the cinematic transitions and effects took it a step further, diving into its build quality with dynamic visual effects.

Animation is about solving a complex problem in the most beautiful, simple and technically accurate way, and projects such as Flaig’s enabled us to do better in every aspect, and with the unwavering support and understanding from the client side, we were able to achieve our vision: creating the right 3D product explainer video that broke down their product, its functionality and the science behind it.