Computer Animations in Accident Reconstruction

Computer animations are a very powerful tool for communicating different aspects of an accident. Difficult time and distance concepts can be made clear. Views can be shown from inside a model of a vehicle to show what the driver could or could not have seen, and vehicle damages and motion can be illustrated. There are many different computer programs that can be used to produce an animation. 3D Studio Max is a powerful program that can be highly detailed, but it is difficult to use. There are accident reconstruction programs that will make animations easier to generate, but they offer less control.

A computer animation will do what it is told to do – there must be a good foundation of accident reconstruction data that is used to make the animation. Most accident reconstruction firms do not make their own computer animations in house, relying instead on outside companies that do not have accident reconstruction backgrounds. A simple online search of computer animations will show animations of vehicles undergoing unrealistic motions or vehicles interacting incorrectly at impact.

At Evans Accident Reconstruction we make our own computer animations in-house, using advanced animation programs that rely on data from proven accident reconstruction methods. Click the image below to view a sample animation produced by Evans Accident Reconstruction.

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