Tabletop Simulator Trailer

3D Animation

Tabletop Simulator is a video game that allows players to play and create tabletop games in a multiplayer physics sandbox. The animation is inspired by the relationships between four different tabletop games: Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, and Connect 4. These games are showcased with surreal camera angles and macro shots, along with seamless transitions paired alongside the music.

→ ADC Young Ones 2023 Shortlist

Storyboard

Chess clock at midnight framed between the two armies on the board
Overhead view of a chess game in progress on a round wooden table
White bishop toppling into a crowd of black chess pieces
Chess clock at midnight framed between the two armies on the board
Macro shot of white pawns and knight facing the black king
Red and black checkers tumbling through the air
Checkers board landing fully set on a dark wooden table
Close-up of red and black checkers mid-game on the red board
Backgammon board mid-game with pieces scattering across the points
Overhead macro of backgammon checkers stacked on the points with the doubling chip
Connect 4 grid filling up with red and yellow discs
Closing title card — Tabletop Simulator logotype over all four games on a round table

Process

Blender workspace with the chess scene, shader nodes, and animation curves