Wallern a.d. Trattnach (Austria), 19th June 2024 – This year’s Wiener Eistraum at Vienna’s City Hall Square was not only a gathering place for ice skating enthusiasts but also the stage for a captivating technological premiere. Thanks to the innovative PIXERA media servers from AV Stumpfl and an exciting collaboration with Audi Austria, Pansound GmbH and other partners, visitors were left in awe by a breathtaking presentation of the Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron. Over two months, from 19th January to 3rd March, this out-of-home activation accompanied the 29th season of Wiener Eistraum (“Vienna Ice Dream”), which was once again recognised with the ÖkoEventPlus award for sustainability.

“With Audi-Animatics, we created a new, three-dimensional world of surprises,” explains Tom Erlinger from Pansound GmbH. This multimedia artwork utilised the advanced Unreal Engine to create stunning, dynamic scenes that spanned three levels. The highlight: a transparent LED screen behind which the exclusive silhouette of the Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron awaited its grand entrance, perfectly orchestrated by the “brain” of the installation: the PIXERA media server. The Unreal Engine, which has made a name for itself in high-quality video game productions and increasingly in Hollywood, was used as the main technology behind the virtual production, enabling targeted changes in lighting conditions and times of day. To control of the three levels (transparent screens, car, and LED wall), Pansound relied on cutting-edge tech from Austria. “PIXERA managed all content, which was precisely timed and distributed to the LED levels and played back according to cue commands,” adds Erlinger.

The technical effort behind this setup was enormous, but the result spoke for itself: a visual experience that embedded the real vehicle into a virtual world, enchanting not only tech enthusiasts but everyone who visited the open-air skating rink. “The Audi SQ8 Sportback e-tron was at the centre of this staging, where the virtual and real worlds merged in a unique way,” explains Bernhard Loos, head of marketing and sales, Audi Austria, at Porsche Holding.

“The installation at Vienna’s City Hall Square impressively demonstrated how technology and creativity come together to explore new dimensions of presentation. We are delighted with the successful collaboration with Audi,” says Horst Damoser, head of global business development for AV Stumpfl.

Photo credit: Philipp Carl Riedl