Project Hail Mary

An Unprecedented Volume of 3D Scanning

Project Hail Mary is a large-scale science fiction production based on Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, and one of the most technically ambitious space films in recent years. Visualskies was engaged to provide an unprecedented volume of precision 3D scanning—capturing key environments, cast members and assets to feed directly into the VFX pipeline.

Tasked with a scanning job of vast proportions, our team went into overdrive to digitise the film’s entire physical footprint. We meticulously scanned every piece of lab equipment, every space aboard the Hail Mary ship, and every custom tool used by characters Ryland Grace and Rocky.

Working closely with VFX supervisors Paul Lambert and Stuart Penn, our team deployed terrestrial LiDAR and advanced photogrammetry to capture set geometry with millimetre accuracy. The resulting point clouds were processed into clean, survey-grade meshes—eliminating manual estimation and providing a reliable geometric foundation for the visual effects teams.

Deliverables included registered point clouds in E57 format, photoreal textured meshes optimised for the production’s pipeline, and high-detail textures and HDR panoramic images from each scan position for lighting reference. All data was delivered to production naming conventions and scaled to match the existing coordinate system.

We are immensely proud to have collaborated with the talented teams at Framestore and ILM—providing the geometric blueprints that became Framestore’s seamless character work on Rocky and ILM’s breathtaking space exteriors. For a production where photorealism is paramount, our data provided the critical foundation that bridged physical set and final frame.