Communicate & Inspire with 3-D.science

I am Dr. Christoph Kuehne, structural biologist turned scientific communicator.

My goal as a 3D/CG generalist is to bring your scientific stories to life. Are you a researcher, educator, or represent a corporation? Let me assist you in conveying your science through engaging 3D animations and illustrations. I love the challenge of distilling complex ideas into just the right images, no matter who your target audience is.

From cellular processes to cosmic nebulae, I can create striking and accurate representations. With my background as a PhD biologist and my expertise in visual storytelling, I offer a distinctive blend of abilities to enhance your project.

I have experience producing imagery for your various needs, including research publication figures, journal covers, slide decks, mechanism of action (MOA) or explainer animations, and more. Scroll down to browse through my portfolio. If you’d like to get in touch, please reach out via e-mail or connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Last but not least, if you’re interested in the sometimes overlooked art of sonic storytelling, I invite you to listen to the sound design of the portfolio pieces, which I produced as well.

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Select Works

Scientific Animation — Full Length

A 3D animation showcasing a novel de-icing technology for commercial airplanes. The working principle is similar to an induction stove. Strips are applied to the airplane surface, which heat up the skin to melt any ice or snow. This makes air travel more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Novel Aircraft De-Icing Technology Explainer Animation (collaboration with Sayo Studio)

The 3D explainer video showcases the molecular structure of the Covid mRNA vaccine. Size and components of the nanoparticles are explained in detail.

Explainer Video: mRNA vaccine (collaboration with Sayo Studio)

Journey into a horseshoe crab, where you'll learn about Hemocyanin, it's oxygen transport molecule.

Introduction to Hemocyanin in Arthropods (3,5 min video)

Scientific Animation — Clips & Concepts

CG rendered animation: Many red blood cells pass by the camera, which is inside a blood vessel. Other blood components, such as white blood cells (neutrophils) and platalets are also present. The movement is rhythmically in time with a heart beat, audible in the background. The cells speed up and slow down, but never stop moving.

Blood Flow (personal project)

Teaser video cut to upbeat music. We see a human silhouette which contains simplified organ shapes. Dots represent individual cells. Some dots turn magenta, indicating a desease state. Other cell, represented by crosshairs, home in on the highlighted cell. Transition inside the body, a dark tumor is briefly visible with immune cells attacking it. Transition into a molecular scene where we see two receptors connecting. A signal cascades through the cell. Zoom out to the tumor, which is now rapidly shrinking. Finally, we're back to the human silhouette with a wordcloud of various diseases that can be caused by senescent cells.

Senescent Cells Animation Teaser (collaboration with Sayo Studio)

The 3D animation begins on the bow of a yacht, a volcanic island is visible in the mid-distance. A large volcanic eruption begins. Ash and glowing rock fragments are thrown hight into the air. After a couple of seconds, the shock waves arrives at the boat, shaking the camera with a massive deep boom. The camera then transits to a cutaway view of the geology, revealing the inner workings of the volcano. The strata are visible, as well as the internal magma chambers.

Volcanic Eruption (collaboration with Sayo Studio)

The animation details a three phase, four pole electric motor. The wire highlights and the magnetic field are driven by oscillating polarity values in the wires.

Electric Motor Concept

$Schematic of a mechanism found in some insects: the day/night adaption in a superposition-type compound eye. It utilizes movable pigments. During daytime, highly refracted light beams are blocked, improving visual acuity. At night, more light rays can reach each receptor (ommatidium) to improve night vision.$

Concept Animation – Insect Superposition Eye Day/Night Adaption

Scientific Illustration

Trastuzumab antibody (orange/red) bound to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)

PhARIS – a tool that identifies the perfect phage match. Created for University of Tuebingen / Cluster of Excellence CMFI in collaboration with Johannes Richers.

Cell Host & Microbe cover for the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research group of Prof. Mark Brönstrup. Collaboration with Dr. Johannes Richers.

A spherical metallic cage with large pores is in the center of the image. Within the cage, a glowing metal core is bound to the cage via a zipper-like mechanism. Motion trails indicate that the cage is rotating. The background consists of a galaxy of nanomotors receding into the distance to form a starfield.

A Galaxy of Nanomotors (Journal Cover Draft – concept & art direction by Sayo Studio)

Components of a water well. The image shows three segements, the first one being the surface. The pump, valves, flow meters and pipes are shown. The second level shows the well below ground level, going through different layers of earth. The third layer depicts the well within the water reservoir, deep underground. Here, the well casing has openings to allow water to be pumped above ground.

Water Well Illustration (collaboration with Sayo Studio, concept by Claire Agosti)

Cover Design Execution – Concept by Dr. Johannes Richers (Small Structures – 2024 – Hüsing et al.)

A small Photonics chip balanced on a fingertip. The optical pathways glow bright magenta. A silicon wafer is out of focus in the background.

Silicon Photonics Chip – wonder of miniaturization (collaboration with thevisualthinker.xyz)

Sound Design

What does a tumor sound like? Threatening? Visceral? If you remove the tumor, how would the soundscape transform? Asking these questions is important because sound is crucial in 3D animations. It has the power to evoke emotions, create atmosphere, in short: bring life to your visuals.

My goal is always to produce an engaging and cohesive audio experience. From spot effects to background ambiences, music selection and editing, and seamless voice-over integration, I employ industry-standard software and techniques for top-notch results.

The sound design reel is currently being revised and will be available soon™. In the meantime, you can find examples of my sound design work in the portfolio pieces above.

Various cells with comic sound effects (twop/swish/brzzzz) overlaid on top