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A Case for 3D Product Rendering

How do you sell a new product without even a finished prototype? With an important tradeshow approaching and the success of a new product line in the balance, this is the exact situation Colmek found itself in. The 3D product rendering capabilities that were able to make this tradeshow a success illustrate the broader value of computer rendering to product marketers.

Colmek engineers and manufactures ruggedized computers for extreme military and commercial applications. The Thermite® U92 Octal represents a leap forward in the graphics processing capability that can be offered in these small enclosures. But without access to a finished prototype, marketing this product was proving to be a challenge. Fortunately these, like almost all modern products, are designed in CAD software.

Products exist digitally long before they do physically

A product will typically undergo multiple design and prototyping iterations. It is often not until the last stages that prototypes emerge with the fit and finish of the commercial equivalent. Such was the case with Colmek. But whereas marketers traditionally had to wait until the last round of prototyping to ramp up their marketing efforts, with 3D product rendering, this work can happen much sooner. With CAD files exported directly from SolidWorks, Freehive was able to get to work rendering the U92 Octal.

Studio Photography Alternative

Computer renderings are indistinguishable from photos

The technology and craft of product rendering delivers images that are for most people completely indistinguishable from actual photos. To the surprise of most, almost all images in the IKEA catalog are computer generated. These include not just studio shots, but living room, bedroom, and kitchen settings. The art of illusion that defines modern film has truly made its way into the marketer’s toolkit.

3D product renderings do what photography can’t

The ability to produce photorealistic computer generated images weeks and months prior to production is valuable in and of itself. But product renderings can do much more than that. In the case of Colmek, an important selling point of these products is their durability in diverse conditions. This inspired the Freehive team to create a series of banners rendering the product surviving in varying extreme conditions, and alluding to its unique applications with discrete colors and configurations. The journey to these virtual sets was only limited by our imagination to create them. Unbound by the constraints of prototype-access, shooting locations, and physics itself, things can be done in a computer that no photographer can accomplish.

3D Rendered BannersInitial concept on the left, two finished 3' x 7' banners on the right

Under a tight deadline, and a budget far less than a modern motion picture, Colmek was able to launch their new product line in a way that generated real excitement. This is a model that can be repeated with nearly any company that designs their products in CAD software. Contact us to tell us about your product and project requirements. With the craft delivered by our 3D artists we’re certain your next product launch will be an even greater success.

A Case for 3D Product Rendering
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