3D visualisations are not a new breakthrough. As the “secret weapon” of the advertising industry, they have been around for quite a while. In fact, you are probably looking at some every day without even noticing.
3D visualisations are realistic depictions of a product or object. If they are done professionally, it is hard to spot the difference to real photography. But why would you choose 3D visualisations for your business? What are the advantages compared to traditional photography or videography?
3D visualisations let you depict products before they exist
You might have a new product that you want to promote even though it doesn’t physically exist yet. Using traditional photography, you would build a prototype and photograph it. With 3D visualisation, you can avoid these steps as you can depict your product on screen before it actually exists. A car company, for example, could advertise a car without making a prototype, which could cost millions.
This makes 3D visualisation a great tool for start-ups. Marketing activities and pre-sales can be launched before you begin the actual production process. More than that, having visuals of a future product can provide great support for the production process itself. Getting feedback from your future customers will give you the chance to modify your product if needed.
We created this 3D visualisation for Ghost before they manufactured their Ghost board. We came up with multiple designs for their boards and helmets as you can see below.
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3D visualisations are practical
Some products are simply not photo-friendly and sometimes, taking photographs can be a tedious process. Big and heavy objects are hard to move around if you are trying to get the best angle. You have to consider lighting, and potential retouching to get rid of flaws. These difficulties disappear when you choose 3D visualisations. The size of objects becomes a minor concern and you can easily look at it from different angles on your screen. Many industries already use this to their advantage. While a decade ago, only 20% of automotive advertising was created digitally, it has gone up to 80% today.
In this design for McLaren, we visualised how different parts are combined to create this fancy sports car.
3D visualisations let you modify your product easily
With photography, you usually have to go back and take new pictures of your prototype if you want to change something about your product. 3D visualisation, however, makes this process much faster and easier. A few simple clicks let you change shapes, colours, texture and whatever else your heart desires. It is the perfect technique for fast paced industries that change constantly. Trends can be followed very efficiently and easily, as the appearance of products can be modified very quickly.
There is also the potential to save a lot of money. IKEA, for example, wanted to make their marketing process “simpler, cheaper and faster”, so in 2014, they started working with computer generated images. Today, around 60-75% of their product images are 3D visualisations. Instead of assembling whole kitchens, which is complicated and expensive, they can now create it on their computer screens, using the models they already have, and modify it for their specific purpose.
3D visualisations offer endless possibilities
Most importantly, 3D visualisations allow you to show whatever you can imagine. Do you want to show what’s under the hood of a racing car? No problem. Do you want to depict the set-up of a computer? Easy. You can show different angles, but also moving parts, technical details, and how different components are assembled. You can go through walls and move inside of objects. If you wanted to display these things in photographs or a live action video, you would reach their limits quickly. 3D visualisations, however, excel in this. If you want to do a product demo, really showing how your product is built and what it can do, they are your best bet.
Apple's video of their new MacBook is a great product demonstration. It shows what's inside the laptop, what's hidden under they keyboard and how the different components are set up.
Does your business still use photography to market your product? Then give 3D visualisations a thought and consider what you get in the long run: flexibility, easy modifications, and a range of options than other techniques cannot offer. Come join the future of advertising with us.