Rendering 3D Objects
7 Mistakes Professional Artists Avoid At All Costs
Just a decade ago, when manufacturers and marketers needed product photos, they had no other option but to arrange old-school photo sessions. For that, they produced all the samples first, then transported them to a photo studio and spent several days to shoot the whole collection. No need to say, such endeavors took tons of money and ran marketers ragged. These days, there are various CG artists who are rendering 3D objects at a reasonable price.
But with new solutions come new problems — 3D renders and models made by amateur CG artists look unrealistic and deformed. In other words, they’re nothing like real photos. But when you reach out to a 3D rendering company, how can you tell its CG artists are experienced enough in advance? We say, examine their portfolio and make sure their specialists don’t make these 7 grave mistakes.
#1. Badly Chosen Camera Angles and Perspective
Any roomset, either physical or in 3D, is based on the rules of the perspective. The standard horizon line for settings should be at the eye level or just below it. However, inexperienced artists don’t know how to place cameras correctly, so they are rendering 3D objects with the viewer’s level too high or low. As a result, viewers simply can’t understand the real proportions of the room and furniture due to the confusing angle.
Moreover, the wrong perspective distorts objects and leads to a misconception of the size of the product. For example, if you take a picture from below or high above the furniture piece the cabinets will be like skyscrapers and a couch will look squat and short.
Of course, CG professionals have a lot of experience and always choose the best angles for 3D rendering objects. Their 3D lifestyles look well-organized and lifelike. Also, thanks to their masterhood, CG experts can even use risky angles as an artistic tool to achieve a certain dramatic effect.
#2. Bad Scaling
When CG specialists are rendering 3D objects, they must be focused on making the whole scene as realistic as possible. Therefore, all items simply have to be of correct proportions to convey realism.
Professional CG artists carefully check the scaling and avoid disproportion by all means. Firstly, their renderings never represent gargantuan furniture in a small and cramped room. All their roomsets are well-balanced and coherent. Secondly, CG experts are skilled in 3D modeling and prevent distortion of the geometry when building a scene. You will never see disproportional and stretched out 3D objects in their renderings.
#3. Low-Quality Textures
Another strong indication of unprofessionalism during rendering of 3D objects is bad textures. If the surface is blurry, textures have seams, and the patterns are distorted — it means that the texture map is made of a low-quality 2D sample and has incorrect settings.
CG experts know how to properly apply textures to keep the surface seamless and smooth. They don’t use cheap or free textures — a CG studio uses its own library of top-notch 3D textures. Moreover, if you need a rare or custom material for 3D objects and CG rendering, true experts can make a texture for your product from scratch.
#4. Unnatural Intersection
Before CG experts proceed to rendering 3D objects, their 3D modeling must be accurate because 3D models’ arrangement is key to a realistic picture. However, amateurs are often unfocused and they pay no heed to how they place objects in the scene. Therefore, small but important details simply slip their attention. For example, in their renderings, 3D objects can intersect in an unrealistic way, furniture pieces may float over or drown into the floor — all this kind of magic.
The professionals never make mistakes like this. Such cases can damage the studio’s reputation so only the best-proven professionals work in the CG companies. Also, in CGIFURNITURE, we follow a double-check policy, so every 3D visualization has to be approved by our project managers and mentors. This way we can guarantee 100% quality of our 3D objects.
#5. Inсorrect Use of Objects
In the best-case scenario, 3D rendered objects and a 3D roomset should perfectly match in terms of the context. In real life, however, CG dilettantes sometimes choose weird locations for the product and can put a dining table in a study.
Also, interior style for a roomset is a big deal so CG artists must make sure 3D objects and the room go well together. Professionals always pick a 3D scene that matches the object and not vice versa. Of course, such work requires knowledge, so they have to have a taste and design education. For that, all studio CG artists take courses on interior design and know the ropes in all the styles — from traditional ones to trendy wabi-sabi.
On top of that, far-sighted 3D studios store their own ready-to-use 3D scenes in their 3D libraries so clients can choose any roomset they like for there. For instance, we have more than 6500 ready-made 3D scenes and our CG artists can easily customize them for your product and make outstanding rendering of 3D objects.
#6. Too Bright or Too Dark Roomsets
Unrealistic lighting is one of the most common rendering errors. CG neophytes often put the wrong number of light sources or mess up the brightness. As a result, 3D lifestyle shots get too dark or overexposed.
Unlike beginners, CG professionals can create both day and evening lighting schemes to achieve a natural look. Experts know exactly how to adjust the tonality of the 3D sun and how many additional sources they need for an evening scene. In the end, if they are rendering 3D objects with proper lighting, 3D images look as realistic as actual photos.
#7. Post-Production Overdo
Amateur CG artists often make low-quality renderings and try to cover up their mistakes with intensive post-production. For example, they use Photoshop to draw unnatural shadows, add flashy glares for no good reasons, overdo an image with color correction, etc.
In turn, professional artists put all their effort into 3D modeling and rendering to make 3D visualizations of the highest quality. CG specialists know that if they are meticulously rendering 3D objects, post-production will be minimal and delicate. They can add small finishing touches here and there or slightly adjust color balance and contrast and get 100% photorealistic results.
Download CGIFURNITURE price guide and learn the costs of top-tier 3D visualization projects of different scales!
The bottom line is that the only way to get quality rendering of 3D objects is to work with CG professionals who don’t make such simple mistakes. 3D visualizations by CG experts are always photorealistic, atmospheric, proportional, and highly attractive. Firstly, CG companies hire only top-specialists in the field. Secondly, every project is double-checked by the team leaders. And last but not least, studio CG artists regularly take courses and training to improve their skills even more.
If you strive to get the best product visuals, then our 3D rendering services are for you! In CGIFURNITURE, we make lifelike 3D objects and scenes of any complexity.
What is 3D rendering?
3D rendering is a digital representation of the object in three-dimensional space. Key components of 3D rendering are 3D models, textures and lighting. When all elements are well-regulated and set up correctly, 3D visualization looks 100% photorealistic.
How do CG artists create 3D renders?
First, they build a 3D scene with a backdrop or settings and put 3D models in it. Then, they apply and set up all the textures and place lighting sources. After regulating the light, CG artists put cameras in their positions and press the render button. Once a 3D image is ready, experts open it in a graphic editor and make post-production.
How do professional CG artists avoid texturing mistakes?
First and foremost, CG experts use only quality 2D texture samples. They also can create a custom one from scratch, if needed. The next step is to apply it correctly and make sure it perfectly covers the object without stretching or seams.
What is the difference between post-production made by amateur and professional CG artists?
Amateurs often use post-production to hide their mistakes so their photo editing is overdone and unrealistic. Professionals, in turn, are competent enough to make quality 3D renderings so their images don’t need many improvements.
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