Vista V3 Stroller & Bassinet
The Task
We were contacted by the Creative Director of UPPABaby, a company specializaing in high-end strollers and other infant and toddler related products. Impressed by our portfolio of previous work, they were confident in allowing us the opportunity to help them transition from what they had always done via traditonal photography to 3D rendering for their product imagery. What initially started with their flagship Vista V2 stroller, quickly expanded into a long lasting relationship with renderings produced for over 17 products and counting. In this case study, we'll feature some of their products and talk about a few of the common themes between each of them.
Benifts of 3D Renderings
Before we dive into the process, we'd just like to take a moment to detail the following key reasons as to why UPPABaby decided 3D rendering was the right move for them.
- Ability to create photorealistic images during Late Stage Product Development allowed them to Get a Jump Start on their marketing.
- A desire for Complete Creative Control while maintaining a high-level of quality.
- Perfect Continuity across their entire product line.
- Fewer Logistical Complexities than traditional photoshoots.
- Smoother Revision Process with the abiilty to easliy create renders of new fashions later down the road.
3D Modeling (Hardgoods & Softgoods)
For each product UPPABaby provided us with their 3D CAD files (STEP files) for all of the hardgoods. It was our job to create all of the fabric models on top of the frame of each design, whether that be a stroller, toddler seat, car seat, bouncer, etc. Photos and physical samples were provided along with fabric documentation. Our artists took accurate measurements and built out the base fabric models and, on approval, added subtle wrinkling and deformation for added realism.
Poses
One of the major considerations and challenges from a scope of work standpoint was that nearly every product had various components that could exist in multiple states and positions. Below are some examples:
- Canopy: Default, Unzipped, Folded Back, with Extra Sunshade Pop Out
- Headrest: Low, Medium, High
- Seat & Footrest: Angle Variations, Front or Back Facing, etc.
- Folded: All Strollers had a collapsed down version for storage
- Misc: Some products had misc accessories such as Inserts, Foot Barriers, and Toy Attachments
Each product varied, but each state or configuration required it's own modeling set up in terms of the fabrics and consideration also had to be given towards how each one might effect any surrounding fabric elements. For example, raising a headrest may also pull upon the harness straps.
Texturing Each Fashion
In addition to multiple poses, every product was also produced in multiple fashions with either different material finishes for the frame and / or different fabric styles and colors. To get the most realistic fabric renderings we worked directly from client provided fabric swatches to help us build physically accurate and tileable textures true to scale.
Rendering & Post Production
When all of the variables were factored (poses x fashions x camera angles) many products required hundreds of renderings, which by the way, were all produced at a 6K resolution output for maximum quality. A fair amount of post production color correction was also needed to ensure all of the surfaces and PMS color values remained accurate.
Final deliverables included a layered Photoshop file with the product, background, and ground shadow all on their own layers for maximum flexibility. We also provided a color pass to allow for easy selection of any part of the design so the client could make any future color edits easily on their end if needed.
International Markets & Configurations
Another benefit, not mentioned above, is that once we produced the US "fashion" renderings we also helped produced similar renderings for both the EU and AU markets for several products. These designs typically had different safety regulations, but overall were very similar to the US products and so the renderings were able to produced much quicker and cheaper than the original US designs.
If that wasn't enough, for many of the products we also provided UPPABaby with images for their online configurator so customers could see how different products, like car seats, could attach to the frames of their strollers. This process basically consisted of taking our already prepped 3D models and applying them to the various frames of each stroller.
The Results
What more can we say here other than that we are just truly grateful to have developed such an amazing relationship with the folks at UPPABaby. Their needs aren't simple, but we love that they push us and make us better artists. They are truly a behemoth in this space and we are so honored to have our 3D renderings playing a small part in their amazing success!
Ready to Get Started?
Contact Us today to discover how our expert 3D rendering services can elevate your products' visuals and take your marketing to the next level!
