From 3D data – usually provided by the client – the 3D graphic designer team at Light And Shadows is able to bring products to life in video for marketing purposes. However, the creation of a professional and photorealistic 3D video is based on a precise creative process.
From pre-production, through production to post-production, explore the behind-the-scenes details of the Krups video.
Pre-production
krups-the-creative-process-behind-the-videoFrom pre-production, through production to post-production, explore the behind-the-scenes details of the
Everything starts from the development of the idea, the story to tell through the video. After writing down the ideas for the script, the storyboard is created. This is the illustrated version of the script that defines the various camera angles and the intentions of the film.
For Krups, the intention was to highlight the accessories that make up the robot, their modularity, and the ease of use of the robot in a cinematic atmosphere. This is why it is possible to find several times in the final video, close-ups on the mechanical or electronic elements of the food processor. Being the backbone of the whole film, the storyboard will be used as a reference to reproduce the scenes in 3D later in the process.
Animatic / Layout 3D
Then, comes the animatic (or 3D layout) which consists in recreating in 3D the animation and the camera perspectives as envisioned in the storyboard. This is a rather simplified version of the 3D scene using primitive objects (knowing that at this stage the assets are not yet ready). The animatic will not only give an idea of the timing of each sequence, but it will also ensure consistency with the intentions of the storyboard. This pre-production process will help the 3D artists to visualize the different shots properly before going into production.
Moodbard
After making sure of the consistency with the storyboard, the artistic direction of the video must be defined.
Therefore, the 3D artists use numerous auditory or visual references (text, colorimetry, light, etc.) to create a moodboard. These references can be former productions of the client or works made by third parties. By gathering these references in one place, the ideas will be centralized, and the storyboard’s guidelines will be followed.
Production
Then, the next task is the building of the scene in 3D. In other words, it is about modeling the props, the environment… Everything that will make up the final film. Asset optimization
First, for any 3D animation, it is wise to optimize the 3D models. Because of their density, i.e., the large number of polygons contained in the models, they can be unusable or weigh down the creation process. To know how we optimize 3D data, we already explained it through this article. This tedious step is crucial to deliver the smoothest possible experience. Materials
Once the optimization is done, it is time to apply the materials on the 3D models.
From the references provided by the client, the 3D graphic designers will recreate the materials directly in the virtual scene. Thus, it adds the first aesthetic and realistic layers of objects and scenery.
Animation
Now, products can come to life with 3D animation. At this stage, the animations will need to be “polished”, whether it is the camera angles or the elements of the Krups cooking robot. In other words, this final touch will reinforce the realism of the scenes through refined movements, detail adjustments, etc.
Lighting
Following this, the 3D graphic designers will carry out the lighting process. That means, they will control the aspect of the shadows and lights to create depth. Through the numerous light effects, the robot’s features will be highlighted. And the rendering will be more qualitative and photorealistic. There is also an intensive work to find the atmosphere imagined before in the moodboard. On Krups, there are 3 different atmospheres: Day, Night and Studio lighting.
Rendering
Finally, it’s time for rendering, in short, the last step in the 3D production pipeline.
The computer will resume all the work done so far and calculate the individual pixels from the light bounces for each plane, according to the 3D models, materials, and lighting. Hence, the importance of optimizing the 3D models as much as possible beforehand to speed up this process, which can take hours or days depending on the desired rendering quality.
For a photorealistic rendering, this is a topic covered in our Webinar #6 : Le processus de création d’images photoréalistes (in French, for now). We kindly encourage you to watch it to better understand this process!
Post-production
Compositing
During the rendering process, we obtain images that are intrinsically composed of several layers. These images are then imported into compositing programs for editing, retouching and adding special effects.
As a result, 3D artists will create illusions and visual tricks that will enhance scenes and objects, always with the aim of getting the most convincing realism possible. For this video, the graphic designer team enhanced the film with reflections on the control panel, bloom effects on the camera, or by adjusting the colorimetry. All these techniques will ensure a degree of homogeneity from the beginning to the end of the film. Discover the outcome:
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Eager to find more information about 3D tech? LS GROUP believes in the potential of 3D technologies. We strive to better meet the needs of each of our clients, in order to provide them with a memorable virtual experience. From 3D data, we bring products to life through real-time 3D applications (VR, AR, MR, WebGL etc.) or high quality contents such as Krups. So don’t hesitate to contact us so that you too can unveil the full potential of your products through 3D!