What is product rendering?
You will probably have seen numerous product renders without even realizing it. Photorealistic 3D rendering is used for a wide variety of purposes, from product development to advertising and marketing.
But what is product rendering exactly? Product rendering is the process of creating a digital 2D or 3D image or immersive experience. To create a rendered image, a designer will take a 3D model that has been created using computer-aided design software and use it to develop a realistic, highly detailed 2D or 3D image.
Product renders can be incredibly lifelike, sometimes indistinguishable from an actual photograph of a real physical object. Unlike a photograph, however, product rendering often depicts objects that do not actually exist in the physical world.
Discover all Dassault Systèmes store solutions for product rendering
Professional designers require the very best 3D rendering software in order to create photorealistic images. 3DEXITE Product Communicator is a powerful photorealistic 3D product rendering software package that allows you to create high-quality product shots quickly and easily.
3DEXCITE Product Communicator
Seeing is believing - create stunning digital content to showcase product values, enable partners and win customers
What are the different types and visualization of product rendering?
There two main types of photorealistic product rendering techniques are white space visualizations and contextual visualizations. 3D visualizations can also be created using illustrative rendering techniques or interactive rendering techniques.
White space visualizations
White space visualizations show a product on a clear white background. The purpose of white space visualizations is to showcase the design of a product without any background details drawing the viewer’s attention away. White space visualizations are often used during product development.
Contextual visualizations
On the other hand, contextual visualizations are used to show how a product or object will sit in relation to a real-world setting. An architect may use contextual visualizations to showcase how a proposed building will look or a product designer may use contextual visualization to show how a piece of furniture might look in an office space.
Illustrative rendering
Unlike photorealistic 3D rendering, illustrative rendering is not designed to be realistic. It uses abstraction or fantastical techniques to create depictions of objects. Illustrative rendering is often seen in marketing or advertising campaigns.
Interactive rendering
Interactive rendering is known as IPR or live rendering. It is a process where specialized software will autonomically update the lighting and features of the 3D render in real-time. It is often used in the V-ray product rendering process.
What are the benefits of product rendering?
Product rendering is faster and less expensive than photoshoots
Imagine that you have created a new type of tennis shoe and want to show your creation to manufacturers. You will first need to build a prototype of the shoe. Then, you will need to hire a professional photographer who has an assistant and a dedicated photo studio with lighting and backdrops. The photographer will have to set the tennis shoes up, adjust the lights, photograph the shoes from a variety of angles, and then have the photographs processed, and developed. This entire process can take a great deal of time and be prohibitively expensive.
Product rendering, with its key features, enables you to visualize your products in a photorealistic way without the extra cost of a photoshoot and without having to build a physical prototype. It dramatically cuts down on the cost and the time involved in developing a product.
Effectively and efficiently showcase products
Product rendering is an ideal way to attract and convince investors to invest in a project. You can quickly create the visualization of a product with different colors, textures, and materials without the need to physically produce it. You’ll be able to amaze the final client with stunning, tailor-made visuals that you have obtained faster and for a much lower cost than you could with traditional methods.
Market a product before it is manufactured
With photorealistic product rendering, you can:
- Launch a marketing campaign before the manufacturing process has been completed.
- Conduct customer testing to find out which model is the preferred choice of your target market.
Easily create various views of a product
Product visualization allows you to create amazing visuals;
- You can have a 360° interactive view of products to increase customer engagement and buyer confidence.
- You can also show technical illustrations of a product to convey information about how it functions.
- Or have an exploded view of the product, which lets you display the features that make up the product while maintaining overall aesthetics.
Browse all the Dassault Systèmes store applications
We feature in our store some of our best software to design, collaborate and innovate throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Content related to Product rendering
3D rendering
Discover the power of 3D rendering software
Global illumination & Ray casting
Global Illumination, Path Tracing, and Ray Casting Explained
Cloud rendering
Global Illumination, Path Tracing, and Ray Casting Explained
What are the various industries where a product rendering software is often used?
What is the process of product rendering?
The process of creating a 3D render begins with an intensive concept development stage. Once a solid concept has been determined and draft sketches have been made, then a detailed 3D model is created using specialized CAD rendering software.
A designer will then further enhance the 3D model by adding lighting and texturing. Powerful rendering software is then used to convert the 3D model into a 2D photorealistic product rendering or an immersive visualization. Lastly, there is a post-processing where further work is done to add more details, finer textures, and more complicated lighting. The 3D render may need to have a background added as a contextual visualization or be placed in white space.
Explore Dassault Systèmes solutions
Discover the powerful browser-based modeling solutions from Dassault Systèmes. You can design whatever you wish, wherever you are with 3DEXPERIENCE.
Connecting data & people to foster innovation
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud gives you access to a various set of applications that allow you to design, simulate, inform and collaborate on a project.
How long does the product rendering process last?
The length of the product rendering process depends on the complexity of the render and the power of the software that is being used. A relatively simple render using cloud rendering software can be done in minutes or even sometimes in mere seconds.
A more complicated photorealistic image with a contextual background or interactive elements will require more complex and resource-intensive digital lighting and rendering work. These types of renders can take several days to complete.
Product rendering - Conclusion & Perspectives
Product rendering is a form of 3D visualization used to produce photorealistic 2D images or immersive visualization of 3D rendered models. These images can be incredibly detailed and are used for product development purposes, marketing, and advertising purposes.
Photorealistic 3D product rendering replaces the need to have lengthy and expensive photoshoots or for manufacturers to produce physical prototypes or proposed products or machinery. Customers or investors do not need to be in the same physical place as a building or object as they can easily view a digital image or be taken on a virtual tour. A 3D render can be rotated and viewed at any angle, can be placed in a realistic background, viewed in white space, or can have interactive features added to it.
Product rendering dramatically cuts down on the overall costs involved in product development, makes it easier and simpler for companies to showcase their products, and gives architects and interior designers the ability to display constructions and room layouts without the need for display homes or showrooms.
Why choose Dassault Systèmes for your product rendering needs?
Create 3D renders easily with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform
Just a short time ago creating a photorealistic 3D product rendering required you to have expensive on-premises software and sophisticated stand-alone computer systems. With the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, Dassault Systèmes gives you access to a range of powerful CAD design roles that can be accessed using any type of device, at any time, anywhere on the planet. All you need is a device with a suitable browser and a reliable internet connection.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform uses cutting-edge cloud-based technology to provide you with an integrated digital environment where you can communicate and collaborate with colleagues, store and share files and access some of our top rendering design solutions. You can connect your entire ecosystem via the platform and inspire your teams to create and innovate like never before.
Benefit from over 40 years of CAD experience
For more than four decades Dassault Systèmes has been leading the way in product life management, computer-aided design, and digital mockup solutions.
A prime example of our commitment to developing pioneering design solutions is 3DEXITE Product Communicator. This tool allows you to create interactive 3D product experiences and render photorealistic 3D product visualizations.
Combined with the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3DEXITE Product Communicator delivers a highly integrated, on-cloud solution suitable for enterprises of any size and projects of any scale.
Explore inspiring content
Frequently asked Questions About Product Rendering Solutions and Services
Photorealistic 3D product rendering eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming photoshoots, does away with the requirement to develop resource-intensive prototypes, and allows companies to showcase concepts to customers and investors anywhere in the world at any time.
Yes, product rendering is now used by a huge variety of industries for product development purposes. Sectors as diverse as the electronics industry, furniture manufacturers, and the automotive industry use photorealistic 3D product rendering to test and showcase prototypes and designs.
With photorealistic product rendering, customers can zoom in and out of images to see the smallest details, rotate images 360 degrees to view products from any angle, and can see how products look in real-world situations.
Designers use advanced 3D rendering software to create realistic images. 3DEXITE Product Communicator is a powerful and easy-to-use tool specifically designed for making lifelike 3D product images quickly and easily. It helps designers produce top-quality shots of products with ease.