The 8 Stages of creating a stunning 3D ‘furniture lifestyle’ render.

Furniture visualisation lifestyle renders can be an ideal way of achieving atmospheric and photorealistic visuals. Even the most difficult concepts and minute details are brought to life exactly the way you wanted them to look. The biggest manufacturers of furniture widely use architectural visualisation to lower the marketing costs. For example, IKEA’s latest catalogues were created in 3D.

With photography, you’re always going to be restricted by what you can build and what materials you can use and what furniture you can get a hold of. With CGI there are massive 3D libraries now where you can buy really high quality digital models and textures and drop them straight into your images.

Here are the 8 stages of a 3D furniture rendering project:

#1. Sharing References

The first priority is always to make sure our clients’ furniture looks exactly the way it should.

Every 3D furniture visualisation project starts with gathering physical references: blueprints, sketches, props or photographs. It’s usual for a number of image references that describe how the digital sets should feel to be passed back and forth. Our next step was to gather a few photo references of our own to fill in some of the gaps in the interior design.

#2. Setting the scene

After the references are passed to our 3D artists, they begin their work by creating the room from basic shapes: blank walls, floor and ceiling as well as guidelines for further object placement and textures.

#3. 3D Furniture Models

It goes without saying that a furniture lifestyle visualisation is more about the contents in a space than the space itself. You can either opt for pre-made 3D models of specifically intended products in the room. If you need custom furniture models, then they are first made from scratch and then put in the interior. The design process for this is similar to that of the final piece and will require reference points to be shared.

#4. Getting the Lighting just right

The sources of light and play of light on surfaces and textures is not just important in a 3D interior visualisation but for any art or design. This will affect the placement and density of shadows, shimmers and shine effects. Ensuring the lighting looks realistic to the human eye really separates the best interior renders from the rest. In the real world there is never one source of light, unless we’re talking about some concrete box with one hole in it. Lamps, light fixtures, chandeliers – the list can go on, and all of them produce different types of light.

#5. Getting the Texture and Materials just right

How glossy should the floor be?  How much contrast should the lighting generate?  What about that expansive view out the windows?  What would it look like with carpet instead of hard floors?  These are all questions that get addressed in the production process.

Cloth, leather, wood, metal – all have very specific textures that have to be carefully recreated and replicating material quality used to be a real problem for CGI rendering, but not anymore. With software and processing power ever improving we are now able to create convincing fabrics. Soft and squishy items like cushions usually need a little massaging to get the wrinkles and stitching just right, and we’ll send a few rounds of image samples back and forth until we get everything perfect.

#6. Setting the Camera Angles

Using CGI means your choices of camera angle for the 3D visualisation are almost completely limitless. Because lifestyle furniture visualisations are whole spaces, not just separate shots, it’s technically possible to show every square inch. But there is no need to do that for design presentations and promotional materials; think quality over quantity and go for the best 4 or 5 angles.

#7. Adding Decor

If the aim is realism, or more than that – to tell a story, never underestimate the importance of decoration in an interior. Contextual decor is not always chosen by clients, sometimes 3D artists choose it themselves, making sure that it matches the furniture and organically fits the composition. As a result, the rooms gets another layer of believability and achieves that important “lived-in” look.

#8. Post-Production

Our design experts will put the finishing touches to your images, honing the light and colour densities and adding subtle effects like bloom and chromatic aberration. Following final sign off, we will deliver your stunning lifestyle 3D renders that will impress your potential clients.

If you are wondering how much professional lifestyle rendering of your furniture can cost, get in touch for a free consultation today