Those products really do exist, but they are a 3D replication of the actual garments.
I tried my best to get them as life-like as possible. Good enough to fool myself.
My journey into 3D clothing came out of necessity. First lockdown due to Covid made it extremely difficult to get products photographed and uploaded to the store. Delays in production and materials didn't make it easier.
The idea came actually from my team lead in January 2020. She asked about the possibility of 3D product photos. I said no way... Too hard.
3 days later I changed my mind =D "Ok let's try!" I said.
And by March, there was no choice. It was a must. So I learned all about it in a month and got cracking.
All together I made 142 different 3D models, got them textured and rendered, ready for the store.
The months of April and May were probably the hardest in my working life. I only worked, ate and slept. Every day. For two months. But I did get all the products done. I learned from scratch with the help of youtube and a lot of trial and error to get the result that was good enough for me.
I would be happy to share what I learned! If you are interested - get in touch!
All garments were made exactly to their sewing patterns. Digitally sown together, then 'puffed' here, 'straightened' there, just like on an actual garment until the shape is perfect.
After the 3D model is ready, it goes through texturing to make it less plasticy and more like actual fabric. This is a science by itself and very fascinating. And when that's done, fabric pattern on and off to the rendering engine. Simple isn't it? =D
To create a 3D garment, you need a 3D ghost model to have the garment on. Sure, you can also lay it on the floor (like the example above), but a 3D shape is better to show what the product looks like. Some 3D models are easier to work with than others. This baby shape for example... Huhh I had trouble with that one =D
The jumpsuit kept exploding or crawling between the diapers. If you've used CLO 3D, you'll know exactly what I mean...
Ahhh... the famous knots in cloth simulation. I had to get really creative to get that result. Simple knot on top of the hat. Unfortunately the program isn't quite there yet to get everything working as it should. Sometimes 'faking' it has to be used to make it look real.
And just a final mention to details. =) These snap buttons were specially made just for this hat. Details, details... I love 'em.
Looks real doesn't it?
All you need is a sewing pattern, material sample (to see what the texture is like) and either Pantone Color code or prepared print pattern.
It's truely the most sustainable way to make product photos. It saves so much energy, time and the actual product doesn't have to be ready weeks in advance. You can streamline your production to "just in time" approach.
Let's try our best for the smallest footprint!
