MORE LIFELIKE THAN REAL LIFE

How we created ultra-realistic 3D images.

By Inesis

March 19^th, 2021

On my left: 4694 pixels wide by 3029 pixels high and 1.9 megabytes. On my right: 6000 pixels wide, 4000 pixels high and 6.1 megabytes. The first is a photo, the other is a computer-generated image. Ding, ding, ding. Let the match begin!

DAMIEN, WHY 3D RATHER THAN PHOTOS?

The referee of this match is Damien, image leader at Inesis. His job is to produce all the images the brand needs for marketing.

This gives us 100% control over the image, not only in terms of the product but also the lighting and the environment. This lets us use exactly the same viewing angle, the same lighting from one image to the next, whereas it would be almost impossible to achieve that with a photo.

We can also produce more technical images, such as exploded views showing several parts of a product for example. To sum up: the product can be shown in its best light, without compromising on image quality and the message that we want to convey.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF 3D?

The main advantage is having total control over the environment and the appearance of the product to achieve perfectly consistent and uniform images. The downside is that it's a job that requires an advanced skill set in 3D, rendering, CGI, but also, paradoxically, in photography. It's not easy to find the right partner.

WHO CREATES THESE IMAGES?

I did a lot of research on golf club visuals. And out of them all, Tiki Studios (https://tikistudios.com) stood out from the crowd by a long way. It is an American studio, based in Detroit, specialising in the automotive sector. I got in contact to see if we could work with them. They responded quickly (1 hour response time—true story!) and we made an appointment to explain to them who we are, but also what we were hoping for.

WHAT DO TIKI STUDIOS HAVE TO SAY?

Sergey, CGI Artist at Tiki Studios gives us the lowdown: “The process of creating images for Inesis putters is very similar to that of our other clients. Before the fun step of creating nice images can begin, it is very important to properly process the 3D files from Inesis designers and engineers to make sure that no errors have been thrown up in the mesh during conversion and that the base is as perfect as possible. Based on our years of experience with clients such as AGCO, Caterpillar, Hoover, Snap-On and many more, we have developed an effective in-house procedure for handling CAD data and solving any geometric constraints we may encounter.

Once the data has been successfully converted, we integrate it into the 3D software. We use 3D Studio Max with the V-Ray rendering engine. This is more design than engineering software, but it is always to scale and we make sure to work with 100% precise dimensions. This gives super-realistic results with very accurate material effects.

Using this feedback, we were able to correct the visuals and quickly move on to high-definition images. For us, this project perfectly illustrates that we can work together thousands of miles apart thanks to quality files, clear communication and great teamwork to produce excellent-quality images on time."

After loading the data into 3DS Max, the first step is to start creating a material library as close as possible to the real product. The Inesis team provided us with high-quality photos of the putters, zoomed-in shots and overviews, which allowed us to study the behaviour of the material in different lights and see any small details or imperfections that may appear.

Working from these images, we had a few email exchanges with the Inesis team and received very detailed feedback, which helped us to get the final visuals as accurate as possible and saved us a lot of time.