Table of contents of CGI visualization furniture industry: How a strong corporate identity makes the difference:
When it comes to photorealistic 3D visualizations, shaders determine credibility, brand fit and repeatability - in short: the DNA of your visual language. They are the link between geometry, material and light and therefore central to a clear corporate identity in CGI. In this overview, we will show you what shaders are, how they work and why they are so important for Material & surface lookdev, product renders and interior worlds are so important. For practical examples, it's worth taking a look at our 3D render studio.
What are shaders?
Shaders are small programs on the graphics card that define how 3D models look in the end: Color, gloss, transparency, relief, light reaction. In real-time rendering, they run in stages (e.g. vertex and fragment/pixel); in offline rendering, material-based nodes or OSL (Open Shading Language) are added. Technically, this is anchored in GLSL (OpenGL Shading Language) and HLSL (DirectX), among others. If you want to go deeper, you can find the basics in Khronos - OpenGL Shading Language and in the Microsoft Learn - HLSL Overview.
A CGI artist from Danthree Studio reviews fabric samples for a 3D visualization. Shaders play an important role in rendering realistic materials used in photorealistic renderings.
What are Vertex Shaders?
Vertex shaders define the position, color, and other properties of each point in a 3D model. Typically, vertex shaders transform the geometry of the 3D models.
What are Fragment Shaders?
Fragment shaders define the color of each individual pixel in a 3D model. Thus, they can also influence the lighting and texture of the 3D models.
How do shaders work in relation to 3D?
Simplified: Mesh → vertex shader → rasterizer → fragment shader → image. The vertex shader transforms positions, normals & UVs; the rasterizer splits triangles into fragments; the fragment shader calculates color and light components per pixel - including textures, UV mapping and texture baking.
In real-time engines (Unreal/Unity), this logic is used in material editors and SRPs; offline renderers (Arnold, V-Ray, Redshift) work with node networks and physical BSDFs. A good introduction to the material side is provided by Unreal Engine - Materials and Unity HDRP - Lit Shader.
Different types of shader maps for 3D models: Normal Map, Diffuse Map, Specular Map. Each of these maps has a special function to make the surfaces of a model look realistic.
What role do shaders play in creating photorealistic 3D visualizations?
No material truth without shaders. Modern workflows are based on PBR: energy conservation, microfacet models, roughness/metalness, Fresnel. The result is surfaces that react plausibly in any light - from velvet to lacquered wood to brushed metal. The Disney Principal BRDF is standard here and explains why PBR is so robust in practice: Physically-Based Shading at Disney (SIGGRAPH). This is what PBR looks like in the firebox: 3D fireplace rendering - Scrollstory (Case) - Flame shaders, glass reflections and ceramic in interaction.
This is crucial for the furniture and interiors industry: only when wood, fabric, stone and metal react consistently will the CI be right - whether in living room renderings, bathroom visualizations or kitchen renderings.
Wooden leg of a 3D chair, created with PBR shaders. These shaders simulate realistic wood structures and surface materials in photorealistic 3D renderings.
What types of shaders are there?
Did you know that there are even different types of shaders? Here you will find the most common types:
Phong/Blinn-Phong (classic): "Old but gold". Fast, easy to read, but not physically correct - only occasionally useful for modern campaigns.
PBR shader (state of the art): Physical parameters describe the material and react stably to changing light situations. They form the basis of our CI-safe lookdev. More about the basics: PBR - Physically Based Rendering.
Ray tracing shaders/pipelines: For reflections, shadow depth, GI. In real time via DXR/RTX, offline via Path Tracer - we explain what suits your pipeline in the Glossary Ray Tracing.
Volumetric shaders: fog, smoke, steam, subsurface effects - ideal if atmosphere is part of the story (e.g. steam over ceramics or volumetric light in showrooms).
OSL/node-based shaders (offline): Procedural patterns, complex layering, studio specifics - documented among others in Arnold - Shading & Materials
Photorealistic 3D representation of an upholstered bed with velour fabric, created with high-quality shaders. Shaders enable the realistic representation of fabric textures and surface reflections.
What's the deal with the different maps in 3D shaders?
If you use a shader for the 3D design, you can choose between different types of maps. Before we go into the individual maps, it is worth taking a quick look at the basis: a clean UV mapping. Only when every polygon surface is properly unpacked can normal, diffuse or specular maps unfold their full potential - in other words: no stretching artifacts, clean tiling and consistent texel density. These are some of the most commonly used maps:
For PBR shaders to work, they need cleanly prepared maps - and clean UVs (texel density, seams, tiles). The most important at a glance:
Base Color/Albedo: Color component without light/gloss.
Roughness: Micro-roughness controls shine and mirror width - from soft matt to crisp.
Metalness: Separates metals (conductive, colored reflections) from dielectrics (non-conductive).
Normal MapSurface microrelief for light changes without real geometry.
Displacement/Height + Displacement Map (deepening)actual geometry deformation for silhouettes, joints, engravings (see also our displacement glossary, if available).
Specular (for spec-glossy workflows): For legacy setups; usually superfluous in metal/rough.
Opacity/Cutout: Transparencies and perforations.
Emissive: Self-contained luminaires for LED lines, displays etc.
Ambient OcclusionApproximate contact shadows - mix sparingly.
The basis remains a clean UV mapping. Only then can maps unfold their full potential. Especially if you want to make sure that your textures work without visible transitions, you can check them in advance with our tileable texture checker.
How do you choose the right shader?
Now that you know the different types of shaders, you may be wondering how to find the right shader for your needs. When choosing a shader for CGI, you should pay attention to the following things:
1) Material & use case
What do you want to show? Upholstery, wood, stone, metal - we choose the right PBR approach for each material (e.g. clearcoat layer for lacquers, anisotropy for brushed metal). Budget limits apply for real-time configurators or AR; for high-end stills more is possible.
Detailed view of a modern chair, visualized in 3D with PBR shaders for realistic material and texture rendering. PBR shaders are crucial for physically based renderings.
2) Renderer & Pipeline
Offline (Arnold/V-Ray/Redshift) vs. real-time (Unreal/Unity) - feature set and performance differ. Good starting points: Unreal - Material Fundamentals and Unity HDRP - Lit.
3) Light & CI
Shaders are only as good as the light. HDRIs, area lights, IES - plus lightmap- and render engine-know-how. Our goal: CI-consistent reactions across all motifs and channels.
4) Performance & scaling
Campaigns with variants? Then instancable materials and clear naming/versioning rules are worth their weight in gold. For real-time viewers: hybrid strategies (normal + selective displacement) and glTF/GLB export.
5) Team & experience
Shading is a craft. If you hand this over to an experienced CGI team you get brand understanding alongside technology - the key to a consistent corporate identity.
In conclusion: What are shaders and what do I need them for?
Shaders translate material vision into visible reality - reliable, true to brand, scalable. In PBR workflows, they deliver light stability and consistency for campaigns, e-commerce and print. Which shaders/maps make sense depends on the material, the target channel and the pipeline. If you want to outsource shading/lookdev, we take care of it - including CI guidelines and a scalable asset structure.
Two CGI artists from Danthree Studio are teaming up to create photorealistic shaders for a 3D visualization. Shaders are super important for making surfaces look real in 3D computer graphics.
