Luxury Italian furniture - CGI (3D product visualization) for a Natuzzi sofa
Design of a virtual brand space
Lighting, perspective, interior design, design language - a brand space is complex and conveys more than just 3D product images. A company's corporate identity resonates and is noticeable in every detail. This is also the case in our 3D product visualization for Natuzzi. Our interior designers / 3D artists created a brand space tailored to the furniture brand and showcased the furniture using CGI.
Of course, we weren't on our own. Natuzzi gave our interior designers and CGI artists the complete corporate identity. Among other things, this defined the distribution of light and shadow in the virtual brand space, as well as the perspective from which the sofa should be shown as the main product. Several product images were created for the other furniture in the room, because of course a sofa can only really be experienced in the context of the rest of the room. The design and language of the brand space were defined, so it was clear which furniture should visually interact with the sofa here.
Making brand values tangible: Authenticity and realism in 3D renderings
Natuzzi's furniture from the capital of Apulia, Bari (Italy), is characterized by its high-quality design and first-class workmanship. These values stem not only from a creative vision, but also from a deeply rooted attitude to life - as the article in Falstaff impressively shows, where Natuzzi's Apulian heritage is combined with modern living comfort. Our aim is therefore also to convey the workmanship in the 3D model and in the 3D visualization. They are often multifunctional, combining pragmatism with noble materials. Colors, shapes and textures together form a harmonious whole. It was a pleasure for our Danthree Studio team to bring the different surfaces and the respective haptic characteristics of the individual materials to life in the 3D rendering! Authenticity, experience for customers, transport of brand values - these were the goals of this 3D project.
Clarity in Design, Depth in Space – CGI Lighting for the Furniture World of Natuzzi
Our artists have implemented a lot in the area of CGI through lighting. Surfaces become "tangible" for the eyes when structures are created through modeling with light and shadow. However, this had to be done within Natuzzi's lighting specifications. From the sofa in the center of the brand space to the coffee table, lounge chair, carpet and shelf, the furniture is characterized by clear lines and simple shapes. If you would like to get an impression of which pieces of furniture can be harmoniously combined at Natuzzi, you will find a variety of variants in the sofa collection in the official Natuzzi online shop – from modular elements to iconic lounge concepts. This is an essential part of Natuzzi's design - the materials can have an effect precisely because of this simplicity in the design. It was a challenge for our CGI artists to create a brand space within the narrow specifications that not only makes all the functions of the furniture shown experienceable like product images, but also puts customers right in the middle of the space.
Showcasing high-quality furniture materials with 3D
The specific properties of high-quality furniture materials, from carefully selected wood to respectfully processed leather, require the attention of all the senses. They can't simply be "seen". These materials exude their own scent and behave in a very special way when touched. The way sounds are heard in a room is defined by the materials in that room. All of this is important for feeling comfortable in a room. That's why we choose our furniture the way we do. The high-quality materials used by the designers at Natuzzi take this into account. How do you represent that in CGI?
Collaboration with master craftsmen: Authenticity in CGI product images
Brand spaces can only really be experienced if you are actually in the room and open all your senses. One way to make furniture more tangible in a 3D product visualization is to show the furniture from different sides. Another way is to change the light again and again. The different reflections on the surface and the ever-changing shadow patterns make the textures of the materials tangible. Customers get an impression of how the material might feel. The surface of the materials is also decisive for the sound. How a sofa affects the room acoustics can therefore be guessed at via an experience of the surface structure. This only leaves one sense missing: How do you convey the genuine scent of high-quality leather in a brand space that only exists as a 3D rendering? How do you transport the unique aroma of natural wood surfaces? It seems almost impossible. But in fact, a credible design of the surfaces, which makes the material haptically tangible, also plays an important role here. The brain then adds the missing information all by itself.
Real Materials, Digitally Conceived – CGI Meets Craftsmanship
To achieve this with our CGI, our artists work closely with master craftsmen from the various trades involved in furniture construction. They seek advice and repeatedly explore the material they want to represent themselves, which allows us to calculate reflections on metal and glass with Ray Tracing. This enables them to express the high quality and unique character of a Natuzzi sofa in a virtual brand space. Of course, we not only make sure to optimally visualize the furniture, but also to render floors and wall coverings. These product images look authentic. They are.
