For Serta Simmons, we created CGI product imagery for the US market, from the layers inside a mattress to its place in a designed bedroom.
Serta Simmons: presenting mattresses to the US market
For Serta Simmons, we developed photorealistic CGI imagery for the 2024 launch of Serta's iComfort collection. The images needed to show the finished product while making its internal construction understandable.
The collection includes mattresses in different heights and firmness levels. Both the outer form and the individual material layers mattered to the image series.
An exterior product shot shows the cover and proportions. What sits beneath the fabric remains hidden. Cutaway renders complement that view by revealing the layers individually.
The creative question was how to explain the materials and construction without making the mattress look like a technical drawing.
Understanding materials and making their differences visible
For the 3D product imagery, we studied the mattresses and their material samples. The cover, foam and internal layers needed to remain distinct in the images.
Working closely with Serta, we developed the CGI series for the iComfort Collection. Close-ups and views of the complete mattress complement each other across the series.
We built Serta Simmons' mattress systems and internal structures as 3D models and 3D visualizations. We also designed brand environments in 3D. Using UV mapping, we assigned fabric patterns and surfaces to the corresponding parts of the models.
Mattress and bedroom rendering starts with the visible properties of the materials. We examined product and material samples and recreated their surface structures on the models. Normal maps describe fine surface relief; roughness maps control how matte or glossy a surface appears in the light. An image can show these differences, but it cannot replace trying a mattress.
The resulting product images bring the cover, internal construction and room together. Material details explain the mattress; the settings place it within the brand's visual world.
Revealing the layers inside the mattress
Cutaway views make the foam layers and support structures individually visible. Each visualization follows the particular mattress model, rather than applying a single construction to the entire collection.
We visualized the complete construction and individual views of the interior. Images featuring a person lying or sitting on the mattress show it in use. We digitized the material surfaces for CGI so they could appear in close-ups, isolated product renders and bedroom scenes.
Bedroom settings as part of the visual language
The brief included designing bedroom settings alongside the product imagery. The mattress needed to remain recognizable within a furnished space. Room scenes and material details serve different purposes in the series.
For Serta Simmons, we created front views, additional angles and close-ups, along with rooms with and without people. These image types show the product both within a bedroom and on its own.
Client photography integrated into CGI
Serta supplied the photograph of the person. We integrated that image into the CGI rendering of the mattress, bringing both elements together in a hybrid image.
Two ways of making an image meet in one scene: the photographed person and the digitally built product. The images illustrate the mattress in use. They do not measure its ergonomic or medical effects.
