3d Product Visualization: Commercial Sized Solar Umbrella

I want to share some renderings from a 3d Product Visualization gig that I had a few months ago.

I don't want to get into the particulars of the functionality as the product is still in development; however, I am rather proud of the way these images turned out as there were some particularly complex shapes involved in the model (such as the organic base shape and fabric like umbrella top.)

Product Visualization is very fun but can be quite difficult as a lot of the time you are creating the first photo-realistic renditions of an object that has yet to be conceived in reality.

If you are interested in learning more about 3d Product Visualization feel free to leave comments or contact me via my website at www.kaplandesignlabs.com for more information. If you have an invention or a product that you would like to develop or market checkout my friend's website at www.EddyPham.com

Software Used: 3ds Max, V-Ray

Thanks!

Using 3d / CGI (or the illusion of) for presenting your work

I wanted to do a quick post about presenting artwork by using 3d software to make your portfolio shine above the rest. A long ways back I wrote an article about how presentation is your portfolio is just as important as the work/ content in your portfolio.

http://jonathankaplan.blogspot.com/2012/02/portfolio-updates-presentation-tips.html

 This is an extension to that advice. Below are images that I put together which showcase some of my 2d artwork using 3d compositions to bring the artwork to life:

As you can see, presenting your artwork in simple 3D compositions can really make your work stand out. Most art directors go through hundreds of portfolios a day. Use techniques like this to make the cut.

If you do not know how to use 3d software, try something like this:

I made this piece %100 in photoshop (artwork itself was done in illustrator and photoshop.)

You don't need to be a 3d artist to creatively showcase your work, you just need to be creative with the tools you have available!

If you can't be bothered with this kind of stuff or would like me to do it for you shoot me an email for a quote. 

If you found this information helpful please consider donating to the blog so that I can continue to offer free advice and do so on a more regular basis...

New Website Coming Soon!

Hello friends, family, countryman! I would like to announce that within the next couple of weeks I will be launching my new website under my new company name of "Kaplan Design Labs." The blog will remain active and I will continue to post here even though there will be an integrated blog in the site as well. In the new site you can expect to see my full portfolio, history of my career, services offered, tutorials, resources, and many more surprises. I would like to thank all of my followers and viewers for your past and continued support as none of this would be possible without you. Excelsior away!

Here is a random render just for fun!

3ds Max & Vray with Depth of Field

3d Architectural/ Interior Visualization- Purple Recording Studio: Command Station Close Up

Doing some detail shots of the "Purple Recording Studio. Here is a close up of the command station equipment. I could wait until they are all ready for posting, but why deny you the awesome?

More to Come!!!

Slug Monster: A Painting to 3d Model Conversion

A few years ago I did the below painting for fun. It was a character I had created in my sketch book which I thought would be interesting as a painting. It came out very nice and it has been on display in my residence ever since. About a month ago, in my free time while working on the several different projects I work on at once for my portfolio and for fun, I decided to translate it into a 3D model/ composition. I have always thought that it would look great in 3D and that it would really bring the characters to life. After not touching it for a few weeks I came back to it yesterday and completed it. I am thrilled with the final product and I am considering possibly further developing this concept into a sculpture or toy. I have posted the original painting below along with the final 3D Render. Check it out and remember that when you come up with something that is interesting whether it be a drawing, painting, sculpture, or 3D model, think about exploring the same concept further in different mediums as I find it important in the development of ideas and for your growth as an artist and designer.

Original Painting

 Final 3d Render

Detail/ Close-ups

The original painting was done in Acrylics & Markers on Canvas. The 3D version was created with 3ds Max and rendered with Mental Ray.

3D Pills: A Rendering Adventure

Recently I have been modeling/ rendering medical, health, and fitness related content at work. This week I decided to work on some medication since it has so many uses for different health related content. It has been quite the adventure! First I started off by modeling the capsules, bottle, and cap in 3ds Max. This was not too difficult. Modifiers came in very handy. Next I wanted to make the materials and lighting very photo realistic. For this project I chose to use Vray as my render engine. 

In the first render I was happy with the material and lighting on the pills but the cast shadows were way too strong and the lighting in the rest of the scene was very dark.  Also the pill vile was lacking an authentic plastic appearance.

 Here I was able to get more evenly distributed lighting but there was some quality loss in the realism of the pills due to a change in the highlights. My co-worker and I still felt that the shadows were a little strong as well. I also did some minor tweaking to the texture of the bottle and cap.

 In This Render, I was very happy with the lighting and everything was nice and even. I was relatively pleased with the quality but I knew that it was not achieving the degree of realism that I was attempting.

 Despite the huge spike in render time, I decided to turn on Global Illumination and Caustics. This was a very good decision. Now the shadows were completely realistic. Also there was very lovely color bouncing happening, especially on the cast shadow of the pill bottle itself. It actually began looking like real translucent plastic.

 Next I decided to zoom the camera out to capture the whole composition now that the materials and lighting were dialed in to my liking. I loved the look of it but I decided that it needed a label to push it to the next level.

So here I fabricated a pharmaceutical label in Photoshop which came out very nice and created a sliced tube that wraps around the pill vile to apply the label to. This gave it a feeling that it is actually a sticker rather then just applying the material directly to the vile.

I am very happy with the results of this project. I still want to give the label another treatment to make it more paper like and maybe light the background a little bit more but other than that I feel this is a very professional quality render. If I really feel like getting wild I might add some focal distance to the camera. Sometimes achieving this quality can take a lot of time and energy; however, I suggest that you go for it in everything that you do because seeing the majesty of the end result is a great feeling.  Also, the more you practice Photo Realism the quicker you will get at achieving results like this!

Robot Rock - Modeling for Fun

I did this 3D Model for some practice and for fun. I have had this robot/ pencil sharpener/ toy for a long time and I decided to model it in 3D. For this project I used 3DS Max and Mental Ray.

Chalkboard Art; "The Beat" Cafe

** You can find more examples of my Chalkboard Art at these two posts:

http://jonathankaplan.blogspot.com/2013/07/chalkboard-art-superzoo-2013.html

http://jonathankaplan.blogspot.com/2010/11/chalkboard-art-update-elegant-script.html

A few months ago I was contacted by "The Beat" Cafe in downtown Las Vegas to do some chalkboard art. The project was for the wall menu. They wanted a hand drawn/ eroded feel to the piece. 

While I am used to clients wanting something fancy and shiny, this was a nice break. The Beat was right on in wanting the work done in a style cohesive with the mood of the rest of the establishment. This menu had a lot of items to fit on a small space, so the most difficult part of this project was the space management and placement of all the menu items. I frequently stop by "The Beat" for coffee when I am downtown and always feel a sense of accomplishment when I see how many people actually use the large chalkboard menu as opposed to the paper menus. Chalkboard art doesn't always need to be done in the style of a renaissance masterpiece. Work like this gets more exposure than most gallery art. This is one of the main reasons I love doing chalkboard art.

www.kaplandesignlabs.com

Portfolio Updates & Presentation Tips: February

I am currently in the process of revamping my portfolio. I have started paying a large amount of attention to presentation. Here are some examples of how presentation can go a long way in drawing more attention to your work and showcasing your design skills:

1) This first section showcases some album design and artwork I have recently done for some clients. 

Rusty Maples Album Art & Design

Jo City Album Art & Design

2) This section showcases some 3D Store and 3D Kiosk Design I have done for a company I work for.

Tentation 3D Store Design

 TAGS Evolution 3D Store Design

 Spinning Jewelry 3D Kiosk Design

 icandy Sugar Rush 3D Store Design

On their own these images are strong but since I have been putting more thought into the overall design of the presentation, my work has really begun to stand out. Creating high caliber work is the 1st challenge but once you have reached a level you are satisfied with its time to put some thought into your presentation. See what you can come up with :)