Pre-rendering with 3D modeling allows you to detect flaws in your product design at an early stage. Now let's discuss the most relevant and widespread examples of 3D rendering. Where and for what purpose do you need to address this software solution?
1. Visualization and product prototyping. One of the most obvious use cases for 3D rendering is, of course, 3D visualization, which is designed to help business owners prevent major defects or flaws in the early stages of production.
2. Branding, marketing and promotion. You should certainly include 360-degree 3D renderings of the products you sell on your website, not to mention detailed 3D animations of your products, as these can maximize the chances of a sale. According to statistics, the international visualization and 3D rendering software market was worth $1.63 billion in 2019 and is expected to be worth over $9.5 billion by 2030. That's a huge leap, isn't it?
3. Digital entertainment like gaming. For movies like Avatar or complex 3D games, rendering is the only technology that can get all the magic on screen, so there's nothing to do without it in the digital entertainment industry.
Besides use cases, you should also be aware of industries where rendering proves helpful to product owners, saving them money and optimizing resources. These are construction, healthcare, manufacturing, automotive, technology, and other areas that rely heavily on rendering.
Let's explain all this based on the example of architectural exterior design. But before that, what is 3D architectural rendering? 3D modeling and prototyping plays a crucial role in this industry as it allows parties to spend less money on planning and pre-production. You can save resources by visualizing a house or apartment before buying physical materials to build it.
Types of 3D RenderingWhether cartoon rendering or photo-level, the goal is to optimize the product lifecycle and reduce pre-production costs. Typically, experts distinguish between two types of rendering, including 3D real-time rendering and 3D post-processing rendering. The first type presupposes the use of graphics software to create and analyze the CGI, while the second type is done on the rendering as soon as the 3D artist deems the result acceptable.
Another classification categorizes 3D technologies based on the principles of static and interactive rendering:
1. Static renderings (static renderings show a static image created by a 3D artist):
White backgrounds (textures and finished 3D models displayed against a white background are often placed in online stores);
roomset renders (CGI presentations of photo-realistic environments as if it were already an actual physical product).
2. Interactive rendering (enabling users to interact with the rendered 3D scene):
360-degree views (in sequential or multi-line 3D views, this rendering solution gives potential buyers of a product the opportunity to rotate the model to improve their shopping experience);
Product 3D animations (typically shown as video recordings of pre-rendered scenes, most commonly used to promotional products - from interior or exterior designs to devices such as smartphones);
Product configurator (as one of the most complex types of rendering, it helps potential buyers adjust project specifications for complete product customization).
In addition, there are a number of 3D rendering methods available in the real-time rendering genre that you can utilize during your work, including:
Scanline (a polygon-by-polygon principle that allows you to render an object at 60 frames per second using pre-calculated lighting);
Ray Tracing (a method that tracks natural light by means of refractions or reflections of materials used in a 3D scene, thanks to more sophisticated 3D rendering algorithms). (due to more sophisticated 3D rendering algorithms, this method tracks natural light through the refraction or reflection of the materials used in the 3D scene);
Raycasting (based on the pixel-by-pixel principle, this method is best suited for projects that don't require a lot of tiny details).