19 Ways 3D Product Rendering is Used by Furniture Companies to Fuel Sales Growth

3D-Product-Rendering-Furniture-Companies-Sales-Growth

Many tools and techniques have improved the way that new products are developed and presented over the years, but 3D rendering has been a real game-changer for the furniture industry specifically. Furniture companies of all sizes are utilizing photorealistic rendering because of the sheer number of options it provides, as well as its many benefits over older methods.

Like in other markets, 3D product rendering for furniture is used in a wide variety of ways. It’s not all about the prototyping and design stages, although it is a valuable tool for those processes as well.

Many of the uses for photorealistic rendering are actually related to marketing, as opposed to the earlier and more technical stages of the product life cycle. The versatility that rendering offers when compared to older methods of depicting products is quite staggering.

We’ll take a look at why this difference is so drastic as we work our way through the many ways that 3D visualization is used by furniture companies. First, let’s take a minute to make sure that everyone is on the same page about what 3D product rendering is before we get to its impressive list of uses.

What is 3D Furniture Rendering?

Furniture-rendering-3D

3D product rendering is a powerful and versatile way of depicting objects through the use of software to create images with a lifelike level of detail. High-quality 3D visualizations are often very difficult, if not impossible, to pick out from a lineup mixed with professional photos. The level of realism that can be created is stunning.

Various software programs are used to create 3D renderings. Some of these are industry-specific, such as modern CAD programs for the manufacturing services industry.

Regardless of whether the object being depicted already exists in physical reality or not, it must be defined within the software in order to be part of the final rendering. This is one of the main factors that contribute to the incredible level of realism that 3D rendering offers.

For example, let’s say you want to create a 3D rendering of a new recliner in a fully furnished upper-class home. To do this, each individual object that is to be displayed in the final rendering must be created and defined. This can be a large amount of work in some cases, but this flexibility is one of the most appealing things about working with a 3D visualization freelancer.

Since this illustrative tool offers such flexibility, it has become indispensable to professionals in many fields. Its use is particularly notable in the manufacturing industry, especially with furniture products. Now that we’ve covered the basics of what 3D rendering is from a non-technical standpoint, let’s examine the benefits it offers and why it has been so widely adopted.

Benefits of 3D Rendering vs. Photography

Sofa-3D-rendering

Traditionally, professional photography has been used as the primary means to depict furniture for most purposes, especially sales and marketing. Photography absolutely has its merits and benefits, but when it is compared to 3D rendering for furniture, it’s easy to see which is more advantageous. Below are a few of the main factors.

Quality

Nobody on either side of the debate is going to say that photography produces lackluster results. If the photographer and their equipment are right for the job, then the result can be fantastic. However, the level of realism that 3D rendering offers is now just as good, and in some cases, even better. Top-quality 3D rendering has just as much visual appeal as professional photographs and sometimes even more.

RELATED: Why IKEA Uses 3D Renders vs. Photography for Their Furniture Catalog

In addition to rendering software being more advanced than ever before, there are also more effects that can be applied when rendering to enhance the image. Lighting is a critical factor when it comes to image quality; that’s never been a secret.

While some adjustments can be made to the lighting in a photograph during editing, 3D visualization offers more flexibility here. It’s options like this during the rendering process that give it the capacity to create images that can be more appealing than professional photos.

Time

The time required for a professional photoshoot can add up very quickly, especially when there are numerous products that need to be photographed individually. This applies to situations like when a new line of furniture is being prepared for launch. Instead of taking photos of a single item, the project may entail taking photos of dozens of individual items, perhaps along with some multi-item photos showing products together.

For a photography project such as the one just described, the time required to complete it could stretch into weeks or maybe months depending on logistics and editing. While this is something that has traditionally just been something that must be dealt with, 3D rendering offers far greater speed.

Turnaround times vary for both photography and 3D rendering, but let’s make an even comparison. With a single day spent on photography, the end result will likely be a few photos that still need to be edited before they’re ready for publishing. In the case of 3D rendering, a single day’s work is likely to result in one or more finished images even when starting from scratch.

Cost

This is another area where the numbers strongly favor 3D rendering. Different photographers use different pricing models, and this really isn’t anything unique to the field. If per project or per day pricing is given for photography work, then it’s likely to cost more than utilizing photorealistic rendering for the same project. If an hourly rate is given, then it’s possible that the price for photography may be closer to the price of 3D rendering, although the photography is likely to take significantly more time.

Typically, 3D interior rendering services are priced by the hour. That being said, you will see some professionals offering per project rates as well. If you get a few quotes, you’re sure to see that when it comes to cost, 3D rendering is often far more appealing than photography.

Use of Photos or Renderings

Once a photograph has been taken, that image is fixed. It can be modified in some ways during the editing process, but it will still be the same general image regardless of which changes are made. That image is finished and can be repurposed for use across multiple mediums, but it cannot be used to create an entirely new image.

As for 3D interior visualization services, the options are only limited by your imagination. The 3D model of the object must be created for the first rendering. After that’s been completed, that model can be used to create as many renderings as you desire. The same 3D model can be used to create renderings showing an indoor scene, an outdoor scene, a collection lineup, and more.

Essentially, rendering allows you to depict each product in as many ways and settings as you like without the hassle of physically manipulating the product or waiting on the logistics required in many photography situations.

How 3D Rendering Is Used in the Furniture Industry

Sofa-3D-firniture-rendering

In the furniture industry, tools like 3D rendering are very widely used for marketing. This may include the brand website, print collateral, online advertising, traditional advertising, and more.

Currently, photorealistic rendering of furniture is used predominantly in marketing. It is also a useful tool in the earlier stages of the process, such as designing and prototyping. In marketing or development, 3D rendering still brings the same benefits over traditional methods. It’s faster, more versatile, often less costly, and still results in an image of equal or greater quality.

Tips for Exploring Photorealistic Furniture Rendering

In what seems like a twist of irony, one of the most challenging things about using 3D rendering to promote furniture products is choosing a direction to go. There are so many options that finding the one that’s the best fit for your specific goals can actually be difficult at first.

Luckily, you’re about to read descriptions of some of the most widely used types of 3D rendering in the furniture market. One or more of them are likely to be a great fit for your circumstances and priorities. As you learn about each one, try to keep your current marketing channels and methods in mind. This will help you see which kinds of 3D furniture rendering are best for your business.

Ways 3D Rendering is Used to Drive Furniture Sales

1. 3D Models

Stool-plywood-3D-rendering

3D models have been utilized by an incredible number of industries for decades now. When it comes to daily use and practical application, working from 3D models is so far superior to older methods that suggesting anything else is just impractical.

However, 3D models are seeing plenty of use in the marketing and sales process these days as well. A piece of furniture could be developed with a 3D model and sold with rendered images of that 3D model before a single piece of it has ever been physically built.

3D furniture modeling services are the foundation that 3D rendering works from. Without 3D models, there’s nothing to render since everything in the rendering has to be created and defined. A rendering without 3D models is a blank space.

These models are also among the reasons why numerous renderings can be created quickly and efficiently. Once the model has been defined, it can be inserted into other renderings easily.

2. Design

Design is a very in-depth process and there are a large number of factors to consider at any given time. 3D product modeling services can be used as a sort of progress gauge with furniture design. Instead of going through the whole process from design to the first piece off the line and then realizing that changes are necessary, you can cut straight to the chase with photorealistic rendering.

Not only does rendering allow you to see the aesthetics and visual appeal of the finished product without physically creating it, but it also allows you to see how it would look in any setting that you can imagine. This leads to faster implementation of design changes with lower cost and greater flexibility.

3. Prototyping

Prototyping can be a tricky task in any field. Perhaps this difficulty can be even greater when it comes to furniture due to the element of human interaction and the subjective nature of perception.

Obviously, creating rapid prototypes is critical, but photorealistic rendering can be used here as well. While we already know that a new piece of furniture can be defined and rendered from a 3D model, the same thing can be done with a human figure to see how the two fit together. This may be most valuable with pieces that have innovative features or daring designs.

It doesn’t matter how impressive a recliner looks if it doesn’t accommodate the human body well. 3D rendering can cut down on both the time and expenses that are funneled into prototyping without reducing the quality of the final product.

4. Lifestyle and Situational Images

Penthouse-furniture-rendering

The use of 3D rendering to create lifestyle and situational furniture images is one area where this tool really shines for marketing purposes. You don’t need to deal with the costs, time, and hassle of arranging a holiday-themed photo shoot depicting the line-up being used by the target demographic. All of this can be achieved with 3D rendering.

What’s even better is that you can continue to build from it. Why stop with just one holiday? Renderings can be made for each one with the same 3D family. Factors like price and quality are considered during the buying process, but aiming for emotional appeal through product images is not something to overlook.

5. 3D Rooms and Layouts

Furniture 3D renderings showing specific types of rooms and interior layouts are another great way to use this tool that goes hand in hand with lifestyle and situational images.

Images made by 3D floor plan designers showing full 3D rendered rooms and interior layouts with your furniture are a great way to connect with your target demographic. Why make your prospective customers put the work into imagining what your furniture may look like after they buy it when you can just show them directly and use it as a selling point?

Room and interior layout images also present a prime opportunity to showcase multiple pieces at the same time. Show prospects how the collection could look together or the way it could complement a trendy interior style.

6. Close-Up Stills

Creating close-up still shots of single pieces of furniture is an excellent way to show fine details and visual appeal. This style of 3D rendering really shines with high-end products that are primarily chosen over competing products because of their appearance.

This type of image also allows for maximum aesthetic enhancement. Does your new table need a certain type of lighting or background to look just right? Creating that setting is a breeze with 3D visualization. You can even try out a few different looks to see which one is actually best instead of relying on your imagination to make a final decision.

7. Unique Perspectives

Leather-armchair-design-3D-rendering

Some pieces of furniture are very unique in either function or appearance, and that’s one of the great things about the market. There is always a place for this type of product. However, depicting it in the right setting so that it can really shine the way it was meant to can be a challenge.

Product engineering services create 3D renders that are a unique perspective. It could be a view of the product that is simply uncommon, or it may be something more creative. Either way, the potential is there to present each piece of furniture in the absolute best way possible while still allowing room for adjustments and aesthetic tweaks.

8. Spin Views

Spin views are a popular type of 3D animation service that shows a complete view of the product. This type of rendering is an excellent piece of marketing material to have when the prospect is not looking at the furniture in person. If a large percentage of your sales volume is coming from online channels, then consider spin views a must-have.

These renderings allow customers to get a complete perspective of the product, and when done well, their perception of the product will be quite accurate compared to the way it looks in person when they receive it after their purchase.

9. Brand Presentation

There’s no shortage of creative freedom or flexibility when it comes to 3D rendering. On the other hand, there’s also the possibility that you’ll want to maintain a strong level of uniform consistency across a large number of products.

For example, every product in the lineup or under the brand could be depicted in the same style by using 3D rendering. This is a very fitting option for things like brand websites and print collateral.

10. E-commerce Presentation

Kitchen-cabinets-3D-rendering

The way that furniture is presented online for e-commerce purposes is arguably more critical than the way it is depicted on print collateral meant to get prospects to a local store. In the case of e-commerce, this is the only chance to make an impression on the prospect and hopefully convert them into a customer.

By utilizing 3D architectural rendering services for e-commerce images, an array of perspectives and depictions can be created. Then it’s easy to provide retailers and distributors with plenty of material to help convert visitors. Why choose between a 3D spin, a lifestyle still shot, and a close-up still shot when you could have all of them and more?

11. Additional SEO

One of the most overlooked ways that 3D rendered images contribute to furniture sales is through additional search engine optimization (SEO.) Basically, when any image or media is added to a website, there is an opportunity to add tags, title descriptions, meta descriptions, and other information that is primarily visible to search engines such as Google and Bing.

Most of this information is not visible to visitors without a bit of digging, so it’s all about the SEO. Many SEO plans focus on ranking sites and pages, but ranking images and getting search engine traffic this way is a valid strategy as well. If you’re going to invest in 3D rendering for your furniture products, then be sure to take advantage of this and make sure that online distributors and retailers are aware of it as well.

12. Content Marketing

Content marketing through online articles and blog posts is a long-established and widely used way to generate leads and sales. Text and information are great for making prospects feel appreciated and educated, but without a few images, the overall presence of content marketing materials can be a little boring. 3ds Max Modeling Services can make renders that make an excellent addition to content marketing materials.

Let’s say you’re promoting your brand with an educational blog post about why a certain type of design makes chairs more comfortable for specific purposes. While some people are sure to appreciate it for the information alone, it can only be made better with some high-quality images.

It will work better for your purposes too if those images happen to be 3D renderings showing your product demonstrating the qualities that the reader is learning about.

13. Social Media

Baby-bed-3D-rendering

Social media marketing has exploded over the past decade or so across all markets. The same is true for the use of social media marketing in the furniture industry. Since social media users tend to look for something that appears to be visually interesting, this is a prime scenario to present your best 3D renderings.

You’re already in front of people who use furniture and want to see something appealing, so show them 3D renderings of your appealing furniture. Whether you’re putting together an article, a blog post, a status update, or a tweet, adding a high-quality image to it will only boost its performance.

14. CGI Presentations

Creating a full CGI presentation of your furniture line can be a terrific tool for boosting sales. The content of a presentation is up to you, of course. That being said, a presentation that’s full of high-quality single product still shots, spin views, 3D models, and lifestyle images is sure to present products in a great light. CGI presentations are excellent for marketing purposes, as well as more professional matters like meetings and formal presentations.

15. Email Marketing

Email marketing itself offers a unique opportunity among online marketing methods in the sense that it allows a greater level of one to one interaction and personalization. This is just not possible in many other scenarios. That’s also why it’s a great place to use some impressive 3D renderings.

RELATED: 27 Ways Digital Product Rendering Can Help Furniture Manufacturers with Marketing

Let’s say that when you collect email addresses for your list that you get a little personal information as well, including their birthday. Perhaps on their birthday, you send them an email with a 3D rendering showing some of your furniture at a birthday party. The same idea can be applied to other occasions as well.

16. Function Depictions

All kinds of photorealistic renderings offer the opportunity to show the function of your furniture. Even if the function is something basic, it should still be presented for both accuracy and appeal. With a professional 3D rendering, you can have your furniture and its function presented exactly the way you want so it can make the best impression possible. Creating a short animation that shows the function in action is sufficient for this purpose, but you can always get more creative with rendering as well.

17. Pre-Sales

Bed-3D-rendering-design

Sometimes it may be necessary or simply more beneficial to hold pre-sales on new pieces of furniture. In situations like this, physical models are likely to be scarce if available at all. 3D rendering is the top choice for filling in the gaps in this type of situation.

If you were relying on traditional photography, then it may not be possible to have a pre-sale at all. At best, it would be difficult to get any prototypes or existing stock to the right place at the right time. Photorealistic rendering services allows you to avoid all of this hassle and just show the products that you want to pre-sell.

18. Current and Future Varieties

Returning again to the concept of illustrating something that may not physically exist yet, 3D product rendering allows us to show not only current varieties of furniture pieces but future varieties as well. This is particularly useful when new colors or material options are going to be made available in the near future.

The same concept applies to models with optional functions. Why wait to start promoting the new varieties of products that are already selling when you can start building demand for them immediately with 3D rendering? The only thing better than making a sale is making a sale and confirming solid customer interest in an additional product.

19. Custom Options

Depictions of custom options or additional features are often among the most useful tools for selling these options. This is especially true when standard floor models do not have these options and when these options are not shown in standard product images.

Depending on what the feature or option is, either a still image or a short clip may be a better choice. Regardless of the specifics, renderings showing custom or additional options are a great way to promote them without increasing costs by a large margin.

Q&A

Kitchen-stools-3D-rendering

What is the best type of 3D rendering for promoting my furniture?

The answer to this question is going to vary from one situation to the next. There are a number of factors to consider, with some of the most significant being the medium that you’ll be promoting through and the exact way that you want to present your furniture. In most instances, lifestyle images and single product still images are a good start.

Is 3D product rendering expensive?

Hourly and project rates for freelance 3D 360-degree panorama rendering services vary. If you get multiple quotes, you’re sure to see some range. As far as the overall cost when compared with other methods such as photography, 3D rendering tends to be less expensive by a considerable margin in most cases. This is in addition to also being faster on average when these processes are compared directly.

Can a photorealistic rendering be made for my new furniture product? It has a unique and complicated design.

Some simple pieces of furniture just look incredible with 3D rendering. On the other hand, unique and complicated pieces also tend to look stunning with the right rendering. If you’re wondering if the complexity of your furniture’s design is going to be an issue, the answer is no. There are so many options with 3D rendering that depicting even the most unusual shapes often becomes a simple task.

Research Advice

If you’re still considering whether you want to take advantage of 3D blender rendering services for your furniture products or not, then the best advice may be to simply see what your competition is doing. If they aren’t using 3D product rendering yet, then you’ll have an advantage by implementing it first to get superior product presentation.

If they are already using it and you’re not, then you should make a note of the types and perspectives they’re using and take action immediately. Proper utilization of 3D product rendering will only help to increase sales and growth.

Ready to Start Using Photorealistic Rendering for Your Furniture Business?

Living-room-furniture-3D-rendering

If you’re ready to start taking advantage of all the benefits that 3D product rendering has to offer your furniture line, then getting the process moving can be a bit of a challenge. There are many decisions to make, such as which types of rendering to use, how they will be used once they’re ready, and of course, who is going to actually do the rendering.

Fortunately, there are numerous freelance 3D commercial rendering professionals that you can turn to for help. If you’re unsure about their skill, credibility, or other qualities, then that’s where Cad Crowd can help.

Here at Cad Crowd, only vetted designers are permitted to join our talent pool. You can choose from an entire selection of vetted and proven freelance 3D product rendering designers. In addition to being sure of the designer’s skill and reliability, you don’t have to worry about privacy or intellectual property rights either.

When you work with a professional photorealistic rendering designer from Cad Crowd, it’s standard to use non-disclosure agreements. As far as intellectual property rights, those belong to you.

If you’re ready to begin the process of confidentially hiring a freelance 3D rendering professional from Cad Crowd, then get a quote today. The process is quick and easy. Once you’ve chosen a designer, then they’ll be able to lend you a hand in deciding the specifics of the project if you haven’t already. What are you waiting for? Learn how it works or get a quote today.