FOTW In the Works

Jan 27, 2021 / Industry Insights / FOTW

This article was written by Zoë Bishop
Mid-Weight Creative @ FOTW

Stop. Render Time!

Very little gets our creative studio team more excited than a juicy, high spec render. In fact, when it comes to products and getting people enticed, it’s fairly vital to the 3D process. Why not just take a photo you ask? Well, for a start because a render can be made even better than the original…don’t tell me you’ve never used a filter! Plus, the guys here have the skill to make it indistinguishable from the real deal.

It’s much like editing a photo but you have the 3D form at your disposal to be played with, taken apart, morphed into something else entirely; rendering essentially gives our team the power to do whatever they like, aesthetically speaking. Luckily, they’re all very down-to-earth chaps, so it doesn’t go to their heads!

Lighting changes, textural evolution, scene adaption, the list goes on; the humble render lends itself to the ever-changing notion of creativity and more importantly, enables us to adapt and act on client feedback. A strong render is a high quality, malleable and advanced foundation to work with to the final output and gives us a head start in updates to projects, allowing us to work as efficiently and productively as possible.

So, lets look at one of our latest work in progress examples, to show you the importance of rendering and get a cheeky teaser of this internal project, which is underway!

Below is the 3D model’s initial wire render – like the framework of the object. You can see the intricacy of the object mapping. This is before the colour and textural layers get placed over the model. The structural skeleton which dictates the scale and shape of the render.

And below this you can see the shoe take its’ familiar form with the textures and colours in place – I feel like I could reach out and try it on. The quality of the textures are so real it blows my mind a little…the leather…the suede…the stitching?! The Studio’s attention to detail has always been incredible.

But these days, shoes are never just shoes, especially in advertising – they’re a lifestyle, a statement, a monument, an identity. Not to mention the vast trending reclamation of nineties nostalgia! Remember light up shoes as a kid? Well, here’s the adult version we’ve been waiting for! Check out the stills below:

Rendering the shoe has made this transformation possible and it’s really exciting to see the progression from just a shoe into something that feels alive – it has a sole…(I couldn’t resist)

The aim of the project is to depict the attitude and character associated with a Nike trainer, using the transformation of a normal trainer in daylight into something reminiscent of a light show at night. The surrounding space goes dark and bam, the show begins. The shoe will be placed upon a plinth as the camera tracks around effortlessly showing the shoe from every angle. This spectacle highlights elements of Nike’s iconic lust for life and ‘’ attitude. The essence of the shoe reflects that there’s two sides to everyone…by day your classic unassuming sneaker, by night a spontaneous foot rave. The stylistic embrace of the wearer’s dark side! From a slightly less sexy point of view, it’s also incredibly practical for a safe evening run – high vis, eat your heart out!

Sometimes the key is to let the product do the talking and this promises to be a prime example. This ad will be out mid-Feb so keep an eye out! Shout out to our in-house production studio who provide the technical knowledge and creative passion, which keep our 3D game so strong. Also, high fives all round – the ‘FOTW: In the Works’ blog has officially kicked off! (Any other shoe related puns welcome in the comments…)

Like what you see? If you fancy a chat about what we do, give us a call on 01582 881144 or drop us an email hello@falloffthewall.com. We’d love to hear from you!