What Is 3D Product Visualization?

3D product visualization is a powerful tool for enhancing the online shopping experience. User experience plays an important role in driving consumer behavior and closing more transactions. 3D graphics are excellent for achieving these both goals. However, the main benefit of product visualization is the ability to view products from all angles and customize them however customers see fit. By introducing this design technique to your online environment, you not only get a better way to showcase your products but also build trust with people by showing them the future they can have with your company.

1. What is 3D visualization

To give you a simple version of it, imagine some product that you would like to buy online. If it’s something complex like a smartphone where you would want to examine all details of it, what would you do? Though not able to experience it with your tactile senses, there is a new trend in the world of e-commerce that allows for something different. That is, you can get a better understanding of the product by using a 3D product visualization feature that’s available in some online stores.

It’s a nice feature to have, and it allows customers to experience what a particular product would look like. Slideshows with 2D product images from all angles are also good, but they don’t provide a whole picture. And adding this new dimension with the product visualization gives people a new perspective on things they are going to buy. There are even some options that come with the e-commerce product visualization software, which enables companies to create customizable 3D models. For example, people now have the opportunity to change colors and little details of a particular item (for instance, try out different versions of a suit before making a final decision).

3D graphics bring a whole new layer of experience. That’s especially important with luxury products where people expect a lot more than just a dozen of 2D images. For example, 3D jewelry visualization is used exactly for that purpose. 360-degree renderings that are customizable can add a lot of points to the credibility of the jewelry store while enhancing the user experience when shopping online.

2. What’s in it for businesses

Now let’s break down some of the benefits that product visualization brings to the table.

First of all, as we’ve said in the previous section, there’s a lot of potential for improving the user experience for online shopping. And this results in increased conversion rates and customer retention. This way we’ve come full circle. As you remember, before the age of the Internet the only way to get a good understanding of a product was to go to a physical store and see it first-hand. The emergence of the web gave birth to a lot of websites where people could buy stuff online. But a part of the user experience that was associated with touching and feeling products before buying was gone. 3D visualization has brought this missing link to life.

The second point is the ease of communication. We’ve spoken about websites that were made for online shopping. And to do a good job of explaining to people all the benefits of a certain item, business owners had to write a lot of text and elaborate on every “why” of that product. This was an inefficient and not cost-effective way of telling the consumers why they needed this or that. Now you already know that design in itself is a form of communication, and 3D product visualization brings this aspect of selling to another level. 3D models of physical goods not only look great and enticing, but they also provide the best way to explain the benefits to the customers – by using strong visuals.

And the last thing we wanted to touch on is an abundance of potential applications for various businesses. Think of apparel stores or jewelry brands. These types of businesses are likely to benefit from using 3D modeling in their operations. And this list goes on and on. Car dealers, furniture brands, interior design, media, etc… The main point is that if you have physical or digital products (like 3D NFTs) that can be showcased in said manner, then 3D product visualization can be a good fit for you. With the unlimited power of this design technique, you unlock a whole new world of possibilities for improving your brand perception, boosting your marketing, and increasing client retention.

3. Software for product visualization

For all those amazing benefits of seeing products in 3D and being able to rotate them in all planes, we have to give credit to software that’s used for product visualization. 3D design agencies use a lot of tools for creating impeccable versions of real-life items that captivate the viewer’s mind and help them make an informed decision when shopping online. Even though it is not necessary to know all the details of how this software works and how 3D models are created, it can give you a sense of appreciation for the technology that underlies our ability to model products with high precision.

Blender is one of the most popular options when it comes to creating 3D designs. This software can be used by highly-skilled designers to create complex 3D models. It’s also a viable tool for those who just start to learn how to create 3D visualization that looks authentic. It’s cross-platform and you can use it on Windows, Linux, and macOS. A cool feature of this software is that it’s actually community-driven. That means that the open-source model allows for modifications and improvements by users, thus, leading to more exciting features and new ways to carry out product visualization.

SketchUp is another alternative that a lot of professionals use for 3D modeling. Though the main application of this software is architectural modeling, SketchUp is also a reliable program for product design and mechanical engineering. The ease of customization with the SketchUp Extension Warehouse gives users a lot of options for creating whatever 3D visual assets they need.

4. The future of 3D product visualizations

While it’s hard to predict what the future will look like with all those tech advances that we’re currently making, one thing is certain. Companies that embrace the power of 3D visualization set themselves up for success in the years to come. It’s not just the competitive advantage that you get once you start implementing this design approach to your business. It’s a clear sign to people that you’re a forward-thinking business that does not shy away from presenting the product in the best light and allowing them to give it a spin (literally) before buying.

Augmented reality is already taking over the world, just like VR. There are some industries where AR is successfully used to introduce customers to the smallest details of a given product or environment. When does the time come for AR and VR to be seen in retail? It’s going to happen soon. It’s happening in real-time actually and more and more companies realize that revolutionizing customer experience with AR is a thing worth pursuing. And 3D product visualization is just a stepping stone for this bright digital future.

Conclusion

With 3D product visualization, businesses have gained a plethora of new ways to make the online buying experience more engaging. Viewing a product from different angles before buying feels good, that’s why we miss this element of offline shopping so much. 3D graphics allow you to experience what it would be like to have a product without going to a physical store. And the added bonus of personalization and customization further increases the effectiveness of 3D visualization in business. Nowadays, there are many industries that successfully incorporate this type of design into their online stores. And as time passes, even more companies will follow this trend and 3D product visualization with the elements of AR is going to pop up here and there.

Now is the right time to invest in eye-catching product visualization. The Ubunzo design studio has what it takes to create breathtaking three-dimensional models of your products. Please contact us and we’ll find the right angle (pun intended) to create visualizations to complement your business.