Big, Now in 3D

3D rendering and animation is no longer reserved for big-budget movie productions alone, it has quickly become one of the most versatile skills in advertising. 3D rendering is now an essential tool for allowing consumers to visualize and interact with the latest and greatest products. From Snapchat filters to animated commercials, forward-thinking teams are making it part of their repertoire and changing how they approach brands. Bringing products, services, and brands to new, tangible dimensions is one of the ways we stay ahead of the curve.

Working in a 3D space has many advantages that traditional photography can’t provide. Creating scenes from scratch allows us the ability to push the boundaries and capture things that would normally be impossible to shoot in the real world. Want to see the inside of a working V6 engine? Not a problem with 3D animation. When Valvoline asked us to create a video explaining the benefits of their newest motor oil, we turned to 3D to model, animate, and explain exactly why you need Valvoline in your engine.

Some projects require photorealistic visuals, so we use physically-based illumination, which can accurately simulate real-world lighting setups and camera lenses. In fact, a rendering artist can alter camera angles, compositions, objects, environments—even the position of the sun—to get the perfect shot. This is ideal for retail photography, where consistency and precision are key.

This skillset came in handy with Moore’s Marinade, who was due for a full-scale photo shoot of their new bottle designs. Instead of meeting in a real studio during the height of the pandemic, we assembled a digital studio, complete with lighting setups, camera rigs, and seamless backgrounds. We used that 3D space to build precise models of Moore’s bottles (and even the sauce inside) to create photorealistic renders and animations that got the job done with flying colors.

Our eye-catching 3D work can also be found on the web too. At Big, developers work alongside 3D artists to create interactive experiences for many of our clients. Recently, we built a 3D game for kids that tracks body movement to play, a custom Snapchat filter that turns you into legendary NASCAR driver Neil Bonnet, and several augmented reality apps that let you enjoy unique experiences wherever you are. Exploring new technology like this is a great way for brands to break away from the pack and encourage audience engagement like never before.

Watching something animate is interesting, but what if you let your audience control that animation? That’s what we challenged ourselves with for the Next campaign for the Department of Commerce. Using custom 3D models and complex code, we developed an interactive website with objects and lights that reacts to every movement of your cursor.

Although not everything can be replaced by a digital rendering, the demand for special capabilities in 3D design has never been higher. Whereas most agencies outsource 3D design to animation houses, Big is able to utilize our hybrid talents to render 3D animations wherever and whenever needed. With each new challenge, we are able to leverage our unique proficiencies in 3D animation to deliver the polished product expected of a modern brand… and a bit of the unexpected.