Custom Furniture Design – How Firms Use 3D Models and 3D Rendering Services

This post covers custom furniture design services and how firms use 3D models and 3D rendering. Before the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent advent of manufacturing technologies, every piece of furniture was essentially custom. Your tables, chairs, cupboards, and cabinets were made by a craftsman who designed everything based on customer-provided specifications. As more factories appeared and understanding of ergonomics improved, most furniture products were mass-produced except for custom furniture.

When furniture is custom-made, it does not mean the product is handmade; it only implies that the manufacturer does not predetermine the design. Instead, everything is built according to the client’s requests or specific needs. For example, a company or brand may purchase a bulk of custom furniture from a particular factory. As part of the manufacturing process, designing is most likely done on a computer using 3D CAD modeling, furniture 3D modeling designers, and rendering software.

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Virtual design for custom furniture

The technology behind the virtual design for furniture has been introduced previously. It has been used extensively for furniture-making and carpentry in nearly all manufacturing industries, from children’s toys to commercial aircraft. CAD design provides custom furniture design manufacturers with plenty of advantages, including experimenting with many design iterations without building a physical prototype. Every CAD design iteration comes as a digital image, offering distinct advantages over traditional sketching or shop drawings.

3D models represent the product’s appearance, style, color, and texture with precise dimensions or scale. As part of this process, CAD 3D models can be further enhanced through rendering techniques to achieve photorealistic effects, resulting in a series of lifelike images showcasing the custom furniture. Clients gain valuable insights into its aesthetics by visualizing the final product before production begins. Moreover, as all refinements and design modifications occur on-screen before 3D rendering, the virtual design ensures enhanced product development efficiency compared to conventional methods involving physical mockups. Incorporating furniture engineering and design services further facilitates this streamlined process, ensuring optimal results for custom furniture projects.

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How 3D models and renders are used

Design firms use 3D furniture modeling services and renderings mainly for marketing purposes. There are several popular types of render based on how the design is presented.

Lifestyle render

Also known as a context image, a lifestyle render is the imagery of furniture presented in an imaginary indoor or outdoor scene. The furniture does not appear as a stand-alone product in the scene but as part of a room set against the backdrop of the expected scenery, for example, in a living room or a poolside. In addition to the furniture, other objects are in the background, such as decorations or people. Lifestyle rendering is most commonly used in product catalogs (both printed and digital) or advertising materials.

Most rooms use lifestyle renders to depict a cozy environment or the ideal room configuration in which the furniture acts as the focal point. When used in a product catalog, lifestyle render often uses complementary items available for sale from the same furniture company. Since the complementary items on the scene must also be 3D modeled and rendered, such imagery is more expensive than a typical furniture-only image. Building a beautiful setting that attracts potential buyers takes interior design know-how, and some companies also attach a price tag to every visible item.

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360-degree view

The lifestyle mentioned above makes for an excellent product image on e-commerce websites. Thanks to the interactive nature of online pages, furniture companies may incorporate playful functionality into the 3D furniture render. For example, a 360-degree product view allows buyers to view the image as they please (i.e., zoom in and out, rotate, etc.).

While the custom furniture rendering is a static image, the interactivity feature allows customers to see the furniture from every angle. 3D furniture rendering services will enable the product to rotate horizontally and vertically. There are no complementary objects on screen, as the 360-degree view is intended only for one object at a time. Custom furniture design requires a high-resolution render so the image does not lose sharpness and details even when zoomed in to the max.

Virtual reality (VR)

Sitting at the next level of interactivity function is virtual reality render. At the moment, VR-based rendering is still a rarity in furniture marketing. It has been used extensively in the architectural design and construction industry because both offer plenty of objects and viewing angles to explore. A typical VR presentation puts a client in a digital world by wearing specialized goggles and a headset.

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A remote control allows the client to interact with the virtual objects they see on the screen. For example, the client could open the doors and windows if it is a house. With furniture, the interactivity levels are likely limited. You cannot sit on a chair or put your phone on a table because the objects are virtual, but you can probably open some cabinet doors or drawers. If the furniture requires assembly, a professional CAD designer can create a VR render and be a manual or educational tool for custom furniture design.

Animation

In the custom furniture industry, an animated render might be used as:

• Assembly instruction: A 3D animation can give a clear step-by-step guide for a set of furniture requiring assembly on the buyer’s part. Custom furniture might use non-conventional structures, fasteners, and components. Intricate joinery may require extra effort to assemble the parts, but an animated video can make the otherwise tedious process a breeze.

• Production demo: If the furniture offers many features, such as a cabinet with hidden storage space or a computer desk with built-in features, an animation product demo allows the design firm to showcase the product’s main benefits. A demo doesn’t seem necessary for simple furniture unless it has particular uses that need explaining.

• Installation: Big and heavy furniture like mount cabinets, kitchen countertops, and reclining sofas may require simple assembly and a complex installation procedure. A design firm can use an animated video as an explainer. Manuals are usually enough in most cases, but an animation with voiceover allows buyers to follow the steps without difficulties.

• Exploded view: a video animation in which the furniture is disassembled to showcase all the parts. The primary purpose is to let buyers know the inner mechanism of the furniture or at least the individual components required to build the product. For example, an exploded view of a reclining sofa helps buyers understand the mechanism for different positions. Furthermore, the design firm can highlight the built-in safety features. Suppose a design firm wants to focus on the quality of product components (i.e., the cushion, the upholstery, the structural frame materials, and additional features. In that case, an exploded view is an excellent presentation tool.

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Alternatively, a still render in which the image remains static, while an animated render is a video. The production process is similar to an animated film, where static images are run sequentially to create a sense of motion. An animation often comes with audio effects or music.

Virtual prototype

The most considerable utilization of 3D rendering and modeling is not for marketing or any post-production process but during design development. Conventional prototyping – one that involves physical mockups – is an expensive task with no guarantee of a successful attempt. A single design may require more than several prototypes until the prototype design experts can produce the final version. If each prototype is hundreds of dollars, the money adds to the production cost and eventually affects the selling price.

With 3D modeling services, a physical prototype is optional. The entire design process is done on a computer screen, and the furniture will only reach the production line once the client approves. Think of the 3D models as the blueprints attached with complete specifications. As soon as the 3D models are approved, the rendering begins.

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3D rendering transforms the 3D models into photorealistic images. It adds colors, textures, lighting, and shadows to showcase the image as a photograph. The difference between photography and rendering is that the latter requires no physical object, and the scene is digitally created to achieve the best scene each time. The process helps designers and clients envision furniture products before production. The final image may display the furniture in any number or type of environment, color variations, and viewing angles. 

Basic furniture design workflow

Modern design firms use 3D CAD software to cater to custom/personalized orders. The basic furniture design workflow is as follows:

1. The client provides the specifications and details about the product.
2. The design firm puts the specification to the “test” on CAD software. A designer team builds the 3D model based on the specifications to see if the furniture is feasible for manufacturing. Every detail is essential, from the materials to the type and size of the fasteners.
3. The final furniture 3D model is returned to the client for approval.
4. Revisions (if any).
5. Once the 3D furniture model is approved, the 3D rendering begins.

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Depending on the client’s request, the 3D furniture render can be static or animated and of any type discussed above. 3D rendering is not typically part of shop drawing documents but is readily used for custom furniture design. Design firms also use 3D furniture design services to create rendered furniture images to build a portfolio, showcasing past projects as a testament to their technical proficiency.

How Cad Crowd can help

How Cad Crowd can help

Whether you are a small business or working in a large company, Cad Crowd can assist in connecting you with one of our vetted designers for various 3D rendering projects! Tell us your budget and details of what you hope to achieve, and we’ll handle the rest. Get a free quote today!