Calvin Klein One Product Renders (passion project)
As part of an explorative exercise that I did using Blender, I tried to see how accurately I could model a cologne bottle and give it an environment that complimented the product and brand itself. I figured that my biggest challenge would be capturing the essence of the contents of the product. It was a bigger challenge to bring across a smell through static graphics than I initially thought and I eventually settled on creating materials and lighting that could do that for me through color temperatures and light set ups.
Upon completing the model the first time around, the gold drips on the bottle didn't seem to look accurate or much like the real world product. I ended up redoing the model until I got the right shape and consistency of the drips.
Fortunately, the product was made up of about 3 materials and had minimal labeling which was easy to work with. After creating a model that I was happy with and texturing it, I jumped into compositing and lighting in order to create a scene that brought importance to the product.
Creating a material for the glass was the one of the biggest hurdles to overcome due to the fact that I wanted the light to break up and disperse once it has passed through the glass. Having dispersion glass would make for a more characteristic scene and add in a few subtle colors.
After using a HDRI to cast light and shadows on the model, I begun the process of lighting the bottle up which is where things got complicated. I opted for a really clean off white background and floor to capture the brands clean aesthetic which is visible through their branding and use of materials. Due to the metallic nature of the materials I often found my lighting setup to interfere with the model itself and reflect shadows which I didn't want in the scene.
The direction I took for the lighting was, as mentioned above, to bring across the smell of the cologne. The lights are emitting a yellow/orange light in order to bring the citrus heavy scent across. I chose to use lights that were more or less level with the floor so that they create a visible difference on the floor and product. Initially I really liked the idea of mimicking early morning sunlight but the blue tones didn't quite work all that well with the product and brand.
Overall, I really enjoyed this exercise and discovered a lot about 3D product modeling and rendering through it. If I could go back, there would be a few things that I would change but as a learning experience, I think it's been time well spent.
