How would you speed up/automate 3D previews
Hi all,
I'm not a 3D artist, just a graphic designer at a company that makes signage for trade shows and exhibitions, so apologies in advance if I use the wrong terms.
We produce illuminated 3D letters (channel letters), lightboxes, and letters mounted on frames that sit on top of expo booths. Almost every client wants to see a realistic preview before they order, and right now each one is modelled more or less from scratch. With expo deadlines that gets painful fast.
The visuals are pretty repetitive. The client's logo changes, but the rest is basically the same every time:
- the logo turned into 3D letters with depth and sides, sometimes on a frame
- a few standard views (front, angled, side)
- day and night versions, so the LED glow or halo is visible
So I'm curious how people here would approach it:
- Does anyone know a tool that does something like this, either signage-specific or a general product visualization tool you could adapt?
- How do studios handle repetitive product renders where only one element changes? Template scenes, scripts, batch rendering, something else?
- Which software would you pick for a setup like this? Blender, Cinema 4D, KeyShot, 3ds Max, a real-time engine, or a mix?
- Any tips for making LED lighting look believable without spending hours on each scene?
I'm also open to completely different ideas, like semi-automated workflows, outsourcing, or ways other companies have solved this. I'm still figuring out what's even realistic here.
Thanks for any pointers!