Help wanted: e-commerce project with fashion
Dear polycount-menbers,
I'm currently doing research on a project for future clients of mine. Without going to much into detail I'm planning to build a web-based configurator engine which enables customers to design custom made clothing online.
(I also posted this thread in cgtalk forum to broaden my input, please don't bash on me for this)
My first client is a suit manufacturer but i also got a high profile shirt manufacturer interested, so I'm thinking of building a very capable and versatile platform i can adapt to each client, splitting the initial cost and therefor making it more sophisticated.
The configuration of the suit (or item in general) displayed is supposed to be 2D only as a still image. Only when changing shape, cloth, colour or details (like the lapel, buttons, pockets) of the product the changes fade into the image. I guess pre-rendered images would do best performance-wise.
As a photographer for a luxury clothing department store I'm very much into aesthetic appeals of product display and convinced that a cheap - or unrealistic in case of renderings - display of goods won't keep people interested or turn them off.
I'm therefor very keen to have the material rendered in a very realistic way. Translucency of the fabric, reflection of light, natural wrinkles have to look and feel natural.
I would like to offer my clients not only a configurator as a closed enviroment module but also rendered product images of certain, pre-configured (or 'ready-to-wear' off the chain-)products. Basic shots like a tailor's bust with a suit and a tie for example or a packshot of a shirt with a single cuff on top as product images for their onlineshop. Like this image for reference:
Additionally i would like to be able to offer more emotion-based images for marketing purposes with rendered models actually wearing the clothing and representing the brand's message. Maybe a lookbook with a simple backdrop and only a few variations in posing. I guess this is the hardest part with much individual effort so this would be on demand only and with additional cost charged to the client. To cut cost on my end, i think on the long run it would be smart to have one or two basic wireframe models of a male model (athletic and rather slim) and a growing pool of faces and hairstyles for my clients to choose from.
I'm thinking of images like this:
I've been browsing forums and marketplaces for a while now and understand that designing characters is a very demanding task so i would deeply appreciate any feedback from you regarding the sustainability of this last part in general. A rough estimate on the workload or the costs for a model with a 'photorealism'-grade modeling and texturing would also help. Or how much time it takes to model a nicely draped jacket on a tailor's bust. What about rendering the fabric in a realistic way - is it too much of an individual challenge for each piece of fabric?
Basically any feedback is greatly appreciated. :nerd:
I'm open for all kinds of input - be it suggestions, critic or ideas!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP
Kind regards,
Henrik
I'm currently doing research on a project for future clients of mine. Without going to much into detail I'm planning to build a web-based configurator engine which enables customers to design custom made clothing online.
(I also posted this thread in cgtalk forum to broaden my input, please don't bash on me for this)
My first client is a suit manufacturer but i also got a high profile shirt manufacturer interested, so I'm thinking of building a very capable and versatile platform i can adapt to each client, splitting the initial cost and therefor making it more sophisticated.
The configuration of the suit (or item in general) displayed is supposed to be 2D only as a still image. Only when changing shape, cloth, colour or details (like the lapel, buttons, pockets) of the product the changes fade into the image. I guess pre-rendered images would do best performance-wise.
As a photographer for a luxury clothing department store I'm very much into aesthetic appeals of product display and convinced that a cheap - or unrealistic in case of renderings - display of goods won't keep people interested or turn them off.
I'm therefor very keen to have the material rendered in a very realistic way. Translucency of the fabric, reflection of light, natural wrinkles have to look and feel natural.
I would like to offer my clients not only a configurator as a closed enviroment module but also rendered product images of certain, pre-configured (or 'ready-to-wear' off the chain-)products. Basic shots like a tailor's bust with a suit and a tie for example or a packshot of a shirt with a single cuff on top as product images for their onlineshop. Like this image for reference:
Additionally i would like to be able to offer more emotion-based images for marketing purposes with rendered models actually wearing the clothing and representing the brand's message. Maybe a lookbook with a simple backdrop and only a few variations in posing. I guess this is the hardest part with much individual effort so this would be on demand only and with additional cost charged to the client. To cut cost on my end, i think on the long run it would be smart to have one or two basic wireframe models of a male model (athletic and rather slim) and a growing pool of faces and hairstyles for my clients to choose from.
I'm thinking of images like this:
I've been browsing forums and marketplaces for a while now and understand that designing characters is a very demanding task so i would deeply appreciate any feedback from you regarding the sustainability of this last part in general. A rough estimate on the workload or the costs for a model with a 'photorealism'-grade modeling and texturing would also help. Or how much time it takes to model a nicely draped jacket on a tailor's bust. What about rendering the fabric in a realistic way - is it too much of an individual challenge for each piece of fabric?
Basically any feedback is greatly appreciated. :nerd:
I'm open for all kinds of input - be it suggestions, critic or ideas!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP
Kind regards,
Henrik
Replies
I'm not trying to scam anybody into unpaid work - I'm trying to figure out how much I have to invest to get my client hooked to the very idea of it...
Best,
H
you will need a full character model with rig and skin and facial expressions to create poses from and a workflow for this project to create the outfit variations and adapt them to your posed model and so on.
then there's the rendering.
to me this sounds like you need to come up with an absolute minimum list of assets required and approach a studio that deals in 3d scanning and has render experience to discuss what such a project might cost.
i'm not affiliated with these guys at all but they came to mind: http://www.ten24.info/
asking for advice can be hard sometimes but getting an honest and helpful reply from a total stranger is a truly rewarding experience. as i stated, i don't know that much about 3d business in general and i'm pretty sure i would't have come up with an idea like this by myself.
right now i'm looking into the studio you provided and their services seem like a very considerable option to get going.
thank you very much!
best
H
here's another company that may be relevant to the services you're looking for: http://ir-ltd.net/