Quintessence Virtual Prototypes

During the course of 2009 i worked on the creation of virtual prototype photography/rendering for the new Erco Quintessence product line. The challenge was not only highest quality, but as well quantity: several hundred of distinct models had to be processed.

The solution was based on a semi-automatic batch process controlled by Python and Maya. With the help of material mapping in between construction colors and photorealistic shaders, the CAD models could be imported automatically from Erco’s construction pipeline and processed at the same time. During that automated setup, the fitting HDRI lighting environment and camera was referenced into the scene, and a batch rendering list was written, which could be run with a single click over night.

The Quintessence product line is a very ambitious large-scale project for Erco, and that is why changes of prototypes during the design phase are of course absolutely inevitable. Without the help of a semi-automated pipeline for virtual photography allowing for reprocessing at any time, this process might have been adventurous with physical photo-maquettes.

Special thanks go to the Erco Photography and the R+D departments, without whose the productive help and cooperation on the process this would not have been that easy. For any reader’s virtual prototyping project i recommend: team up real and virtual photographers whenever possible.