Interior 3d Visualization For A Perfect Cafe Design: Case Study

Interior 3D visualization is extremely valuable for Designers who want to get top-notch visual materials for striking design presentations. The studio of architecture and design from Switzerland used high-quality 3D visualization made by ArchiCGI for their project presentation and got the quick approval they had hoped for.

This amazing project you see was designed by www.studer.archi. The Swiss design studio “Studer” started a project with ArchiCGI and ordered photorealistic interior 3D visualization for a cafe design with Italian motifs “Florian”. They sent the detailed brief with references and monitored the whole creating process from start to finish. As a result, the Designers got high-quality 3D renders for printing and showed A3 images at their presentation. The owners of the cafe were very impressed by the interior design ideas that were effectively portrayed in the CG visuals and approved the project without doubts. So only a few months later “Florian” has opened their doors in Bern and welcomed its visitors.

ArchiCGI team was happy to work with such talented Designers and truly satisfied with the results as well as the positive feedback. Let’s look behind the scenes of this project and learn how our 3D Artists created this stellar photorealistic interior 3D visualization step by step.

#1. The Brief and Main References

The brief of the interior 3D visualization project for “Florian Caffe & Bar” included the description of the task and main references such as drawings, mood inspirations and pictures of materials and furniture. So we’ve got floor plans with marks from the Designers and explanation of the details. As mood references, “Studer” design studio sent us images of the famous Venetian Florian Cafe on Piazza San Marco that inspired the Designers to create its own version in Bern. The brief inсluded as well photographs of the future cafe exterior that helped our 3D Artist to understand how the light would pour into the place and what passing pedestrians would see behind the showcase.

#2. Architectural Modeling and Premade 3D Objects

3D Modeling for Cafe Interior Design

3D modeling part of 3D visualization project began with the creation of the room and basic forms – walls, floors, ceilings, and partitions based on the interior drawings. Then the 3D Artist started modeling furniture objects using references the Designers had sent him in the brief. Such 3D models as tables, the bar counter, the menu board design were created from scratch in 3ds Max. The other furniture models like chairs and 3D models of the cafe visitors were taken from ArchiCGI database and arranged in accordance with the Interior Designers’ vision.

As the design project has been undergoing some changes, 3D Artists have changed many 3D objects during the visualization process. For example, the tables, the bar counter, the lamps and the menu boards were replaced a few times according to the Designers’ wishes. Similarly, a lot of changes happened with wall decorations with which “Studer” specialists experimented the most.

#3. Texturing and Material Tweaking

The “Studer” studio Designers sent reference images of wood, stone and fabric types that had been selected for the cafe interior. Our 3D Artist found the exact replicants of these materials and textures and applied them to all 3D objects. Tiles on the walls, concrete floors, different types of wood for furniture and so on – everything was done with maximum precision and accuracy. These high-quality textures helped the final interior 3D visualization look truly photorealistic.

#4. Adding Accessories and Decor

The Interior Designers of “Florian” added to the brief many reference photos of different decor objects such as books, paintings, tableware etc. Some of the accessories had been already bought, so the 3D Artists had to model them from scratch to include in the images. The other decor elements were chosen from ArchiCGI database as ready-made 3D models and adapted to this 3D visualization. For example, plants, bottles and food in the showcase were selected by the 3D Artist and approved by “Studer” studio.

Moreover, over the course of the interior 3D visualization project, we’ve changed some of the decor elements according to the Designers’ wishes. Let’s look at the picture on the wall, for example. At first, there was a portrait of an Italian man. Then we were asked to replace it with a neon signboard, after which Designers decided to put there the Florian logo instead – simple and stylish.

#5. Setting Lighting Scenarios

Lighting plays one of the most important roles in the perception of design as a whole, so for the creators of this project, it was very important to show different light settings in the interior 3D visualization. In order to demonstrate the concept of Cafe & Bar establishment in the interior realistic rendering, ArchiCGI 3D Artists made one image in daylight and the other one – in evening lighting. In the first case, “Florian” is filled with morning sunlight creating the atmosphere of a cozy “coffee and bakery” cafe. The evening version shows a stylish bar with intimate artificial lighting that was created with the help of two sets of lamps on long cords and lanterns.

#6. Draft Rendering and Masks

Photorealistic 3D Rendering for Interior Design Project

For the rendering phase our 3D Artist used Corona Renderer plugin for 3ds Max. He started this stage by making faster renders in a lower resolution in order to show intermediate results to the “Studer” studio specialists. After several rounds of revisions and the final approval, the 3D Artist proceeded to high-resolution rendering of the two approved images – day and evening versions. For this particular type of project presentation, the Designers specifically asked us to make images for printing A3 format whose resolution is 4961 x 3508.

#7. Post-Production Stage

At this stage, our 3D Artist put the final touches on the finished 3D renders. He added Render Elements in Photoshop and used color correction for a more atmospheric result. Besides, the final 3D visualization was enhanced via filters and effects Bloom and Glare. Then, the 3D Artist worked on people figures – he tweaked contrast settings to make them look more “alive” and blend into the scene perfectly. The Glare effects helped the lightning to look more realistic and bright. After the post-production step, our interior 3D visualization was not so different from the photos that “Studer” studio sent us after the opening of “Florian” in Bern a few months later.

“Florian Caffe & Bar” project is a successful collaboration of design ideas by “Studer” studio and interior 3D visualization by ArchiCGI team. With the help of our photorealistic renders, the Designers were able to demonstrate creative interior ideas in detail which eventually helped to get the approval of the project faster and easier. As we wanted to know more about the project implementation, “Studer” studio has been updating our team with photos of the construction process and even sent us the pictures from the opening of “Florian”. We were thrilled to see how gorgeous the cafe is, not to mention proudly that the real interior looks just like in our 3D visualizations. All in all, the success of this project was possible thanks to professionalism and understanding between design developers and cgi specialists.

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Valerie Adams
Blog Writer

Valerie is an editor and content writer. She used to work on news and entertainment TV channels and in a fashion & design magazine. In her spare time, she enjoys visiting foreign countries, art events, film and street dancing festivals.

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