Outsourcing 3D Product Modeling

Today’s rapidly evolving business landscape demands product presentation that is both visually appealing as well as functional. With the cutthroat competition between companies to captivate their target audience by bringing products to life through hyper-realistic 3D product models, they constantly look for ways to streamline their processes, boost efficiency, and maintain that competitive edge.

One such strategic approach that has gained traction and shows the potential of meeting the ever-growing demand for visually appealing and accurately represented products is outsourcing 3D product modeling.

This blog will discuss the challenges you might face while doing 3D product modeling in-house, the benefits of outsourcing, and tips to find a suitable partner.

What Are The Challenges With 3D Product Modeling?

3D product modeling has undoubtedly become indispensable for creating a solid foundation for captivating and realistic product representations. However, it is essential to understand that 3D product modeling has its fair share of challenges.

From intricate design complexities to technological constraints, businesses face many challenges and often make mistakes in creating a 3D product model, affecting the quality, efficiency, and efficacy of the 3D product modeling.

Some of the challenges are:

Complex Geometry: Creating 3D models from complex geometry involves more time and attention to detail. Intricate shapes, intricate details, and delicate features can be difficult and time-consuming to model. Geometrically complex shapes typically involve intricate edge loops, curves, and irregular shapes, which can be challenging to model accurately and efficiently. High-detail geometry and high polycount meshes will result in lower performance and longer rendering times, which can strain hardware resources.

Reference Material Availability: The ability to create realistic 3D models relies on accurately capturing real-world details. Without reference material, realism becomes challenging, and the model might appear artificial. A lack of reference material might deviate the model from the intended appearance. It can also lead to misinterpretations of the product design intent, which might lead to modelers making assumptions that do not align with the actual design, leading to discrepancies.

Balancing Detail and Performance: Overly detailed models can strain hardware resources, resulting in slower performance, laggy interactions, and longer rendering times, reducing the modeling workflow’s efficiency. Performance can be an issue with models with too much detail, such as real-time rendering, animations, and interactive simulations. Conversely, performance-driven models that overlook facts might not accurately represent the product’s intricacies, resulting in misunderstandings.

UV Mapping and Texturing: When UV unwrapping is incorrect, textures can appear stretched, compressed, or misaligned on the model’s surfaces, which results in an unrealistic and visually unappealing appearance. When UV maps are poorly unwrapped, seam lines can be visible at the points where different parts of the UV map meet. These seams can cause visual discontinuity in textures. Correcting improper UV unwrapping after modeling can be time-consuming and might require reworking parts of the model or starting over with texturing.

Hardware Limitations: Insufficient RAM, processing power, or graphics capabilities can impede smooth interactions, navigation, and modeling within the software due to hardware limitations. When working with complex scenes involving multiple models, textures, and lighting setups, hardware limitations can hinder the creation of intricate product environments. Hardware limitations can lead to slower render times when rendering high-poly models or applying advanced shaders and lighting effects, resulting in longer render preview times.

Interoperability: In software with limited capabilities or performance constraints, high-detail models with complex geometry, materials, and textures might not translate well. If a model depends heavily on a specific software’s capabilities, it may not work as intended on another platform. Moreover, plugins and extensions are often needed for particular model functionality or effects. If the receiving software lacks these plugins, the model might not appear as expected.

Improperly Aligned Geometry: When geometry is not aligned correctly, the model can have warped surfaces, skewed proportions, and unnatural shapes, reducing realism and aesthetics. An incorrectly aligned geometry can cause shadows and reflections to fall unnaturally, detracting from the model’s realism. Furthermore, an incorrect alignment can also affect the functionality, fit, and performance of a 3D model intended to represent a real-life product.

Messy Topology: Models with messy topology can be difficult to edit and manipulate efficiently. Making changes to areas with messy geometry can result in unintended deformations. The surface might appear uneven or bumpy when the topology is irregular, even if this wasn’t intended. This affects the model’s visual appeal and realism. Additionally, poorly structured topologies can make achieving clean edge loops, flow, and curvature difficult, preventing models from looking natural or well-balanced.

Duplicate Edges And Vertices: Models with duplicate vertices and edges will exhibit irregular shapes, resulting in surfaces that are not accurate representations of the intended design. Identical edges and vertices may produce unexpected shading, strange reflections, or lighting anomalies during rendering. Achieving clean and efficient edge flows is difficult when a model has duplicate edges and vertices. This poses challenges during further editing and refinement.

Extra Subdivisions: A subdivision increases the number of vertices and polygons in a model. Excessive subdivisions can result in unnecessarily dense geometry, which impacts both rendering performance and the ability to work smoothly in the 3D software. Too many polygons can strain computer hardware, resulting in sluggish viewport performance, laggy interactions, and longer rendering times, inhibiting the efficiency of model creation.

Scale and Proportions: If the scale and proportions of a 3D model are not accurate, the model cannot accurately represent the size and shape of its real-world counterpart, resulting in a loss of realism and believability. A 3D model that is improperly scaled can cause compatibility issues, especially when moving between different software environments.

Incorrect Use Of Symmetry And Mirroring: Incorrectly applied symmetry or mirroring can result in asymmetrical features and unintentional flaws in a model, particularly in products that need precise symmetry, such as automobiles and industrial machinery. In organic or human-like forms where subtle deviations from symmetry are easy to detect, and incorrect balance can produce unnatural or distorted models. If symmetry issues are discovered after considerable work has been done on the model, correcting the mistakes may require extensive redoing.

Overusing Modifiers: To fine-tune your model, balancing modifiers and maintaining direct control over your model’s details is essential. Modifiers provide efficiency and flexibility, but overusing them can complicate your workflow and make it difficult to fine-tune your model.

Why Outsourcing Is Better Than Doing 3D Product Modeling Yourself Or Hiring A Freelancer?

To navigate through and fix the aforementioned challenges, you would need the guidance of a 3D product modeling expert. However, doing 3D product modeling in-house means complete control over the process, and hiring a freelancer might seem cost-efficient, but the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.

Need more convincing?

Let us look at the benefits of outsourcing 3D product modeling over doing it in-house or engaging with a freelancer.

Factors	In-house	Freelancers	Outsourcing
Time	Your in-house team might have a lot on their plate. By solely focusing on a single project, you would be dedicating time you could have otherwise spent on focusing on core competencies.  Moreover, juggling between different projects will take up a lot of your time. By doing 3D product modeling in-house, you might also miss the competing deadlines for other projects.	It may be risky to rely on a single freelancer, as their sudden absence could disrupt project timelines because of personal reasons or other commitments. As freelancers work independently, holding them accountable for missed deadlines or poor results can be difficult.	An outsourced 3D product modeling agency will focus solely on your modeling requirements, resulting in a faster turnaround time.
Cost	Creating and maintaining an in-house team for 3D product modeling means bearing significant costs like salaries, benefits, software licenses, hardware upgrades, and more.	Despite the initial cost savings offered by freelancers, hidden costs can offset the initial savings. In addition to revisions, project management, or additional rounds of edits, freelancers may not include all necessary services in their fees, which can result in a higher overall project cost.	Since you will partner with a professional when you outsource 3D product modeling services, hiring and training costs are negated. Additionally, since the outsourcing team will bring the hardware and software, you don’t have to worry about that expense. Moreover, many outsourcing service providers come with a flexible pricing model wherein you will only have to pay for services as and when needed, thereby eliminating the fixed cost associated with full-time employees.
Expertise	You need 3D product modeling experts in your team to ensure the visual representation is accurate and functional. Hiring an expert or training the existing staff would require extensive time, money, and other resources. Furthermore, you will have to ensure that the team is constantly updated with the latest tools and technologies, which means periodic training. This will further burden your business.	A freelancer might not possess all the skills required to handle complex or specialized modeling tasks compared to a specialized team.	By outsourcing a 3D product modeling service provider, you can rest assured that your project is in capable hands. They will have seasoned 3D modeling professionals specializing in various industries and styles. Furthermore, their experience, unique approach, techniques, and best practices will ensure that the product is modeled precisely.
Tools and Technology	3D product modeling tools and technologies keep on evolving. Investing in them once does not guarantee lifelong utilization and relevance. This is why you must have the latest 3D product modeling tools and technologies at your disposal. But periodically investing in tools and technology and training your team on the same could be financially taxing.	The tools, software licenses, and hardware needed for efficient and high-quality 3D modeling may not be accessible to freelancers.	By outsourcing 3D product modeling to a service provider, you gain access to the latest tools and technologies. You can be assured that the 3D product models are created using cutting-edge technology.
Flexibility and Scalability	The demand for 3D product models will never be the same. Some days, you will be working on many 3D product models, while other days, there won’t be many. This would result in your team constantly fluctuating between worn-out and underutilized.	Your ability to scale operations may be hindered by freelancers’ inability to handle larger projects or sudden workload increases.	By engaging additional outsourcing partners, you can scale up quickly in response to high demand or large projects without hiring or training new team members. Moreover, no long-term contracts or commitments are needed to engage outsourcing partners. They will adjust their resources and arrangements based on your needs.
Risk Mitigation	QA is solely the responsibility of the in-house team, but their limited expertise might lead to errors and revisions.	Models produced by freelancers may have inconsistencies and errors due to their lack of quality control.	The quality and delivery of projects are guaranteed by experienced outsourcing providers who have established quality control processes.
Learning Curve:	To stay on top of the advancements in 3D technology and practices, you must ensure the team is continuously trained. Moreover, there is a steep learning curve, which might result in initial inefficiencies.	It may take some time for a freelancer to become familiar with your project requirements, design preferences, and industry-specific nuances. This could cause delays and adjustments at the beginning of the project.	Outsourcing eliminates the learning curve since you will be working with professionals who are already skilled and experienced.

Questions To Ask Before Selecting A 3D Product Modeling Outsourcing Solution

Now that you know what makes outsourcing a better option in the long run, let us look at the questions you need to ask before settling down with a suitable 3D product modeling service provider.

Experience and Expertise:

Asking questions about experience and expertise helps assess the provider’s suitability for the project. It enables you to determine whether or not they have experience working in your industry. If they have experience in your industry or the type of product you sell, they are more likely to understand your specific needs and challenges.

You can ask questions like:

• Can you provide examples of similar projects you have worked on? 
• Would you have experience with modeling for our specific industry? 
• Do you have experience modeling for our particular products?

Portfolio and Quality:

You can determine their competence, style, versatility, and consistency by asking about a 3D product modeling service provider’s portfolio and quality. A strong portfolio demonstrates their expertise, creativity, and commitment to delivering high-quality 3D models aligned with your brand and project requirements.

You can ask questions like:

• Can you provide a portfolio showcasing your previous work?
• Do you have client testimonials or references we can contact?
• How do you maintain high-quality standards in your 3D product models?

Technical Proficiency:

The ability of a 3D product modeling service provider to use the right tools, deliver high-quality results, and meet specific technical requirements can be assessed by asking them questions about their technical proficiency. Your 3D models will be accurate, visually appealing, and well-executed if the provider’s expertise aligns with the technical aspects of your projects.

You can ask questions like:

• Which software and tool do you use for 3D product modeling?
• Do you have knowledge and experience of working with particular formats?
• How do you ensure data compatibility and maintain file exchange?

Workflow and Communication:

To gain insight into how your project will be managed, you need to have a broad understanding of the workflow and communication process of the provider. Having a well-defined workflow will ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of the project requirements, deadlines, and deliverables. Clear communication will foster collaboration and prevent the possibility of any surprise or delay in the project.

You can ask questions like:

• What is your process of managing communication and providing updates during 3D product modeling?
• How do you ensure clear and effective communication?

Turnaround Time

Understanding their turnaround time and capacity will help you gauge whether they can align their pace with your project’s deadline. This will also provide insights into their ability to manage workload and ensure consistent quality across different projects.

You can ask questions like:

• What is your average turnaround time for these projects?
• How do you handle deadlines or urgent project work?
• Can you manage multiple projects at the same time?

Confidentiality and Security

Asking questions about confidentiality and security is essential to make sure that your project details, be it proprietary information or designs, are safe during the whole tenure of your partnership with the 3D product modeling service provider. This will help you determine whether or not the provider is committed to preventing data breaches.

You can ask questions like:

• How do you ensure data security?
• How do you handle sensitive information?
• What data protection and confidentiality policy do you have in place?

Cost

You must thoroughly understand the provider’s pricing structure to determine whether or not their services will align with your budget constraints. Ensure you understand the price model- the per-hour or per-project basis, and conduct a comparative analysis to make an informed decision.

You can ask questions like:

• Can you provide a comprehensive breakdown of the pricing structure?
• What about the additional costs that may arise during the project?
• Do you charge on a per-project basis or per-hour basis?

Ownership and Usage Rights

Clarifying usage rights and ownership beforehand is essential to ensure that both parties are on the same page and there is no possibility of any legal dispute in the future about the rights and responsibility of the visual content being created. By knowing the usage rights, you can decide whether or not to distribute and license the models to third parties, clients, or partners. Furthermore, when you know how much ownership and rights you have, you can modify, adapt, or reuse the models without legal issues.

You can ask questions like:

• Who will have the rights to the intellectual property once the 3D product models are created?
• How do you determine the final model’s usage rights and license agreements?

Conflict Resolution and Guarantees

Knowing how the provider resolves conflict is essential to prevent significant problems from developing. A well-defined conflict resolution process ensures the project can continue smoothly without substantial disruptions, even if disputes arise. It demonstrates their commitment to proactive issue mitigation. 

With guarantees in place, you can be sure you’ll receive the quality and results that the provider promised. Providing guarantees and resolving conflicts are indications that a provider is committed to ensuring client satisfaction.

You can ask questions like:

• What is your strategy to resolve any conflict or issue during the project?
• Do you offer any guarantee for project completion?

Collaboration

Knowing how the provider facilitates communication and collaboration allows you to exchange feedback, ideas, and project updates efficiently. By asking about collaboration methods, you can ensure they have a structured way of providing feedback and revising the models, enhancing their overall quality. By asking about collaboration methods, you can ensure regular project updates, keeping you up-to-date on the project’s progress.

You can ask questions like:

• Do you use any specific tools or platforms to facilitate collaboration and feedback?
• How do you handle feedback?

With these valuable questions in mind, let’s examine one exceptional option: House of Blue Beans.

Unparalleled 3D Product Modeling With House of Blue Beans

At House of Blue Beans, we understand that a robust foundation is necessary to create visual content that is the spitting image of its real-world counterparts. Hence, our team of skilled artists works towards structuring such 3D models that can be used to create visually appealing and functional visual content, be it image, video, or AR/VR experience.

How Does Our Process For 3D Product Modeling Come To Life?

• To create any visual content, we need to create a 3D model of two types- high fidelity and low fidelity, where fidelity refers to the level of detail. 
• High-fidelity 3D models have a high polygon count and are used for visual content, which requires a high level of detail, like images and videos. 
• On the other hand, low-fidelity has a low polygon count and is used for visual content that needs to be optimized to work in real-time, like video games or AR/VR experiences. 
• Once modeling is done, different texture maps are applied to give it a more realistic look, and then these are rendered into images, videos, or AR/VR experiences. 

Images: We offer cutting-edge 3D imaging services that elevate your product’s allure. In addition to bringing your products to life, our meticulous detailing and precision will create a three-dimensional image that transcends the ordinary. Let your customers experience your product from every angle with unmatched realism, from intricate details to sweeping perspectives, with House of Blue Beans.

White background: Our white background imagery services capture your products’ true essence against an immaculate backdrop, bringing pure elegance to your products. Your customers can focus on what matters most: your exceptional creations, as each product takes center stage.

Lifestyle: With our lifestyle imagery service, you can tell your brand’s story. We create captivating scenes that evoke feelings, displaying your products in real-life situations. Let your audience know how seamlessly your creations can be integrated into their dreams and aspirations.

360 spin: Engage your customers with our 360-degree spin service. With every spin, they’ll discover a new perspective, establishing a more profound connection than static images could ever achieve.

Videos: With our 3D video, you can transform your concepts into immersive experiences, where every frame is meticulously crafted to evoke emotions and provoke astonishment.

White background: White background videos highlight your products with a spotlight of professionalism, highlighting each detail against a white backdrop, letting them stand out.

Product: We create captivating product videos that showcase your products in their true glory. Each feature, texture, and benefit will capture your audience’s attention and compel them to learn more. This video we created for an electronics brand highlights the product’s features in its complete glory.

Functionality: With functional videos, you can clearly explain your products’ features and benefits to your customers. Discover how functionality can transform into value, engaging your audience on a deeper level. Check out this video, where we explain the features of a wearable device that can also work as a health tracker.

How-to: With our videos, you can guide your customers through the product setup, providing clear, step-by-step instructions to enhance their experience. Look at the video where we explain and simplify how to use a fence.

Inspirational: Make a lasting impression with our inspirational videos. We capture your brand and products’ essence, creating captivating narratives that resonate deeply like we did in this video.

Social Media Content: Engage your audience on social media with our visual content that catches their attention. From stunning imagery to dynamic videos, we create content that resonates with your audience.

AR/VR Experience: Make your product tangible and accessible in virtual spaces with our AR/VR experiences. From interactive 360-degree rooms to visionary visualizer applications, our AR/VR experiences combine technology with creativity. Check out this 360 shoppable room we created for our client to showcase their product interactively.

Architectural Visualization: With our expertise, we create interior and exterior renderings that bring designs to life, allowing customers to visualize spaces with unparalleled realism. Look at this hyper-realistic interior rendering we created for a real estate building.

What Makes House Of Blue Beans 3D Product Modeling Different From Others?

We have been consistently delivering high-quality 3D product visualization to leading businesses and Fortune 50 companies across the globe, like Lowe’s, Target Retail, Honeywell, Henkel, and more, for over a decade. At House of Blue Beans, you can rest assured that your 3D product modeling process and the output will be:

Future-proof: Our 3D product models are designed to endure and excel as the industry evolves, elevating your brand’s image. They go beyond meeting the present standards; they will set the future benchmark by embracing the latest technology and industry trends. Remain relevant and impactful in the ever-evolving landscape of tomorrow with us.

Cost-effective: Transform your ideas into immersive visualizations at an affordable price with House of Blue Beans. We implement CGI, which eliminates the need for a physical product, thereby cutting down on the cost of shipping the physical product, damages, shooting location, and more. Our ability to elevate your brand without stretching your budget results in our services costing only 1/4th the cost of the traditional methodology.

Consistent: Understanding the importance of consistency, we create our 3D product models and visual content in a digitally controlled environment unaffected by environmental and other factors. 

Shorter go-to-market time: Using streamlined processes and leveraging the latest 3D modeling technologies, our team can create intricate, high-quality product models quickly, which you can use to create a wide range of visual content at a faster rate. By accelerating the development and visualization of your products, we enable you to seize opportunities faster. With House of Blue Beans, you get your visual content delivered within 10-12 days compared to the conventional methodology, which can take up to 3 months.

Adaptable: With meticulous attention to detail and advanced parametric modeling techniques, we create models that quickly and easily accommodate changes and variations. With this adaptability, you can swiftly respond to market dynamics and customer preferences, streamlining design iterations.

Versatile: Our versatile models provide the perfect foundation for displaying your ideas in marketing presentations, prototyping, or manufacturing.

Detail-Oriented: Our team’s unwavering commitment to delivering accurate 3D product models that capture the essence of your designs sets us apart. Each aspect of our models is meticulously recreated, ensuring they resonate with realism, from the tiniest details to the most intricate textures.

Using our detail-oriented approach, we could help Costa Coffee, who had trouble creating precise 3D models. Our high-quality 3D models and product visuals contributed to a successful marketing campaign.

Don’t just take our word for it! Read what our clients have to say about our work.

Outsourcing 3D product modeling has become an invaluable strategy owing to its numerous. benefits. When you hire specialized professionals to handle your modeling needs, you gain access to expertise, technology, and streamlined workflows that foster efficiency and innovation. You can enhance your project outcomes by outsourcing, while your internal teams can focus on their core competencies due to their flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

At House of Blue Beans, our seasoned experts bring a unique blend of technical prowess and artistic finesse, delivering a unique model. Our portfolio is brimming with success stories, and we’re ready to elevate your products into the spotlight with intricate details and seamless textures. 

Reach out to House of Blue Beans experts today!