The third dimension . . .3D Design
If your 2D livery designs are struggling to make an impact in an increasingly busy visual world then why not consider taking your presentations up a notch into the realms of 3D design and rendering. I made this leap a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back.
Back in April 2023 I had the honour of being invited as a keynote speaker for the inaugural Wrap Fest event in the UK, to talk about this very subject. Held at none other than the renowned Silverstone Circuit which is a second home for me…along with a few ‘other’ second homes across the UK!
The transition from 2D to 3D took time and investment but was worth the hard work. My talk aimed to share my experiences, insights, and the immense potential that 3D design offers to your clients. The ability to showcase an animated design of a client's livery, whether it's on a VW Transporter or a race-ready sports car, never fails to leave a lasting impression.
This capability also allows you to upsell your services as a 3D designer. With the right training and resources, you can go beyond designing liveries for vehicles and explore exciting possibilities such as conceptualising and presenting ideas for entire pit garage setups.
While it may sound like a cliché, the truth remains that the possibilities are truly limitless when it comes to expanding your services through the application of 3D design as a showcase for your work.
I have completed numerous specialised training courses focused on vehicles, helping me learn techniques in tasks such as editing and modifying existing models, as well as creating vehicles from scratch. My preferred tool for this is Blender, an open-source application that I think is a great piece of free software. In fact, if it were to transition to a paid platform, I would willingly invest due to its ability to add value to my work.
Don’t be fooled by the ‘free’ part of Blender, I have worked in a few other mainstream paid industry standard applications and Blender can most definitely can compete it with these.
While the software is free, it's essential to spend some money on a computer with some serious digital horsepower under the bonnet.
Creating animations and high-resolution renders demands considerable processing power therefore, my advice is to dip into your savings and purchase a quality machine with a hefty graphics card, up-to-date processor and high-resolution screen. Trust me, avoiding the headache, both figuratively and literally speaking is worth it, as staring at an old LCD screen can be quite uncomfortable.
I chose to invest around £5k in a PC setup for running Blender, including two screens and a network access storage (NAS) system, ensuring flexibility for future upgrades. However, preferences vary however its important to find what works best for you.
Blender has a great community that offers a wealth of advice and training resources, both free and paid. Personally, I use BlenderKit, a valuable resource that seamlessly integrates with the software, granting me direct access to a vast collection of models and textures. This invaluable asset significantly enhances my workflow, making it well worth the investment. Additionally, platforms like Blender Market also provide valuable assets and are certainly worth exploring for further resources and tools.
Here is a list of some of the work I do for teams using 3D design to assist them.
Liveries for the race cars
Support vehicle graphics
Merchandise
Pit walling
Pit Structures (fuel rigs, gantries)
Truck facias
Race suits
Team wear
Crash helmets
Pitch decks
Social media motion graphics
As a thank you to Fespa and the team behind Wrap Fest, I designed an eye-catching livery using the McLaren Artura GT3 as the vehicle. I also created a short animation that showcased the design.
Visit my website to explore the range of services I provide.
Until next time! :D
Jason