Skip to main content

Why Rendering Is Important For Retail Design


By Kuldeep Bwail

Intense competition in the retail industry drives increased levels of performance across the board, and a key impetus to success in this industry is the visual appeal and functionality of retail outlets. Detailed and attractive 3D rendered images, or computer-generated images (CGI), especially those created with the help of Building Information Modelling (BIM) can have a noticeable impact on clients, sales and marketing. Retail design drawings that achieve impressive photo-realistic views and effective 3D rendering services can help drive profits while saving costs.

To better understand how important rendering is to the retail industry, let's look at what rendering is. In 3D graphic design, rendering is the process of adding shading, colour and lamination either to a 2D or 3D wireframe to produce lifelike digital images. Rendering enables the creation of images or animation that show the design traits of a proposed space. Both designers and clients benefit from rendered views. Though various techniques and software (Autodesk's 3ds Max, VRay, SketchUp, Maya and Mental Ray being popular) can be used to create computer-generated renderings, the objective remains the same - improve presentations, support marketing and create design views for analysis. Clients can understand renders better than architectural drawings, and therefore, renders are generally more effective in communicating design intent. Accurate renders can effectively represent spatial constraints and possibilities and reach a wider audience as a result.

The use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in rendering creates greater accuracy in the rendered image. BIM models can specify the count of cabinet fixtures, lighting fixtures, countertops, legs, handles, grommets, drawer pulls, equipment mounts and other details. A large amount of detail is incorporated into a BIM model, which can be used to generate accurate and detailed rendered images, which show how various elements fit in a space in relation to each other. BIM models are especially useful for space analysis in large retail spaces, such as department stores or malls. Square footage and department-wise lists of fixtures and furniture in display areas, with corresponding dimensions, can be represented. This means that with the use of retail BIM modelling, a 3D view can be created that shows how potential objects interact. Retail space shown in 3D can also include paint, laminate and wall coverings, so that the 3D visualisation is a close representation of what the actual space may appear as.

Rendered images are important for retail companies in several ways. The benefits of 3D renderings include:

Realistic depiction of spaces

Allows executives to view and approve new sites

Ease and speed of creation

Useful for marketing and project approvals

Language barriers are minimised

Renders look uncluttered and attractive compared to 2D elevations

High-quality photorealistic renders are as good as photos Renders also provide flexibility, as elements can be altered quickly and easily. Some of the precise features of retail spaces that renders portray can predict the store experience. For example, a well-designed store entrance must create expectation and offer options. High quality renders help achieve this. Renders can show lighting, signage and displays. The retailer's image can be communicated through the kind of flooring and shelving used. For example, glass shelves and fixtures can suggest elegance. Smart lighting can improve how merchandise is displayed, thus contributing to increased sales. Walls can be used to store and display messages, and windows can be used to display the type of merchandise and market the image of the store.

A useful application of rendered images is by showcasing store layouts. Clients can be shown the basic layout of a retail space through 3D visualisation so that they can opt for a layout that enables a specific path for their customers. Essential design pointers for an effective layout include the width of walkways - wide enough for shopping carts (if necessary) and also for people to walk through without colliding. There are three basic types of retail layouts, and they can all be communicated through renders: grid layout, racetrack layout and free form layout.

The grid layout involves parallel aisles with display items on shelves on both sides, often used for bakeries, display of fruits, vegetables, clothing, electrical and electronics goods.

The racetrack, or loop, layout involves one major aisle that circles around the retail space to guide customers on a prescribed route.

A free form layout arranges shelves, fixtures and aisles asymmetrically, used primarily in smaller stores, specialty stores or sections within larger department stores.

Approvals from the client for design can be significantly influenced by detailed and effective rendering. Rendering of retail space can show shelving to the benefit of each customer. Shelving and displays should be clutter-free and such that customers can easily locate items. The details of furniture in retail areas, such as cash counters, shelves, storage spaces, display counters and their placement are key factors that influence sales, and showing these details through rendering can be useful for client approvals.

Another key feature of retail space that influences sales is lighting. Light placement and rendering for lighting at different times of the day and night can influence display locations for merchandise, and 3D rendering can show the differences in effect that various types of lights and their reflections can have in the same space on the same merchandise.

Renders can also be used as planograms. Planograms are images/maps created by retailers to decide where to place merchandise for maximum benefit and take into account lighting and shelving. The space needs to be visually appealing to increase customer purchases. These planograms can be easily created, tested and altered in the virtual environment provided by rendering.

Approvals & Decision-making

The use of 3D rendering services can also be useful to obtain executive approvals for new sites and for decision-making purposes. Here's why:

Competitive Edge

When the competition is fierce, a 3D visualisation of a project is almost as effective as a business card in that it represents and translates the uniqueness of the project. Presentation of work, past, ongoing and future, is a powerful tool. Rendering of high quality showcases design and enhances reputation.

High Quality Promotional Material

Promoting design intent is crucial for retail clients. Well-worked computer-generated images can represent interiors in greater clarity, influencing the decisions taken regarding placement and dimensions of furniture, flooring and wall finishes and coverings. Renders that promote branding can be included in brochures, pamphlets and other promotional material.

Multiple Views

Multiple views of the same space through renders can help show the complete picture and support decision-making.

Cost Effective

It costs much less to create a render than physical models, and since the renders are virtual they can be sent to a greater customer base.

Easy Changes

Customers frequently change their minds and rendered images can be quickly edited to suit customer requirements. The 3D renderings can be sent to the client for quick approvals and changes.

Focus on Key USPs

Renderings show accurate and realistic representations and can simultaneously highlight the key unique selling points of the merchandise.

With an array of advantages, photorealistic 3D rendered images can be a valuable asset for retail success. The use of BIM to create detailed rendered views of retail space featuring walls, lighting, furniture, shelving and layout options provides an extra edge in gaining approvals and in the fields of sales and marketing. Changes are easy to execute, and multiple views can be generated to enable more informed decision-making. Rendering, therefore, is of prime importance in the retail industry.

Kuldeep Bwail is a Director at XS CAD Limited, a leading pre-construction planning company providing 3D BIM Modeling to Homebuilders, Architects, Retailers, etc. operating in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Europe and India.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kecemburuan semacam ini

Jacey melemparkan cangkir kopi kaca, (Mug Kaca Berinsulasi Dinding Ganda Zwilling), melintasi dapur. Itu menghantam dinding yang baru dicat (Behr, Sweet Coconut Milk, M230), dan hancur menjadi triliunan kepingan. "Inilah yang telah kamu lakukan pada kami!" teriaknya, suaranya berderak karena cemburu, kuku jarinya yang terawat (Orly Cold As Ice - perawatan bernapas + warna) menusuk udara ke arah tumpukan puing-puing kaca. Blayne menundukkan kepalanya, dagu keduanya mengenai dadanya terlebih dahulu. "Maaf, sayang," gumamnya. "Maaf?! Maaf!" Dia mengambil sekotak Wheat Thins dan mengangkatnya di atas kepalanya. "Tolong jangan melempar yang lain!" Blayne memohon, berdiri dari posisi setengah duduk di bangku logam di dapur. Ini adalah bangku yang sangat tidak nyaman (Bangku Meja Grejsi dengan Bingkai Logam), tetapi Jacey menyukai cara logam itu memantulkan sinar matahari di sore hari, jadi itulah yang dia beli. Dia mencondongkan tubuh ke arahnya,...

Thirteenth step

My grandmother attends the church basement on Tuesday evenings. I saw him there among the metal folding chairs and antique coffee pots, his figure trembling under the fluorescent lights that buzzed like dying insects. She wears the same powder blue pullover she was buried in, the one with pearl buttons that catch the light like little moons. Others can't see it, of course. They just feel a sudden chill as they pass by where she is, or smell the ghostly smell of her Shalimar perfume mixing with the smell of burnt coffee that never leaves these rooms. But I see clearly. He's been following me to AA meetings for three months since I got my first white chip after five years of being back in the bottle. "Your grandmother was my godmother in 1985," old Pete told me after tonight's meeting, hands shaking as he poured a seven-pack of Sweet'n Low into his coffee. "Toughest godmother I ever had. She saved my life." "Mine, too," I said, not specif...

A-Z of Corporate Governance Law

Corporate governance law can be seen as the law that states the way a company is regulated and managed. Any student of law must have a clear idea about the corporate governance law. This article provides an insight into the law, along with its importance. Corporate governance law  describes how a company will be managed and governed. This topic is an important one for any student pursuing a degree in law. They may also receive academic papers to write on it. Hence, individuals should be clear about this law. The article aims at clarifying the idea behind the law and why it is important. What exactly is corporate governance law? A business is directed and controlled by the system of corporate governance. It is a process for governing a company, establishing the policies, customs, and laws for all employees, starting from the highest to the lowest levels. It states the distribution of responsibilities and rights among the various participants in a company like the di...