Smarter AM
Smarter AM Coffee Machine.
How XO3D made one consistent set of CGI product images for Smarter AM’s flagship coffee machine: hero renders, three colourways and an exploded view, made for product pages, marketing and paid media.
The Brief
Consistent product imagery for a smarter morning.
This is a 2021 XO3D case study of product images made for Smarter AM’s coffee machine, not a product listing or buying guide.
The coffee machine sits in Smarter AM’s connected-home range alongside the iKettle and Fridge Cam. On this project the team’s existing product photography was inconsistent from one view to the next, and they wanted coherent product views instead.
They asked for one visual language across the set: hero shots, multi-angle views, three colourways and an exploded view, delivered as high-resolution masters that could be cropped and reused.
We made the set in CGI: brand-led lighting, photoreal materials and a render library made for web, paid social, retail listings and PR, with the same lighting from one image to the next.
Project answer
Why use CGI for this project?
- What we made
XO3D created a high-resolution CGI library for Smarter AM's connected coffee machine.
- Why CGI
The existing product photography was inconsistent from view to view, so CGI was used to keep the lighting, finish and framing aligned across angles, colourways and the exploded view.
- What was delivered
Smarter AM received hero imagery, three colourways, multi-angle renders and an exploded view, made for product pages, paid media, retail and PR.
The Work
From hero still to exploded view, one render library.
A complete product render library: hero stills, multi-angle views, three full colourways and an exploded view, all produced from one Master Asset so the lighting and finish match from view to view. The uses named in each caption are the uses the images were made for; this page does not record where each one ran.
A flagship still that sets the brand standard.
A straight front view in the grey finish: the bean hopper on top, the display panel and the glass jug, on a white background. The front view is the clearest single read of the product, so it was made as the lead image for the product page and paid media.
Modular components, made obvious.
An art-directed exploded visual. The machine tips back, the glass jug and the hopper lid lift away and coffee beans spill from the hopper. It shows how the main parts relate in one frame. It is a marketing image, not an assembly or servicing guide.
A clean technical view for spec and marketing.
A raised three-quarter view that shows the front and one side at once, with the full bean hopper visible. It was made for feature graphics, spec sheets and comparison content.
Premium presence, low-angle hero.
A three-quarter view from a lower camera. It makes the machine look taller and shows the brushed side panel. It was made for the homepage and launch campaigns.
A precision side view for PDP and lifestyle.
A side view showing the brushed steel panel, the water level window and the jug handle. It uses the same lighting as the hero, and was made for product page tiles, comparison grids and lifestyle compositing.
Colourways
Three finishes, one consistent visual language.
Black, grey and white, rendered from the same source assets with matched lighting, framing and finish. Drop-in ready for product pages, retail listings and paid social.
Client Review
“We worked with Alex and Thomas and the quality of the work delivered was superb. Great service and great results. I would highly recommend XO3D.”
BrunoDigital Marketing Manager, Smarter AM
Bruno’s review is of the work and service on this project. It is not a measured sales result.
Process
Greycard to final, locking lighting before materials.
Every angle was first reviewed in greycard. Locking lighting, composition and camera work before final materials kept the Smarter AM team in control of approvals and made the final render predictable, on-brand and right first time.
Resolution and reuse
What the masters can and cannot do.
The images on this page are 1920 by 1920 pixel web copies. The deliverables were high-resolution masters for cropping and reuse; this page does not record their exact pixel size. How far a master can be cropped depends on that size and on the composition. A new angle, a much larger print or an animation needs new rendering from the 3D source, and is scoped as further work. Reuse rights follow the project agreement.
Your project
Brief a stills project.
If you need a set like this for your own product, these are the things to decide first.
- The product revision the images should show
- An approved source: CAD, drawings or a physical sample
- Finish references for each colourway
- The audience and the channels the images are for
- The views you need: front, side, three-quarter, exploded
- The deliverables: sizes, formats and any transparent backgrounds
- Who approves the images
Scope product stills or prepare the brief. Related work: see the iKettle project, the Fridge Cam project and portable coffee-machine work, or explore home-appliance CGI. Each project has its own scope and credits.
Credits
The team behind the work.
Your next project
A brief of your own.
Use the Smarter AM Coffee Machine project as a reference for the decisions you want to discuss. Identify the product detail, camera treatment or explanation that matters to your own audience, then scope the new work around your product.
A route to consider
Product CGI Films
A product film developed through creative treatment, storyboard, animatic, product review and final picture and sound.
Bring these three things.
- What is useful about the Smarter AM Coffee Machine reference?
- What is different about your product?
- Where and when does the work need to appear?
Start with an outline. We review the product, intended outputs and timing before agreeing the production scope.
Related work
More from the studio.
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