Product Visualisation
Photoreal CGI for products, packaging and furniture. Working in 3D gives full control over materials, lighting and variants, and means marketing imagery can be ready before a product is manufactured or photographed.
Belstaff Coffee Packaging Animation
A short product animation for Belstaff's coffee range, developed around the brand's campaign photography from a shoot with David Beckham.
We recreated the coffee bag in 3D, which gave us full control over lighting, camera movement, materials and finish while staying true to the original packaging design. The finished animation gives the bag a tactile, high-quality feel that matches the rugged character of the campaign.
Savoir Beds Cutaway CGI
Savoir Beds commissioned a cutaway visualisation of a new bed design, showing the construction hidden beneath the surface.
The CGI reveals each layer of the mattress and base, from the hand-finished upholstery to the natural fillings, springs and timber frame. A view like this would be very difficult to achieve with photography, and it lets the craftsmanship be explained in a single image.
Benetti Superyacht Saloon CGI
Interior CGI of the main saloon on a Benetti superyacht, part of our wider superyacht work. The image shows the space finished and at dusk, with the lounge and dining area read as one room.
Fabrics, timber, lacquer and glass are rendered closely, along with the concealed and recessed lighting, so the finishes can be judged as they would appear on board.
bulthaup Kitchen CGI, London
Kitchen CGI for a London property, showing a bulthaup kitchen specified as part of the interior design scheme. The room has traditional detailing, with a deep cornice, wall panelling and a bay window.
Full-height timber veneer joinery runs across the back wall around a lit glazed display cabinet, with a large marble island in front. The image shows how the new kitchen sits within the character of the existing room.
Zip HydroTap Installation CGI
A series of product visualisations for Zip Water, showing the Zip HydroTap and Command Centre installed in a contemporary kitchen.
The CGI shows how the tap, under-counter unit and supporting components fit within the cabinetry, making the relationship between the visible tap and the concealed equipment below easy to follow. Imagery like this is useful for specification, sales and installation guidance, where clarity matters as much as presentation.
Crown Imperial Ashton Kitchen CGI
Kitchen CGI for Crown Imperial's Ashton range, a traditional British kitchen with raised and fielded panels, solid frames and canopy hood options.
The image pairs two of the range's 22 painted shades: soft green on the island and base units, with warm cream on the wall and tall units. It shows the range as a complete, lived-in country kitchen, with the finishes, panelling and worktops seen together in natural light.
INEOS America's Cup Coffee Packaging Animation
A product animation of proposed coffee packaging for INEOS Team UK, created as part of an America's Cup campaign concept.
Building the packaging in 3D meant it could be shown from several angles and presented to stakeholders as a finished design before production. The dark graphic treatment, technical linework and Union Jack detailing connect the coffee brand to the performance and British identity of the sailing team.
Product Visualisation for Brands and Manufacturers
Product visualisation lets a brand show a product clearly, accurately and consistently, including before it has been manufactured or photographed. Charles Roberts Studios has been producing CGI since 1995, and our product work covers furniture, packaging, appliances, technical products and premium consumer goods.
This page explains what product CGI is, when it works better than photography, how we build it and what you need to supply.
What is product visualisation?
Product visualisation is the production of photoreal imagery and animation from a 3D model rather than a physical object. We build the product accurately, develop its materials and finishes, then light and compose the image as a photographer would.
The result looks like photography but is more controllable. Lighting, camera position, backgrounds, reflections and composition can all be adjusted without a studio set, and the same model can be used again.
When product CGI is the better choice
CGI is most useful in a few common situations.
The product does not exist yet. Using CAD data, drawings, reference photography or design information, we can create finished marketing imagery while a product is still in development. This supports launches, early sales conversations, investor presentations, brochures and digital campaigns without waiting for a prototype or final manufacture.
The product comes in many versions. Colours, finishes and configurations can be shown without recreating a set or organising repeated photoshoots. A consistent visual style is easier to hold across a whole range.
The product needs a setting. A bed may need to be shown in a bedroom, an appliance in a kitchen, or a technical product in a carefully considered interior. Because we create both the product and its surroundings, we control the whole image.
The imagery has to be reused. A well-built model can serve a campaign, then a catalogue, then next year's variant.
Photography still has its place, particularly where the physical object and its real-world texture are the point of the image. Many brands use both, and we are happy to say which suits a particular product.
Products in realistic environments
Most of our work started in architectural and interior visualisation, and that background is useful here. Rooms, lighting and materials are things we model every day, so product settings can be built to support the product rather than compete with it. Kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and other interior settings can be created from scratch or developed from a designer's scheme.
Reusable 3D assets
A completed 3D product model is a long-term marketing asset. The same model can be used for:
- hero product images
- lifestyle imagery
- brochures and websites
- animations
- social media
- technical or cutaway visuals
- future campaigns and product variants
For brands with several products, finishes or configurations, this is where the value builds up. The model is built once and adapted, rather than recreated for each new image.
How we work
We begin by understanding the product, the audience and how the imagery will be used. That decides how much detail the model needs and what kinds of image to produce.
The product is then modelled accurately from supplied CAD data, drawings or reference material. Materials and finishes are developed to match the real product. Lighting, camera position and environment are composed and shown for approval.
Once approved, the final images or animation are rendered and refined in post-production.
What to send us
The more accurate the information, the more accurate the result. Useful material includes CAD data, technical drawings, reference photography, material and finish samples or specifications, brand guidelines and examples of the style you have in mind. If you only have part of this, send what you have and we will advise on what is missing.
Product CGI and AI
AI image tools can be useful for moodboards and early creative exploration. Product marketing usually needs more control than that.
CGI works from exact product information. Proportions are preserved, materials are controlled and brand guidelines can be followed precisely. For real products, especially premium or technical ones, the image needs to be faithful to the product, not just attractive.
Frequently asked questions
Can you create product imagery before a prototype exists?
Yes. We can work from CAD data, drawings and design information to produce finished imagery while the product is still in development.
Can the same model be used for animation?
Yes. Once the model is built it can be used for stills, animation, cutaway visuals and variants of the product.
Can you show the product in different colours or finishes?
Yes. Colours, finishes and configurations can be shown from the same model without recreating a physical set.
Do you only work on products, or can you create the room as well?
We can create the product and its surroundings together. Interior and architectural settings are a core part of what we do.
What do you need to get started?
CAD data, drawings or reference photography, plus an idea of how the images will be used. We can advise on the rest.
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