One luminaire, 23 finishes per body: 529 combinations without a single photo
A demonstration project on a catalogue luminaire with two combinable bodies. Photographing every combination was not viable; in 3D the full matrix came out, with the same light and the same framing in every image.
Lifestyle, packshot and the same kitchen in two of the 32 scene finishes.
All 23 finishes, each with its views
Each finish applied to both bodies: in elevation, from below and hanging in the same kitchen, with the same light and the same framing. Change the viewpoint or tap a finish to see its sheet.
Neutrals
Earth tones
Warm
Cool
The problem
The luminaire is ordered in two bodies, and each body in 23 finishes. The catalogue says they can all be combined: 529 different products as far as images are concerned. No manufacturer photographs that. The usual approach is to show three or four combinations and a finish table in text, and leave the distributor to imagine the rest.
How it was done
The product was built once in 3D from its dimensions. Each finish was prepared as a parametric material — with its own texture, grain and roughness — instead of retouching image by image. From there, a script works through the body × body matrix and renders every combination in three image types: catalogue packshot on a neutral background, perspective and lifestyle scene.
The lifestyle scene was built once. The same kitchen serves the whole range: changing the finish means changing a parameter, not reshooting the set. That’s why combination number 400 costs the same as number 3.
What comes out of it
- All 529 combinations as packshots, all with the same light, the same framing and the same scale.
- Perspective and lifestyle images for the combinations you want to highlight on the website and in the catalogue.
- Files named by product and finish, ready to upload to the website or marketplace.
- New finishes added in the future go on top of what is already set up, without starting from scratch.
Who this is for
For any manufacturer of lighting, furniture or hardware with combinable products: body and shade, base and seat, lever and rose. When combinations run into the hundreds, photography doesn’t scale and product rendering does. Here is how the price is calculated.