Most redos in 3D aren't the artist's mistakes but things nobody said at the start: "we also need a black version", "the marketplace needs a vertical shot". A brief doesn't have to be long — it has to answer the right questions.
1. Where the result will be used
This is the key question: it decides the model's level of detail, the image sizes and even the angles. A marketplace listing, a website page, a print catalog, a trade-show stand, interactive viewing in a browser — list them all, even if only one is needed now. Why this affects the model is covered in What materials a 3D artist needs.
2. What we show
A list of items — SKUs, names — and variants: colors, configurations, sizes. If more items will come later, say so too: the model and scene will be set up so new ones line up with the first.
3. Angles
Describe the set of shots: front, three-quarter, side, a detail close-up. For a series, angles are set once — then the whole catalog looks consistent and a new product lines up with the old ones.
4. Background and light
- White: for catalogs and marketplaces.
- Transparent (PNG): if the image will be placed on different backdrops. The shadow then comes as a separate layer or not at all.
- Interior: to show the product where it's used.
- Colored studio: for covers and ads.
If your website already has designed product cards, send them: new images should sit next to them without a visible seam.
5. Size and format
Size in pixels and aspect ratio for each platform, plus the file format: JPEG, PNG, TIFF for print. If there are no exact requirements, just say where the image will go and the artist will pick the size.
6. References
Examples of images you like — yours or anyone else's — and, just as useful, ones you don't. Note what exactly you like: the light, the angle, the background, the mood. "Like Apple" with no explanation isn't a reference yet.
Brief template
Copy and fill in — even short answers beat empty lines:
Where it will be used:
Items and variants:
Angles:
Background and light:
Size and format:
References (like / dislike):
Source materials: drawings / CAD / photos / sample
Who approves the work:
What it looks like in practice
- KERMI: one angle grid for every item — front and back, side, three-quarter left and right, the connection unit, the thermostatic valve. A new item joins the catalog next to the old ones without a reshoot.
- FPV FRAME: identical angles for all four frames so the website catalog looks consistent.
- Prime Box: the website already had designed product cards, and the new renders were fitted into them without a visible seam.
Common mistakes
- "Make it look nice" without saying where the image goes.
- Remembering the color variants after the final render.
- Different angles for products in the same series.
- A reference with no note on what's good about it.
Checklist
- Every platform where the result will be used.
- Items and variants — now and planned.
- A set of angles, one per series.
- Background and light.
- Image sizes and file formats.
- References with notes.
- Which source materials you have.
- Who on the client side approves the work.
