Purpose

Objective

To create a fast, visually appealing render of a toaster I had previously drawn, focusing on accurately portraying the design with colors and materials.

Context

I had limited prior experience with Vizcom, having only used it for about half an hour in a class setting. This provided me with a basic understanding of its capabilities. I aimed for a polished version of my drawing rather than perfection, ensuring the final render effectively captured my vision.

Goals

  • Produce a visually striking render that enhances the original drawing.
  • Experiment with Vizcom’s settings to understand its influence on the final output.
  • Explore how different levels of drawing influence could affect the render.

Results

The final render successfully portrayed my toaster design, showcasing the intended colors and materials. Vizcom’s ability to interpret and enhance the drawing worked well, especially when experimenting with its influence settings. However, challenges included the persistence of pencil lines from the original drawing and difficulties using a custom material image.

What Worked Well

  • Vizcom effectively enhanced my drawing with accurate colors and materials when provided with clear prompts.
  • The platform allowed for creative exploration by generating variations of the toaster concept while maintaining the same style and perspective.

Challenges and Limitations

  • Custom material uploads didn’t integrate well, limiting their usefulness in the project.
  • Adjusting the settings to minimize pencil lines while maintaining fidelity to the drawing took some trial and error.

Process

Step 1: Starting the Project

I began by uploading my hand-drawn toaster design to Vizcom. To guide the rendering process, I included the following prompt:

“A toaster made from wood and plastic. The wood is a light wood and the plastic is a pastel yellow color. Buttons and metal parts should be black.”

I also attempted to upload a 3D render of the toaster as a material for Vizcom to use. However, this feature did not work as expected, and the initial renders retained the pencil lines from my drawing.
Render with drawing influence 80% and material influence 80% Render with drawing influence 85% and material influence 70%

Step 2: Refining the Project

Switching strategies, I used Vizcom’s built-in material option, “Vizcom General V2,” while keeping the same prompt. I experimented with different levels of drawing influence:

  • 100% Influence: Too faithful to the original drawing, with awkward renderings caused by pencil lines.
    Render with drawing influence 100% using vizcom general v2 material

  • 85% and 65% Influence: Produced appealing results but still didn’t fully meet my vision.
    Render with drawing influence 80% using vizcom general v2 material Render with drawing influence 65% using vizcom general v2 material

  • 50% Influence: Generated a polished render, but it diverged significantly from the original drawing, retaining only the perspective and layout.
    Render with drawing influence 50% using vizcom general v2 material

Step 3: Finalizing the Output

For the final render, I adjusted the influence to 60% while retaining the same prompt and material setting. This balance allowed Vizcom to stay true to the drawing’s essence while creating a clean and visually pleasing render. The result aligned closely with my vision and was the most satisfying output.
Render with drawing influence 60% using vizcom general v2 material

Lessons Learned

My experience with Vizcom highlighted both its strengths and areas for improvement. The platform’s user-friendly interface and flexible settings made it an excellent tool for transforming a basic drawing into a polished render. Its ability to generate variations of the original design was particularly useful for brainstorming and exploring creative concepts. However, the process was not without its challenges. Custom material uploads did not work effectively for me, limiting the scope of personalization I had hoped to achieve. Additionally, the persistence of pencil lines from the original drawing required significant experimentation with influence settings to strike the right balance between accuracy and aesthetics. For future projects, I would focus on leveraging Vizcom’s built-in materials and experimenting with its parameters to refine the results. Overall, Vizcom proved to be a valuable asset, though a better understanding of its limitations and quirks is essential for maximizing its potential.

Summary

Vizcom met my expectations by creating a high-quality render that improved upon my original drawing. While there were some challenges, particularly with custom materials and drawing influence, the platform’s strengths in creativity and flexibility make it a valuable tool for design projects. I would recommend Vizcom to others for similar tasks and encourage users to experiment with its settings for the best results.