Bauducco Panettone

The problem and the goal

During my period with Notan 3D Studio, advertising agency AlmapBBDO commissioned us to render a photorealistic digital illustration for their bakery client Bauducco.

The art director already had a clear image and provided us with a couple of rough illustrations.

The concept: a Christmas scene made out of models "cut and assembled from a Bauducco Panettone opened paper package".

I was in charge of sketching and modeling basic shapes for the characters running around the Christmas scene, while six other artists handled the buildings and kitchen background.

Once the client signed off on everything, we used those models to set up the shot.

The panettone loaf itself was the only physical element. We integrated it, along with a cut slice, directly into the digital scene we were building.

Art directors usually have a pretty clear vision of what they want the final piece to look like. So, the first step is to dive into the agency's rough layout and sketches, figure out what they're going for, and try to capture that core vibe.

Materials exploration

Even before you start modeling, it's best to surround yourself with as many references as you can find for different materials, textures, and colors.

We usually pull generic reference images online and run some studio tests to use as visual guides for the next steps.

Shapes

Studies and general shape modeling go hand in hand, with details added as you go. A handy 3D modeling trick is to turn on a reflective surface display, which makes it much easier to spot where shapes need a little extra polish.

Lighting the scene

While shaping the general forms, we drop a few lights into the scene. These virtual lights are physically correct - meaning they simulate light just like a real-world photo studio. That lets us dial everything in so it matches the vibe of the original sketches.

Composing steps

Just like most design work, CGIs go through a tons of iterations before reaching the final render. Different artists build different elements and pull them into a shared file. Adjustments are slow by design - the software has to crunch heavy calculations for the light, materials, and lens distortion. So, even simple test renders can take hours.

Once the basic 3D objects are arranged and rendered, the output files head over to Photoshop. We layer them together for post-production: color-correcting, aligning, touching up, cleaning, and blending everythign into a cohesive whole.

We keep tweaking and polishing the final image until it looks like it was shot in a real photography studio.

Colors and textures are made by combining together dozens of settings for each object (like reflectiveness, roughness, environment lighting, light bounce from objects around). Fine-tuning all these variables and finding a balance is the secret to get the desired final image.

Conclusion • Learnings

What seemed like a straightforward project took a bit of a turn near the end. Stripping all the color from the elements meant the client's new rewuest added some extra time for the studio.

This whole experience just reaffirmed our workflow, which already builds in regular check-ins with the client to make sure the project keeps moving in lockstep with their expectations.