Visually impressive 3D animations capture attention, convince with their realism, and make complex topics easy to understand. In sales and marketing, they are an impactful and cost effective visualization method. In this blog, we explain how 3D animations can improve sales, marketing, and brand image. We also show how they help your company stand out from competitors and strengthen the customer experience.
Where can you use 3D animations?
Impressive 3D animations work as effective marketing content and sales support material. You can use 3D animations in face to face and online meetings or webinars. You can also share them across various digital channels to maximize their reach and impact. Below are a few examples of how they are used:
1. In sales meetings as engaging presentations to spark conversation and ensure the client understands the value of the product. The client sees directly how the product works and what benefits it offers. This helps them make a purchase decision faster. After the meeting, the animation is easy to share as a YouTube link.
2. On websites and product pages embedded as dynamic and striking presentations. Moving images and realistic effects make the product more concrete and interesting than simple diagrams or photographs.
3. In social media and online advertising as visually strong, entertaining, and short clips that might be sped up. These stand out in the social feed, stop the scrolling, and invite viewers to take a closer look.
4. In email marketing and newsletters to bring extra power to the communication and improve the clarity of the message. An example is a 3D animation showing how a new product works or highlighting its special features.
5. At trade shows and events. 3D animations and interactive demos running on touch screens catch the attention of visitors. They allow people to explore the content independently and bring extra value to customer encounters.
6. In interactive presentations and virtual showrooms. 3D animations can be combined with other content to create realistic product experiences and immersive brand environments.
You can also use 3D animations in digital user manuals, installation guides, or when introducing new employees and sales teams to the products.
How and why does 3D animation stand out?
I jämförelse med traditionella videor och foton erbjuder 3D-animation flera fördelar:
1. Visual impact and realism
- Photorealism and the precise control of light, shadows, textures, and movement create a lively result in 3D animations. This catches the attention of the viewer and makes the content memorable.
2. Clarifying complex concepts
- You can clearly illustrate technical products, internal structures, operating mechanisms, and installation processes. You can present the different components of a product layer by layer. 3D animation also makes it possible to illustrate abstract concepts.
3. Flexibility and scalability
- The same 3D content can be shared across different channels and media formats. These include video animations, short clips, still images, GIFs, AR applications, interactive presentations, and virtual showrooms.
- You can create multiple versions of the same animation. These can range from highly technical presentations to commercial sales material or short social media content.
4. Unlimited creative possibilities
- 3D animations bring a new dimension to visual communication. They enable 360 degree views of products, transparencies, and exploded views. You can also integrate a product configurator into them.
- Colors, materials, and environments can be changed instantly according to the needs of the client.
- The production does not depend on physical shooting conditions, lighting, or camera equipment.
5. Interactive customer experience
- The client can rotate the 3D model and examine it from different angles. This makes it easier and faster for them to absorb information.
- You can add various interactive elements to the 3D animation to provide more details about the product, its benefits, and its usage.
6. Cost efficiency and time savings
- 3D animation allows you to market a product before it is physically manufactured. Showing different product variations is easy without needing physical prototypes.
- Once the material is produced, you can easily update and modify it without organizing new video shoots.
7. Internationally scalable marketing
- 3D animations cross language barriers and work well in global markets.
- Visual communication appeals directly to the viewer and makes the purchase decision easier.
How are 3D animations made and priced?
The production process of a 3D animation progresses in stages. First, we hold a design sprint with the client to define the goals, target audience, use cases, main message, other guidelines, and any available 3D or CAD files. After this, we create a precise concept and script for the 3D content and design the visual style in detail. Once the direction is clear, we model the necessary elements, animate them, and finalize the whole package with audio and other effects.
A transparent production process gives the client an up to date view of where the project stands. It also provides the opportunity to give flexible feedback and additional instructions.
The duration and price of the project depend on the length of the animation, the visual style, the amount of detail, and the available source materials. The production of a short 3D animation takes from a few weeks to a couple of months. More complex projects can require more time. The price of a 3D animation can start from 2,000 euros and go up to tens of thousands of euros. Regarding production time and cost, it is important to optimize the content for its intended use. We figure out what length, level of detail, and visual style are sufficient. At Stereoscape, an agile production network ensures a cost effective result, fast delivery, and the right quality for the right purpose.
How have Stereoscape clients utilized 3D animations?
Stereoscape has produced several visually impressive 3D animations that our clients have used across various applications and distribution channels. We have used 3D to create animations for products, services, production lines, processes, and installations. We have also built product configurators as well as AR and VR experiences. We have illustrated supply chains, visualized abstract phenomena, and produced inspiring animations of future concepts that are still on the drawing board. The same content has been edited into versions for trade shows, client showrooms, websites, campaign pages, and social media channels.
For example, the animation “Stainless steel for Oil and Gas industry applications” that we produced for Outokumpu has already gathered over 60,000 views on YouTube. The impressive installation animation for BEMAC The Switch is also used in their marketing. Vaisala product animations accurately replicate product details while remaining visually impressive.
SMARTSCAPE browser based interactive presentations
An interactive presentation running on a browser can be built affordably around a 3D model. This allows the client to rotate the model at their own pace and examine its details. The details can be highlighted with camera movements and complemented with texts, product information cards, videos, illustrations, or links leading to the client website. An AR experience can also be embedded into the interactive presentation. Stereoscape has developed the SMARTSCAPE solution for this purpose. It allows us to build impressive interactive presentations quickly and affordably.
The 3D content can even be further developed into a complete virtual showroom. Here the company can present its entire offering to clients in an immersive, unique, and memorable space. Creating an interactive VR experience is also much more straightforward and affordable when part of the 3D environment is already modeled for the animation. We can also turn a 3D modeled animation into immersive 360 videos that illustrate physical spaces. Alternatively, we can integrate 3D content into a 360 video shot in the real world. We did this for the presentation of the Outokumpu steel plant in Tornio. The hottest part of the process was impossible to film with a camera, so we showed it using a 3D animation.
The client keeps the content library
We work closely with our clients. It is important to us that the assets used to produce the animation remain with the buyer. This ensures they can continue updating the 3D animation either by themselves or with a partner of their choice. The animation content can be updated by adding new equipment, logos, information panels, texts, and other elements.
We can take still images from different angles or render short videos from the 3D environment and the products within it. This creates a digital content library. The sales and marketing teams can then use this library to share content on social media or use the images in print ads. This provides a cost effective way to get versatile marketing material for several different purposes.
How can you start using 3D animations?
The best way to get started is to contact our team and book a remote meeting. Our experienced professionals will tell you about the possibilities of 3D animations, share the best production practices, and answer any questions you might have.
