Case Study

Visualizing Architectural Lighting

We delivered photorealistic animation and imagery that showcased XAL's MTA office lighting range across realistic environments, giving their sales team versatile marketing assets for engaging architects and specifiers internationally.

Client:

XAL

Year:

2022

Industry:

Architectural Lighting

Services:

3D Animation

Product Visualization

Marketing Imagery

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Client:

XAL

Year:

2022

Industry:

Architectural Lighting

Services:

3D Animation

Product Visualization

Marketing Imagery

Executive Summary

XAL, an Austrian manufacturer of architectural lighting systems, needed comprehensive visual assets to launch their MTA office lighting range. The challenge was demonstrating product versatility across different office environments while conveying the ambiance that quality architectural lighting creates. We delivered animation and imagery that equipped their sales team with tools for engaging architects and specifiers across international markets.

Digital Bunch Solution

We built detailed 3D models from technical STP files and designed contemporary office environments as contextual backdrops. Dedicated product accuracy review ensured correct modeling and materials matching real products. The one-minute animation combined lifestyle shots in realistic settings with exploded technical views, structured to enable easy social media segment extraction. We achieved meticulous control over virtual light behavior, delivering assets that demonstrate how the MTA range performs in professional spaces.

XAL needed product visualization demonstrating lighting performance across diverse office applications while supporting catalog distribution and digital marketing.

When your product is light itself, visualization must achieve the same measurement precision manufacturers apply in their laboratories to avoid undermining the value proposition being sold.

Understanding what really mattered for XAL

XAL tests luminaires with goniophotometers for luminous flux, EMC chambers for compatibility, and color temperature in ISO 9001 labs. The MTA range showcases this rigor with removable covers and modular options in Meta Circle 160 and Meta Square fixtures, demonstrating versatility in workspaces and meeting rooms.

Challenge

XAL controls every production step in-house, from tight bending radii to automated assembly systems. Their laboratory testing confirms specifications that define product performance. The MTA range needed visual assets for catalogs, marketing materials, and social media that showcased this sophistication across different office applications. Poorly lit CGI undermines lighting products because rendering quality directly contradicts the illumination quality being promoted.

Solution

Using moodboards from XAL as foundation, we designed office interiors set in late afternoon light showing fixtures at work with warm, balanced illumination against fading daylight. We focused on realistic light falloff, accurate color rendering, and carefully balanced exposures. The animation showcased all four MTA products with structure enabling individual segment extraction for digital channels while combining environment integration with technical feature demonstrations.

Dagmara Kowalik

CEO & Co-Founder

Lighting products present a unique visualization challenge because you're rendering the very thing the client manufactures. When technical accuracy determines whether visualization supports or undermines the product's value proposition, you need laboratory-level precision in virtual environments. That's where architectural understanding becomes essential.

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Success Factors

We approached the project as building marketing infrastructure serving multiple channels while maintaining technical accuracy matching XAL's laboratory testing standards.

Animation Architecture for Multi-Channel Deployment

The one-minute structure showcased the complete MTA range while enabling easy segment extraction. This gave XAL comprehensive presentation tools alongside targeted social media content without additional production costs. Lifestyle integration showed realistic office applications while exploded views highlighted magnetic removable covers and modular customization options. The dual-purpose approach eliminated need for separate production cycles across different marketing channels.

Late Afternoon Environmental Context

Timing provided ideal demonstration backdrop with warm, balanced fixture illumination against fading daylight. Contemporary office interiors gave design professionals recognizable contexts showing how products integrate into open workspaces and meeting rooms. This environmental strategy demonstrated the MTA range performing in conditions where architectural lighting delivers maximum value. The contextual approach made integration possibilities immediately clear for architects and specifiers.

Product Accuracy Through Technical Review

Dedicated review process ensured every modeled element matched XAL specifications precisely. Materials faithfully reflected physical products from fixture finishes to component details. This foundation was essential for CGI serving as sales tools for specifiers demanding accuracy. The modeling translated STP files into photorealistic assets while maintaining engineering precision XAL applies throughout their production process.

Virtual Light Behavior Control

Realistic light falloff and accurate color rendering demonstrated the MTA range's illumination capabilities authentically. Control over virtual light behavior matched precision XAL demands in their ISO 9001-certified laboratories. We focused on carefully balanced exposures that let the fixtures demonstrate performance without approximation. This technical rigor was fundamental for marketing assets representing products whose value proposition rests on lighting quality.

Looking Forward: Supporting Future Launches

The visualization approach established reusable framework for future XAL product launches. Technical precision and animation architecture can be applied to additional product lines, enabling consistent visual communication as their catalog evolves.