Adobe MAX: Streamlining The Creative Process With 3D & Immersive Tech

Earlier this year, Adobe acquired 3D design company Allegorithmic.

The acquisition spelled the beginning of a new era for Adobe. By combining Allegorithmic’s Substance 3D design tools with Creative Cloud’s innovating imaging, video and motion graphic tools, Adobe positioned itself as one of the leading players in empowering video effects artists, designers and markets to deliver the next generation of immersive experiences.

Based in France, Allegorithmic has a diverse range of clients across gaming, e-commerce, advertising, design, retail and gaming industries, leading brands such as BMW, IKEA, Louis Vuitton and more.

Together, Allegorithmic and Adobe are transforming the way businesses create interactive content and experiences across Adobe’s Creative Cloud platform.

At the time of the acquisition, Adobe Creative Cloud chief product officer and executive VP Scott Belsky said: “We are seeing an increasing appetite from customers to leverage 3D technology across media, entertainment, retail and marketing to design and deliver fully immersive experiences.”

And, after attending Adobe’s annual MAX conference of creativity in Lose Angeles, B&T can confirm the future of 3D technology has well and truly arrived; a future where real and virtual creations combine.

As the marketplace of products and brands continues to proliferate at lightning pace, those who want to stand out need to find new ways of doing so. How? Through VR, AR and 3D content.

There’s a lot of talk about AR, VR and immersive experiences. Yet brands, agencies and marketers are slow off the mark to adopt these emerging technologies.

However, according to Adobe VP, 3D & Immersive Sébastien Deguy, it’s critical to brands’ future success.

Deguy says compelling and interactive experiences enabled by 3D content, VR and AR transforms traditional workflows into immersive and digital ones that streamline creative processes, reduce overheads and ultimately open the portal for new creative endeavours.

Using 3D tech is easier, cheaper and more effective 

How does 3D tech and immersive experiences benefit the marketing and advertising world? According to Deguy, there are multiple ways it can help. Using IKEA as an example, Deguy explained to B&T exactly how.

“The entire IKEA catalogue is fake images and renderings of 3D scenes. They used to have this gigantic photoshoot studio in Sweden, it was the second biggest in Europe. They would set the stages for a photoshoot, bring in all the furniture they wanted to shoot, place it in different areas with different lighting, different plants, products and so on.

“They’d take the picture, look at it and say, ‘No, we don’t like that’. So then more people had to come in and move all the furniture around again. It was labour and time-intensive.

“With 3D tech, with one click you can change the colour, the placement or angle. It’s that easy.”

Deguy also said using 3D tech makes it easy to customise content when selling in different regions.

“In one culture, a certain colour might mean death, so you don’t want that. But you don’t want to have to shoot different sofa colours for every different country you’re selling in, and that’s just one of the things that makes 3D tech so useful.”

Deguy said Adobe entry-point products like Dimension, Aero and Substance are all useful for marketers and agencies wanting to try their hand in immersive and 3D tech.

A tech-focused future is nothing without art, and vice versa 

As the world becomes increasingly tech-focused, there is a common argument that art and creativity will fall to the way-side. So should the future be led by art? Or should it be tech-led? Most people in the industry will argue one or the other. Yet according to Deguy, “Everybody’s wrong and everyone’s right.”

“Neither one or the other should lead. It’s both. When you pair them together, that’s where the magic happens.

“The current line of 3D tools, for example, are so technical. They just impose things, right? But vice versa, if you have artistic vision without the tools to convey it and turn it into reality, it’s meaningless.

“It’s a proper combination of the right visionary people, the right direction and the right tools that are flexible enough and creative enough to produce something interesting.”