How to Startup Can Deepfake Household Products Into
The e-commerce industry spends a lot of time and energy and tries to get the public interested in its merchandise and traditionally involves spending cash on photography: taking good pictures of your products usually leads users to scroll through your page Is the best way to do it. On the likes of Amazon or Shopify. But photos may soon look old-fashioned, as companies invest in more “interactive” strategies to grab users’ interest.
Startup CGTrader is a good example. The company, which recently raised $ 9.5 million in a Series B funding round, is part of a blossoming industry that looks at augmented reality and computer-generated imagery to enhance online marketing. CGTrader reproduces images of home products and devices for e-commerce vendors, an important distinction between them and old-fashioned photographs: images that they are not actually real. Or at least not in the traditional sense.
Take a look at the picture of the interior of a modern home below – which was constructed entirely through CGTrader’s flagship “ARsenal” venture platform.
Yes, call it Deepfac-efication of Product Visuals. You may have seen more and more online retailers, who are reproducing the pictures above (most notably, IKEA recently revealed that most of the pictures in its catalog are actually CGI). Indeed, in recent years, firms have rushed to invest in marketing tools that can encourage new types of user engagement, while reducing corporate costs by outsourcing computer-generated production to human labor (Although there is some debate as to how effective these are. The tools are always there).
In the case of CGTrader, the images it creates are 3D, allowing users to observe the products 360 degrees. The products can also be seen in so-called “lifestyle scenes” (computer-generated home interiors like the one above the computer) so that users can view the products in realistic settings – to customize or move them as they want With the option. The company also maintains a large database of “stock” 3D image designs that can be integrated into the company’s marketing strategies.
Perhaps the most impressive are CGTrader’s claims about creating an AR experience for consumers. The way it works is this: Sellers send CG Trader pictures of their products, which the firm then uses to create 3D photolleristic designs of the said products. These designs can then be integrated into mobile and tablet-based AR experiences, in which consumers can visualize whether the product will look good in their products or not:
And it gets so weird! Watch the video under a bottle of wine sitting at a kitchen table that is definitely not really there. So just imagine where this technology can happen in a year or two:
CGTrader was founded in 2011 by former 3D designer Marius Kalytis (who now serves as the firm’s chief operating officer) and longtime entrepreneur Dalia Lasaite. The startup has sparked financial interest over the past several years – significant funding rounds with large venture capital firms. It also experienced a swollen customer base, including the likes of Nike, Microsoft, Shopify, Crate & Barrel, and other large companies.
“3D models are not only widely used in professional 3D industries, but have become a more convenient and cost-effective way to generate amazing product visuals for e-commerce. With our Arsenal enterprise platform, it is ten times cheaper to create photorealistic 3D visuals that are indistinguishable with photos. Unlike photographs, 3D models can be used not only to create static images, but also to have highly interactive AR experiences when users can see how products look and fit in their home. Traditional photography is rapidly becoming outdated in e-commerce. “
