Background
Create striking, high-visibility product visuals that authentically capture the transparency and color vibrancy of the new Hi-Vis helmet.
or KAV’s Hi-Vis helmet launch, the primary focus was to highlight the bold, high-visibility color palette. This required a complete reevaluation of our existing rendering pipeline for the original helmet models. We rebuilt the shaders from the ground up, with a strong emphasis on capturing the semi-transparent nature of the new materials. To achieve this, we introduced subtle composition adjustments to preserve authenticity and showcase the interplay between the bright shells and the intricate hex structure beneath.
A major technical challenge was adapting our lighting approach to accommodate how light behaves with these materials. After experimenting with multiple setups, we developed a composite rendering process that utilized two lighting configurations: one for maintaining the sharp, consistent highlights across the base renders, and another to accentuate the curvature and transparency of the shells. These passes were composited to form the final look, ensuring both clarity and visual impact.
The final asset set for this launch included product renders, detailed material close-ups, teaser imagery, teaser animations, and a short commercial that anchored the launch campaign. This project served as both a creative and technical exploration, pushing adaptability and problem-solving to the forefront.
Conclusion & Reflection
This project challenged our adaptability as we reimagined our render setup to capture the Hi-Vis model’s unique properties. By rebuilding shaders and crafting a dual-lighting composite workflow, we maintained the clean, consistent look of KAV’s brand while elevating the sense of depth, curvature, and material realism. The results not only showcased the helmet’s visual appeal but also provided a repeatable process for future material launches requiring similar transparency-focused approaches.