CMF (Color Material Finish) customization in the furniture field through advanced RTR visualization tools

Product customization is a deeply explored topic. It has been observed both from the point of view of the evolution of the markets and customers, requiring a more sophisticated offering; and from the point of view of the companies, describing customization as an opportunity leading to many consequences in the way they have to organize production, conceive products, and involve customers. A particularly important subject in this field, is the ‘surface’ customization of products, which is one of the most powerful factors of differentiation. If we assume the end-customer point of view, color cannot be considered separately, but it must be ‘attached’ to its material substrate and finish, in a combination that plays an important role in the qualification of products, which is leading many companies to look at CMF (Color, Material and Finish) as a relevant design research area. Since a satisfactory customization process normally requires a wide set of combinations of CMF, the use of traditional sales solutions does not fit the purpose. In the furniture field this problem is even stronger, due to the dimension of products and the impossibility to show all the combinations of CMF in retail spaces, which are normally equipped with small samples, that customers find difficult to relate to products imagining the final result. Virtual furniture design is a new concept of design method and process, considering the changing needs of customers in the digital era. In this paper we present an innovative application, combining virtual modeling and photorealistic visualization, in order to set up a new solution for the visualization of products, where virtual models can be placed in a 3D photorealistic environment to be shown to customers. In order to fully investigate the furniture design process, we developed our system in collaboration with B&B Italia - a recognized leader in contemporary furniture - using as case-study the Maxalto collection, designed by Antonio Citterio. The new system is based on high level 3D digital models, created for a RTR (real-time rendering) technology, in order to organize, display and browse in 3D interiors, achieving: 1. Photorealistic RTR visualization; 2. Simplification of the interior design process; 3. Easier comprehension of the space and mood by the end-customer; 4. Higher quality of the project; 5. Reduction of communication costs; 6. Quicker time-to-market. For the visualization of the 3D models we used the RTR commercial software Deltagen by Real Time Technology AG, the state of the art software for industrial design and automotive. This software house has been involved in the project, and gave support in specific features development. To make effective our system, a fundamental field of research was the improvement of standard OpenGL RTR quality concerning chromatic and tone color definition. To overcome visualization problems we implemented at top of our RTR system two solutions, working on chromatic and tone color definition: 1. Color management throughout the rendering pipeline by working within the context of the final space in which products will be shown; 2. Implementation of Greg Ward Larson Picture Perfect RGB Rendering technique.