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Bojan Jancic
Bojan Jancic
Business Development & Co-Founder @kaiserbold

The Tricky Business of Catching Cultural Nuances in 3D Renders

What do 3D renders have in common with Japanese toilets? Stick around.

Believe it or not, there is an entire cultural concept around Japanese toilets. The land of the rising sun is known for its strong moral code in which the core lies respect. Just think of their warrior tradition and the legacy of Samurais, and you’ll get the grip.

Japanese have unique social customs and etiquette that differ from Western civilization. This is just fascinating to outsiders. But who would have known that this cultural code also permeates the world of our hygiene habits?

You can find literature and online resources about how dozens of different types of bows are also incorporated into how toilets are designed. For instance, sensor-fueled lids automatically open and close depending on your proximity to the bathroom. In a way, the lid bows and welcomes you to your throne.

The seat gets heated to the most comfortable temperature. You can even wash your bottom and choose the intensity of the stream thanks to the high-tech bidets. Or you can listen to the soothing sounds while you… Well, do your thing.

So, why are we speaking about the way Japanese people poop?

This is to illustrate the cultural diversity, show how rich the world is in that sense, and point out a vivid and interesting world outside of the West.


These cultural nuances play their role when we at Kaiserbold create 3D renders for our clients from across the globe. 
This makes perfect sense because they want to appeal to different audiences.

Depending on our client’s country, they might give additional requests for some of the components on the 3D renders. These can include anything from the type of weather, clothes that people wear, and even the races of the people that appear in the renders.

3D Renders Always Take the Weather with Them

In our experience, most clients will ask for bright, sunny renders that reflect summer or springtime – especially in the case of commercial real estate renders. People are naturally drawn to these images because they evoke happiness, enjoyment, and a sense of peace. Just think about the moment you wake up and how you feel when it’s a gloomy, rainy day instead of when sun rays crawl through your blinds.

However, what you just read is a generalization. Here’s why.

Our 
Scandinavian clients sometimes ask for bright and sunny 3D renders, but more often – they seek a different kind of mood. You’ve undoubtedly heard about how much sunlight they get during different seasons. For instance, in the midwinter, southern areas of Norway are likely to get 5-6 hours of sunlight a day. In contrast, the northern parts get even less or none (depending on the time of the year).

This is why they will ask for less bright 3D renders without direct sunlight or even subtle grayish tones to reflect the reality of their typical weather. Otherwise, it may seem artificial.

In contrast, let’s look at our 
Middle East clients. They often request their 3D renders show dusk because that’s their most pleasant part of the day and evokes positive emotions among buyers.

When it Comes to 3D Renders, Clothes Do Make the Man

Depending on the type of project, it’s also essential to get the people’s clothing right. For instance, if we’re doing 3D renders that showcase a modern business club, it’s not recommended to insert fully formally dressed people wearing suits and ties. Clients want to present the authentic atmosphere of these types of spaces, which are places people attend wearing business casual attire.

They want just the right amount of “high-end style” – not stiff, corporate suits walking around. 

Unfortunately, we noticed that 
ageism is very present when creating 3D renders for business spaces and commercial real estate. Ageism refers to discrimination against seniors and stereotyping people based on their age. We could write an entire article about what’s wrong with society’s fear of getting old and even the disgust most people feel about the notion, but that’s a whole different topic.

Of course, we give the client what they want, it’s their 3D renders, but it’s almost always young characters. It could be about reaching the right target group, maybe it’s about our eternal quest for the fountain of youth or a belief that younger people are always prettier and more energetic. Who knows.

3D Renders and Race of the Characters

This is a touchy subject, so a disclaimer from us at Kaiserbold in advance: we believe all people are created equal and that love is love. We’re just sharing our experience working with clients from different locations.

Although 
requesting specific races in 3D renders might seem odd, it’s actually not that uncommon. Clients want their target audience to have a chance to identify with the image, or they’re simply adjusting it to make it fit with its geographical surroundings.

For instance, 
our US clients tend to request race diversity in their 3D renders, and it’s not that difficult to understand why. Only recently have we witnessed more significant social movements when it comes to fighting for race equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equality. In addition, the US is the home to many different nationalities, so to appeal to many – you have to create their image and show that they are indeed seen.

In contrast, European clients most commonly request Caucasian people or other light-skinned races, probably because there is not much racial diversity in their countries. Again, we’re not here to make dangerous assumptions or to judge. We’re just artists.   

Plants, Decor, and Other Details in 3D Renders

Now that we discussed racial diversity in 3D renders, it’s time to touch upon botanical diversity. Seldomly we get special requests from landscape architects to include certain plants outdoors.

Man, these people are serious about their jobs which makes our jobs much easier. We sometimes receive a 
list with the exact Latin names of the plants, and we’re genuinely impressed by their commitment to getting the image just the way they want.

Of course, certain plants don’t grow in specific climates, so we learned from experience to pay special attention to this – even when the client doesn’t make an explicit request about it. You can’t mix palms and pine trees. That’s just wrong.

This is where our 
ever-growing library of 3D and 2D models of cutout people and plants comes in handy. 

When it comes to 
archviz and interiors, we always pay close attention to our client’s briefs, but you can notice some patterns depending on the country they’re from.

For instance, 
Scandinavian interiors are usually minimalistic, with an all-white or grayish color palette and simple, modern decor.

Australia
 is all about including natural elements such as native botanicals, beachy decor, wooden or wicker furniture, airy elements, etc.

In the 
US and Canada, we’ve done some fair portions of 3D renders of farmhouse interiors characterized by rustic wooden elements.

Interestingly, 
US kitchens differ entirely from Japanese ones, so we must also bear that when creating 3D renders.

When it comes to 
communal places, restaurants, and cafes, we’ve seen a massive comeback of industrial and “hipsterish” retro interiors – basically across different countries. Some trends overcome borders.

Looking for a CGI studio That Produces Quality 3D renders? You’re in Luck.

As you can see, different cultures leave different imprints in 3D renders – and we love that. Not only does that make our portfolio richer, but it also reminds us how diverse our world is. 

If you’re looking for someone to help you 
create high-quality 3D renders that follow your creative vision, we at Kaiserbold can help.

Drop us a message to see if we’re a good business match. With over a decade of experience, we can save you the trouble of making rookie mistakes, reduce the revision cycle, and get to the final version of your image faster. What more would you want, eh?

Thank you, 

Bojan.

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