While the metaverse may be tech’s biggest buzzword right now, many are still confused as to what it actually is. Simply put, the Metaverse promises to be an immersive three-dimensional version of the web where we will work, play, shop and socialize in virtual worlds.
The honest reality is that the Metaverse doesn’t really exist, but that doesn’t stop companies and brands from exploring what it might look like and how to interpret it.
Epic Games has already identified what a metaverse economy could look like in their game Fortnite with virtual currency. Similarly, Roblox introduced the sale of new digital products on the platform. Nvidia took a more serious approach with its Omniverse, which allowed developers to collaborate on everything from product design to large-scale film productions in a seamless, connected 3D production environment.
What does this new technological development mean for other companies? Here James McVitie, Managing Director at CCW, explains how companies can easily future-proof their plans to be Metaverse ready:
“At Creative Content Works, we’ve been working on our own mini metaverse for 11 years now.
Let me explain – the same raw materials required for the Metaverse are used daily by our talented teams to produce CG images that rival, if not surpass, “real” photography. In fact, the usual response we get is:
“I can’t believe it’s not real.” What are these ingredients you ask? Whether you are building your future Metaverse showroom, promoting key visuals or CGI lifestyle images for your e-commerce website, you need good 3D models of your products. You also need nice looking architectural spaces, some well designed props all in 3D digital form put together by a team of experts. And yes, we’ve been doing this (and more) for 11 years.
That’s why we’ve condensed our guide to preparing for the Metaverse into six easy steps:”
STEP 1 – DIGITAL TWINS
“Create precise 3D models or “digital twins” of products. Technology allows products to be digitally replicated in all three-dimensional detail, with all material properties translated from the real world. Similarly, exact artworks can also be replicated, so the digital twins are just that, perfect twins of real products!”
STEP 2 – LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
“Place the digital twins in virtual lifestyle sets or creative environments that can also be built digitally in 3D. Virtually place cameras and lights, like photographers, and “render” some great-looking stills and moving shots indistinguishable from “real” photography and video to cover all your visual marketing content needs – from online to the Print.”
STEP 3 – CONTENT WITH SPEED AND SCALE
“The digital realm offers more freedom, which means that images and video content can be created for any style, color, taste or variety. Essentially any combination of products that are created at lightning speed and help provide choice and engagement that just isn’t possible with traditional methods.”
STEP 4 – IMPROVE CX THROUGH IMMERSIVE CONTENT + CONFIGURATORS
“Take all these color, size and product options and put them into a beautiful, interactive product configurator that gives customers choice on devices they are familiar with. This can be a simple bed-building website or an immersive kitchen configurator, all using the same previously created digital twins.”
STEP 5 – TEST IT. TRY IT. BUY IT.
“The same digital twins can be transformed into augmented reality (AR), allowing customers to view products at home or on the go without having to physically visit a store. Straight from e-commerce storefronts – onto mobile phones – and into their homes or even onto their feet, faces and bodies. Soon, consumers will no longer be able to do without it.”
STEP 6 – METAVERSEABLE CONTENT
“From here, digital and 3D content can be easily added to the Metaverse. With CGI, you can get an infinite number of content outputs that are versatile enough to be used within an omnichannel marketing strategy across all channels: online, print, in-store, mobile and soon the metaverse.”
“The Metaverse is becoming another channel for brand exposure, so creating future-proof content is imperative. Here at CCW we are experts in creating hyper-realistic CGI imagery and interactive content for retailers, brands and manufacturers. We can help you create digital twins of all your products to use across all your marketing channels – saving time, money and the environment, ready for the next level of digital transformation, whatever the future brings.
If you can imagine it, we can do it!”
Source: techround