Matte Black Kitchen

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Matte Black Kitchen Faucet: The Project

This is a project dedicated to studying a single 3d object and a material; a kitchen faucet with a black matte finish. Black matte absorbs so much light and reflects so little that it would be a challenge in setting up a lighting rig; balancing between light and dark to create silhouettes of readable shapes. In 20 years of CGI, this is the first black architectural scene I have explored in depth. Please enjoy viewing these experiments.

Mood board and inspiration

Architectural Visualization

The architectural shots were designed and built with black on black materials in mind. The best way to separate them was through finish and texture. The glossy black backsplash reflects the environment heavily compared to the matte black material. Using this helped to showcase the faucet in a few shots by creating a bright reflection to pull the faucet from the background. Color correction was very touchy as it was really easy to go too light or too dark. A lot was learned through experimenting and the results were enjoyable to achieve.

Internal components

Details that can explain function and purpose are often out of sight. Cutaway's, exploded views and x-ray reveals are all effective at illustrating the intricate internal workings that are otherwise invisible. It is these assemblies of engineering design that rarely get the standing ovation they deserve. Once the outer surface is peeled back, even the simplest of industrial objects can appear complex and beautiful.

Hand sprayer cutaway

Animation and water simulation vfx

Animated water flows were done in PhoenixFD. A secondary foam effect was a key detail to experiment with to get bubbles within the stream to simulate aeration. The refraction of these air bubbles is what gives faucet streams that bright white look. The LED color cycle is done by compositing several layers exported from V-ray using the Lightmix element, allowing for full control of color and intensity.

Photo Integrations

Photo integrations consist of a photoreal render that is then placed into a photographed backplate. These can be a powerful marketing tool to get a head start on providing the customer base with imagery or to visualize how a prototype will look before it is produced. The workflow requires a multitude of disciplines ranging from modeling, materials, lighting, rigging, camera matching and compositing. An eye for detail is essential to balance between the 3d object and the photo; environment reflections, indirect shadows and shading, perspective, depth of field and color balance are all important to create a seamless image.

Below is a breakdown of a few steps showing the process of rigging the faucet, rendering it in a camera projected environment and then compositing it onto a backplate using Photoshop. All details were considered, including rendering separate faucet reflections to warp and bend on the existing backsplash tiles.