3D & AR watchlist: 8 fan favorites from Adobe MAX 2020
Adobe MAX 2020 established 3D as a mainstream design discipline for creative professionals. From practical how-to sessions and labs with 3D experts, to thought leadership discussions with industry leaders, 3D innovation and its impact on established design disciplines represented a step forward in the democratization of 3D. No longer a niche technology for innately complex tasks, Adobe’s 3D portfolio was a force of inspiration throughout the conference.
Take a moment to dip into content below. We have gathered a smorgasbord of sessions, demos, and labs to both inform and inspire you. Get practical and thought-provoking insights from these experts:
- Gail Cummings, global digital design lead at Ben & Jerry’s and an early adopter of using 3D to create virtual photographs
- Mattel’s Sal Velasquez, staff packaging designer
- Jeanette Matthews, Adobe Dimension product manager
- Clio and One Show award winner Erin Kim and senior product designer at Adobe
- Wes McDermott, aka @The3DNinja, professional 3D artist for over 12 years and head of Adobe’s Substance demo artist team
- Vlad Petkovic, creative director, 3D and immersive, Adobe
- Digital creator Don Allen Stevenson III and DreamWorks Animation specialist trainer
- Ryusei Yoshimoto, content development regional manager at Adobe
This year’s Creativity Conference was virtual and free, which gave fans around the world a front row seat to the latest announcements, features, and innovations transforming the way we think of design. Whether you were there live or just catching up now, I recommend you add these sessions, demos and labs to your watchlist.
The chill way to create Ben & Jerry’s pints
Virtual photography is fast emerging as a viable way to spin up assets in no time. Hear firsthand from Gail Cummings, global digital design lead, about her journey, adopting new ways of creating and driving what she does best — producing irresistible content at scale to feed marketing channels for over 100 flavors and in 38 countries.
In this session, Gail will share with you:
- The surprising secret ingredient that makes the Ben & Jerry’s brand
- How Adobe Dimension and 3D enabled Ben and Jerry’s to design their way around a business challenge
- Why and how you can work around traditional photo shoots and asset creation
- How to fast-track your way to creating scalable assets for global markets
Reimagining retail design for the world’s most famous doll, Barbie
Mattel’s Barbie is a 60-year-old brand that continues to innovate year after year to appeal to the changing retail marketplace. Learn how the Barbie packaging team has adopted some of the most advanced design processes to elevate the quality of their work, drive brand consistency, and streamline creative-to-marketer workflows, while significantly reducing costs.
In this session, Sal Velazquez, staff packaging designer for the Barbie team, will:
- Share how Mattel leverages 3D and augmented reality (AR) tools to reinvent digital design and speed up the creative review and approval process
- Demonstrate product features, pitch design concepts, and planograms
- Discuss how his team is using solutions across Creative Cloud to improve branding and consistency
Don’t just get your feet wet, dive into 3D
Adobe’s own Jeanette Matthews, Dimension product manager and MAX Master, had an overflowing response to her sessions — featuring one and a half hours of content split into three 30-minute sessions. Whether you’re a freelance designer or part of a team, you can learn how to use 3D to create product mockups, brand visualizations, packaging designs, and more. Master the basics of Adobe Dimension in this follow-along lab that’s perfect for designers new to 3D. Jeanette will show how you can add 3D design to your repertoire, speeding workflows, enhancing pitches, and bringing ideas to life.
In Part 1 of this three-part session, Jeanette will show you:
- The fundamentals of moving in 3D space
- Tools for arranging and laying out 3D objects
- How materials, lights, and cameras create a final look
In Part 2 of this three-part session, you’ll learn how to:
- Use materials like plastic, glass, and wood to customize objects
- Place custom artwork onto models like patterns, logos, and labels
In Part 3 of this three-part session, you’ll complete your project by:
- Adding virtual lighting to create highlights, shadows, and reflections and create a mood
- Compositing your 3D object into a background photograph
- Learning about the different types of export possible with 3D
Leap from 2D to 3D design with Adobe Dimension
Are you a graphic designer who wants to expand your repertoire to include 3D design? See how Adobe Dimension can make the world of 3D accessible to you. Join Dimension senior product designer Erin Kim, who made the leap from 2D to 3D design with Dimension, to discover how you can use its intuitive 3D tools to visualize packaging and logo designs or craft other creative 3D graphic design scenes.
As Erin shares her journey into 3D with Dimension in this session, you’ll learn about:
- The core concepts of 3D
- Why Dimension is perfect for graphic designers to smoothly incorporate 3D into their work
- How to take your 2D designs from Photoshop and Illustrator to 3D
- 3D text in Dimension and the latest features that will boost your creativity
A beginner’s guide to adding texture using Substance Painter
Find out how to create the next generation of digital content with 3D. As a designer working in today’s pipelines, you need to learn how you can include 3D objects in your projects and apply textures and materials to reproduce realistic surfaces for 3D assets. In this hands-on lab for designers new to Substance Painter, Wes McDermott, head of the Substance demo artist team at Adobe, will show you how to create textures for 3D assets using Substance Painter.
In Part 1 of this three-part lab, you’ll learn how to:
- Create a project and import a mesh
- Navigate for 3D view and lighting
- Work with texture sets and baking maps
- Create a material and masking with color selection
- Use grunge maps to create detailed reflections
- Apply a finishing filter to add detail
In Part 2 of this three-part lab, you’ll take the next step, learning how to:
- Add edge damage and wear using mask generators
- Duplicate layers across texture sets (copy and instance)
- Apply materials with drag and drop
- Create dirt with a fill layer and masking
- Use the mask editor to create a custom mask generator
In Part 3 of this three-part lab, you’ll finish your project, mastering how to:
- Paint hard surface details and working symmetry
- Add text using masks and planar projection
- Export to Adobe Dimension for rendering
30-minute deep dive into Adobe Substance
In this demo, Wes McDermott, professional 3D artist and head of Adobe’s Substance demo artist team, will give you an in-depth demonstration of what you can do with Substance.
Get ready for the XR revolution
Digital creator and DreamWorks Animation specialist trainer Don Allen Stevenson III was initially drawn to 3D and AR to stay relevant as a designer. What he discovered was a creative playground that combines his passions for 3D animation and storytelling with technology and sound design: futuristic tech with interactive, game-like experiences. Discover how Don uses Adobe Aero, Dimension, Medium by Adobe, and Substance Painter to craft mind-bending immersive experiences for personal and professional use.
As Don shares his creative journey into extended reality (XR) in this session, you’ll learn:
- What his current XR clients demand from his most innovative projects
- Where the XR industries are headed and what you need to know to design in AR
- How accessible and friendly Adobe 3D and AR tools have become
What is virtual photography?
Step into the world of Adobe 3D tools to learn about the process of making picture-perfect images, all virtual — no studio, no camera, not even an actual product. Join Vladimir Petkovic, 3D and Immersive creative director at Adobe, to discover the world of computer-generated imagery. You’ll learn how to not only mirror photorealistic scenes, but also break the boundaries of the real world, enhance your creativity, and elevate your product shots for marketing and e-commerce.
In this session, Vlad gives you a close look at the tools from Adobe’s 3D offering — Dimension, Substance Alchemist, and Substance Painter. You’ll learn:
- The benefits of investing in virtual photography
- The key ingredients that make up virtual photography
- How your virtual studios and product assets can be reused repeatedly for a variety of different use cases
- Ways to combine 3D technology with traditional workflows, including photography, graphic design, and even UX/UI
Create the picture-perfect project with Adobe Stock
Virtual photography is fast emerging as a viable solution for visual asset creation, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this session, Ryusei Yoshimoto, content development regional manager at Adobe, will show you the benefits of using 3D assets from Adobe Stock as well as those created in Adobe Dimension. He will walk you through an actual use case, plus put a spotlight on assets newly released in the Adobe Stock Premium collection.
Learn more: See how you can unleash your ideas in 3D & AR. To see how Adobe’s 3D & AR tools can help your workflow, check out these real-world use cases:
Putting your brand in context, using 3D visualization, is a powerful way for you to create and make better decisions that can help you persuade an audience, tell a story, and entice customers.
Now you can create a picture-perfect photo without having to manage all the details of a photo shoot. With 3D technology, you can create professional marketing assets—and save money—while still delivering the visual impact you expect from traditional photography.
_It’s easier than ever to visualize spaces and show off spatial concepts with 3D p_rototypes of architectural interiors, signage, floor layouts, retail storefronts, and more.
Let your imagination run wild, explore new visual styles and create masterpieces. Creative Play can prepare you for the next generation of design.