Shaderlight helps to transform New York City

Ed Wonsek is a full time digital artist who specialises in retail marketing for exclusive New York City cliental.

As an accomplished SketchUp user, it wasn’t until he started using Shaderlight that he finally saw a way he could integrate SketchUp into his workflow and still produce the quality of images his clients expect.

It absolutely blew me away….it was like the first day I discovered SketchUp.

“I primarily used digital matt painting and compositing techniques as my clients loved the effect I could achieve – straddling the line between sketchy and photo-realistic. Although I used SketchUp, I could never really find a place for it in client work as the raw output was just not up to the standard of my matt painting techniques.”

“Rarely do I get more than a day or 2 from the time I get the phone call from the client to the delivery on an image. My deadlines are too tight to invest the time in using high end but complex rendering software like Vray.”

“Upon discovering Shaderlight I thought I’d give it a shot. Having used Podium unsuccessfully in the past I was sceptical however after watching the tutorial videos on YouTube I was able to dive right in to a project. It absolutely blew me away….it was like the first day I discovered SketchUp.”

The first project that Ed completed with his SketchUp/Shaderlight workflow was the New York Yankees Clubhouse Store, a design which was inspired by the Yankees Stadium itself. Since then he has produced hundreds of images for some of the most highly respected names in the New York commercial market however he often doesn’t have much to go on at the start of a project.

“The most I typically receive from the client is an existing photo and a brief description of their goals. I take care of everything else from that point on. Often the clients do not include existing conditions CAD files; I use my eye to design and model on the fly

“Fundamentally I am a conceptual artist. The goal is not to achieve photo-realism but instead to quickly create compelling 3D concept sketches that appear to have been created by an entire marketing and architectural team. Shaderlight is the only rendering software that I have used that can keep up with my workflow and deadlines and has, I believe, elevated the work to another level.”

The quality of Ed’s work speaks for itself however he’s been kind enough to share with us some of the detail behind the images he produces.

1530 Broadway Times Square NYC.

This is a current project under development in the heart of Times Square NYC. Since there is no building designed yet tenants are having a hard time signing on for the rent they are asking in Times Square, typically approaching $1,500/sf. At these prices, tenants won’t sign on until they understand what they are getting but owners are not willing to invest in design teams until they know who the tenants are. This work serves as the key to making the deal happen and Shaderlight has been been instrumental in expediting the process.

GM Building Ferrari

This is an excellent example of the power of Shaderlight in my workflow. The brokers discovered at the last minute Ferrari was interested in leasing a retail space on 5th Ave but we only had until the end of the day to pitch an idea to them. I realized the key to selling them on the GM Building space vs other opportunities on 5th was that remarkable plaza in front adjacent to the famous Apple cube store. I built the interior model in a few hours and then spent about 20 minutes downloading every exotic Ferrari I could find on 3D Warehouse. The ease of use and power of the Shaderlight lighting and material engine was critical in making those exotic cars the hero of the image. By arranging them in the plaza and along 59th Street, in a matter of hours we had a powerful image showcasing the unique value this property represented to the Ferrari brand. Plus it was great fun!

530 Fifth Ave NYC

Lululemon is a great brand to work with because each store is designed differently and are very creative. A tiny boutique store currently uses a Mondrian tile pattern on the exterior so I played off that for this larger scale store which the owner requested be “transparent and bold”. Shaderlight once again allowed me to quickly create a convincing interior that would have been impossible with matt painting. Shaderlight has become the cornerstone of my process at this point. Plenty has been documented regarding it’s capabilities, but what I value most is that it allows me to experiment while simultaneously making my work appear as though it has been produced by an entire team of specialist. Exactly the qualities my clients expect from me.

Visit www.edwonsekartworks.com for more information about Ed and his work.