Hey Duggee — an experiment in 3D visualisation during lockdown

My ‘Hey Duggee’ 3D visualisation experiment was a result of two things that happened to me during lockdown: a quiet work period, and more time spent with my three kids. I bought some Hey Duggee toys for my son last Christmas and because of COVID-19 I was now almost constantly playing with the kids at home, so the cartoons were on my mind. In a bid to be proactive during this slow period, I decided to create a list of work-related projects, which included playing around with 3D visualisations of the Hey Duggee models. I’ve not gotten through much on the list, but the Hey Duggee experiment was one that I managed to put a tick against.

I spent several days working on creating these characters. Because I had the time available to me, I could really put a lot of effort into refining the images. It does take that time and precision to get 3D images to such a high degree of realism. Many people don’t understand the degree of work that goes into 3D visualisation; I could knock out a few concept development images in a single day, but to recreate the quality of a photograph is much more work.

I’m pleased with the result and have had some great feedback. I’ve had people tell me they can’t tell the difference from my 3D image to the actual photographs of the toys; it looks that realistic.

I’m going to keep playing around with this concept, using different materials. For me, it’s a fun challenge but also a great way to showcase what can be achieved using 3D.