Perfecting Jewelry Lighting with T-Bone Studio

T-Bone Studio, founded by Mikkel Aabenhuus, specializes in high-end 3D product visualization and animation. With a background in character animation, Mikkel has spent a decade in film, commercials, and games, expanding into editing, filming, and grading. His time at VFX studio Ghost sparked a passion for 3D production's technical side. In 2009, he launched his own studio, focusing on Jewelry rendering and applying his creative and technical expertise across various industries.

The Challenge: Managing Complex Reflections in jewelry Renders

Early in his career, Mikkel relied on HDRI packs to light 3D product renders, cycling through various options to find a suitable look. He would then add lights and flags to fine-tune reflections and shadows. While this approach worked for stills, where unwanted reflections could be removed in post-production, it became problematic when working with jewelry animations.

For metals and gemstones, reflections define the quality and realism of the render. Achieving precise, intentional reflections while minimizing unwanted ones was a time-consuming process. Mikkel needed a solution that allowed for meticulous control over lighting, ensuring consistency across multiple angles and camera movements.

The Solution: HDR Light Studio’s Intuitive Lighting Workflow

Implementing HDR Light Studio revolutionized Mikkel’s workflow by enabling a more methodical approach to lighting. The software’s real-time feedback and precision controls allowed him to:

• Build Reflections Step by Step: By constructing reflections incrementally, he could eliminate unwanted highlights and ensure optimal light placement.
  
  
• Adapt Lighting for Animations: Instead of relying on Photoshop for cleanup, he could achieve a polished look directly in the render, making animation workflows far more efficient.
  
  
• Maintain Consistency Across Shots: Using HDR Light Studio, he created a base lighting setup that could be easily adjusted for different angles and scenes, ensuring uniformity in multi-shot projects.
  
  

Key Features That Made the Difference

• Scrim Lights for Precise Light Control: These allowed Mikkel to paint shapes into reflections with smooth gradients and sharp edges, crucial for Jewelry visualization.
  
  
• Picture Lights for Real-World Detail: Amplify’s picture lights helped add nuanced details, making renders feel more natural and grounded.
  
  
• Background Gradients for Floating Pieces: When rendering floating jewellery pieces that don’t cast environmental shadows, he used HDR Light Studio to create a realistic gradient background, saving render times by avoiding complex geometry as a backdrop.
  
  

The Results: A Streamlined, High-Quality Workflow

By integrating HDR Light Studio, Mikkel transforms his approach to 3D product visualization. He has full control over light placement, significantly reducing post-processing work and improving efficiency in animation projects.

"With HDR Light Studio, I can methodically build up reflections and drastically minimize unwanted ones. The ability to adjust lighting in real-time means I get renders that are clean, refined, and ready to go straight from the 3D software." - Mikkel Aabenhuus, T-Bone Studio

Bringing PANDORA’s Vision to Life for Chinese New Year 2024 

One of T-Bone Studio’s standout projects was creating stunning visuals for their client PANDORA’s Chinese New Year 2024 campaign. Working alongside PANDORA’s talented team of creatives and project managers, who have a keen eye for aesthetics, detail, and craftsmanship, Mikkel was able to bring their vision to life. This partnership exemplified the precision and artistry required for jewelry visualization, ensuring that every piece was presented with exceptional attention to detail and lighting mastery.

Conclusion

T-Bone Studio’s success with HDR Light Studio highlights the importance of precision lighting in product visualization. By using HDR Light Studio’s powerful toolset, Mikkel has optimized his workflow, creating stunning jewelry renders that maintain realism, clarity, and consistency across both still and animated projects.

For artists like Mikkel, HDR Light Studio is an essential tool for achieving precise, controlled lighting in 3D product visualization. Whether working with complex jewelry renders or high-end product animations, its intuitive workflow allows for real-time adjustments, refined reflections, and consistent lighting across multiple shots. By eliminating the trial-and-error of traditional HDRI packs and minimizing post-processing, HDR Light Studio empowers artists to create photorealistic results with greater efficiency. For those looking to elevate their rendering quality and streamline their workflow, HDR Light Studio is the ultimate lighting solution.

Thank You

We extend our sincere thanks to Mikkel Aabenhuus for sharing his insights and experiences with us. jewelry visualization is one of the most challenging areas of 3D rendering, requiring expert control over reflections and light interactions to achieve photorealism. Mikkel’s ability to master these complexities is evident in his stunning work.

To see more of Mikkel’s incredible work, visit T-Bone Studio’s website and follow him on Instagram.

Learn more about HDR Light Studio