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(Work) 05 · 3D design

Hair Dryer EH-ND65

A 3D study of a compact travel hair dryer: modelled, lit and rendered in Blender from a single product photo.

Personal project · product visualisation

3D modellingMaterialsLightingRendering
Role
3D Designer
Type
Personal project
Tool
Blender, Cycles
Output
Studio renders and a 360° turntable
3D render of a black compact hair dryer floating against a light grey studio background, nozzle pointing left.

(The question)

How much of a product can you show from a single photo?

(The story in 24 seconds)

From Problem to Solution

01 · The problem

A short film. It starts with a single product photo of the hair dryer, seen from one side only. The photo turns into a grey clay 3D model in the same position, then into the finished black model in studio light. The model turns a full 360 degrees, followed by close-ups of the nozzle and the switch, and the film ends on the finished render.

01 · The problem

One Photo, One Angle

  • A product photo shows only one side of the object.
  • You can’t turn it, look at the details or see how the parts fit together.
  • Every new view or setting means a new photo shoot.

The solution

A 3D Model You Can Turn

  • A detailed 3D model, built from one reference photo.
  • Matte and gloss black plastics, shaped by studio light.
  • Any angle, close-up or animation, without a new shoot.

Context

The brief

A personal exercise: rebuild a real product in 3D, as close to the original as possible, and present it like a studio product shot.

Reference

One product photo of the Panasonic EH-ND65, a compact 2000 W travel hair dryer with a folding handle.

Goal

Correct proportions, clean surfaces and materials that read as real black plastic.

Note

A personal project, not commissioned by Panasonic. The extra views and the turntable are rendered from the same model.

02 · My role

3D Designer

I modelled the hair dryer on my own in Blender (the body, the folding handle, the nozzle and the cable) and set up the materials, lights and camera for the final renders.

03 · Process

Reference → Model → Materials → Light

Reference: One Photo

Everything started from a single side view. I used it to set the proportions: the length of the body, the angle of the handle and the shape of the nozzle.

Product photo of the Panasonic EH-ND65 hair dryer from the side, black with a folding handle.
The reference photo (Panasonic product image).

Modelling the Form

I blocked out the main volumes and refined them into smooth surfaces, then added the details that make it read as a real object: the seam on the body, the ring between body and nozzle, the switch and the hanging loop.

Grey clay render of the hair dryer model, showing only its form without materials.
Clay render: the form on its own, before materials.

Materials & Light

Two black plastics: a soft matte for the body and handle, and a gloss for the ring, the rear cap and the switch. On a black object the shape only shows where the light falls, so a large softbox and two strip lights draw its edges.

Top-down render of the hair dryer lying on a light grey surface.
My first render: a flat lay.
Studio render of the hair dryer from the side, with soft highlights along the body.
Studio light for the final views.

The solution

One Model, Every Angle

Three-quarter front view of the hair dryer, showing the opening of the nozzle.
Three-quarter front
Three-quarter rear view of the hair dryer, showing the round rear cap.
Three-quarter rear
Close-up of the flat concentrator nozzle and the thin ring where it meets the body.
Detail: nozzle and ring
Close-up of the handle with its glossy sliding switch.
Detail: switch
Side view of the hair dryer in studio light.
Side view

04 · Outcome

What I Delivered

A finished model that can be shown from any side, ready for new scenes or animation.

1detailed 3D model, built from one photo
6studio renders, from full views to close-ups
360°turntable animation

05 · Reflection

What I Learned

  • Black products are all about light: the shape only shows where the highlights fall.
  • Getting the proportions right from one photo means checking the model against the reference again and again.
  • Once the model exists, a new view is a render, not a new photo shoot.