IKEA Catalog To Feature More 3D Models By 2013

Swedish furniture giant IKEA will feature more 3D models in its catalog from 2013 as part of its effort to boost productivity and curtail costs, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The online version of the 328-page catalog released August 21, 2012, features 12 percent of 3D content, while for the next year it is bound to go up to 25 percent.

"It's a clever way to save money," Anneli Sjogren, Head of Photography, IKEA, told in an interview to the Wall Street Journal.

The catalog was put together over a period of 10 months combining the expertise of both sprawling photo studio and in-house 3D team.

With plans to publish 208 million catalogs in 2012, IKEA mulls 62 different versions for 43 countries.

The growing presence of 3D models is part of IKEA's efforts to move away from traditional photography and create tailor-made catalog for different regions.

The 3D artists are working with artisans to add wear to the wood and prepare close-to-reality images, the Wall Street Journal added.

Apparently, IKEA's first attempt with 3D model materialized when interns created a chair in 2005 that was published in the 2006 catalog. And as the 3D model passed the test of seemingly original furniture in the catalog, the company pursued the efforts to create more models that facilitated furniture variants at no extra cost.