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When a Vehicle Wrap Go’s 3D…
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Vehicle Wraps Go 3D!
The vehicle wrap industry has grown steadily for the last 20 years. Few would argue that it is not an effective form of brand advertising. Even fewer would argue that the advances made in the technology have gone largely unnoticed by the advertisers who so openly embraced it. That is, until now – Creative 3D, a Cincinnati based creative arts company has developed a patent pending process for the three-dimensionalizion of printed vehicle wraps. Virtually any image can be made into a three dimensional appliqué and applied to a vehicle without physically altering it. The possibilities are endless!
After months of development and testing, Creative 3D joined forces with Interstate Graphics and Installation Services, LLC, of Rosholt, Wisconsin. A recognized leader in the vehicle wrap industry, Interstate Graphics was a natural choice for the 3D vehicle wrap pilot project. A fleet of seven Saturn SKY roadsters for the brand Mentos would be the first venture ever to use this groundbreaking approach.
Each vehicle was customized with three-dimensional candies, lettering, and even a 36-inch long roll of Mentos. Ryan Flom of INNOVA marketing, the brand manager, couldn’t have been happier! “What really makes these new 3D vehicle wraps exciting is their wow factor; it literally makes people walk across a parking lot just to touch it, and in advertising, that’s huge!” Says Flom.
“The two dimensional graphics are simply not enough to get noticed any longer” says Paul Olson, CEO of Interstate Graphics. “After 25 years, much of the public has become desensitized to them; this new approach will carry the industry for years to come”. A veteran of the vinyl graphics and sign business, Interstate’s Paul Olson goes on to say “I started over 25 years ago when vehicle wraps were in their infancy, and I can tell you 3D vehicle wraps will breath new life into vinyl wraps, and best of all, it isn’t going to break the bank to have the coolest vehicle on the street.”
“3D Vehicle wraps will be the new standard in mobile marketing,” says Mark Reyland, President of Creative 3D. “we look forward to our continued collaboration with Interstate Graphics as they spearhead the effort to bring this exciting new technology to the marketplace.”
For further information contact:
Mark Reyland
Creative 3D
Cincinnati, Ohio.
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66 Replies
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Is he really heating the vinyl with a blowtorch? 😮
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ive seen a good few pros do that in the states john. from memory Rob ivors uses one too. i toyed with giving it agao also, but prefer my air gun.. :lol1:
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Yes….it’s a torch. All the wrap installers use them. Scary Hu? 😀
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quote Creative 3D:Scary Hu?
:yes1:
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I apologise if I sound unimpressed, but isn’t this just sticking shapes on a car,
It is not exactly a brand new idea a company in our town have their vehicles with built up acrylic logos on, is this basically the same thing.
thanks Stephen
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Kind of what I was thinking Stephen.
However, a vehicle wrap done with a lenticular 3d effect would certainly be impressive (but the lenses would be too thick to wrap on a vehicle – Maybe on flat panels though)?
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agree with phil and steve not that wowed
quote :However, a vehicle wrap done with a lenticular 3d effect would certainly be impressive (but the lenses would be too thick to wrap on a vehicle – Maybe on flat panels though)?i tried that 2 years ago went bottom up at night with different lights shining on it.
could be worked on though
chris
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will we get a chance to see this at Signuk, I would worry about it chipping or some of our more ‘upstanding’ citizens attempting to take it home with them, like 3d E’s on shop signs. Must be naff to have a giant 3d E in students bedrooms now as that craze seems to have stopped.
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Man….you guys are tough….Just kidding.
Granted, it is "shapes on cars" this is true, however it’s not exactly what you may have seen before. The 3D elements are form fitted to the vehicle and installed in such a way that they can be removed without damage. Each part is filled with a high density foam and the decoration is done with a combination of auto paints and vector cut vinyl, then the entire thing is clear coated.
As for the souvenir factor…it was a concern of ours at first. But after we installed the first one it was apparent that you could get it off as part of removing the wrap itself, but walking up to it in a parking lot and trying to take it off would be rather difficult…. and would draw attention I’m sure.
Don’t apologize for not thinking it’s cool….that’s OK, we have tens of thousands of people who think it’s cool. It’s nice to get some honest feedback …even if your are wrong 😀
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I agree with Stephen & Phill, it’s been done before and you have to consider the product being advertised.
The one shown works with the 3D thing but what about razors :lol1:Steve
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Steve,
You’re killin me here….it hasn’t been done before – I assure you. We were able to get an international patent on this process. 3D on vehicles has been done, sure. But not in this way.
As for the shape….the core of this is vacuum forming. If you can vacuum form the shape you can make it into an applique. You can’t vacuum form a razor as an entire piece. But I bet we could come up with a way to make one into an applique just doing it in sections.
Mark
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I’ll stick my head above the parapet and say I think the bonnet (Hood) and boot (trunk) look really good…not sure the doors have that much impact but probably looks better in the flesh, just the photo not doing it justice.
You’ve certainly made a good job of rapping the door mirror, always difficult to get rid of the excess material.
One question, do you need to contact your insurance company about the additions to the body work or contact any official body about the external modifications to the body work of the vehicle?
All the best Craig
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I wonder how they comply with the Euro Ncap tests etc. No point having a car that is designed to ‘protect’ pedestrians when you hit them if they are going to crack their head open on a tube of mints 😛
I agree they look good but they are also quite close to looking like tacky stick ons. What about the increased fuel costs due to aerdynamic drag :lol1:
Not being harsh Mark. It’s good to see new innovations. I’ll look out for it on a vehicle near me 😎
Kenny
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Craig,
I’m sure you’ll get a definitive answer from Mark but, as I understand it, in this country, it wouldn’t be a problem provided that it complied with the Construction & Use regulations. Correct radii etc etc.
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quote John Childs:Craig,
I’m sure you’ll get a definitive answer from Mark but, as I understand it, in this country, it wouldn’t be a problem provided that it complied with the Construction & Use regulations. Correct radii etc etc.
Kenny,
I’ve taken bikes for tests and the rules are actually quite lax. Minimum 2mm radius on edges. The roller testing thingy that they roll down the side of vehicles is of quite a large diameter and you need to fit something really stupid for it to fail.
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Fine, until an accident occurs because of the protruding object, the legal or illegal implications are endless, its a totally foolish and ridiculous idea.
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I’ll be honest, i really like it. i have seen or heard of similar ideas in the past. around 10 years ago (not sure if this was local depot only) but Pearce Signs used to have a moulded 3d letter "P" on their van/s. on its own it looked nothing. ide imagine it was scrapped by local kids ripping it off. "taking the P" so to speak! :lol1:
Anyway… it was brought up again a few years back after a demo i did on chevrons/wrapping of embossed letters "TOYOTA" on the rear of a pickup, steve at signagraphic asked could this be done over a built-up or moulded letter. the discussion ended in it couldn’t/shouldn’t be done for various reasons. however, the vacuum forming of graphics leaving the flat/step area surrounding the embossed graphic is a pretty good way to help mount the 3d object. then followed by the wrap seals and hides the magic, so to speak.
like craig says, bonnet etc looks very good but i think the sides are actually my favourite part, its eye-catching and as he also says, in the flesh i bet its impressive.
i dont think its 100% perfect just yet, there is room for improvement, but this concept is still in its infancy and i think with "Creative 3D’s" background in this sort of work the possibilities are endless. -
As another way for the big corporates to get one step ahead of the competition in advertising, it seams to be a good idea.
Initially the technology I presume, will only be affordable by the larger sign firms, and ad agencies who service blue chip companies.
Whether it becomes popular and a success is another question.In the past I have seen many vehicles that have been customised in a similar way, although with fibreglass/ foam/airbrush etc. and not easily removable,
With the larger companies, the cost of the base vehicle is not usually an issue anyway.
Its down to sums in the end, it will be a long time before it will be any use to the average sign firm.Good luck mark.
good idea overall, sure it will pay dividends
Peter
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quote derek longhaven:Fine, until an accident occurs because of the protruding object, the legal or illegal implications are endless, its a totally foolish and ridiculous idea.
Like the rest of us, Your are welcome to your opinion Derek, but why give such a short yet strong opinion on something without elaborating?
ide like to ask you what part of this promotional concept do you find more foolish, ridiculous, dangerous or what should be illegal in your eyes as opposed to the following vehicles which "are legal" and have been on our roads for many years now?
my opinion is that all the above and many many more on the roads today are far worse, and have been around for years.
Even the simple door mirror on any vehicle on the road "in my eyes" stands to be more of a hazard than any promotional moulding on the wrapped cars above. you could argue the mirror folds in on itself. maybe so, but even folded, it still protrudes further out than the wording on the door!.
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Rob,
As you said Derek is entitled to his opinion, Maybe a bit abrupt (some people are like that 😉 )but all the cars you have shown, would only be legal, if all the modifications had been notified to the insurance company. I think even wrapping a vehicle needs to be declared, and even vinyl signage is in theory a notifiable modification.
I think Derek has a point, in the event of a major insurance claim, better be safe than sorry,
I am sure the companies that would use this technology are very aware of litigation issues though
Peter
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i couldnt agree more peter… but, i wasnt meaning the whole insurance scenario on a "what if".
quote derek longhaven:foolish and ridiculous ideajust the fact that how can someone slam and rubbish a great idea on it potentially being dangerous, when we have far worse on every road in the UK and have been there for many years?
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Thanks for the comments….good and bad….that’s how ideas are refined. As a new technology, this, like all new ideas are open to refinement. That’s why your opinion is important. I’m not in the sign business, nor am I in the vehicle wrap business….I’m in the innovation business. Our job is to develop technologies for industries like yours so you don’t have to keep selling the same thing year after year until the price gets down so low you can’t keep your doors open.
We simply designed a process for making vehicle wraps look a little cooler…that’s all. This is not rocket science, and we didn’t cure cancer here. At the end of the day it’s just plastic stuck on cars.
So the question on the table is….if price is affordable(maybe a 75% boost in the cost of a normal 2D wrap) and safety is not an issue (and it isn’t, at least not here in the US) Is it an idea that main stream vehicle wrap clients would use?
Is it an idea that you can adapt to a pole sign?…why couldn’t you use a 1/2 of a beer bottle on the pub (we call them bars…but I’m trying to fit in 😮 ) sign out front and wrap the rest of the sign…or the side of the building even?
Mark
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It look pretty impressive to me but like all these innovations is being over-hyped in the text. It won’t become the standard for vehicles any more than wrapping has or is likely to.
On the discussion of legality, it reminded me that some years ago I was refused a quote on my van insurance because it was signwritten!
Peter
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Peter…
I would think the only insurance issue would be about cost. If I were spending money to get this, or any other modification I would want to make sure my insurance would cover the repairs if needed.
But legal? Here in the US all we really have are max lane sizes. As long as your vehicle fits in the lane, and nothing falls off – no one cares what you put on it.
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as i remember it was the American law that made us change our beloved MGB to have those silly bumpers.
i did like the bonnet very much – sides ? just didn’t blow me away
chris
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Chris,
Bumpers make you safe…. 😀
I like the sides much better than the Bonnet… I think that’s a hood over here.
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quote Harry Cleary:will we get a chance to see this at Signuk, I would worry about it chipping or some of our more ‘upstanding’ citizens attempting to take it home with them, like 3d E’s on shop signs. Must be naff to have a giant 3d E in students bedrooms now as that craze seems to have stopped.
Harry…what is SIGNUK?
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SignUK is a big sign show that’s held each year in Birmingham. All the suppliers are there with their latest gadgets and technology!!! There’s workshops etc but we mainly go to meet in the bar!!!!!!!! :lol1:
Next one is the 1-3 May, two weeks time! 😀 -
Ahhh…. I see…the bar… good call.
So I’m guessing it’s not Birmingham Alabama? 😀
Cuz if it is, you guys need a better place to hang out….
Mark
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no Birmingham Uk 😀
Lynn
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:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: you’ll find film etc on last years SignUK on the forum home page ………….. it will give you an idea of what it’s like.
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Marcella! He asked ME!!!
and Im going to further my education in the art of signmaking, not for the bar!!! ……..Cynthia (the wife):D 😀 ……… -
so Harry you should have been quicker 😛
Lynn
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quote Harry Cleary:Marcella! He asked ME!!!
………:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: …………. you weren’t here when he asked :nana:
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Kids…Kids….calm down….there’s enough of me to go around…. 😉
It sounds like a good place to see the latest and greatest in sign technology….what was the latest in sign technology anyway…the colored pencil?
HA….get it? The colored pencil! Ha….I slay me…. (OK so it’s a US thing)
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quote Creative 3D:So the question on the table is….if price is affordable(maybe a 75% boost in the cost of a normal 2D wrap) and safety is not an issue (and it isn’t, at least not here in the US) Is it an idea that main stream vehicle wrap clients would use?
In response to that, I would have to say the price would be a hugely limiting factor. There are relatively few companies that will got to the expense of a rap let alone another 75% on top of that.
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It will obviously appeal to some and not others, I personally don’t see it as a new idea at all, it’s been done before and this is just a different way of creating a 3D effect, it may be a better or less permanent way to achieve that effect but it’s not new.
As for it being a hit with customers as has already been said it is bound to appeal to Large corporations who have the money to spend on this sort of thing and I can see a lot of Taxis with these on them but the cost would be to much for a lot of businesses.
Mark a lot of the people who use these boards are very small sign companies who’s average customer would not be able to afford this sort of thing even if they wanted it. To a lot of small businesses the cost of a wrap is already to expensive for them so there is no way they would go with something that was going to cost them more money.
As for 3D signage for shops and bars there are already quite a few different ways that this can be done, signroc is quite popular for creating 3D signage, your process would just be another way of doing it so people would obviously have to look at the different costs involved.
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I know Martin…
But one of the things we do best is take technologies and find ways to drive them down to affordable prices. In our world of custom 3D we have tricks for all kinds of ways to make stuff. Even if we figure it out for a much higher priced client, it often transcends to a method usable for lots of people.
Take the "library" approach to the 3D wraps….The plumber comes in and wants some signage for his van…you can offer him the vector cut vinyl….or a wrap with a big wrench printed on the side….or what if you could offer him the wrench in 3D? It’s the same wrench on the side of 100 plumber vans in 10 countries. It’s not custom to him, but it is 3D….that part may only cost $50.00 US
Granted if it was custom it would be a lot more, but if it’s one of 100 shapes that you can order from a catalog the price falls quickly
That’s how we take a process like this and make it affordable…..or the 1/2 a beer bottle that you order in as a white plastic part, paint it, and stick a vinyl decal on it….at first the number of shapes may be a bit limited, but as the high end clients pay for the tooling, and companies make those investments, the parts become available to the store front shops to offer at a much lower price.
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i have to say having a library of moulds is an excellent idea! like all things "it will have its limitations" but if the moulds are cost effective like you have mentioned, i doubt selling would be a big problem.
if the customer wants something unique he will expect to have to pay the extra…i remember when the gerber edge came out, they had a library of about 20 3d effect and blended letters. for a few years everyone and their granny had these fonts on their signs, vans, windows etc
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I still reckon once I’ve perfected my lenticular vehicle wrapping system (patent pending) it’ll make this "technology" obsolete 😉
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quote Phill:I still reckon once I’ve perfected my lenticular vehicle wrapping system (patent pending) it’ll make this “technology” obsolete 😉
I’ve also been experimenting with testicular signs, but I cant get the 3d effect to stay on at high speeds, or under extreme penetration conditions 😕
Peter
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What’re you doing up this time of night Peter – It’s Thursday dont’cha know 😕
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Peter,
I think the problem you are having is with the glue….it may not be designed to stick to little bitty things….. 😀
Phill…. Lenticular 3D….Hmmmmm – I think I can work with that 😉 (spin)
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quote Phill:What’re you doing up this time of night Peter – It’s Thursday dont’cha know 😕
Didnt realise what day it was till just know, I wondered why Lynn had gone to bed early 😉
Peter
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quote Creative 3D:Peter,
I think the problem you are having is with the glue….it may not be designed to stick to little bitty things….. 😀
:lol1: :lol1: (Nice one Mark)
Peter – Maybe you could ask them to make you a Prosthesis
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:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1:
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quote Phill:quote Creative 3D:Peter,
I think the problem you are having is with the glue….it may not be designed to stick to little bitty things….. 😀
:lol1: :lol1: (Nice one Mark)
Peter – Maybe you could ask them to make you a Prosthesis
I will, but I’m not if they can make one big enough to match existing standard equipment?
Peter
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Peter – if you don’t go to bed soon – Lynn will have fallen asleep 😮
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quote Phill:Peter – if you don’t go to bed soon – Lynn will have fallen asleep 😮
She’ll wake up when the prosthesis hits the floor Phil!!! 😀 😀
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Only fooling guys,
forgot to tell you Thursdays is no longer "the Night" we are now being adventurous, and trying random days/nights 😀
Peter
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quote Peter Normington:Only fooling guys,
forgot to tell you Thursdays is no longer “the Night” we are now being adventurous, and trying random days/nights 😀
Peter
:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1:
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So I’m guessing the kitchen table is know also obsolete then 😮
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quote Phill:So I’m guessing the kitchen table is know also obsolete then 😮
that went out in the 60’s…
rug in front of the fire ended with central heating..
under a tree in a forest.. ok in the summer, now and again..watch out for pine needles…
back seat of a car.. only when you are younger than 30 (front seats are better though, wind down windows for extra leg room)
Mile high club….
hot tub… (reminds me I must refill it, had to move it to get the mimaki in)Rob will probably delete or move this totally unrelated stuff, to a friday night topic…
Peter
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😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
You’re killin me Harry
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Has any research been done to check the legality of this on a van or car?
from what i see, there are now edges stuck out from the contour of the vehicle, which i believe is an mot failure now here in the UK?
i can see big companies possibly being interested in this, but personally i think it looks too childish
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quote studio1grafix:Has any research been done to check the legality of this on a van or car?
from what i see, there are now edges stuck out from the contour of the vehicle, which i believe is an mot failure now here in the UK?
i can see big companies possibly being interested in this, but personally i think it looks too childish
without going into my views again, you can read back on my posts above regarding my thoughts on the legality.
not sure what you mean by childish though? 😕
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Sorry, i think childish came across wrong, to me, it doesnt look like a professional image, but one that would suit childrens toys etc. it looks too much like a toy to be used for lets say a photgraphers van
cant see a plumber having 3d pipes
or a delivery vanhowever, it does and could work with sweets, with pop with toys etc, so to me, it has limited applications, and they seem to be the more fun and less serious profesions etc.
does that make sense?
im not rubbishing the idea, just personally i dont like it. and i do think it would have legal implications, i know you post modded cars with silly bits etc, but again, because they are there, doesnt mean they are legal etc.
however legal issues aside, thats how i see it. doesnt make me right and someone else wrong or vice versa, just my take on the idea
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As I said way above there is NOTHING illegal about these 3D signs.
I’ve stood in the ministry testing station watching them do SVA tests on cars, vans and bikes and these signs do not come anywhere near failing.
In fact they are so obviously compliant that I doubt the tester would even bother getting the roller out to check them.
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mentos is just that "sweets"…
i fully understand where you are coming from and yes of course it is just your view on the matter. i.e. not wrong or right…
however, although i see your point it may not be suitable for some businesses. what about the millions of possibilites it could be used for?
not everyone likes McDonalds and i wouldnt take a cliant out to lunch there, but they still make millions of pounds every day.
3D moulds on vehicles as part of wraps just gives a bit more scope on what is possible as a new eyecatching idea.
Spandex did it for many years with the introduction of blended colourful fonts with their gerber edge… everyone and their granny wanted them because everyone else had cut vinyl… now lots want wraps because everyone has fancy text… moulds are just another idea that may not suit all, but i bet if marketed properly will be popping up all over the place.
this is just my opinion of course… -
I totally came up with this idea this past weekend.
*sigh* so much for my dreams of everlasting wealth.
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I must have missed this article.
Gee…adding 3D…
is it because most wraps are a hot mess of meaningless illegible garbage?
What a novel idea to make something stand out!
:lol1:
Love….Jill -
That too!
I had a theory that all the folks around here who are getting into wrapping cars would have to find something else to wrap when wrapping cars became passe and they had to pay off their high end printers…
Naw… actually I thought it would be the next step.. if it could be done really cheap…. and really lightweight… I can visualize some cool signs.. going in that design direction..
Of course my second brilliant idea is Hotdog and hamburger bun printing. (*I called it! I called it!… that is if it’s not already called for too!!).. so I’m not really a trend setter.. so to speak!
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I would love to see other examples of this 3D as I don’t think I am totally sold on the Mentos Car.
As for the legal issues – The sides do not stick out that much (as there are much wider vehicles on the road) There are no weird lights coming off of it and the car is not so distracting that other drivers look at it & will get into an accident. IMO there are other vehicle advertising that should be questioned more then this one.
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This ones gone a bit quiet. Has it gone the way of those rotating hub caps?
Peter
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I do vac forming. If you want multiple pieces it’s a very cheap way to go. Not so good for one item. Once you have the mold it takes about 3 to 5 minutes to make the plastic parts….and that involves standing there watching the plastic get hot enough plus 10 seconds to form the part. The materials are cheap – .030 ABS costs about $1 a square foot in small amounts (4′ x 8′ sheets). I charge $5 a "pull" for 24 x 16 sheets and I can do 20 "pulls" an hour.
Then you could charge twice per square foot what the wrapping costs plus a mold fee…..I’d say it’s nice work if you can get it.
So…anyone want some lumps to stick under their wraps? My vac machine is small, (max part size would be about 22" x 14") but for the right order I can build a bigger machine. Come to think of it, I have a buddy with a larger machine.
I’d jump at doing 10 Mentos cars but that type of work doesn’t fall into your lap very often in rural Nova Scotia.
Adrian
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posted here in 2007, whatever happened to this idea for 3D wraps?
I came across an old sign book i bought back in 1986 from america which i remember this post at the time, made me think of the following work i saw in the book. many moons before the 3D wrap idea was posted here.
picture below shows 3D vehicle promoting Coca-cola. Obviously painted, but we are going back mid-80s here…
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