Beer Overflow
Beer Overflow
Beer Overflow Product Rendering & R&D
HTaak Studios was commissioned to develop a series of high-end CGI visuals centred around a pint serve, with a focus on freshness, clarity, and visual impact. The aim was to create a refined visual language that captures the sensory appeal of a cold drink while presenting it in a clean, contemporary way.
This phase focused on detailed look development, technical exploration, and visual testing. The outcome was a flexible set of assets and rendering approaches designed to support both static and campaign-led applications across multiple formats.
Seamless Visual Execution
Photorealism was central to the project. Each element was carefully crafted to capture the balance between clarity and atmosphere, from the golden liquid to the surface of the glass.
The liquid was developed to feel light and refreshing, with fine carbonation rising consistently through the centre to reinforce freshness. The glass introduced a soft layer of condensation, with a controlled mix of mist and droplets to suggest coldness without obscuring visibility.
Attention was given to the geometry of the pint, specifically the circular cut-through detail that wraps around the glass. This feature was used to guide light behaviour, creating moments of refraction that add depth and draw focus to the structure.
Lighting and camera were developed together to ensure the product felt bright, natural, and tactile, with highlights enhancing both the liquid and the edges of the glass.
Essential Tools Utilised:
Cinema 4D: Used for modelling the pint glass and building a flexible asset system that could support multiple angles and compositions.
Redshift: Used for rendering, with custom shaders developed for liquid, glass, foam, and condensation.
X-Particles: Applied during R&D to explore carbonation movement, bubble systems, and foam behaviour.
After Effects: Used for compositing, subtle enhancements, and testing motion behaviour across variations.
Fused: Supported iteration workflows and scene organisation during look development.
Challenges and Solutions:
Balancing Freshness and Clarity:
Developed shader and lighting setups that allowed condensation to feel present and realistic without reducing visibility of the liquid.Controlling Liquid Behaviour:
Built a consistent carbonation system that felt active and lively while remaining visually clean and not distracting.Light Refraction Through Geometry:
Refined the glass structure and material settings to ensure the cut-through detail interacted naturally with light, enhancing depth without creating visual noise.Consistency Across Angles:
Created a unified lighting and shading approach that maintained realism and continuity across front, dynamic, and aspirational compositions.Flexible Output for Multiple Uses:
Prepared all assets as clean, isolated renders to allow seamless placement across different backgrounds and campaign formats.
Creative Adaptability
A modular approach was built into the project to allow quick adjustments across compositions and variations. This included multiple foam behaviours, lighting setups, and camera angles, ensuring the visuals could scale across different use cases.
The three primary compositions included a front-facing hero, a dynamic tilted variation, and a more aspirational ledge-based perspective. Each was designed to maintain a consistent visual identity while offering flexibility in tone and application.
Outcomes of the R&D Phase:
High-fidelity print assets across multiple angles
Custom liquid, glass, and condensation shader systems
Carbonation and foam behaviour studies
Lighting and refraction presets for consistent rendering
Isolated assets ready for flexible background integration
A refined visual language focused on freshness, clarity, and realism
