While the Studio Toolkit handles the technical "how," the focuses on the "what if" and "what it will look like." For repackaging projects, where the goal is often to refresh a brand or consolidate product lines, the Visualizer toolkit offers two key advantages:
This scenario typically occurs when a brand refreshes a product's container (bottle/can) but keeps the existing sleeve design, or when you need to recreate a legacy design on a new digital asset.
: Define the material properties (e.g., PET, PVC) and run the physical simulation to see how the sleeve conforms to the irregular shape of the multi-pack. : Once satisfied with the 3D shape, save it as a Collada (.zae) file to use in Illustrator. 2. Artwork Application and Predistortion Because the sleeve distorts as it shrinks, you must use the Studio Toolkit for Shrink Sleeves plugin in Illustrator to compensate for this. Place Structural File While the Studio Toolkit handles the technical "how,"
Physical trial-and-error cycles that used to take weeks are compressed into a few hours of digital optimization.
With the pre-distorted artwork applied, the full power of the is activated. The designer uses the hyper-realistic render engine to create stunning packshots. For a repackaging launch, they might take the final model into the Store Visualizer to place it on a virtual shelf. The final, approved design can then be exported as an interactive 3D PDF or high-resolution image for client sign-off, ensuring the "first time right" principle. With the pre-distorted artwork applied, the full power
Text, logos, and barcodes printed flat will bow, stretch, or compress unreadably if left uncompensated.
Once the container model is loaded into the Toolkit for Shrink Sleeves, you define the parameters of the sleeve. You specify the upper and lower boundaries of the sleeve on the container, as well as the initial cut width of the flat film. The software then generates a virtual 3D sleeve wrapped loosely around the container model. Step 3: Simulating the Shrink Process and barcodes printed flat will bow
Users report productivity increases of over 80% by eliminating physical mockups and manual distortion calculations.
