Client: Zenith, an Australian commercial furniture manufacturer and design studio Project type: 3D product animation videos for modular office furniture ranges Deliverables: Two separate animated videos, for the Precinct Pod collection and the Mekos table range, plus supporting still renders

The Brief

Zenith came to Quince Creative looking for a 3D-rendered animation to showcase their Precinct Pod collection, a modular system of office furniture pods designed in multiple configurations (Open, Enclosed, Tile, Arrow, and Wave, among others) that could be combined into everything from single work pods to large clustered layouts. The client shared a reference video from another studio’s furniture animation as a style benchmark, and the two sides settled on a budget and timeline before diving into a highly detailed storyboard the client had written themselves, scene by scene, describing exactly how each pod configuration should build, rotate, and transform into the next.

Project One: The Precinct Pod Animation

Production began with the client’s CAD files, which turned out to have topology issues that would cause visible errors once subdivided for rendering. Rather than working around the problem, Quince Creative flagged it clearly, sharing side-by-side renders that showed exactly where the mesh broke down. The client’s design team traced the issue back to an outdated file set and sent through corrected models, which resolved the problem cleanly.

From there, the project moved through the now-familiar stages: an animatic to confirm pacing and structure, then full-color rendering. Feedback was detailed and specific, covering things like:

  • Matching a particular font and type style used in the brand’s other materials
  • Adjusting animation speed so transitions felt slower during configuration changes and quicker during full rotations
  • Coordinating background colors to match each product’s upholstery color
  • Building out a full scene-by-scene breakdown so the client’s marketing team could add on-screen text annotations against numbered stills
  • Catching and correcting a small factual error (a configuration shown with more seats than the real product actually supports)

The client’s team reviewed each update closely, at one point catching that a specific table configuration only appeared briefly despite being an important part of the range, and asking for more screen time for it. Quince Creative worked through each round methodically, delivering a shortened, refined cut alongside a standalone still image for use outside the video. The final video landed well, with the client’s team calling themselves thrilled with the result.

Project Two: The Mekos Table Range

Some months later, Zenith returned with a new project: around 20 still renders plus an animation overview for a different product line, a table system called Mekos, ahead of its market launch. As a returning client, Quince Creative was able to offer a faster turnaround on the animation length than the original quote for similar work.

This project had a longer, more complex path to completion. The client’s design team was still finalizing 3D files and finishes as the project got underway, which meant several rounds of file corrections, including a joinery detail that needed replacing partway through modeling. Communication also picked up in pace and volume as the project progressed, so the two sides moved parts of their day-to-day coordination to a faster messaging channel to keep things moving during the busiest stretches.

As the launch date approached, feedback became more frequent and more specific:

  • Shifting the overall color palette to a more neutral look
  • Adding a square-format cut of the video for social media, alongside the original format
  • Trimming a short section showing pieces that wouldn’t be ready in time for the initial launch, while preserving the full-length version for later use
  • Reworking the closing seconds to better showcase the range of table sizes and heights

The final animation, delivered in both formats, was well received and shared with the client’s wider marketing team.

Result

Across two very different product lines, Zenith and Quince Creative built a working relationship that survived real production hiccups, from bad CAD topology to a fast-approaching launch deadline, without losing trust on either side. Both projects ended with the client’s team pleased with the final result.

Why It Worked

  • Catching technical problems early and explaining them clearly. Flagging the CAD topology issue with visual proof, rather than quietly struggling with it, got it resolved quickly instead of derailing the schedule.
  • Working from the client’s own detailed creative vision. A scene-by-scene storyboard written by the client gave the animation a clear backbone to build from and made feedback rounds easier to interpret.
  • Adapting communication style under time pressure. Moving to faster messaging channels during the busiest stretch of the Mekos project kept a launch-deadline project on track.