SOLVD Case Study: Globestock Ltd

Globestock Ltd are an Oswestry-based manufacturer of a wide range of high quality safety solutions for confined space access and fall arrest systems. Globestock are also UK agents of Canadian company, Xtirpa, which are then combined with Globestock products into a range of safety systems.

The company has a specific challenge in helping to convey product information, features user guides to the end user, which is currently confined to bland, static ‘tech spec’ documents and user guides. Globestock retail their products through a network of approved UK distribution and hire companies, and their challenge is linked to providing interactive equipment demonstrations as a product training tool, as well as promotional tool.

Scope of the Project:

The SOLVD project investigated the company’s existing product design (CAD) files, and undertook research to provide a series of recommendations for the creation of a web-based library of 360^o visualisations of their product range, ultimately allowing the end user to understand more about the product’s design features.

(Above: CAD drawing; the starting point.)

From this, we selected one of Globestock’s eight key product lines; through a series of bespoke support, a test animation was created, which confirmed that the ‘proof of concept’ was practicable. A range of cost-effective software solutions were also identified to convert the existing CAD files into a format usable within 3D modelling packages.

A review of the test animation informed the direction of the project, specifically to combine three CAD files and make an animation of their Winch, G-Saver II, Mounting Bracket and Tripod system, which was exported as a video for use on their website.

(above: creating an animation from the original CAD files, using the ‘Blender’ application.)

(Above: animation screenshot: Rendering using Blender with the Eevee render to get the “CAD” look Globestock desire.)

(Above: Concept image, rendered using the ‘Cycles’ renderer within Blender with an HDR background and PBR materials for the environment.)

The SOLVD project is continuing to support Globestock in realising their longer-term objectives of creating interactive, 3D visualisations of their entire product range, including the development of interactive step-by-step user guides to facilitate the safe use of the product and to assist Globestock’s network of 3^rd Party agents to generate additional revenue and company growth.

Testimonial: Sean Harris, Marketing Manager, Globestock

The guys at UofW have been very easy to work with and effective throughout the process.  The resulting animation is a huge step forward for Globestock. The new video has transformed our marketing for this product system, enabling us to clearly show how different elements work together, which was difficult thing to communicate previously.

The animation also has an instructional use, helping equipment users to quickly identify the correct way to deploy the equipment without having to work through the dense instruction manual. As the saying goes, “a picture says a thousand words” …  an animation like this must say ten thousand.

Looking forward to working with the SOLVD team further.

Fully-funded support for businesses in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin

Experts from the SOLVD team at the University of Wolverhampton can help your business to harness cutting-edge digital technologies to improve your business productivity.

For more information or to discuss your specific requirements, visit wlv.ac.uk/SOLVD or contact SOLVD@wlv.ac.uk