Beanies Mockups Guide for Virtual and Augmented Reality

As the fashion industry continues to innovate, virtual and augmented reality have emerged as game-changing technologies that are reshaping how brands present their apparel. Mockups of clothing items in these immersive environments offer a fresh and interactive way to engage customers. In this article, we will talk about how companies are using AR and VR to elevate the shopping experience, reduce hesitation, and drive sales using a deeper layer of immersion than previously achievable. Mockups are the way they test which look customers are the most fascinated by.

Beanie mockups in VR and AR

Traditionally, companies have used beanie mockups to test out how their audiences respond to different variations of apparel to enhance their clothing sales or better optimize clothing for marketing efforts. It’s a cost-effective way of cutting out excess production and material costs. The same practice is now being used in VR and AR mockups, as online shoppers now enjoy immersive, dynamic experiences with beanies.

Benefits of Virtual Reality

Unlike 2D traditional mockups, where people would view a flat lay, a model, or a ghost mannequin wearing a beanie, in virtual reality mockups, customers walk around and interact with the product in a 3D space. Here are some of its other main benefits.

1. Immersion: customers get a sense of presence, as they are able to rotate, zoom in, and inspect a beanie from every angle, allowing them to fully appreciate the design, material, and fit, along with the texture, stitching, and material.
2. Enhanced visualization: shoppers have the opportunity to see themselves wearing the beanie in different contexts – whether it’s a fashion runway, a casual street scene, or a cozy winter setting. 
3. Virtual try-ons: people can instantly see how they look in a selected color, pattern, or logo. This helps give people confidence about whether to make a purchase, reducing the likelihood of returns and enhancing satisfaction.
4. Attending virtual fashion shows: people can attend events remotely and experience a collection in a lifelike, streamed virtual environment. This is especially valuable for limited-edition collections. Traditional media simply cannot engage an audience at this level.

Benefits of Augmented Reality

Meanwhile, AR mockups blend digital images with the physical world, allowing them to see how they look in their actual environment, adding substantially to the personalization.

1. Real-time home visualization: Customers get to check themselves out wearing the beanie in their everyday environment. This helps them see how they’d look wearing it more than in any other environment.
2. Social media integration: AR easily integrates with social media platforms. They can already be tried on as user-created filters on Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, making for more engaging content. This encourages user-generated content.
3. Enhanced brand loyalty and trust: this more transparent, reliable way for customers to evaluate products helps build trust. It raises shopper’s confidence in the brand, creates a stronger connection with them, and encourages them to keep coming back.

Forbes has reported that Adobe has also come out with Aero, its own AR creation software.

Customization

VR and AR mockups offer interactive customization options, allowing users to personalize their beanies in real time. Whether it’s choosing different colors, materials, or patterns, customers can design a beanie that perfectly suits their style. The heightened sense of ownership customers enjoy renders them more likely to make a purchase.

Success cases

These trends are already well implemented by a large number of companies already successfully using them to help build consumer confidence in making purchases. Here are some notable examples.

IKEA

With the IKEA Place app, the way customers shop for furniture will never be the same. The company uses AR to allow customers to visualize how furniture would look in their homes. The app has significantly boosted customer satisfaction by making purchasing decisions easier for them.

Nike

The company has launched its Nike Fit app, which uses AR to help customers find the perfect shoe size by scanning their feet in real time. The app then overlays this measurement onto an AR screen, suggesting the best fit. Nike has also utilized AR for immersive experiences like virtual shoe launches and fashion shoes where users can interact with new products in an entirely virtual environment.

BMW

The automobile producer has created a fully immersive experience for potential buyers using VR and AR alike. People have the chance to virtually experience different car models, exploring their features and designs while sitting at home. The company has programmed AR to allow customers to visualize and configure their dream cars as well, customizing for different colors, features, and options onto the physical vehicle. 

How to create VR/AR models out of mockups

Creating a beanie that people can customize in augmented or virtual reality for the end goal of promotions or enhanced sales requires these beanies to first be designed. This requires mockups to be selected followed by a digital design of the headwear mockups. Here’s how it’s done.

One of the best programs for turning a PSD mockup into a virtual reality or augmented reality model is a program called Cinema 4D. This is because it’s one of the most inexpensive and easiest programs to use on the market right now.

1. Download Cinema 4D.
2. Open Cinema 4D and create a new project. Set the project dimensions and units to match the scale of your model
3. Import your PSD files into Cinema 4D. To do so, go to File > Merge to import the individual PSD layer files (PNG or TIFF). Each is to be added as a separate texture.
4. Create a 3D object to apply the mockup. Create a base shape that represents the item you’re creating, such as a sphere, capsule, or custom shape for a beanie by going to the Objects panel, selecting the appropriate 3D shape, and adjusting its size and proportions to fit the mockup.
5. Map the textures to the 3D model: select the 3D object, go to the Materials panel, and create a new material for each part of your mockup.
6. In each material’s settings, apply the corresponding PSD texture by dragging the file into the color channel. Apply the material to the relevant parts of your 3D object.
7. Adjust UV mapping and placement (if necessary) to ensure that your textures from the PSD mockup fit the 3D model properly. This ensures the design wraps around the object without distortion.
8. Add lighting: to give your model depth and realism. Use area spotlights to simulate natural light.
9. Angle the camera: to show the model from the best angle.
10. Animate the model: to add interactivity, set up simple animations like keyframes to rotate the 3D object or animate any additional design elements (such as the beanie logo spinning, for example).
11. Go to File, then Export, and select a format compatible with AR and VR.
12. Import your 3D model into your chosen AR or VR platform, such as ARKit, ARCore, or Unity.
13. Test out how the model behaves in that environment.
14. Make final adjustments to ensure it looks realistic and behaves as expected.

Wired recently published an interesting article exploring the different virtual reality headsets currently on the market.