Iwasaki Electric Co., Ltd. supports society with lighting technology, serving fields from public infrastructure and sports facilities to industrial applications. Its business spans a wide range of areas, from installing lighting equipment in large outdoor spaces such as roads, tunnels, station plazas, and stadiums to providing lighting‑related services including sterilization, testing, and evaluation. Within this scope, the LCS in the Sales Technology Department produces lighting space visualizations and proposal materials.

This section has used the integrated 3DCG software Shade3D for about 30 years. At the time of its introduction, the primary goal was to efficiently express drawings in three dimensions. Mr. Shibata, the chief of the LCS, recalls comparing several 3DCG applications at the time and choosing this one for its ease of modeling and intuitive operation.

Mr. Abe, Chief of Public Relations and Brand Strategy Group

It lets him shape what he wants even when working roughly, and its easy surface‑building lets him focus on thinking through the design. Its Japanese interface as a Japan‑made software and its reasonable price at the time also supported the decision to adopt it.

They have used Shade3D for preparing lighting‑design proposal materials ever since its introduction. It plays an important role in visually conveying the features of lighting products, such as comparing daytime and nighttime views, creating perspectives with people and vehicles, and expressing lighting effects that include surrounding architecture and landscapes. It enables a seamless workflow—from modeling and rendering to integration with editing software—allowing them to produce promotional and verification CG images and videos smoothly for a wide range of applications. We place greater importance on conveying ideas visually as pictures rather than treating them merely as simulations. Depending on the client, some prefer more dynamic and eye‑catching expressions while others want a more restrained atmosphere, so we adjust our rendering style each time.

They often model road shapes, tunnel structures, and surrounding environments from scratch for each proposal. Since lighting conditions and overall impressions vary by location, it does take time, but by fully utilizing the Shade3D's capabilities to reproduce real spaces, they can present lighting effects in a concrete and convincing way. This leads to more convincing proposals.

The processing speed and the lightness of the data provide significant value in these on‑site workflows. In the repeated adjustments that require multiple renderings with different brightness levels and object placements, shorter processing wait times translate directly into higher work efficiency. Because these tasks require many rounds of trial and adjustment, being able to work smoothly is extremely important. Keeping the data from becoming too heavy also helps a lot.

In recent years, lighting expression has expanded even further, with support for importing IES data (light distribution data) as well as BIM compatibility and IFC integration. On the other hand, elements that are difficult to express within the software alone—such as the textures of transparent glass and resin, or prism effects—are finalized in post‑production after rendering. The strength of Shade3D lies in the flexibility to balance physical accuracy with how the final model is presented.

Shade3D has continued to evolve for 30 years while staying closely aligned with the sensibilities of lighting design practice. As a tool that transforms light—an almost invisible value—into visuals that clearly communicate, it will continue to support the company’s creative work and proposals.

Proposing specific images that include both the lighting and surrounding light environment.