PigmentViewer app for iPhone and iPad

Virtual fandeck, interactive display of appearance, effect and color pigments

PigmentViewer is a virtual fandeck for the visual presentation and the side-by-side inspection of the pigment products of Colors & Effects, comprising effect and color pigments for different industries.

By using innovative image rendering technology the app displays the appearance of our effect and color pigments in various applications, emphasizing the individual sparkle and flop behavior of effect pigments. The visual experience is far beyond photo or video demonstrations.

Move your mobile device just like you would do with a real test panel in hands. Assess the color travel of the effect pigments during flop movement. Investigate the hiding properties of products by observing applications over black and white substrates. See the color pigments acting in an aluminum reduction.

Search the pigments of your choice by use of the multiple filters offering many industry-relevant criteria. Group and save your personal pigment collections. Gain visually the interactive appearance impression and compare your products of interest side by side, as you are used to. Obtain the technical data, and the coloristic behavior plotted in convenient professional diagrams.



Features
- virtual fandeck for pigments of Colors & Effects
- effect and color pigments, mainly for coatings
- gyro-controlled interactive viewer
- images by high quality digital rendering
- side-by-side inspection of appearance
- various pigment application types
- industry-relevant filters, personalized
- custom-made lists of bookmark
- quick collection My list
- login to Colors & Effects account
- extensive product data, TDS via login
- professional color data diagrams
- storage management
- detailed instructions
- easy, self-evident navigation



Quick start guide

For deeper instructions and information use the 3-dots-menu in the app to get to "Settings", then click "Usage Instructions"

The app requires internet connection to access the Colors & Effects pigments database.

The app is structured into three main windows. Imagine them to be ordered side by side:

Filters - Lists - Viewer

You can move between these main windows by swiping, or use the arrow buttons alternatively.

The filtering result is given in the list "Products". Use the lists to select and download pigments, that you want to get displayed in the gyro-controlled "Viewer" window.

Enjoy assessing the comparative appearance of two pigments under the varying illumination and observation conditions that you simulate by tilting your device with your arm – like you do in the real world!

Numerical facts? Being in the "Viewer" open the data list and the diagram sub-windows.



Background: Imaging technology

The visual representation of the appearance in PigmentViewer is produced by digital rendering using virtual material data. Data were taken gonio- and wavelength-dependent by appearance scanners for a most accurate representation of the optical behavior.

The visual appearance is presented dynamically by displaying the optical variation that is caused by a virtual mechanical tilting movement of the sample under a fixed illumination. For the visual representation we use a stack of 40 images. Each image is digitally rendered based on the material data and one position in a sequence of tilt angles. The virtual tilting of the sample plane covers an angular up and down turn of approximately 60° and is synchronized with the gyro sensor of the device. The geometrical sequence is set to vary from (close to) perpendicular irradiation and observation ("face angle") down to inclined irradiation and observation ("flop angle").

The texture size in the representation of simulated effect applications is scaled to be close to realism on a typical mobile phone monitor (6 inch).