Building the FELCO 2 digital twin

Objective: Create campaign-ready editorial imagery while preserving the real FELCO 2—not merely generating a visually similar pair of pruning shears.

Starting point

The first material contained 14 clean, white-background photographs covering the complete tool, both faces, several positions, and mechanical details. This was enough for the model to recognize the product category and overall appearance.

However, the first editorial test exposed an important limitation: the result looked plausible at a glance, but it blended details from opposite faces, altered proportions, simplified the fasteners, and introduced markings in locations where they do not exist.

What we changed

Iteration	Reference improvement	Accuracy gained
1. General reference set	Full-product views from multiple angles	Recognizable product, colors, and general silhouette
2. Dimensional specification	Added the verified 215 mm overall length, 55 mm blade, 30 mm depth, 25 mm cutting capacity, and 251 g weight	More realistic scale and proportion
3. Face separation	Grouped the gear side and the “FELCO 2 / SWISS MADE” side as distinct identities	Prevented engravings and mechanisms from migrating between sides
4. Official master views	Added high-resolution, complete product references	Stronger control of silhouette, handle curvature, blade geometry, and component placement
5. Critical-detail close-ups	Added extreme close-ups of the gear, stepped hub, slots, and faceted fastener heads	Prevented bolts from being simplified into generic smooth circles
6. Reference hierarchy	Defined which image controls silhouette, which controls the visible face, and which controls hardware details	Produced a more consistent and repeatable editorial result

Visual progression

1 — Initial generation: recognizable, but not yet exact

Initial FELCO 2 editorial generation

Measurements and a broad reference set improved realism, but the model still blended face-specific details and interpreted some geometry too freely.

2 — Side separation: product identity becomes more stable

FELCO 2 generation after separating the gear side

Restricting the generation to the adjustment-gear side reduced engraving migration and improved the placement of the visible mechanisms.

3 — Official master added: silhouette and component placement improve

FELCO 2 generation using the official full-product master

The high-resolution full-product master strengthened blade geometry, handle curvature, opening angle, spring position, and the overall relationship between components.

4 — Final digital twin: full-product master plus mechanical close-up

Final FELCO 2 digital twin editorial generation