What you need to know about 3D Building Rendering
Technology has advanced in recent years by enormous steps and has made strides to convert 2Dimensional drawings into realistic 3Dimensional representations. The term rendering is conversant among architects, engineers, designers, realtors, etc., whose aim is to visualize their creative process to be better appreciated, visually appealing, and easily understood.
This essay aims to demystify the creative process of 3D building rendering to assist architects and designers in preventing many of the frequent pitfalls associated with these new forms of design communication.
DEFINITION OF ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING
Architectural rendering is a process in which an architectural design is created in two and three dimensions. The objective is to depict a real-life experience of how an area or structure looks before it is developed.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Everything starts with the design. Architects interact with clients and consultants to create a building design by working through the conceptual vision.
In many cases, 3D rendering is used early in the design process to make the greatest use of the feedback mechanism and move the design ahead quickly and precisely as feasible. In this sense, it is virtually impossible to carry it out in the “wrong” way. The design process should be developed in such a way that it works for your specific design team. The more data on the project you have, the more accurate your design will be.
At this point in the process, 3D rendering artists should be strictly controlled to generate a picture, an animation, or a digital VR experience that focuses on very specific parts of the design.
So the procedure continues till the desired design is attained. In most situations, design and rendering work continues until the building is finished and occupied. The process is critical because it determines the rigor and accuracy with which the initial concept will be carried out.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING ADVANTAGES
Architecture is a discipline where great precision is important. Architects need all the tools they can find to guarantee the completed product is safe and satisfy all the demands of their customers. The greatest advantages of 3D external construction are:
1. Higher design accuracy – individuals can make mistakes in angles and dimensions, even with their years of expertise and their most exact calculations. 3D external representations enable architects to verify the structural integrity and correctness of their design parts.
2. Multi-angle views — Traditional 2D drawings limit the number of angles from which you may examine it, while 3D renderings are not so constrained. For the whole team to grasp the completed result more clearly, multi-views allow you to explain the design with much ease.
3. Minimize building expenses – Since you can immediately discover problems with the building design with a 3D render, you will reduce your total building expenditures. In addition, the building process may be shortened, and the cost can also be reduced.
4. Engaging advertising – architectural renderings are an attractive and appealing method to promote a new building or design. In addition, potential customers are more likely to respond to a complete 3D visualization than to a flat 2D design.
5. Easier Design Changes – Perhaps you determined that the building does not have enough windows or that the entrances are not in the best locations. An architectural rendering will allow all stakeholders to implement design modifications all along the building’s façade with ease.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING VARIANTS
- Aerial Rendering:
An aerial view creates a dynamic standpoint that provides a better knowledge of the terrain, the structures around alongside detailed views. - Interior Rendering:
This view is supported by details such as floors, furniture, and lighting. Interior renderings indicate the function of a space and how living or working in the space will be like. - Exterior Rendering:
Factors such as light, shadows, and reflection are requirements in the production of an exterior representation. It explains how a building is connected with the environment and its residents.
ELEMENTS OF GOOD ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING
- The Structure:
The structure is the final focal point of any architectural rendering and should be represented in as much detail as the design allows. - The lighting:
Lighting is arguably the essential building rendering component to get perfect, depending on the mood or environmental situations the rendering artist is attempting to express. Lighting can enhance or break a scene or experience, especially when striving for photorealism. This is one of the most questionable and prevalent rendering errors, and it may be especially noticeable when crammed into a VR project. - The Texture:
Towards the conclusion of the rendering process, the texture becomes considerably very essential. Although it may not seem important during the initial phase of rendering, architects and designers should have a concept of the materials and colors they will use from the start. This feature adds an extra touch of realism to the project. - Entourage:
The entourage of a rendering is the ambient materials and pictures that help reinforce the conceptual meaning of the design. The people, trees, cars, street lamps, and sky conditions that give the building its proper position in the world are all shown here.
CONCLUSION
Among the most popular applications of 3D rendering is to have architects, construction firms, and clients all on the same design page. The overall objective of every architectural design is to integrate flow with functionality, and being able to view both elements in 3D can assist since it gives you a better spatial concept.
Top reasons why an architect should engage in third-party agreements for their architectural renderings
Most architects are hopelessly in love with their professions. Taking out the stress involved and the too demanding nature, they would not mind spending their every waking hour brainstorming on design briefs, searching out solutions to design problems, and of course, experiencing the euphoria of their creative juices. While 3D visualization is part of the process and has its satisfying effect, it can only be nothing more than a detour for an architect. They will soon be eager to go back to the actual design process. So, balancing both design and 3D visualization and sufficiently delivering promptly on both ends might be a hassle for an architect. Here are some other reasons why outsourcing architectural visualizations are super helpful.
You will have more time to develop your creativity:
3D visualization has proven to be highly relevant in marketing. It entices more clients with its realistic visuals of a project and, in some cases, virtual tours leaving an architect with no choice but to provide a 3D visualization for every project. However, the visualization process is somewhat time-consuming, so it is preferable for that part of the design process to be outsourced, giving you more time to develop yourself as a creative mind while maintaining or growing your market. Beyond being time useful, it is also cost-effective, allowing you extra bucks to spare and develop yourself even more.
You can get more for less:
This point can be compared to the concept of division of labor, where everyone carries out a specific task unique to their area of specialty for quicker and more efficient results. Outsourcing your 3D visualization project to professionals in that regard is an advantage because you can rest assured that the output will be on a professional scale. At the same time, you focus on ensuring that your designs are professional. Although it may be challenging to find such a reliable professional in the field, you can find the right plug with adequate research.
There’s No Binding Agreement:
Outsourcing usually has no binding agreement because it typically falls under the category of freelancing. To explain further, this implies that outsourcing jobs are only given at their availability. Therefore, outsourcing doesn’t only mean that you have a wide variety of options to choose from. You could also change your 3D visualization artist if he doesn’t live up to your expectations.
Outsourcing delivers on time
Are you worried that you may not deliver on time because of the bulk of work you have to do? Outsourcing takes out the cause to worry because not only is the workload shared, and you don’t have to do everything, but you have multiple options if one fails or disappoints you. All that you need to do is send in work and wait for the delivery day.
It gives you a competitive advantage
Learning to render projects by yourself with DIY videos can only do so much but will do nothing to set you apart and give you an edge over your competitors. You may get basic knowledge and a fair understanding of using rendering soft-wares but will leave your work looking tacky and unprofessional. Outsourcing translates to professional consistency instead of a trial-by-error approach, giving you a competitive advantage.
Outsourcing Is a Ready-Made Deal
The procedure necessary to handle 3D visualization projects by yourself is tedious and far-fetched because it will take up time and resources. On the other hand, hiring a third party to handle the visualization aspect is similar to going to a mall and buying a nicely made dress rather than buying fabric, deciding on the style of clothing to make, and sewing the dress yourself. It is even very likely that the “ready-made” outfit will be more professional looking than one sewn by oneself.
You Get State-of-the-Art Treatment
Because you will be outsourcing your project to a professional, he will most likely be more equipped to handle your project with improved soft-wares and up-to-date rendering equipment. All things being equal, outsourcing your projects’ 3D visualization aspect is a better choice than handling them yourself. Remember the old saying, “Jack of all trade, master of none.” Trust the professionals to do their part and focus on yours.
What does Architectural Rendering really cost?
The factors that affect the cost of architectural rendering have a wide range but one thing is certain: a high price does not equate to good quality, the same way a low price does not imply poor quality. In this article, we will attempt to help you accurately estimate architectural renderings. This will allow you to ensure that your investment pays off eventually. Some of the factors that can affect the cost include software choice, available rendering equipment, type of render, quality, pricing techniques, time invested, market, etc.
When compared to other pricing techniques, the per-image and the per-project techniques are the most common. However, the cheapest pricing technique is the per-image technique. This implies that the rendering is done on an already modeled 3D model from the client. So, the prices are based on the number of rendered images. On the other hand, the per-project technique implies that the artist completes the entire project from the modeling stage to the rendering, and of course, the price will be higher.
The market
The first thing we must note here is the fact that there is an immeasurable amount of amazing 3D artists all over the world, but usually, rendering artists from developing countries are considerably cheaper but not necessarily with poor quality. The economy of their country and other factors are responsible for this margin in price. One of the factors is the unauthorized use of 3D rendering software and this is the most disturbing factor. The use of unauthorized software limits the users to fewer options to work with as compared to the full licensed package hence the cheaper prices. Another reason for the cheap price is because most artists from developing regions are just venturing into the market and want to become well known. So they believe a higher turnover (number of projects rendered) will put them at a vantage point where they would be more visible. This mostly impacts their work negatively but because most people already have the mindset that price equates to value, it is easy to assume that the value of the work offered is of a low quality.
Quality or Quantity
There has always been a toggle between quality and quantity on which a 3D artist should focus on. Both have their advantages but if you’re looking to earn more, you should focus on the quality of work you’re putting out there. The misconception that more numbers mean more publicity and in turn, more returns have more negative effects than positive because in most cases, more quantity means less quality and that will more likely ruin your reputation than build it. Quality means investing time, equipment, personal skills, knowledge, and effort and that’s the price you must be willing to pay to earn more.
Rendering equipment
The result of render is directly proportional to the equipment used. In other words, to achieve the best results (hyper-realistic rendering) in good time, massive investment should be made in high-end computers, gadgets, tools, and equipment; these hyper-realistic renderings will in turn yield more in terms of price because most of this equipment is expensive.
Choice of Software
Choice of software is closely associated with the quality in terms of detail, time of production, and hyper-realism. To earn more as a 3D artist, it is better to make your choice based on the quality it can offer and it is better to buy licensed software because it affects the result. Renderings that are done with unauthorized software end up looking unprofessional and in some cases, tacky.
Post-production
Post-production is the distinction of skill and is the most outstanding difference between a render that will cost more. Another will cost less even if both were done with the same equipment and software using similar textures, materials, lighting, and camera settings. Post-production refers to the process of infusing the environment and scenery to the design, giving it a more realistic appearance.
Conclusion
There is no fixed cost for an architectural render. Its true cost is a combination of various factors, so whether as a rendering artist looking to place a price on your jobs or as an individual looking to hire the services of a rendering artist, systems should be put in place based on the aforementioned factors to ascertain the cost of an architectural render.
How 3D animations promote your project sales
These days, it isn’t easy to find a market that is not competitive, and being able to penetrate such a market can be a significant challenge, mostly if one is relying solely on word of mouth and other traditional methods. 3D animation has penetrated various industries, including architecture, construction, real estate, interior design, etc. Its immense benefits are visible. 3D animation is the trick you’re looking for to boost your project sales, so rather than tell your clients about your project, you can show them.
However, before we discuss the benefits of 3D animation, here are two kinds of 3D animation:
- Animated fly-through
- Animated walkthrough
An animated fly-through is a 3D video rendering of a project at its finished stage. It gives an overview of what the project will look like in real-time when constructed. These videos help provide clients and potential buyers explicit imagery of the project, leaving little to nothing to their imaginations and helping them make informed decisions and speed up signing the agreements and closing the deal.
The difference between an animated fly-through and an animated walkthrough is thus:
Although both showcase the finished product of the design, a fly-through focuses on the exterior of the building, giving a bird’s eye view and showing the building’s environment, landscaping, roofing materials, window frames, garage doors, recreational spaces, etc. This can be a selling point for the building as people might begin to envision the activities they can have with their families within the environment. This can generate an emotional response while a walkthrough focuses on the building’s interior, showing the floors, lighting fixtures, door hardware, cabinet fixtures, and furniture, allowing you to have a lived-in experience of the building.
These tools have the same primary objective, which is to promote the sales of the project. Read on, and I’d show you how you can upgrade your project sales and boost your brand visibility with 3D animation.
Get your audience to look again
It is a well-known fact that images capture the attention of people faster than text. Many advertisers have used this tactic to their advantage by using bold and captivating images to capture the hearts of their market. Rather than write lengthy details about the project or proposal, an image that captures your project’s content and allows easy assimilation should be used. To this effect, a 3D image is more likely to draw a response from the target audience faster than a flat 2D image. 3D images are more practical as they give you a realistic and an “easy to relate with” image compared to 2D images that are mostly theoretical and complex. In most cases, they can only be interpreted by the professionals in that field.
By providing a 3D video rendering, you not only capture your audience’s attention, but you sustain it while providing more information about your project without boring them off. The 3D video rendering will maintain audience attention because it will show how their project will be at the finished stage. It will enlighten them more and help them to understand the project more. It will most likely impress your audience or client.
Motivate conversation
Once their attention has been captured and sustained, it will motivate a conversation between you and your client to express their thoughts, ideas, concerns, and the like concerning the project. 2D presentations hardly spark any engagement because of the lack of interest in the project birthed from difficulty in understanding the project. 3D renders make your project easy to relate with, hence provoking your client or audience’s reaction or sometimes emotions. They become more interested in your project and your brand and are more likely to patronize you because of the trust they have in your brand.
Brand marketing
In any market or industry, your brand is your identity. It sets you apart from others and gives you a competitive advantage in the highly competitive market. 3D rendering helps to promote that brand and keep you in the minds of your audience. While your competitors may still be relying on 2D blueprints, taking it a notch higher will set you apart because you will be perceived to be abreast with modern technologies. This will increase your audience’s trust level for your brand. 2D blueprints are also easier to forget than 3D renders. They allow you to express your individuality and uniqueness with your choice of materials, colors, etc.
Redirecting website traffic
The state of your website has a direct effect on your client influx. It gives the first impression of your capabilities and gives reason to your potential client whether to work with you or not. Including 3D renders in your content list for your website will boost clients’ flow to your website, generating traffic. The 3D video will do some magic as they will even double your numbers. Using SEO’s (Search Engine Optimization) such as 3D video rendering will put you among the top search results. This will increase your brand awareness, exposure, and visibility. Putting your brand out there is not enough as it will only attract site visitors. The use of 3D renders and 3D video renders on your site will encourage those site visitors into clients.
Increase the value of your Return on Investment (ROI)
3D renders allow you to spot errors or mistakes head-on and decipher solutions to these errors before the project is built in reality, thereby enabling you to cut the cost of unnecessary repairs. This helps in saving costs and increases the ROI on the project.
Creating a distinction between you and your competitors could land you your next job or contract.
So, if you want to leave your clients with no other option than to patronize you, introducing 3D rendering to your work should be your next line of action.
3D visualization in modern construction projects
One of the main objectives of architects all around the world is their mode of presentation. The aim is to present ideas and thoughts in the simplest form yet with as many details as possible. Striking this balance is especially important because they have to satisfy both the clients they work for and the civil engineers and other building professionals. Also, to enhance any building project’s success, an efficient representation of the architects’ concept is a top profile requirement.
With the help of advancements in 3D visualization technology, architects are now partakers in this technology with immense benefits to the architectural and construction industry. On a general note, this technology has upgraded the practice of architecture to a whole new level. We will take a tour of the benefits and role 3D visualization has on architecture:
Amazing visuals means more crowd:
It is a common practice in the architecture and construction industry for designers to have portfolios, a collection of their previous projects, ideas, and concepts to give the client a picture of their capabilities and increase the amount of trust the client has in them. This will be an effort in futility if the clients don’t understand the designs or concepts on display, especially if they don’t know what they are looking for, have no understanding of architectural representations or if the idea is highly complex.
3D visual, because of their simplicity in presentation, connect the dots and tells the full story or concept quite quickly for everyone to understand and digest. It also allows for a thorough examination of the project, both the exterior and interior spaces, even with furniture arrangements, landscape design, etc., before the project’s commencement. This salivating technology attracts customers because it allows them to live in or feel their projects even before it commences.
Encourages collaboration
While going through the design process, input from other professionals should be encouraged because it proffers alternative and creative solutions to challenges the designer may encounter. This process can be hastened with a more efficient feedback system, which can be aided by 3d architectural visualization.
This particularly relates to large projects or projects with multiple decision-makers and stakeholders. To facilitate the process, communication is essential. Everyone must be on the same page as concerns the project irrespective of their different levels of understanding. While some may find it easy to read blueprints and understand them, others may feel entirely out of place hence disrupting the entire process. 3D visualization aids the communication process by speaking a language that everyone understands and even gives suggestions, express their concerns, and proffer solutions to design challenges.
With 3D visualization, the stakeholders, decision-makers, and construction managers can see the project in its entirety, including the proposed materials, textures, structural plan, and overall concept. They could also see how the building interacts with its environment and make informed decisions in a hassle-free manner, speeding up the feedback process and generally giving room for more innovative ideas and contributions within a shorter time frame.
Increases the hype on your project
Creating hype for your project is a modern-day expression for marketing, and the benefits of marketing are well known to us. It puts your brand out there in the market, making it visible; it creates an awareness of your project and secures future investments in your brand. Since the architecture industry is highly competitive, there are not so many things you can do to achieve all these. Excellent and unique visuals generated by 3D visualization technology can help in achieving the mentioned objectives. When a building project commences in a particular environment, it stirs up excitement in that area. The inquiry will be made about the project and the like.
With 3D visualization, this same kind of excitement or more can be triggered. Before the project’s commencement, rather than just a blueprint, 3D that is easier to relate with, probably alongside a project’s walkthrough, will be at their disposal. This is advantageous; depending on the project, it will be at their disposal to attract investors to pitch earlier. In the case of real estate properties, interested buyers can make up their minds and make a purchase faster, having seen the building in its finished state rather than waiting for the project to be completed, then taking a tour before deciding to buy or not.
Simplifies acquiring contracts and investments
No matter how grand or detailed your project is as an architect, your method of presentation determines whether your project will be accepted or not. This knowledge pushes architects to any length to ensure that deal is closed at the end of the day. The options available before the introduction of 3D visualization were PowerPoint presentations, detailed maquettes, etc. These traditional methods are not as efficient as the 3D visualizations of today. For one, building those maquettes is a tedious process. When pitching a project, you must use the best available resources within your disposal to make the best out of it.
In some cases, the clients have busy schedules and may not be available for face to face meetings. Some others, even in their availability, want to be impressed within the shortest time frame. The solution to both seeming challenges is 3D visualization as it conquers the distance constraint and the time factor while attaining the objective, which is to bag the contract. Amazing visuals give a sense of professionalism to the clients or investors and show that you are up to date on recent technologies. It increases your chances of eventually getting the contract.
Fewer errors
It is less likely for errors to be found within a project that engages 3D visualization because, as it was stated before, visualization aids collaboration. With many people working on a project, errors are spotted easily and corrected promptly with creative solutions. Also, spotting errors in the blueprint phase of the design is complicated. Many things are left to the imagination with inadequate information on the different aspects of the building: structural frames, materials, etc. 3D visualization gives a lived experience allowing the professionals to walk through the design process’s developmental stage and spot any errors head-on. This helps to avoid collateral damages if the errors were spotted during or even after construction. It also allows the project to be finished within the stipulated time frame.
Easier revisions
Having many revisions on a project is inevitable because of the complexity of most modern designs and shareholders involved. Working strictly with blueprints entails a complicated process of incorporating edits as they involve, in most cases, starting over, ultimately taking more time and work. This delay could even cause you to lose some clients. With architectural visualization, making revisions is significantly more comfortable as it can be done at any time and any stage of the design process. The process involved usually includes changing the parameters in the rendering software to align with the modified revisions. Not only is this process more comfortable, but it also takes an incredibly shorter amount of time. The modifications could still be improved on until the desired result is attained. This easier process saves a lot of work time and makes the project ready within a short time window, translating to saving cost.
Conclusion:
Architectural visualization has replaced the traditional designing methods, and everyone embraces this change because it seems almost impossible to handle current projects without this technology. The benefits are numerous and cannot be overlooked mostly by an architect looking to survive and thrive in the architecture and construction industry.
Innovations in 3D Rendering Technology
3D Rendering has been a revolution of software turnaround in the architectural industry. It has shown the advancement of technology takeover in almost every sector in which the construction world has not been left out. With 3D visualization, architects and real estate firms have explored innovations around it to construct tasty millennial buildings. The reality is that 3D visualization has brought more efficiency and result; it has helped architects to solve what looks like mystery in 2D.
With the breakthrough of 3D visualization technology, image, video, graphics, and presentation have been upgraded. Thus, architectural companies are now making designs that customers are easily convinced, and this is due to innovations that come with the software. Here are the five prominent innovation of 3D Visualization.
Cloud Computing
This technology allows you to outsource power with an online cloud computing service if there is no access or limited access to a server within your locale. Although it is expensive and recently became available to individuals and freelancers to enhance their work quality, it is a significant improvement from what existed before. Unlike before, when producing high-quality, rendered images had a very tiring procedure with unpredictable results.
Quantum Computing
One of the most significant assets to any rendering artist would be a computer functioning at a fast pace that will process data and respond to commands exponentially faster than currently existing. In theory, quantum computing uses quantum phenomena such as superposition and entanglement, to perform computation (Wikipedia). Even though this technology is still far from being commonly used, its importance should be noted for designers and other rendering artists.
3D Printing
For architects, model making has always been an essential aspect of design because they give their clients a miniature physical representation of their system that is not within the digital or virtual realms. However, the modeling methods have changed from the traditional use of modeling equipment to the use of 3D printers. This innovation in 3D printing technology has significantly simplified the process of making models. Architects and designers no longer use them in presentations only but also to aid the design process that invariably results in better designs because it opens up the mind of the designer and sheds new light on the project when the designer sees a physical representation of what could only be viewed on the computer screen.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality was brought to reality by Facebook and Google and has been mainstream, especially now that the world is still reeling from the pandemic. Virtual reality in 3D visuals has helped to generate realistic images through a multi-projected environment. Designers and rendering artists have used it to present the mind-blowing project to their clients, making it look like they have advanced in their work. The effect created by the VR headset has helped them to change construction and design outlook.
To create or stimulate a users’ physical presence in a virtual environment aided by sounds, realistic images, and other sensations, top-notch virtual reality systems currently use either multi-projected settings or virtual reality headsets. Virtual reality equipment allows the user to explore the virtual world as he would do in reality by allowing movement and interaction with the other virtual elements. This effect is achieved mostly with head-mounted display devices such as VR headsets consisting of a small screen, although they can also be achieved through an improvised means, a customized room with different large screens. VR also uses additional sensory and force feedback, mainly auditory and video feedback, although through haptic technology.
Real-Time Rendering
Real-Time Rendering, also called RTR, has been in existence for a while. This technology has been used in industries like the video game industry, etc. to allow real-time experiences for the players giving them livid visualizations. This technology is now being transferred to the architectural world to create real-time experiences that enable clients to have a lived-in feel of a proposed design. It further deepens the degree of immersion into the project design when combined with VR. The only downside to this technology will be the cost, which is why it hasn’t fully been maximized in the architectural world.
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