Architecture is a very old craft, and it has got a long tradition behind it. Despite that, architecture never ceased to exist, and it remains one of the most sought-after careers today. What’s more, it’s a field many people enjoy studying, teaching, and perfecting.

Nowadays, architecture is much more than just building houses. It expanded to great distances, which resulted in it blending with numerous other fields. For instance, one of the most relevant merges today is the combination of architecture and IT, where special software tools are used to modernize architecture and maintain its relevance.

Even if you don’t like architecture per se, you can still make 3D models by focusing on 3D visualization. If you’d like to find out more about it, you’re in the right place.

Who are architects, and what do they do

Being an architect is a unique occupation that requires planning, designing, and overseeing the construction of buildings. However, architects must think about much more than simply what the building will look like. Although modern architecture plays with shapes and materials a lot more than it did before, the essential details that ensure the safety of the building are of crucial importance.

To blend safety, strict regulations, aesthetics, and practicality, architects must consider the entire surroundings to develop the most optimal solution.

Therefore, architects need to tackle much more than just the building itself. For that reason, not everyone can be an architect. It’s a demanding job that requires a challenging education and licensing process.

Namely, all future architects need to obtain special certificates and licenses that guarantee their knowledge, skill, and overall architectural proficiency. This process takes a long time, and individuals must approach this task seriously if they want to achieve satisfactory results.

By mastering academic, technical, and practical requirements, future architects pass special examination procedures that grant them the ability to design, plan, and oversee the construction of new buildings.

How are 3D visualizers different?

Comparing 3D visualizers to traditional architects, 3D visualizers need almost completely different knowledge and skill-sets.

3D visualizers work on planning and designing objects, too, but in a slightly different way. Instead of using sketchbooks, drawings, or blueprints to make their building creations come to life, 3D visualizers use more life-like tools. With computer software specially created for architectural rendering purposes, 3D visualizers can develop extraordinary pieces of art that involve a lot of detail.

To become a visualization designer, you don’t need to go through a rigorous education process. You don’t need to pass numerous exams to claim your license or certificate. Instead, all you need to do is practice and learn about the programs and tools you need to use.

Moreover, a 3D visualization course is more than enough to get you started on this journey. Many successful visualization designers are even self-taught, meaning there’s genuinely no limit in who can try out and experiment with 3D visualization.

So, if you’re interested in making 3D models but don’t particularly like architecture, 3D visualization is the perfect middle ground. You’ll work with cutting-edge technology to make your ideas come to life. As a visualization designer, you don’t have to worry about safety, security, and building regulations as architects do. Your job is to create ideas that architects then execute and turn into reality.

How the visualization process works

Focusing more on the visualization process is a perfect job for anyone who likes dynamic, creative, and changing work environments. There are no two identical visualization projects, so each time you accept a new project, you’ll be working with a unique set of requirements, needs, problems, and challenges.

Nevertheless, each project needs to go through the same process consisting out of 8 steps:

1. Specifying the project details

First things first, 3D artists and their clients need to sit down and talk about details. Over several meetings, they specify the details concerning the project and ensure both artists and clients are on the same page. This way, visualization designers get a precise idea of what their clients want, need, and search for.

Choosing the point of view for the project is just one example of what visualizers and customers need to talk about. Throughout the discussion, they also set some basic rules and guidelines both parties will follow.

2. Gathering environment information

Similar to architects, visualizers need to gather details concerning the environmental information of the project. This includes finding out as much as possible about the surrounding buildings, which are often used as a reference point in the final renders. Including the surrounding buildings further adds to the realistic factor and makes it easy to picture what the project will look like in reality.

3. 3D modeling

Now comes the fun part. With the essential information needed for the project present, visualizers can start their 3D models and creations. They apply all the previously acquired information and details about the project and include it in the 3D model.

4. Lighting and shading

3D models can’t be 3D without the much-needed lighting and shading. These steps will bring dimension to the final project and show the realistic factor of the visualization. The lighting and shading used are often inspired by natural light sources, showing the artists and customers how and where the natural light points will hit the real object.

5. Including accessories and details

With the most fundamental steps completed, adding accessories and details will make the environment pop. Additionally, it’ll make the entire render more life-like. Even though details and accessories can take a while to design, they’re certainly worth it.

6. Picking out materials and textures

Furthermore, materials and textures further emphasize the realistic effect in a 3D model. Visualizers and customers can play with all kinds of materials and textures to see which one suits their expectations best.

7. 3D rendering

With all elements intact, it’s time to bring them together and provide the customers with an immersive and realistic 3D experience. The renders come with numerous details and in the highest quality to guarantee the ultimate visualization of an idea.

8. Review

Once artists and clients get to see the whole picture, they can make slight alterations and changes to things they aren’t entirely happy about. The review is the final step that ensures everyone has a detailed picture of the project and there are no surprises once the construction begins.

Tools used by rendering artists

Rendering artists don’t need anything besides a high-quality computer. You can forget about papers, markers, and rulers because all the tools required for rendering are software programs.

Fortunately, present-day visualization designers can choose from a wide selection of software tools created explicitly for the creation of 3D models. This list wasn’t always as extensive as today. Still, the increasing number of rendering artists motivated many software companies to develop their unique tools and make them the best ones the market has to offer.

Some of the most popular software tools used by rendering artists include:

• SketchUp
• Revit
• AutoCAD
• ArchiCAD
• 3D Studio Max
• Cedreo
• Rhino 3D
• Fusion 360
• Dynamo
• Maya

With the help of these tools, render artists can do just about anything with their projects. The 3D models feature a crisp picture or video and high resolution. From creating basic bird-eye floor plans to 3D walkthrough videos, the designer’s imagination can run wild.

Focus on your creative side

Architects need to worry about plenty of things. Following the law, building regulations, the safety of the construction, practicality, efficiency, and many other obligations don’t leave much room for creativity. Because they’re under a lot of stress and need to meet specific requirements, their creations are basic and almost identical to all the other buildings they previously oversaw.

On the other hand, this is precisely where 3D artists can focus on making their wildest ideas come to life. Visualization designers don’t have to worry about all of the abovementioned things since their only task is to come up with ideas and create 3D renders of them.

More often than not, clients don’t come with particular ideas about what they want. Instead, they count on their artists using their creative juices to develop imaginative and unique solutions.

That being said, visualizers can focus on their creative side much more than architects. They can make unique creations and play with them. They can easily change them at any time, without any additional costs.

This freedom 3D artists experience further motivates them to come up with new and never-seen-before models.

Work on interesting projects

As architects need special licenses that allow them to create and build particular objects in certain areas, they’re usually limited in what kinds of projects they can participate in.

Quite contrarily, 3D artists can be a part of just about any kind of architectural project. Because they don’t need any special licensing or certification, every artist can create models for residential houses, business spaces, high buildings, or even skyscrapers. In simple words, visualization designers can tackle a project of every size and nature.

This allows them to continuously work on new, different, and exciting projects. The artists always face new challenges they need to resolve and obstacles they need to cross. Their learning experience is never-ending, with projects constantly testing their skills and abilities.

If you’re someone who likes their profession to be dynamic and exciting at all times, then 3D visualization is what you’re looking for.

Spot problems and find creative solutions

In the past, architects needed to be very careful with their creations. They didn’t have the luxury of changing their designs whenever they desired to, so all their steps were carefully planned out and calculated.

Even then, some potential problems were impossible to predict. Only in the construction phase did the workers and architects face the harsh reality and realize their plan is flawed. Most designs required sudden changes and improvised moves to make the presumably perfect ideas still come to life.

3D artists today don’t have to deal with such unexpected events. With detailed and realistic models of their creations, render artists can quickly spot problems and fix them before the actual construction even begins.

Even if the construction starts, the damage is less impactful. Because they catch the issues soon after making them, the artists have enough time to find creative solutions and clever ways to make their problems become a significant attribute of the final result.

It brings out all the details in your work

3D visualization was primarily intended for bringing modeling closer to the clientele and helping them understand their projects better. Only then could they truly visualize their future projects, ask questions, and participate in the decision-making.

However, 3D visualization proved to be much more than that. Over time, 3D artists explored the never-ending possibilities of rendering software tools and came up with some impressive outcomes.

Namely, 3D models can feature many small, delicate, and precise details that were once impossible to mimic.

Household members reading a magazine that emphasizes the well-known smell of fresh paper, a cozy fireplace with burning wood logs with which you can almost hear the sound of crackling or loud ocean waves crashing against the shore in the background can all bring out details in your work and completely transform the atmosphere and emotion of the 3D model.

Artists are encouraged to experiment with details in their renders and see what difference they can make.

Conclusion

All in all, 3D visualization lets everyone interested in 3D modeling make a career out of their passion or a hobby. Even if you’re not a massive fan of architecture, 3D modeling still comes with numerous opportunities you can take part in.

As a visualization designer, you can connect with plenty of people seeking your talents and skills, which you’ll use to visualize their ideas. With platforms such as Easy Render, finding future partners and customers has never been simpler.