Imagine you're starting a journey into creating beautiful architectural designs. You might think you need super expensive gear, but that's not necessarily true!
Tablets are like magical digital sketchbooks. They're easy to carry around, just like a regular notebook. With a stylus pen, you can draw directly onto the tablet's screen. It's like drawing on paper, but with the added benefit of being able to erase mistakes easily and try out different colors without wasting materials. Moreover, tablets these days are pretty powerful and come with all sorts of cool features, like pressure sensitivity, which helps you create realistic-looking drawings.
It's all about your creativity and skills, not just about how much money you spend. You can start with basic tools and gradually upgrade as you improve. For example, there are plenty of free or affordable drawing apps available that work perfectly fine on budget tablets. These apps offer many of the same features as expensive software used by professionals. So, even if you're just starting out, you can still create impressive architectural designs without breaking the bank.
You can do all basic things on a tablet too, such as sketching and conceptual designs, digital painting and rendering or even CAD and BIM applications.
What Are the Best Tablets to Use for Renderings
- Huion Kamvas Pro: The Huion is a top pick for a beginner who is just starting out; series offers high-resolution displays, excellent stylus support with pressure sensitivity, and customizable shortcut keys, making them suitable for architectural renderings at a more affordable price point compared to other brands.
- If you get the best drawing software to go with the Huion tablet, you will have a pro tool at your hands.
- iPad Pro (with Apple Pencil): The iPad Pro offers powerful performance and a stunning Retina display, making it great for architectural renderings. Combined with the Apple Pencil, which offers precise drawing and pressure sensitivity, it's a popular choice among designers.
- Microsoft Surface Pro (with Surface Pen): The Surface Pro series features high-resolution displays and powerful processors, suitable for running professional design software like Autodesk AutoCAD and Adobe Creative Suite. The Surface Pen provides excellent stylus support for sketching and rendering.
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7/S7+ (with S Pen): Samsung's Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ tablets feature vibrant AMOLED displays and come with the S Pen, offering precise drawing and pressure sensitivity. They run on powerful hardware, making them suitable for rendering architectural designs.
- Huawei MatePad Pro (with Huawei M-Pencil): The Huawei MatePad Pro boasts a high-resolution display and supports the Huawei M-Pencil, which offers precise drawing and tilt sensitivity. It runs on powerful hardware and is compatible with professional design software.
- Wacom MobileStudio Pro: The Wacom MobileStudio Pro is a standalone drawing tablet designed specifically for professional artists and designers. It features high-resolution displays, powerful processors, and Wacom's Pro Pen 2, offering excellent stylus support for architectural renderings. It is very expensive though and most likely not one of the tablets beginners would use.
- Lenovo Yoga Tab Pro: The Lenovo Yoga Tab Pro series features innovative designs with built-in kickstands, making them convenient for drawing and sketching. They offer good performance and support for stylus pens, making them suitable for architectural renderings.
Software Beginners Can Use with a Tablet
For beginners starting with a tablet to do architectural renderings, it's essential to choose software that is user-friendly, offers essential features, and provides a smooth learning curve. The below list is non-exhaustive but provides a good starting point:
- Procreate (iOS): Procreate is a powerful and intuitive drawing app available exclusively for iPad. It offers a wide range of brushes, layers, and drawing tools, making it perfect for creating architectural sketches and renderings. Procreate's user-friendly interface and affordable price make it an excellent choice for beginners.
- Adobe Fresco (iOS, Windows): Adobe Fresco is another fantastic drawing and painting app suitable for beginners. It offers a variety of realistic brushes, including watercolors and oils, allowing you to create expressive architectural renderings. Adobe Fresco seamlessly integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud, providing access to additional design tools and resources.
- Autodesk SketchBook (iOS, Android, Windows): Autodesk SketchBook is a popular drawing app known for its simplicity and versatility. It offers a wide range of brushes, customizable brushes, and layer support, making it suitable for architectural sketching and rendering. SketchBook is available for free with optional in-app purchases.
- Tayasui Sketches (iOS, Android, Windows): Tayasui Sketches is a user-friendly drawing app that offers a minimalistic interface and essential drawing tools. It's perfect for beginners looking to experiment with architectural sketching and rendering without overwhelming features. Tayasui Sketches offers a free version with optional in-app purchases.
- MediBang Paint (iOS, Android, Windows): MediBang Paint is a versatile drawing app suitable for beginners and professionals alike. It offers a variety of brushes, including pens, pencils, and airbrushes, as well as features like layers, filters, and text tools. MediBang Paint is available for free with optional in-app purchases.
- Infinite Painter (Android, iOS): Infinite Painter is a feature-rich painting app that offers a wide variety of brushes, including realistic watercolors and oils. It also provides advanced features like perspective guides, symmetry tools, and blending modes, making it suitable for architectural sketching and rendering.
- ArtRage (iOS, Android, Windows): ArtRage simulates traditional painting tools like oils, watercolors, and pencils, allowing you to create realistic architectural renderings. It offers intuitive controls, customizable brushes, and a variety of canvas textures, making it a favorite among digital artists.
- Clip Studio Paint (iOS, Windows): Clip Studio Paint is a professional-grade drawing and painting software with a wide range of features tailored for comic artists, illustrators, and designers. It offers powerful brush customization options, perspective rulers, and 3D models, making it suitable for creating detailed architectural renderings.
- Krita (Android, Windows): Krita is a free and open-source painting program with a vast array of brushes and drawing tools. It's highly customizable and supports advanced features like HDR painting, layer masks, and brush stabilizers, making it a versatile option for architectural renderings.
- Concepts (iOS, Windows): Concepts is a vector-based drawing app designed for precision sketching and drafting. It offers flexible brush tools, infinite canvas space, and adjustable grids, making it ideal for architectural drawings and concept sketches.
Whatever your preference, consider investing in a tablet with a high-resolution display, stylus support with pressure sensitivity, and sufficient processing power to handle professional design software. Whether you choose a Huion, iPad, Surface Pro, or another tablet brand, prioritize features that align with your specific needs and budget.
Remember, what truly matters is your passion for learning and creating.