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7 Top AI Tools for Architectural Rendering and Visualization
CategoriesArchitecture

7 Top AI Tools for Architectural Rendering and Visualization

By Zarkon Group,

Architizer’s Tech Directory is a database of tech tools for architects — from the latest generative design and AI to rendering and visualization, 3D modeling, project management and many more. Explore the complete library of categories here.

Architectural rendering is not a foreign concept. During the Renaissance, Italian architects such as Leon Batista Alberti, Filippo Brunelleschi and Donato Bramante used axonometric sketches and carefully hand-drawn perspectives to communicate their designs. In the late 20th century, however, the hand-drawn renderings gave way to computer-generated images. Suddenly, what took countless hours of careful color washing and shadow hatching became a task of playing around with sun values and texture mapping within a three-dimensional, digital environment. With the emergence of AI, the art of rendering has transformed into an act of guided wordplay: a new, innovative way of digital collage-making.

Still, the “original” artistry of architectural rendering is not lost. Even though the architect’s hand has been replaced by computer algorithms and machine learning processes, utilizing AI visualization tools requires the same amount of ingenuity, creativity and exploration. Architects can push architectural visualization’s boundaries through word prompt testing, digital collage exploration, and even hand-sketch-to-rendering experiments, producing more vivid and immersive designs than ever.

Without further ado, here are the top seven AI tools that unlock unprecedented architectural rendering and visualization capabilities.

Best AI Rendering Tool for Text-Prompt Imagery

alt="Midjourney"Midjourney is perhaps the most well-known AI visualization tool in the architectural industry. It is currently available via the Discord server, where users collaborate with the Discord bot to generate conceptual imagery. Midjourney has three basic operational commands: the “/imagine” command uses text prompts to produce a set of renderings, the “/blend” command which enables architects to blend two images together and finally, the “/shorten” command which suggest alternative, shorter, prompts to achieve better results. It also offers additional text abbreviations such as image ratio control and negative prompting – i.e., elements that are excluded from the composition.

Learn more and review this tool >

Best AI Rendering Tool for Modifying Images

akt="Stable Diffusion"Stable Diffusion is also a text-to-image and image-to-image model released in 2022, based primarily on diffusion techniques, which — in the case of computer generated images — include tasks such as denoising, inpainting and super resolution. Apart from generating visual renderings through text prompts, Stable Diffusion is an amazing tool for image modification. More specifically, features such as inpainting involves selecting specific portions of an existing image (layer masks) for more precise rendering editing. Adding or removing noise and depth or enhancing specific image details through a combination of text and image prompts, allow architects to create sharper quality renderings.

Learn more and review this tool >

Best AI Rendering Tool for Cohesive Visualizations

DALL·E is an AI rendering tool developed by OpenAI, a research organization renowned for releasing the famous text-to-text model, ChatGPT. DALL·E’s immediate interrelation with ChatGPT, provides a great advantage regarding the tool’s text-to-image capabilities. More specifically, DALL·E is often able to “fill in the blanks” when generating an image, without necessarily relying fully on text prompts. For example, it might suggest additional reflections and shadows to make the composition more holistic or even remain consistent to a predefined visual style, distinguishing for example between painting or photorealistic imagery. Similarly to Stable Diffusion, DALL·E is able to alter specific parts of an image through text prompts.

Learn more and review this tool >

Best AI Rendering Tool for Fine-Tuning Images

alt="Evolvelab Veras"Veras is a powerful AI-visualization app. The software can be used as a plug-in for popular architecture programs such as SketchUp, Revit and Rhinoceros, as well as a standalone web-based rendering tool. It is ideal for effortlessly manipulating BIM generated visuals, modifying their ambiance, style and lighting and even their geometry. Features such as the Geometry Override Slider, the Render Selection and the Render Same Seed allow architects to fine-tune their designs, while exploring multiple concept iterations in real-time rendering and without any 3d-modeling constraints.

Learn more and review this tool >

Best AI Rendering Tool for Early-Stage Concepts

LookXAI is an AI rendering tool that is ideal for early-concept iterations. As a highly customizable (and trainable) AI model, it allows architects to upload a series of reference images or precedents to generate initial design ideas. LookXAI includes features such as Style Adapter, Vocab Template and even a Prompt Assistant to aid architects in enhancing the quality, depth, architectural precision and style of their renderings. It also incorporates an Upscale Image feature to easily correct imperfections and enhance the quality of the image.

Learn more and review this tool >

Best AI Rendering Tool for Stylizing Images

mnml.ai is a revolutionary AI tool that eliminates the endless tinkering of lighting parameters in 3d visualization software. By simply uploading a rough image of the design, mnml.ai has the ability to convert it into numerous visualization styles: from day to night shots and from sketches to realistic imagery. In fact, the software has the ability to transform plain sketches into fully rendered shots and even use text prompts to control details such as colors, finishes and lighting in both exterior and interior visuals.

Learn more and review this tool >

Best AI Rendering Tool for Quick Visualizations

alt="ArkoAI"Similar to Veras, ArkoAI is also a plug-in for popular architecture software. Being, however, a cloud-based platform, its powerful rendering capabilities are ideal for quick and flexible material iterations on existing 3d models. Using simple text as well as added parameters to control the amount of effect the prompts will have on the model, architects can transform their clay renderings and shaded views into complete design proposals.

Learn more and review this tool >

How to Better Leverage AI Rendering Tools in Architecture

The following tips and considerations will help you maximize the potential of AI in architectural visualization, as well as avoiding common pitfalls associated with this fast-emerging technology.

Watch out for the elephant in the room: It is true that AI rendering software holds an impressive ability to transform ideas into very “convincing” realities. Text prompts, image-to-image models and sketch-to-rendering features enable architects to quickly reach to a finished design. Oftentimes, however, these designs may lack refinement, consideration and partially the human touch leading to proposals that may not be plausible or realistic. AI rendering tools are ideal for inspiration, experimentation and early idea representations. Nevertheless, it is important to retain creative control over an AI generated image, paying close attention to details such as material textures, lighting effects, and spatial proportions.

Beware of the plagiarism trap: It is widely known that AI technology is trained through an array of information found on the web. In the case of AI-generated renderings, architects may use preexisting images to feed into the AI tool in order to reach the desired result. Even though there have not been any clear guidelines so far on how to approach this subject, being mindful of image copyrights and licensing principles might spare users future complications and ethical considerations. In fact, using originally produced sketches and other forms of imagery to feed the AI tools may not only prove to be more ethically sustainable but also generate far more authentic and unique results.

Don’t reinvent the wheel in every rendering: Similar to any other creative process, using AI tools to produce rendered visualizations is a matter of trial and error. Writing prompts, setting AI parameters and experimenting with different image combinations are some of the skills architects need to cultivate in order to master AI visualization. Still, since the AI Spring – and as it happens in any major technological bloom – there have been numerous courses, communities and even cheat sheets for successfully operating AI technology. Architizer’s Ultimate AI Cheat Sheet for Architects and Designers! as well as its Instagram midjourneyarchitecture page provide great tips, insights and inspiration for every aspiring architect who wishes to enter the world of AI architectural visualization.

Architizer’s Tech Directory is a database of tech tools for architects — from the latest generative design and AI to rendering and visualization, 3D modeling, project management and many more. Explore the complete library of categories here.



Reference

Chaos Bridges the Gap Between Real-Time Rendering and Photorealistic Visualization
CategoriesArchitecture

Chaos Bridges the Gap Between Real-Time Rendering and Photorealistic Visualization

By Zarkon Group,

In a professional setting, the tasks of architectural design and visualization are often divided between different teams because they require different skills. This division helps designers achieve state-of-the-art rendering quality but sets up inherent workflow gaps between the two teams. Addressing this challenge, a powerful new update to V-Ray makes major improvements to the interface between that popular photoreal rendering tool and the real-time rendering program Enscape. Nicknamed “The Bridge”, this interface integrates design and visualization into the same workflow, allowing the transfer of materials, assets, lights, and more between design and visualization teams.

Enscape is an indispensable tool for architects because it allows them to quickly convert their work in design programs like SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, Archicad and Vectorworks into compelling visualizations. Ideal for evaluating iterations in working meetings or facilitating client decisions on the fly, it’s easy for designers to use but isn’t intended to produce the sort of photorealistic images made possible by V-Ray. Therefore, when a designer reached the point where a professional rendering was needed, a visualization team would then be tasked with recreating their Enscape scene in V-Ray from scratch, hoping to capture the designer’s intent — until now.

A new solution to this workflow problem has arrived in the form of the Bridge between Enscape and V-Ray. Starting in V-Ray 6, designers working in Enscape for SketchUp, Rhino or Revit can open their Enscape scenes in the V-Ray tab of the same program. This allows design teams to seamlessly transfer geometry, assets, lights, and materials from Enscape to V-Ray and render them with the highest levels of photorealism. By eliminating the necessity to recreate an Enscape scene in V-Ray, the Bridge is a time-saver, offering 3D artists a head start in fine-tuning and rendering projects.

Further to this, thanks to V-Ray’s latest update, the Bridge now enables users to move projects from a CAD environment (SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, Archicad or Vectorworks) to a DCC environment in programs like 3ds Max or Cinema 4D. Designers can now utilize V-Ray within these powerful applications, greatly expanding their rendering capabilities. The key lies in V-Ray’s ability to export a .vrscene file type, which allows designers working in Enscape to move their materials, lights, and entourage directly into V-Ray for 3ds Max or Cinema 4D.

The best illustration of the Bridge’s benefits can be seen in V-Ray’s hyper-realistic lighting and material rendering capabilities. When opened in V-Ray, lights defined by designers in Enscape feature a far greater degree of control over intensity, color, and physical accuracy. Materials in V-Ray likewise exhibit more realistic interaction with light than they do in Enscape, enhancing the ability to depict translucency, subsurface scattering, tinted glass surfaces and mirror surfaces. In the hands of a professional visualization artist, these capabilities make the difference between a compelling rendering and a jaw-dropping, life-like image.

Another significant advantage the Bridge offers is the ability for Enscape users to access V-Ray’s Chaos Cosmos asset library. In contrast to the Enscape Asset Library, tailored for real-time rendering, Chaos Cosmos provides assets specifically crafted to maximize realism and detail in production renders. Additionally, V-Ray’s optimized to handle scenes with large amounts of entourage — exceeding the capacity of Enscape and any host applications.

V-Ray’s sophisticated production flexibility is a further benefit the Bridge offers design teams working in Enscape. While Enscape relies solely on a GPU for rendering, V-Ray removes all hardware constraints by offering flexible rendering options utilizing together or individually the CPU and the GPU of users’ machines. It also offers cloud rendering as well as distributed rendering, and there are no limits on the final resolution of the output images. Design teams working in Enscape can easily utilize these valuable features of the Bridge by simply opening their Enscape models in V-Ray for the purposes of rendering.

With the Bridge, design and visualization are finally brought into the same workflow, saving time for everyone involved. Having removed the need to duplicate work, design teams can now benefit from the real-time rendering capabilities of Enscape without losing anything in translation to a visualization team creating final renderings in V-Ray. The unified workflow and improved collaboration the Bridge allows is a major step forward in efficiency and cooperation, drawing together key parts of the AEC industry that would otherwise remain divided.

Curious what the Bridge can do for you? Check out the latest update for yourself over on V-Ray’s website.

Reference

Paper Architecture: Diversity of Drawing Styles Hint at New Directions for Visualization
CategoriesArchitecture

Paper Architecture: Diversity of Drawing Styles Hint at New Directions for Visualization

By Zarkon Group,

We are thrilled to announce the winners of Architizer’s inaugural Vision Awards, the world’s biggest awards program dedicated to the art of architectural representation. Sign up to receive future program updates >  

Drawing is a reflection of how we imagine new futures. When we leave spaces and lines open to different interpretations, it gives room for diverse meanings and ideas. In turn, drawing styles are wide-ranging, from sketching and more technical techniques to colorful collages and more. The style that a designer or artist chooses gives way to different readings of light, space, form and place.

Celebrating diversity and ingenuity in different drawing styles, Architizer launched the Vision Awards to recognize the students, professionals and studios that are boldly envisioning architecture. The following work represents the winning entries in a variety of categories, all exploring different drawing styles today. From hand drawing to computer-aided and more, they illustrate how to bring buildings and cities to life. Each visionary work is accompanied by the text teams submitted to give context to their drawings or further provoke new readings of the work.

The Last Resort

By Nikhita Sivakumar, Student Winner, 2023 Vision Awards, Hand Drawn Drawing 

“The Last Resort, a black hole observatory located in Greenwich Park, is a testament to humanity’s quest for survival and a gateway between alternate dimensions. As the stars emerge each night, the observatory awakens, physicists gathering within hallowed halls and pooling centuries of knowledge into one goal: seeking an inter-dimensional refuge in the race against our planet’s dying climate.

Scientists turn to the God Particle monument, a historic symbol of faith that bridges metaphysical understanding with spiritual reflection. The engineering facility, buried below the surface, aims to develop a voyager that may embark on this journey, whilst the telescope above decodes the nature of Sagittarius A*, located at the galactic centre of our own Milky Way. The Last Resort exists to bind science with the spiritual, drawing on the hope that brings these two worlds together.”

The Iceberg

By CEBRA architecture, Studio Winner, 2023 Vision Awards, Hand Drawn Drawing 

“The Iceberg is among the first completed projects in the redevelopment of Aarhus’ former container port for 7,000 residents and 12,000 workplaces, spanning 800,000 meters square — one of Europe’s largest harborfront developments. The client, PensionDanmark, assigned CEBRA to maximize views and sunlight for every apartment. Challenging the master plan of closed blocks, The Iceberg consists of four L-shaped wings. The street spaces between the parallel wings open towards the water.

Founding Partner Mikkel Frost used watercolor to create a cartoonish concept drawing merging ancient techniques and contemporary styles, uniting problem-solving with artistic ambition. To obtain optimal daylight conditions and views over the bay, the angled volumes are cut up by a jagged roof profile. The structure offers well-arranged lighting and views to most apartments — even in the back row. The simple algorithm in the design created a stunning structure of eleven white peaks — like a floating iceberg.”

Fable or Failure

By Alexander Jeong and Brandon Hing, Student Winners, 2023 Vision Awards, Computer Aided Drawing

This imaginative drawing “Fable or Failure” by Alexander Jeong and Brandon Hing won the 2023 Architizer Vision Award for a Student Drawing in the Computer Aided category. Jeong and Hing’s rendering reimagines a multitude of fantastical scenarios through space travel. As the duo notes, “Fable or Failure is a project that seeks to reimagine how space travel can be conceptualized in the distant future of societal development.” Taking the shape of an exploded axonometric drawing, the winning entry uses black, white and grey linework and shading, as well as a single color to denote outer space.

Together, Jeong and Hing are curious in how a visualization can pose questions of space, community and gathering. “Will space travel be dominated by the rich and corrupt with the ability to experience otherworldly and transformative events, commodifying it? Can we imagine a future of space travel dominated by imaginative individuals or kids, optimistic in carrying the hopes of the future of the earth with them to space? Through three distinct parts: navigation, archival and extension, the organization of the shuttle is designed for a plethora of humanity’s desires in space travel.”

Amsterdam City Centre Pub

By Olivia O’Callaghan, Student Creator Of The Year, 2023 Vision Awards

“Where do we go when we read? The pub designed for Amsterdam’s city centre aims to answer this, creating a bar residing in the metaphysical, that through its drawings invite you in, wherever you may be visiting the pub from. The pencil drawings emerge from data collected within the site at dusk when the pub opens. Small devices constructed from black mirrors and poetic fragments were taken to the site at this time and created textual openings to it, using the fragments as locators.

As the site darkened, the black mirrors became more intangible and only came to life out of the amorphous backdrop when aligned with the light from the surrounding nightlife. The data collected by these models at their points of activation became the information from which to tease out a sublime architecture dwelling in the textual world, activating the imagination just as reading does. But, just as when we become aware of the flow of our own reading, we lose access to the imagination of the text, and the entry to the bar. This is a bar that serves up drinks that intoxicate the imagination imagination and make visitors drunk from words alone.

The work aims to use the architect’s imagination as a field of play for data collection of responses to the site that becomes reworked through drawings. All the drawings are created and worked into simultaneously, creating a world in the drawings that is fully realized. Some drawings work to describe how the architecture looks whereas others, through their process, aim to investigate how the architecture operates.

I invite you now to look at the drawings and in visiting and revisiting them, entertain you and draw you in to the pub. The drawings become a condition of entry to the bar.”

VENUE ID PINKLAO-SALAYA “Shirakawa-go”

By LWD.Co.,Ltd, Studio Winner, 2023 Vision Awards, Computer Aided Drawing

“Underlining the idea that CAD drawings can be done in many different styles, the drawing VENUE ID PINKLAO-SALAYA “Shirakawa-go” by LWD.Co was the Vision Awards Studio Winner this year for Computer Aided Drawing. As the team outlines, it was made as an “inspired design that tells the story of a beautiful farming village nestled in the valley alongside the Shokawa River, where one might find an old house reminiscent of a childhood fairy tale.” Reading like a comic, the juxtaposition of angles, moments and frames moves the eye through the drawing and text.

LWD.Co. wanted to create an illustration that highlights the architectural design of Gassho-zukuri houses. “Built using the same architectural characteristics as traditional houses, this design employs the architectural style called Gassho-zukuri. Gassho means hands folded together in prayer. The distinctive feature of this traditional Japanese architectural style is the large gable roof that looks like hands folded together. This creates a beautiful blend between the wooden Japanese frame and the architectural style of a traditional Thai house. This combination is perfect for the hot and humid climate of Thailand; the elevated structure which creates a faux-basement space underneath the house is just one of the unique characteristics of Thai-style houses.”

Treehouses Without Trees

By Thomas Wells Schaller, Professional Winner, 2023 Vision Awards, Hand Drawn Drawing 

“There is a universe of possibility that spans the distance between what we look at and what we see. And in that space is our experience of the world. This is what I try to paint — the experience of seeing my world — from perspectives both external and from within. And as such, dreams, memories, and pure imagination are every bit as valid as is anything that can be physically observed.”

Thomas W. Schaller is an artist, architect, and author based in New York City. This work, Treehouses Without Trees, was created in response to lockdowns and inspired by the works of writer Ishiguro. It is a study of connection and isolation, the triumph of aspiration and resource over circumstance, and the looming prospect of an unknown future in a world under siege.

We are thrilled to announce the winners of Architizer’s inaugural Vision Awards, the world’s biggest awards program dedicated to the art of architectural representation. Sign up to receive future program updates >  

Reference

From Rendering to Reality: Morphosis’ Evolving Practice of Visualization
CategoriesArchitecture

From Rendering to Reality: Morphosis’ Evolving Practice of Visualization

By Zarkon Group,

The One Rendering Challenge is now part of the Architizer Vision Awards, honoring the best architectural photography, film, visualizations, drawings, models and the talented creators behind them. Winners are published in print! Start your entry >

Rendering transformed how architecture was visualized and shared. As one of the most common ways that designs are communicated to clients and the public today, these constructed images have become central to practice. Increasingly more realistic as technology has evolved, firms have been exploring diverse ways to understand the impact and potential of renderings. Now more than ever, designers and artists can make visualizations in less time and create new visions of what could be.

For interdisciplinary design practice Morphosis, the firm has made a name for itself by pushing boundaries. In their own words, the designers are “enthusiastically wondering at the future” as they test out new forms and building technologies. Founded in 1972, the firm’s work ranges in scale from residential, institutional, and civic buildings to large urban planning projects.

Like the practice itself and implied in the firm’s name, the renderings produced by Morphosis have shifted and evolved over time. However, a central theme is a blurred entourage and context, creating a sense of movement within an image. The following projects showcase renderings from the firm’s portfolio and photography of their built architecture. As a collection, they show how the practice continues to set the stage for innovation.

Orange County Museum of Art

Costa Mesa, CA, United States

Jury Winner, 2023 A+Awards, Museum

The design of the new Orange County Museum of Art addresses the need for museum space to be both flexible and functional as well as inviting and memorable. With flexible exhibition galleries, dedicated space for educational programming, and areas for public gathering, the new building was made to provide expanded access to the museum’s permanent collection and its world-class special exhibition program. The main floor is dedicated to reconfigurable open-span exhibition space, complemented by mezzanine, black-box, and jewel-box galleries that can accommodate temporary and permanent collection exhibitions spanning scales and mediums.

A spacious roof terrace, equivalent in size to 70 percent of the building’s footprint, serves as an extension of the galleries with open-air spaces that can be configured for installations, a sculpture garden, outdoor film screenings, or events. While the interaction and entrance to this terrace changed over the course of the design, later renderings more closely echo the final project. A sculptural wing hovers over the lobby atrium and creates a prominent location for the educational hall, a dynamic architectural space illuminated by a full-height window overlooking the terrace.

Perot Museum of Nature and Science

Dallas, TX, United States

Giving shape to concrete, Morphosis Architects explored the material’s potential through the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. Built to bring a simple cube and plinth into high relief, the Perot Museum showcases a precast-concrete panel façade. As a material investigation integrating structure and formwork, the elegant cladding solution was made possible through computer aided modeling and a collaboration with Gate Precast of Hillsboro, Texas.

The Perot Museum is a showcase of versatility and technical ability. Its design creates a distinct identity for the new institution and enriches the urban environment of the emerging cultural district of Victory Park. The overall massing for the building floats a cube of galleries above a thickened landscape containing classrooms, a theater and support spaces. Breaking the solid geometry of the museum cube, a glass-encased 54-foot (16-meter) continuous flow escalator moves patrons up from the ground floor to a cantilevered platform, which is seen in both renderings of the project and the completed building.

Bloomberg Center

New York, NY, United States

Designed to become a net-zero building, The Bloomberg Center forms the heart of the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island. The Bloomberg Center was made to reflect the school’s joint goals of creativity and excellence by providing academic spaces that foster collective enterprise and collaboration. The four-story, 160,000-square-foot (14,865-square-meter) academic building is named in honor of Emma and Georgina Bloomberg in recognition of a $100-million gift from Michael Bloomberg, who was responsible for bringing Cornell Tech to New York City while serving as the city’s 108th Mayor. The four-story building is set beneath a photovoltaic canopy with a low and narrow profile framing views across the island.

One of the building’s most distinctive features is its façade, optimized to balance transparency — optimizing daylighting and exterior views — while maximizing insulation and reducing thermal bridging. As the renderings echo the building’s form, they also hint at this texture created along the building facade. Designed as a rain screen system, the outermost layer of the façade is composed of aluminum panels surfaced in an iridescent, PPG polymer coating. Viewed from afar, the aluminum panels register a continuous image that merges the river-view scenery from Cornell Tech’s Roosevelt Island location and Cornell University’s idyllic campus in Ithaca, New York.

Emerson Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Emerson Los Angeles has emerged as a significant landmark in Los Angeles. As a backdrop for student filmmakers, the building weaves an urban fabric of outdoor and indoor spaces together with two slender residential towers bridged by a multi-use platform. With over 180 student rooms, four faculty apartments, film and video production labs, and classrooms, the project combines both a sculptural central mass and an undulating, textured metal scrim. At over 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters) and ten stories high, the project spurred redevelopment as part of a larger transformation in Hollywood.

As the most distinctive element of the project, the building features a custom metal panel systems manufactured by Zahner. These screens and panels were made to provide shade and privacy, and are composed of seventeen different folded aluminum components. This screen is seen in both renderings of the design, as well as in the heart of the finished building. Zahner used 3D models to produce and fabricate the curvatures. The eight-story sunscreen was made using computational scripting to determine the final geometry that would shade the internal façades.

Kolon One & Only Tower

Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Sited in Seoul, Kolon’s new flagship research and development facility brings together researchers, leadership and designers in one location. The building combines flexible laboratory facilities with executive offices and active social spaces that encourage greater interaction and exchange across the company. The four-acre project site sits adjacent to Magok’s central park — a prominent location for what will be the district’s first major completed building. The building folds towards the park, providing passive shading to the lower floors.

Bridging the three extending laboratory wings, the building’s folding volume contains conference rooms and social spaces, augmented by flagship retail and exhibition galleries at the street level to communicate the brand’s vision to the public. A transparent ground plane extends the landscape into the interior, drawing light and movement towards an open pedestrian lane-way and grand entry. The distinctive brise-soleil system on the western façade is both a performative and symbolic feature of the building; the façade units have been parametrically shaped to balance shading and views, and are made from a GFRP formulation that uses one of Kolon’s own high-tech fabrics.

Gates Hall

Ithaca, NY, United States

The Bill & Melinda Gates Hall brings together the faculty and students of Cornell University’s Computer Science and Information Science departments. Housed within a single structure, the project was designed to facilitate collaboration and spontaneous discourse between disciplines. Projecting westward from the building, a two-story cantilever creates a dramatic canopy over the elevated Entry Plaza to establish a new visual gateway to the campus. Advanced digital modeling tools are used to map a double skin of undulating, perforated stainless steel panels, which envelop the reflective glass curtain wall on the second and third levels.

The complex patterning of the façade causes the building to appear to shift throughout the day, evening and seasons, as the sun reflects off this textural surface. The renderings of the project produced for Cornell echo the final design. Performative as well as aesthetic, the metal screen shades the building from the sun, while admitting diffuse daylight and affording exterior views. Accentuated by fritted interior glazing, active social spaces interweave with academic program to extend education beyond traditional classroom settings. Public activity is organized around a dynamic, multi-level atrium on the west side of the building, with an efficient layout of classroom, laboratories and offices to the east.

The One Rendering Challenge is now part of the Architizer Vision Awards, honoring the best architectural photography, film, visualizations, drawings, models and the talented creators behind them. Winners are published in print! Start your entry >

Reference

Take Our Survey on the Future of Architectural Visualization and Win a 0 Amazon Gift Card!
CategoriesArchitecture

Take Our Survey on the Future of Architectural Visualization and Win a $500 Amazon Gift Card!

By Zarkon Group,

Architectural visualization plays a crucial role in bringing designs to life and communicating ideas effectively. As the industry continues to evolve, it is important to gather insights from professionals like you to understand the present landscape and envision the future of architectural visualization.

In partnership with Chaos and Enscape, Architizer invites you to participate in a global industry survey to share your experiences and perspectives. As a token of our appreciation, one lucky respondent will have the chance to win a $500 Amazon gift card! (Terms and conditions apply).

The survey will open very soon (click here and sign up to the newsletter to be one of the first to know when it’s live!) and should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.

Image courtesy of Enscape

Help Shape the Future of Architectural Visualization

Built in collaboration with Chaos, a world leader in 3D visualization technology, this key industry survey aims to capture valuable insights about architecture firms’ visualization workflows, together with their expectations for the future. By participating, you’ll contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the industry, which will help shape the direction of architectural visualization tools and technologies.

The survey covers a range of topics related to your firm and its visualization practices. Some of the key questions include demographic details of you and/or your firm, the types of work you specialize in, the visualization techniques and tools you utilize, the stages of the design process where you employ visualizations, and your experiences with real-time rendering software.

Additionally, we explore your views on the future of architectural visualization, including potential advancements in collaboration, design tools, cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and immersive technologies such as virtual reality.

Image courtesy of Enscape

Benefits of Participating

By responding to the survey, you’ll not only contribute to the collective knowledge of the architectural community but also gain insights into the practices and trends in architectural visualization. The results will be summarized in the form of a white paper, which will be shared first with survey respondents. The report will provide valuable benchmarks and information for professionals like you to enhance their visualization workflows.

Furthermore, your participation enters you into a draw to win a $500 Amazon gift card, which could be a great opportunity to invest in tools, resources, or treat yourself to something special.

We encourage you to share this article with your colleagues and peers, including anyone you know who works in architectural visualization. The more respondents we receive, the richer the data, and the better insights we’ll be able to offer about the present and future of the industry!

Image courtesy of Enscape

How to Participate

Participating in the Chaos / Enscape + Architizer Survey is easy. Simply visit [survey link] to access the questionnaire. The survey should take approximately [estimated time] to complete. Please ensure your responses accurately represent your firm’s practices and opinions.

Conclusion: Architizer invites you to contribute your insights to the Chaos / Enscape + Architizer Survey on the future of architectural visualization. Your responses will shape the trajectory of the industry and help identify areas for improvement and innovation. Don’t miss the opportunity to win a $500 Amazon gift card! We value your participation and appreciate your dedication to advancing the field of architectural visualization. Start the survey today and join us in envisioning the future of architectural visualization!

Disclaimer: The survey is organized in partnership with Chaos, who will provide the $500 Amazon gift card to one randomly selected respondent. Participants must comply with the survey terms and conditions to be eligible for the prize. Restrictions apply; see: http://amazon.com/gc-legal

Images courtesy of Chaos & Enscape.

Reference

21st Century Architect Guide: 7 Visualization Tools Architects Can’t Live Without
CategoriesArchitecture

21st Century Architect Guide: 7 Visualization Tools Architects Can’t Live Without

By Zarkon Group,

Judging for the 11th A+Awards is now underway! While awaiting the Winners, learn more about Architizer’s Vision Awards. The Main Entry Deadline on June 9th is fast approaching. Start your entry today >

The architectural design process is an intricate dance between creativity and technical mastery. From beginning to end, as each act of a project unfolds, and visions come to life, every architect must rely on an array of visualization tools to help them successfully navigate project stages. These tools are our trusty partners throughout the performance that is design.

From sketching the earliest of ideas to unveiling new worlds in digital landscapes, many tools have revolutionized the way we work and transformed how we communicate our ideas. While we each have individual preferences, undoubtedly, from concept to completion, there are some visualization tools we can all agree we would rather not live without.

Conceptualization: Sketching and Diagramming – The Napkin Chronicles

Interior of the reimagined Autodesk Gallery, San Francisco, CA, United States Photograph provided by Autodesk

We’ve all been there — a moment of divine inspiration striking in the middle of lunch, hastily scribbling our ideas on a napkin, a receipt, even our hand. Be it through traditional (pen and paper) sketching or digital tools like SketchBook by Autodesk and Morpholio Trace, conceptualization is the wild west of design documentation, and that’s precisely what these programs are built for.

By allowing us to quickly test various design concepts, proportions, and relationships while providing a platform for experimentation and ideation, such sketching software helps to support and facilitate mark-making and disjointed thought. The intuitive interface and versatile features of these digital sketching apps enable architects to easily switch between mediums, layers, and scales, streamlining the concept process and ultimately helping us make sense of our own ideas effectively.

Schematic Design: 2D CAD Drawings – Back to the Grid

Autodesk Technology Center, Boston, MA, United States Photograph provided by Autodesk

With concepts refined, then comes the time to embrace the precision and orderliness of 2D CAD drawings. Bidding adieu to the delightful chaos of the napkin sketches, programs like AutoCAD and Vectorworks become our new best friends. During the schematic phase, meticulously articulating our visions is essential, ensuring that not even a single datum line goes astray.

Whatever your preferred platform may be, CAD programs allow us to create detailed, scalable drawings, facilitating coordination with consultants, and fine-tuning the review process for and with clients. Over the years, the software’s extensive libraries and automated tools have increased the efficiency of drawing tenfold, reducing errors and resources required at this stage of the design development process.

Design Development: 3D Modeling – The Taming of the Shrewd

Interior of the new reimagined Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco, CA, United States Photograph provided by Autodesk

The design process can often feel a lot like herding cats, chaotic and unpredictable. 3D modeling software such as SketchUp, Rhino, and Revit can feel like our trusty shepherd’s staff in times of uncertainty and compromise. With these tools, we can juggle competing interests — structural engineers advocating for fewer cantilevers and environmental officers requesting more green space alongside MEP consultants demanding cavernous service risers.

3D models give us the capacity to study the spatial relationships and materiality of our designs, enabling us to make informed decisions on practicality with as little impact on the design ambition as possible. The real-time rendering capabilities of these programs thrive in the quest for seamless collaboration between team members, promoting an iterative design process and ensuring that all disciplines are working in harmony.

Visualization: Rendering and Virtual Reality – The Picture-Perfect Performance

The Lumion office building by atelier PRO architekten, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Photograph by Jan Paul Mioulet

During the design process, renderings are akin to a grand soiree, a sumptuous feast for the eyes that unveil creations in all their splendor. With virtuosos like V-Ray and Lumion at the helm, 3D renders allow us to conduct a mesmerizing performance of light and texture, conjuring spellbinding visuals that leave clients entranced.

These rendering maestros boast an array of sophisticated features, from global illumination to physically-based materials and ethereal atmospheric effects, empowering architects to craft lifelike images that impeccably embody their design aspirations. Furthermore, VR technologies such as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive transport us to a realm where we can meander through our masterpieces as though they already stand tall — always remember to mind your footing in the tangible world as you navigate the virtual one.

Construction Documentation: BIM – The Clash of the Disciplines

The pièce de résistance of the design process, construction documentation through BIM software, such as Revit, is where the rubber meets the road. Architects know that, in today’s world, coordination is the name of the game, and nothing tests resolve quite like the clash detection feature in our BIM software.

By consolidating architectural, structural, and MEP models into a single, comprehensive database, BIM enables us to identify and resolve conflicts early in the design process, preventing costly and time-consuming issues during construction. BIM’s powerful parametric capabilities also facilitate the generation of detailed schedules and specifications, ensuring that the information is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date.

Digital Fabrication: Parametric Design – A Brave New World

Designed using CATIA V&A Dundee by Kengo Kuma and Associates, Dundee, Scotland. Photograph by Hufton+Crow

As we explore the frontiers of design, the relatively new realm of digital fabrication beckons. Unlike days of old, armed with kappa board and scalpel, parametric design and computational tools like Grasshopper, Dynamo, and Catia empower us to translate complex geometries and intricate patterns into buildable forms. These tools enable us to visualize and rationalize our boldest ideas, bridging the gap between digital models and physical constructs.

We can optimize our designs for structural efficiency, environmental performance, and material utilization by scripting algorithms and generating parametric models. As we venture into the brave new world of 3D printing, CNC milling, and robotic assembly, these visual documentation tools are our invaluable guides, helping us push the boundaries of architectural possibility.

Interactive Presentations: Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality – The Future is Now

Autodesk, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Photograph provided by Autodesk

As the future of architecture unfolds before us, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies are poised to revolutionize the way we present and experience our designs. Tools like Microsoft HoloLens, Magic Leap, and Apple ARKit allow us to superimpose digital information onto the physical environment, creating immersive and interactive presentations that captivate our clients and collaborators. These cutting-edge technologies enable us to visualize and manipulate design elements in real time, engaging with our projects in novel and exciting ways. By overlaying digital models onto site photographs, AR can enhance client presentations by demonstrating the proposed design in context. As we embrace AR and MR, we stand at the forefront of a paradigm shift, forever changing how we document, present, and interact with architecture.

Throughout the timeline of a project, architects employ an ever-evolving array of visualization tools, from the nascent stages of conceptualization to the emerging realms of digital fabrication and interactive presentations. By embracing these tools and the many more sure to be introduced over our careers, we can continue to push the boundaries of architectural possibility, shaping the world around us with passion, precision, and innovation. As we salute the visual documentation tools accompanying us on our architectural odyssey, let’s not forget the camaraderie and ingenuity that defines our profession. Together, we can create spaces that inspire, transform, and endure for generations.

Judging for the 11th A+Awards is now underway! While awaiting the Winners, learn more about Architizer’s Vision Awards. The Main Entry Deadline on June 9th is fast approaching. Start your entry today >

Reference

Is VR The New Paradigm for Architectural Visualization?
CategoriesArchitecture

Is VR The New Paradigm for Architectural Visualization?

By Zarkon Group,

Architizer Journal is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.

Is virtual reality (VR) necessary in my design practice? Many architects — not only those with established careers and years under their belts but also recent grads weary of technological trends — question if there is any need to pivot and incorporate VR into their practices. Some see it as futile, others resist the digital era, but most designers reluctant to VR implementation are simply unfamiliar with this virtual world. Yet, there is a new paradigm for architectural visualization that is being shaped by virtual reality, along with its cousins, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Utilizing virtual reality as a visualization tool has become increasingly popular amongst designers as it offers a space for endless exploration and development. As the potentialities of VR continue evolving, here are a few reasons architects should consider investing in quality VR sets like the Meta Quest Pro to enhance their practice.

Whether it be to develop a design, contextualize a project or win over a client, the metaverse is making its mark in the architecture community. One of VR’s biggest advantages is providing a comprehensive understanding of space. When it comes to appreciating the detailed particularities of a site, 2D drawings and built models can only go so far. The beauty of VR is that it takes architectural visualization one step further and allows architects to deeply conceptualize and experience an environment. Through 360-degree views, VR can be incorporated at any stage of the design process. Whether it be to simply make sense of a space and its massing or to create a hyperreal experience with detailed elements, the possibilities are endless.

Top-of-the-line VR sets, like the newly-released Meta Quest Pro, are great gateways into the digital world. The Meta Quest Pro is packed with new and improved features which expand the possibilities of VR for architecture and ensure a comfortable and uncomplicated user experience. VR sets like the Meta Quest Pro are designed for collaboration. The device comes with a resizable screen that allows designers to organize their work however they please while simultaneously communicating with other users. Moreover, the Meta Quest Pro is especially handy for architects as they can collaborate in real-time while working with modeling software such as Akrio and Gravity Sketch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaRastZmucQ

Compared to older models, this device boasts a wide color gamut, an expanded dimming range and an increased contrast ratio. Whether the designer is adding light features or sun studies into their design, the viewing experience will feel ultra-realistic and help accurately conceptualize a space. Equally, the controllers on this device have been upgraded to capture a greater range of motion and more precise operations. Designers can therefore replicate writing and hand-sketching directly in the virtual world! For designers who plan to stay immersed for longer periods of time, The Meta Quest Pro has been engineered to be more ergonomic and ensure long-lasting comfort.

VR lets architects visualize and experience a design long before it’s been built. However, it can also be used to strengthen client relations. Architects can share their ultra-realistic and immersive designs with clients to help strengthen relationships and solidify deals. Therefore, investing in VR is not only an investment in better design but an investment in a flourishing practice. Architectural approaches, practices and standards are constantly evolving and it is up to the architect to pivot when they feel fit. Nevertheless, VR sets like the Meta Quest Pro are tools not to overlook.

For more ways to supercharge your workflow, check out more articles in our Tech for Architects series, which includes our recommendations of Top Laptops for Architects and Designers. 

Reference

Enscape 3.3 Takes Real-Time Architectural Visualization to the Next Level
CategoriesArchitecture

Enscape 3.3 Takes Real-Time Architectural Visualization to the Next Level

By Zarkon Group,

Enscape, one of architecture’s most popular real-time visualization, 3D rendering and virtual reality applications, just got even better. Its latest iteration, version 3.3, brings a plethora of enhancements for its existing features as well as a host of new functions, each designed to make real-time rendering more intuitive to use at every stage of the design process.

Enscape brings the disciplines of design and visualization together, creating a unified experience that enables designers to collaborate on their projects in a dynamic fashion, as well as communicating their ideas to clients in an easy-to-understand way.

“We’re always looking for new ways to support our customers’ design workflows,” said Petr Mitev, VP Visualization Product Group at Enscape. “With our latest release, we’ve automated some processes so designers can spend more time making the right decisions and less time gathering the data needed to do it. We will also continue to improve our core visualization and sharing platforms based on community feedback.”

So, what can users expect from the new and improved Enscape application? Here are some key new features to look out for:

Site Context

It’s now possible to import a project’s existing surroundings directly into renderings, using data from global geographic database OpenStreetMap. Users can enter a specific address or coordinates to immediately locate and import the surroundings, or select and import key landmarks, streets, or topography.

Alpha Channel Export

With the Alpha Channel Export, you can now render an image with a transparent background. This means your project can now be quickly and easily combined with any style of sky, clouds, and horizon line in post production, lending Enscape a new layer of flexibility for still renderings.

Education Assets and Materials

Enscape’s popular 3D asset library has been radically expanded to include an extensive collection of educational assets, including classroom furniture, toys, musical instruments, playground equipment, acoustic panels, and more. The Enscape Material Library, which was introduced in Enscape 3.1, has also been expanded with materials such as new wallpapers and various carpets.

While they will be categorized under Education and are perfectly suited for kindergarten, school and college projects, these assets and materials are also useful for a wide variety of other typologies, including corporate, hospitality and residential projects.

Besides these headline new features, numerous other refinements have been introduced to Enscape 3.3, each with the goal of improving ease-of-use and an improved end product for users.

Additional Features

In terms of rendering, visualizations including glass and water are now more accurate thanks to improved graphic capabilities; transparent materials now appear in reflections, providing a more realistic appearance. The use of a graphics card that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, such as NVIDIA RTX series and AMD RX6xxx series, is required. Further to this, the new “Material Overwrite” function enables users to replace Enscape material files within the Enscape Material Editor without the need to manually import and export them.

In terms of user experience, it’s now possible to ‘pin’ the Enscape rendering window and associated menus to the top of your modeling window, allowing for easy access to view real-time changes even if you’re not using two screens. New upload migration capabilities have also been introduced, enabling users to manage uploads, such as web standalones and uploaded panoramas, online efficiently.

Finally, Enscape 3.3 works seamlessly with the latest version of SketchUp, providing key compatibility with one of the industry’s most used 3D modeling applications. Throw in full Japanese language support, and the latest edition of Enscape is inarguably the most comprehensive release to date when it comes to usability across platforms and geographies.

To get a first-hand look at Enscape’s full suite of real-time capabilities, click here to download a 14-day free trial. You can find out more about every feature over at Enscape.com.

Reference

Webinar: Learn How Real-Time Visualization Works With Enscape!
CategoriesArchitecture

Webinar: Learn How Real-Time Visualization Works With Enscape!

By Zarkon Group,

You’re invited! Join Architizer for an engaging live webinar presented by Roderick Bates, Head of Integrated Practice at Enscape, and learn how to successfully implement real-time visualization at every stage of design, while also creating a more inclusive design process.

Hosted by Editor in Chief Paul Keskeys, Architizer’s first webinar on architectural visualization is one not to be missed! Hit the button below to sign up for the talk, which will take place at 12pm EST on Tuesday, March 29th:

Register for Event →

BIM/CAD software often lacks a visually intuitive interface, making it too far removed from reality to understand on a level sufficient to make rapid, informed design decisions. Real-time visualization is the missing link that bridges the gap between a BIM/CAD interface and a constructed project, helping both designers and their clients to envision what a design will actually look like when built.

Decision making, BIM model quality assurance, performance analysis, and coordination all benefit from bringing real-time visualization to the BIM/CAD workflow, and Roderick will show how to do this best.

By attending this webinar, you’ll learn how to:

  • Utilize real-time visualization to increase client and stakeholder understanding of the project design at every phase
  • Leverage real-time visualization to conduct individual and collaborative BIM/CAD model quality assurance workflows
  • Identify opportunities where real-time rendering can greatly reduce the time required for critical decision making

About Roderick

Throughout his career, Roderick has sought out and developed solutions to environmental challenges related to the design, construction, and operations of buildings. As the Head of Integrated Practice at Enscape, he is responsible for researching industry and market trends which are shaping the way Enscape customers work. Leveraging that industry knowledge, Roderick collaborates with Enscape Product and R&D leaders to assess new product development opportunities that will shape the future of building design. Previously, as a Principal at Kieran Timberlake, Roderick led the efforts to develop and commercialize software and hardware tools used by the greater the AEC community to improve the environmental and operational performance of buildings.

About Paul

Paul Keskeys is Editor in Chief at Architizer. An architect-trained editor, writer and content creator, Paul graduated from UCL and the University of Edinburgh, gaining an MArch in Architectural Design with distinction. Paul has spoken about the art of architecture and storytelling at many national industry events, including AIANY, NeoCon, KBIS, the Future NOW Symposium, the Young Architect Conference and NYCxDesign. As well as hundreds of editorial publications on Architizer, Paul has also had features published in Architectural Digest, PIN—UP Magazine, Archinect, Aesthetica Magazine and PUBLIC Journal.

Register for the Talk →

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