I've absolutely had it with this 'industry'

[joebloggs]

Sorry to be a miseryguts but having just realised that I've wasted 10 years of my life in 3d viz I was wondering whether anyone out there knows of anything else one can do with the skill set?

 

After trying to run a company, freelance and work in-house for larger firms, I've come to the conclusion that it is an utterly pointless exercise that will lead nowhere.

 

Bad clients with absurdly high expectations and no budget, architects who make constant changes to the extent that most projects produce no profit at all, competition from countries like China and India, clients taking months to pay and increasingly extortionate software costs have ground me down to the lowest I've ever felt in my life.

 

Even the biggest companies rarely make any profit, and are constantly undercutting each other, chasing the rapidly dwindling number of clients who are actually willing to pay decent money for good work, to the extent that the only way many can compete is to treat staff and freelancers like shit.

 

The rest offer a few hundred dollars for simple images and then push them up to a much higher quality level with incremental changes. Any mention that this is not fair has resulted in the swift termination of any further work.

 

I can't think of any other industry that requires as much practice to become skilled and that requires so much investment in software and hardware for so little reward. Even the most successful individuals and studio owners are less financially well off than someone who's worked in a bank for a few years, or a moderately skilled construction worker. In my more difficult times, when clients haven't paid up or have gone bust, I would have made more money on social security. In that respect I no longer think it's a sensible pursuit for adults.

 

Think about it... if you're a mid or senior-level artist, what's the best you honestly hope to achieve? Do you imagine a nice house, a nice car, holidays etc one day? Chances are none of those will happen if you do this for a living. In fact I can't think of anyone who's made a decent living doing it. At least architects or product designers have their Norman Fosters or Marc Newsons to aspire to. Who do we have? I think that point should be considered VERY carefully by anyone wanting to get involved in arch viz.

 

Some of you will say that my work obviously isn't up to scratch, and you may be right, but I've had work featured on national TV, in 3d and architectural industry magazines etc so do know what I'm doing. I also spent 4 years designing houses before starting in 3D.

 

I think I'm just about young enough to change careers and start doing something different, but it does makes me angry (mainly with myself) that I was seduced by all the 'Viz Pro of the Week' type imagery, thinking that such work was the way to go, and that with good enough work the clients would be knocking my door down. To be honest the first few years were pretty good and I arrogantly assumed that my career trajectory would continue up, but every year since about 2008 it has got worse.

 

If the majority of clients are happy to get their work from China or India then there is no way to compete. The only solace is that most of these architects who bemoan the expense of Western 3D artists will soon see their own jobs replaced by cheaper Chinese and Indian people. :mad:

 

I really would like to do something that can make use of at least some of the skills I've wasted my time learning over the last decade... if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them. Maybe working in real estate or something?

[Zdravko Barisic]

You are saying my words, nothing more to add above...

[Tommy L]

Thats a very sorry tale and I hope things turn around for you. I dont know whether to tell you to keep going or find something new, but if your hearts not in it I'd say move on. Sounds like any career you choose would give you more satisfaction than the one you're in.

 

However, I also thought I'd chime in with the fact that I make a good living being an independent 3d artist, the majority of my clients are awesome and I love my work. Its harder work than most jobs but the rewards make it worthwhile for me. I have learned that dropping bad clients is an important part of your individual progress.

 

Good luck!

[marius e]

Thats a very sorry tale and I hope things turn around for you. I dont know whether to tell you to keep going or find something new, but if your hearts not in it I'd say move on. Sounds like any career you choose would give you more satisfaction than the one you're in.

 

However, I also thought I'd chime in with the fact that I make a good living being an independent 3d artist, the majority of my clients are awesome and I love my work. Its harder work than most jobs but the rewards make it worthwhile for me. I have learned that dropping bad clients is an important part of your individual progress.

 

Good luck!

 

That last sentence is a tough one...

[Scott Schroeder]

If you think viz is bad, try working in the VFX industry. 2008 was a hard year and ever since then we've been in a global economy that none of us have ever experienced before. You can either think that things will return to the bubble levels, or you can stop wishing and make due with what is in front of you. I think anyone who has worked in a bank, especially in the mortgage sector, isn't exactly that well off. Construction employment has been at rock bottom levels for that past 5 years. Most job sectors are still digging out of the dumps.

 

Bad clients are everywhere. Even if you get a job taking orders at McD's, people will be nutjobs about what they are ordering and their expectations. It's up to you as an individual to manage them and/or not let the dumbassery get under your skin. I work closely with a few clients who I wonder if they should be issued helmets to wear full time and not be allowed near sharp objects for the rest of their life. But as Tom said, most of the people I work with are awesome. Where I work, we are on pace to have the best year on record so it's not all so bad. I get my weekends, 3 weeks of vacation, I don't have to be to work at a specific time, and I can work from home if I feel like it. Yeah, we have crunch time but that's just a part of the industry. I make a decent living doing this, so now you have at least two people to think of.

 

It's unfortunate you've had such a bad experience, but the industry as a whole isn't in the crapper. As corny as it may sound, the reward I get is knowing I made a pretty good looking image. It's just a bonus that I get paid for it as well.

[Nic H]

what country are you in?

sounds like you have had a rough time and have been swamped by the other aspects of work apart from making images and film.

 

the reality is all that /viz pro of the week is bullshit and means nothing outside of a group of 50 or so men on the internet. the standard is high but there is limited demand for those kind of white floor, brick wall and furry rug images.

 

have you tried working in a specialised 'architectural 3d' studio? in my experience working in house for architects is the absolute worst and freelance in architecture 3D (unless you are one of the few lucky and amazingly skilled people out there) isn't much better - you get battered around and lack the backing staff and structure that allows you to concentrate on just making images.

 

there are other industries that need 3D staff. its difficult to say without knowing your skills but if you can only do architectural 3d then I reckon you need to learn some more skills, animation, particles, basic vfx, comp and try your luck in related industries.

 

you are never going to earn money like people who work in banks or even building construction but you probably knew that. there is a limit to what you can earn on your own.

[joebloggs]

I just don't think there are enough clients to go around. I guess you guys who are still doing well are the lucky ones who have found great clients and kept hold of them over the years.

 

I guess VFX have had an even rougher time of it lately. Maybe that's part of the problem for guys like me who are now also competing with all the refugees from the VFX houses getting jobs at the arch viz?

 

Either way, I think it's the right thing to do (for me anyway). I just wish I could think of a way to move industry but still utilize my assets, software and hardware... Golf course design?! :-)

[RyderSK]

I just don't think there are enough clients to go around.

 

I am very sure this is not true. People narrow down the boundaries of where visualization could be helpful only to architects and property developers, while in fact, the amount of other industries who wish to use or can benefit from it grow almost exponentially in recent years. Advertising, furniture brands, medicine, photographers, etc. it's almost limitless.

 

Different skillset is required to make oneself attractive to clients these days, not everyone was fortunate to build up reputation over the years like people who begun very early, success of companies like D-Box, Hayes Davidson and alikes, is almost irreplicable today and it's no one's fault, that's simply evolution of every industry and its market. It pays of to be pro-active in best sense possible and strong marketer. It's equally, if not much more important than simply producing some work.

 

It might seems the market is saturated, but I would wager to say that in relative numbers, the saturation is almost minimal compared to fields like photography and graphic design, which still survive strongly, although had to change drastically over time and diversified in almost every aspect.

 

Maybe it's worth taking short break and re-inventing oneself, starting a new, with fresh outlook and learn from some of the massive resources of today.

[joebloggs]

nicnic- I've been mainly doing arch viz recently, but have some background in VFX for film and tv also, including animation and compositing.

 

I've worked in house for architects, cg studios and freelanced. I'd agree that with architects you tend to get treated the worst (though no worse than the average associate architect) but they do pay more than cg studios. I also find freelancing very lonely. Most employees in firms that have a lot of short-term freelancers avoid getting to know you if they know you'll only be there a week or two. But I guess that's true of freelancing in any industry.

 

I just think all the romance of digital artistry that got me hooked at the beginning has gone now. Replaced by jealousy (of others who seem more successful in other industries) and anger with myself for not realising sooner that I was wasting my time. From the outside, my job may seem interesting to others, but once the novelty has worn off, the reality (for me at least) is fruitless toil and borderline depression - working indoors for years and years with nothing to show for it but some average renderings that were ruined by the client dictating where the sun goes, or 'this wood should be more yellow' etc etc etc until the everything looks anodyne, flat and insipid.

 

I actually think I want to get completely away from anything 'creative'. I think it's all just a fabrication... a pyramid scheme where the handful of great architects or designers convince the vast majority that we can all be like them, when in reality most of us spend the best years of our lives sat in front of computers trying to get the reflection 'just right' on a polished wood floor - only for the client to decide they prefer tiles.

[joebloggs]

Maybe it's worth taking short break and re-inventing oneself, starting a new, with fresh outlook and learn from some of the massive resources of today.

 

You may be right. Thank you Juraj.

[Bruce Hart]

Hey Joe - I have felt exactly the same as yourself. If you have been in the industry for 10+ years the novelty does wear off. However I often remind myself that sitting in an air-conditioned office all day isn't bad compared to being on a roof all day putting tiles on.

 

Like yourself I see the Pro-Viz of the week images and think "I wish I had the time/opportunity to do that", however as Nic pointed out, these are just images that 3D artists do to impress other 3D artists. Who pays for a DOF close-up of an Eames Chair on a rustic wood floor with retro 1960s decore? Nobody (that I know of). Sometimes I try to do those type of images at home so I can think that I can. A bit sad really.

 

What I have been particularly bad at over the years, is dealing with the people who provide the information. You can be too accommodating for some people, and for me personally has created a rod for my own back. At the moment I am giving a lot of thought to how to improve my own communication skills, and being a bit more forceful to prevent scope creep. I need to develop better mechanisms to keep some of these people in check, as these are the guys who prevent you from outputting work at it's full potential.

 

I think it is about this time of year that I can feel particularly low. The year is long. As others have said, perhaps you should take a break, or at least take smaller breaks more often. In our office we are trying to diversify to keep things interesting (architectural projection, real-time animation etc.) When I used to work freelance, there was some interesting work to be had in the advertising industry.

 

Anyways - I feel your pain, but don't give up

[heni30]

There's a Mark Twain anecdote that kinda goes like this: A man is sitting on a fence on the outskirts of town. A traveler comes walking up and says "What are the folks like in this town?" He replies "What were they like where you come from?" "They were very friendly." "Well that's what they're like here."

 

Another traveler comes walking up a little later. He asks "What are the folks like in this town?" He replies "What were they like where you come from?" "They weren't very friendly." "Well that's what they're like here."

 

Sometimes it's a shift in attitude is what's needed. Having said that, I really don't know of any readily available solution for that.

 

As far as seductively talented individuals go, I think you have to be kind of all-out crazyily enthusiastic about what you are doing to achieve that. You have to put the single-minded fanatical effort and time into it. It helps to not have any responsibilities; like in your younger years. And it helps to have some natural talent to begin with. So while it's attainable, most people are not willing to make the sacrifices (probably not sacrifices to someone who's really into it). No pain, no rising up to the top of the pyramid.

 

All the negativity you point out does exist, but there's another side to the coin.

Edited December 12, 2013 by heni30

[CliveG]

It's a tough read this thread and I think we all feel for Joe with his original lament, but there are some wise words of sympathy too and I'd agree that it isn't all doom and gloom.

 

If we had ever sat down and plotted our careers based on $$$ we'd all be fund managers or some other "greed is good" business. We're not, we're probably all to a small degree, victims of our own "perfectionist" standards and pseudo or actual artistic bent that got us into this industry in the first place. It can be a great job, one of the few that utilises the left and the right side of the brain, we could consider ourselves very lucky in some respects.

 

BUT...... we need to pay the bills and one of many possible suggestions to Joe, who clearly see's himself at a crossroads, would be to perhaps look at joining the industry that supplies this industry. If you are any good, then perhaps think of setting up a website, produce a couple of class personal projects as a basis, then start cranking out tutorials some subscriber, some free and think about supplying all those Indians and Chinese who are apparently coming into our industry and stealing all of the work - with your knowledge and experience. Flog your models, produce HDRI's or materials for sale.... I dunno, but there are a lot of people out there in competition with you currently, who would probably also give you $$ for the benefit of your experience.

 

Just a thought as to how to leverage on your skills and investments, but on your own terms while you also have the freedom to explore other ideas or career paths too?

 

Whatever though, good luck.

[marius e]

I totally get what George is saying, I’m not going to get into it but I am a very passionate person and highly motivated. I am an artist apart from cg (which in my opinion is not a true art) but that is not the discussion so don’t hammer me on that since we all are pouring out here with some real 'good' advice and heart felt writing and experience.

 

Sure every industry has its ups and downs, this part 'cg arch' is quite tuff. Different personalities probably make for better businesses, I for one as mentioned are very passionate and take offence if I have put all my efforts, time into a project and have gone far beyond the scope to please a client over time so that they would appreciate the effort, but I have to say, they could not really be bothered, they don’t really see that. If they can find it cheaper they will try it out. It’s not ALWAYS the case, I also have good relation but it a constant battle to please these clients and you have to constantly prove yourself even if they know what they get.

 

Countless hours and efforts but they can turn around at any time and from being a good client to suddenly a tough client.

 

eg. We all know the 'we need a render done in two days' can you do it? Sure I can send the work I will do what I can.....That is not where it ends, to meet that deadline your working structure is different, come deadline time they flood you with changes and either the deadline stays the same or they make these changes and it drags on into other jobs time frame and the original deal NEVER stays the same though what you get paid stays the same. You accommodate it to please the client but they do not see it, sure you can have all these contracts it place stipulating this and that, but with deadlines and trying to please clients I found that also does not work.

 

I just had a very good client not pay me for work done and delivered. Deadline was for the 22nd so I called on the 21st to get some info on pre-renders. Then I get told the deadline is for that day '21st' at 16h00. I can either say that, that was not the agreement or say 'ok' and do it without complaint which I did. Sure thing I got changes that bloody same day while the deadline changed I did deliver the 1st render on time and the second an hour later, one of the renderings was not the best but still good, I even re-rendered it and sent it the next day cause I do not send out ANY work as final that I and the client isn’t happy with. At least I feel good about it. I was told that I am not getting paid cause I have missed the deadline and the client lost the tenant so they are not going to 'entertain payment'. I responded with the email original deadline etc. I have won them MANY jobs with my work, met all deadlines.

 

Contracts don’t mean Sh!t. If your invoice states payment time, they anyway pay whenever they decide to. It’s a large firm they can pay on time but they decide they pay when they do. They always pay(had in any way) so I don’t mind it, but when confronted by the above mentioned then one wonders. You have to put your balls on the line, make deadlines, go the extra mile, take initiative, put your own time into it and get nothing for it.....

 

This happens kind of thing or similar happens to often in this industry and client are expecting some crazy miracles, you go out of your way but at the end of the day it’s not worth going the extra mile. One should be a tougher 'businessman' and that is probably the shortfall of many.

 

If I had to charge the real time I spend on projects I and YOU WOULD have been millionaires by now and would not have had this discussion, that is no joke!

[Jon Berntsen]

 

If I had to charge the real time I spend on projects I and YOU WOULD have been millionaires by now and would not have had this discussion, that is no joke!

 

What kind of world are you living in? Of course you have to charge the time you are using. Eighter spend less time, or find something else to do. Why am I able to charge the time I spend? Am I a kind of Superman, with a 1000cpu renderfarm? No.

 

Each time you charge less than you are using, you help destroy your own (and ours) markets. This is actually where the problem is, and probably also the reason why you are not a millionaire.

[marius e]

What kind of world are you living in? Of course you have to charge the time you are using. Eighter spend less time, or find something else to do. Why am I able to charge the time I spend? Am I a kind of Superman, with a 1000cpu renderfarm? No.

 

Each time you charge less than you are using, you help destroy your own (and ours) markets. This is actually where the problem is, and probably also the reason why you are not a millionaire.

 

Wow quite a take on me hey, glad that you can charge for every single change you do good for you its working out well for you then and nothing for me to say and you clearly dont get what I wrote,...I do charge for changes but unfortunately one have to stick your neck out more than often and it doesnt pay of, charging for every change will definately not pay of as the client will just go...any case. I work on large projects with crazy deadlines, never the less its great that your clients in Norway is so understanding and that your path is so smooth.

 

Please dont write with an insulting reply like above.

[joebloggs]

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words. If there's anything positive I can take from my time doing 3D work it's the great people and their altruism. I can't think of another industry where so many are willing to divulge their business secrets for free (though perhaps that could be considered a weakness)

 

I was thinking last night about the reason I've found it so hard and I think it's got a lot to do with providing a service to an architect, who are themselves providing a service (I know clients aren't always architects, but...) to someone else. In that sense, arch viz isn't really a tertiary industry, like most service sectors, it's more a quarternary or even quinary industry, with profit having been squeezed out four or five times before it reaches us.

 

Architects in my experience are underpaid and overworked, and almost always promise far more than they can realistically deliver, which results in them having to work very long hours. I'd not heard the term 'all-nighter' prior to working in architectural practices, for example.

 

I'd say 90% of the architectural projects I've been a part of have been badly time managed, with little work going on for most of the scheduled time and then a mad rush at the end to get drawings ready.

 

Usually (when working in a 3d artist capacity) there's a sit-down at the beginning of a project where big ideas are trumpeted around about the scheme and there's much excitement about how great the renderings will look. It's normally agreed to get the final design to me with at least a week to spare, if not two.

 

When the time comes for me to start work and get the drawings there is invariably the usual "oh we changed the design a bit and we're still drawing it up" or "we can get you a site plan and one elevation but nothing else yet" which drags on until only a few days remain before the deadline.

 

Then the deadline is moved forward by 2 days...

 

This gives you 3 days to produce 3 images with a quarter of the information that was originally promised yet the demands for quality are the same as first agreed.

 

So you work until 3am for 3 nights in succession and almost have the images complete when the client tells you they need to change the camera position and have some 'minor' design changes.

 

You manage to get everything re-done but the results are cheap-looking and rushed, the client is disappointed as their grand vision is compromised and you can't use the images in your portfolio because they look shit.

 

This has been my life, and I'm glad I don't have to deal with it any more.

 

What surprises me the most is that the majority of architects are too self-absorbed and short-sighted to realise that the entire image of their company is in the hands of the 3D artist. There's no point spending 99% of the time available just doing drawings and writing schpiel

when all the client really wants to see is how the building will look. This part of the design presentation is just as important as the number of rooms, or the sustainability of the scheme, yet it is almost ignored until the last minute. It's like a car manufacturer spending a year getting their prototype's engine to run sweetly and then suddenly realizing that they have three days to design and build the bodywork.

 

I think part of it is down to the architect's perception of their skills being far superior to those of any 3D person, and from this they assign a relative importance to each part of the process, with time allotted proportionally to their preconceived notions. As a result, the 3D renderings are shut away in a metaphorical back room, despite (from the client's perspective) the images being maybe 50% of their cognizance of the scheme.

Edited December 12, 2013 by joebloggs

[marius e]

Thats well said and just the way it is....we try and keep up with it, sometimes you can, other times it catches up..

 

Good luck man!

[Jon Berntsen]

Wow quite a take on me hey, glad that you can charge for every single change you do good for you its working out well for you then and nothing for me to say and you clearly dont get what I wrote,...I do charge for changes but unfortunately one have to stick your neck out more than often and it doesnt pay of, charging for every change will definately not pay of as the client will just go...any case. I work on large projects with crazy deadlines, never the less its great that your clients in Norway is so understanding and that your path is so smooth.

 

Please dont write with an insulting reply like above.

 

 

Sorry I didn't mean to insult you, nor track this thread off. Really. I just came to the point that I wanted to speak from my heart. Why won't they pay? I neighter have the answer and I am also feeling sorry for the situation this thread starter is in.

 

I didn't say I can charge every change in every project, but I leave room for corrections in the respective projects cost frame. If I see that I need to do unpaid work, I must try to bring that money back in from effeciency in another project...

 

Hard clients are everywhere, but as another guy mentioned here, try to avoid the nifty clients. And if that is not possible,try to avoid the potential bad situations with that client.

 

And last, try to think why you are in the situation that the client won't pay for the work you are doing. Can you perhaps make some shortcuts, creating your own templates or other effeciency-related possibilities? This goes for me, you, the thread starter and everyone else.

 

The optimal situation would be to get paid for the work put down, right? Else I can really understand the thought of getting out of the business. I have also been there...

Edited December 12, 2013 by chroma

[Jon Berntsen]

So you work until 3am for 3 nights in succession and almost have the images complete when the client tells you they need to change the camera position and have some 'minor' design changes.

 

You manage to get everything re-done but the results are cheap-looking and rushed, the client is disappointed as their grand vision is compromised and you can't use the images in your portfolio because they look shit.

 

This has been my life, and I'm glad I don't have to deal with it any more.

 

 

I totally hear you, but I believe that some of this could have sorted out with some kind of communication up-front. And I am very well that the stunning product you were about to create looses all of its pride because of last-moment-changes. But if the client gets unsatisfied (and not only your own well-being for loosing a good folio piece), why not just show him the previous edit, with a good brief of how the compositional instruments got set back because of the changes? Again, it goes back to communication. But of course, only to a certain extent.

 

I mean, if the client says that they are still drawing it up, in the middle of the project and two days before deadline, then IMO it's time to present some hard ass demands. We who work with presenting their projects needs certain criterias to succeed. They know that if they just think, and they also know what the presentation means to the projects.

Edited December 12, 2013 by chroma

[Scott Schroeder]

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words. If there's anything positive I can take from my time doing 3D work it's the great people and their altruism. I can't think of another industry where so many are willing to divulge their business secrets for free (though perhaps that could be considered a weakness)

 

I was thinking last night about the reason I've found it so hard and I think it's got a lot to do with providing a service to an architect, who are themselves providing a service (I know clients aren't always architects, but...) to someone else. In that sense, arch viz isn't really a tertiary industry, like most service sectors, it's more a quarternary or even quinary industry, with profit having been squeezed out four or five times before it reaches us.

 

Architects in my experience are underpaid and overworked, and almost always promise far more than they can realistically deliver, which results in them having to work very long hours. I'd not heard the term 'all-nighter' prior to working in architectural practices, for example.

 

I'd say 90% of the architectural projects I've been a part of have been badly time managed, with little work going on for most of the scheduled time and then a mad rush at the end to get drawings ready.

 

Usually (when working in a 3d artist capacity) there's a sit-down at the beginning of a project where big ideas are trumpeted around about the scheme and there's much excitement about how great the renderings will look. It's normally agreed to get the final design to me with at least a week to spare, if not two.

 

When the time comes for me to start work and get the drawings there is invariably the usual "oh we changed the design a bit and we're still drawing it up" or "we can get you a site plan and one elevation but nothing else yet" which drags on until only a few days remain before the deadline.

 

Then the deadline is moved forward by 2 days...

 

This gives you 3 days to produce 3 images with a quarter of the information that was originally promised yet the demands for quality are the same as first agreed.

 

So you work until 3am for 3 nights in succession and almost have the images complete when the client tells you they need to change the camera position and have some 'minor' design changes.

 

You manage to get everything re-done but the results are cheap-looking and rushed, the client is disappointed as their grand vision is compromised and you can't use the images in your portfolio because they look shit.

 

This has been my life, and I'm glad I don't have to deal with it any more.

 

What surprises me the most is that the majority of architects are too self-absorbed and short-sighted to realise that the entire image of their company is in the hands of the 3D artist. There's no point spending 99% of the time available just doing drawings and writing schpiel

when all the client really wants to see is how the building will look. This part of the design presentation is just as important as the number of rooms, or the sustainability of the scheme, yet it is almost ignored until the last minute. It's like a car manufacturer spending a year getting their prototype's engine to run sweetly and then suddenly realizing that they have three days to design and build the bodywork.

 

I think part of it is down to the architect's perception of their skills being far superior to those of any 3D person, and from this they assign a relative importance to each part of the process, with time allotted proportionally to their preconceived notions. As a result, the 3D renderings are shut away in a metaphorical back room, despite (from the client's perspective) the images being maybe 50% of their cognizance of the scheme.

 

I can see where if you work for architects mostly that you can have the feeling of being worn out. There is a hard truth to everything you said and I'm sure most of us who have worked directly for an architect can agree with being in those situations.

 

If you can land jobs that are outside the world of bid, SD or DD phases, it's an incredible breath of fresh air. There isn't much of the ole, "Oh just make something up, we're not too concerned." and you show them the image and you get, "Well, that's not what I had envisioned." Or the classic case of you just need a grand scheme model to win the bid and rather than worrying about the emotion of the image, the worry now rests on if the doors are 6'-8" or 6'-8 1/164" high.

 

A lot of the high end visualization companies do work that is the work intended for mass public release and those images need creativity. When working with an architect directly, often times you need work that is just for internal meetings (which still end up seeing the light of day). Those are the images that are often rushed, poorly managed, and carry the stigma of "F it, good enough." Unfortunately, a lot of the end clients the architect deals with are still impressed by the crap image. So the architect figures why pay for the good image? I mean if your significant other will get all giddy if you buy them a Yugo, why spend the extra effort and buy them a high end model car?

 

It a very vicious cycle sometimes in this industry. There was great quote from the guys at Mir when talking about client changes. They said that when a client says, "I love this image, but can you change a few things?" The response from the Mir guys is to gently talk with the client and say that if they love the image as is, then by changing things they might change the very reason why they love the image.

[heni30]

I think you also have to see what you are going to do and gear up for that. Are you going to be a sprinter or a cross-country runner? If what you are being asked to do is be a sprinter then you have to have that mental attitude. Explore ALL short-cut options, setting adjustments, workflow, etc. Figure out all the short-cut options available to you and take advantage of them. "Think" fast production. Think about all the stuff you can get away with.

 

It's a very different mentality than making a high quality, by the book, detailed rendering. With all our experience we should be able to pare the process to the bare minimum. That is, if that's what you want to do. Like in my case I do a LOT of lighting in Photoshop. If you can approach it like that - like a quick sketch artist but make it look good enough, then you find will a lot of work, make money and feel good about it.

 

And you have to keep thinking "how can I help the designer out"? instead of seeing them as the enemy.

Edited December 12, 2013 by heni30

[Bruce Hart]

In fairness to the Architect - they are not ALL bad. Designers face the same internal hangups trying to get the design right, that we would face trying to fiddle with lighting/materials/render settings etc. Unfortunately we just happen to do our stuff after the designers. There is a saying that artwork in never finished it is simply abandoned. We work in an industry where Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is practically mandatory.

 

As I have slowly learnt over the years (and am still working on) - communication is the key to not being burned out. The hard part is making the communication constructive and pleasant.

 

Having never worked in a Visualisation studio myself (where I assume you get finished designs) - how do you guys deal with client changes? Give them a set number of markups before charging a variation?

[RyderSK]

We work in an industry where Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is practically mandatory.

 

I agree with all you wrote, but this especially made me warm inside :- ) It's very true to great extent..

[CliveG]

There are some really good points made here, it was mentioned early on that one of the most important business skills is the ability to say "No" - to pick your clients. Picking the wrong clients can create a downward spiral effect on your career. Having great clients can allow you to work to your potential and fill your portfolio with work you're proud of. It's easier said than done of course.

 

And of course communication is key too, it's probably at the heart of most of the worlds ills but alas divorce still happens, Israel Palestine still happens and working for architects who are themselves are crap communicators, still happens. We are surrounded by piss poor communication.

 

The visualiser can be the Henry Kissinger of communicators yet still be left high and dry because the architect is a poor communicator with his or her client.

 

Unfortunately I think it is also a symptom of a greater malaise and one that we should all do our small part in trying to stamp out and that is a general undervaluing of "design". Design takes time and good design takes more time, the architect knows this yet many will still bend to the wind from the developer and say yes boss, next week then. The UK has all of the "property porn" TV that shows design makeovers in minutes, with miraculous transformations occurring to ridiculous timeframes, all of which conspires to devalue the perception of time required for good design. We should - every day - try and get across to anyone that will listen, that good design only really happens in good time.