Quality of Rendering

[bobhobz]

I am rather new at ArchViz. My introduction to it was during an intensive six months working at a Beverly Hills agency. Prior to that my 3D work was mostly in the area of straight illustration with no particular emphasis on architecture. I feel I've learned enough to seek work in the archviz market. I'm nowhere as talented as many of the people who have been doing it for years, but I think I know enough to get in the door.

 

What I don't quite understand is what level of detail is required to get work in this field. I've seen people who make their renderings look so ultra-realistic that they look BETTER than real life...while I've also seen work that looks more like rough watercolors with very little sharp detail at all.

 

Is there some sort of standard in this business? What do most clients want to see...realism right down to the weave in a carpet, every reflection scientifically accurate and lighting that mimics reality to the nth degree or do clients want something more artistic and suggestive?

 

I'm not sure which way to go.

 

--Bob

[manta]

No, there really isn't a standard...its whatever the client wants, but now that most people know whats possible (photorealism), I think that the trend is going more towards that, my personal taste runs the gamut, I like everything from sketchy watercolor renderings to photoreal...

[Devin Johnston]

If you do this long enough you will probably be asked to do a little of everything but unless your employer has a particular like for "water color" or "hand sketched" renderings you will spend most of your time somewhere in-between photorealistic and non-photorealistic. That's probably a little vague but it really depends on what your employer and what the client is looking for.

 

I know you said you've been working in 3D for 6 months, my advice would be to create a portfolio of your best work and then let your potential employer decide if you have what there looking for.

[mahorela]

Do what you do best....if thats photorealism, then go with that....if it's a balance of different styles that best shows your talents and creativity then thats the direction you should go. It's all about showing your clients the best work you can achieve.

[Ky Lane]

I find its usually dictated by a clients budget...nothing more.

[bobhobz]

I really love the high level 3D renderings that most people do and I'm pretty sure I could do that as well...once I've fully mastered VRay settings. But what I'd really like to do is something completely different. It seems that so many artists' work looks the same. I suppose it's because they're all using the same basic software and techniques, but as an illustrator, I really want to have my own style. Sort of like you can tell the difference between something done by Rembrandt and something done by Waterhouse. I don't see such clear distinctions between artists in the ArchViz business.

 

But then, is individual style of any importance these days so long as it looks realistic enough for the clients? I guess they're not really looking for style as much as they're looking for accuracy, yeah?