Help with discussion content!

[Dave Bond]

I have to make a noon time presentation on lessons learned and how renderings really have a place in our company. I just finished an absolute horrible experience with a client that started out wanting a fairly simple rendering for use as a fund raiser and 2 months later.....and about 26 different renderings into it, they decide on the actual 2 pics they would like to have mounted! Needless to say, we ate most of the costs just to keep the client happy so we could get future work. How do I explain somehow to the board of trustees,(people that really have no clue as to what 3d or renderings take to get done), that it really is not the norm to use full blown renderings as a design, (almost working drawings) tool. It's is just too time consuming and expensive to use in that manner!

I guess I am used to doing them toward the end of a project....after an Architect and the client have sorted out what they really want for the most part. Am I way off course here? If any of you can share your experiences and help with how I might best explain how 3d and renderings are an important service that we should continue to offer, I would be very grateful!! I spent many hours at home just making model changes, material changes, lighting and overall scene changes that I personally never was paid for, but did it to make sure that I had a job by the end of the week. I don't know if I can convince the company that an effort should be made to continue to sell Architectural 3d visualization services.

 

Dave

[andymcnair]

Sounds familiar. I recently completed a project where the client wanted everything presented as 3D imagery and animation so that the various committees and staff involved we able to visualise the project easily. Trouble was that we were designing it at the same time. The client agreed to the higher costs due to the presentation style and we were paid on a time basis. So the 3D's developed as the design progressed. Once the design was complete and the final presentation format was signed off we finalised the last set of stills / animations and added the finishing touches.

 

If you have to sell the idea of 3D to them then see where they're coming from. Figure out if the benefits outweigh the down side. i.e. will it increase profits & public perception & credibility / advanced marketing / less design defects versus increased overheads / additional resources.

[Josh1587140445]

I went through the same situation over the past year. It is going to take some time to completely sell them on the idea. I actually did my first rendering for the office while I was working part time and used a school machine. But that is besides the point.

 

So when it came to selling the idea of using 3D in the office was a slow pain staking process since the big guy was completely againest it. But my supervisor at the time just kept having me do small renderings for projects in the DD phase. But what really turned things around with the big guy was a rendering that I did during schematic phase that he wanted to help sell his design concept to a client. Which he then used to tweak material selections and of course some of the details. So now our marketing guy is currently selling my 3D services to our other 9 offices with the idea that we can eventually sell it to smaller firms.

 

But what you really have to do is show that 3D can be used in all phases of a project from mass models to presentations as you did for that one client. But as to trying to give them an idea on how long things take. Good luck with that one. The big guy still thinks that I just push a few buttons and then BAM!!!!, done. I would bring some examples of what you have done. What ever you do, I would not bring work others have done espically from this site, because then they will expect that quality.

 

Well good luck on your meeting today, hope I helped a little.

[tcorbett]

I have to agree with josh that 3D can be implemented in all phases of the design project. Whether it SHOULD be or not is another problem altogether.

 

I guess my best advice is that since there is so much that CAN be done with 3D, it is best to find out upfront what it is that they are trying to communicate, and design your model specifically towards that. And let them know up front how much time that you will need, and leave yourself some time for errors and experimentation. I usually compare animations to watercolor renderings. Changing the design after the watercolor is started often means the artist has to start over. And since the designs are rarely completed, the artist will fill in the blanks for themselves and offer their own interpretation. Unless specifically requested, choose the style, materials, lighting, and camera angles you feel are dramatic and appropriate to the message.

[Dave Bond]

Well - Thanks for the responses so far. I don't have a specific date set yet for the talk, but I am betting that they will ask for it pretty soon. After reading a few of these responses...I don't know if I want to continue...geez it seems like the stress level involved here with deadlines and such is just a killer! I am 40 yrs old now and love to do renderings etc...but in contractural situations it just seems to really be a high stress situation all the time. This concept of all it takes is just a couple of clicks and it's done thing is just killing us!!

 

Thanks and keep advice and suggestions coming please!!

 

Dave

 

On a side note...I would never use examples of anyones elses work...there are many talented individuals here on this board and in the industry and while it is nice to strive to reach their level of artistry, it would be suicide to sell myself at that level this point in time!

[stefkeB]

And maybe some tools can help you with fast & quick "design renderings" (if the modelling effort is not too big, that is).

 

Piranesi to do a quick paintjob from a 3D-model.

 

SketchUp is usable for quick modelling and even for very usable presentations. After that, you can still elaborate the model in a full 3D-animation software, with all it's GI tricks.

 

Do a simple model. Print a shaded view and sketch on that. Scan it and play with it in Photoshop.

 

If you blind your client with a model that took you a few days to build and a few days to prepare for rendering and then let it render for a full night, he might not know the time it took, yet like the rendering.

 

Maybe you should have some kind of two-fold portfolio: a final presentation-quality (that is, the best you can get out) and a design-presentation quality: jobs that only take a few hours at most.

[Josh1587140445]

I would not say it is a very high stress situation. Just on occasion when it is needed in a short time frame. The biggest trick is if you do not do 3D full time, it is just juggling the rendering and doing the regular CAD/Architectural work. So if I have to render during the day, I try and do it when I have some paper work to do or lunch.