Thinking of specializing in Archviz - brainstorming

[burgerdavid]

Hi CGA forums - This is my first post so I'll introduce myself quickly.

 

I'm David, 33, an image enthusiast and professional. After my degree in CGI I created a graphic studio along with four other graphists, which worked successfully on industrial visualisation and corporate communication. I'm now working as a communication director in an urban planning firm. Unfortunately that job drags me away from image creation and I'm thinking about going back to something that gathers my favorite fields : photography, drawing, 3D graphics.

 

That quest got me closer to architectural visualization since it kindda uses the techniques I use and like, to build powerful images based on creative projects, anywhere in the world.

 

As I got more interested by all that's happening around archviz though, I felt stuck on questions I suppose only professionals can answer. For some I have feelings that my professional experience whispers softly to my ear, but I'd love to confirm these doubts.

 

I hereby hope you can throw (just don't aim at my head) a couple of thoughts about these, depending your own experience?

 

- First off, I can't quite grasp the needs of this side of the industry from where I stand : There seem to be a lot of studios (small or medium sized), and also a lot of freelance lone wolves - Are they just answering different project sizes or can they compete? (regarding the usual time frames that clients set for said work, amount of work generated, corrections, etc.)

 

- Exterior and interior visualizations seem to be mixed in all the galleries, in studios portfolios etc. : What would you say represent the bigger part of the industry, interior or exterior views? Can one specialize on exteriors without missing a lot of work opportunities?

 

- Starting from scratch (even with a CGI background) seems like a lot of techniques to acquire, both on the image side and on the technical architectural side : Aside from the trial and error path, could you recommend/invalidate steps needed to reach a profeciency matching the industry's entry level (as junior i guess)? (education, internships, technique building, contests, online freelancing...)

 

- Finally (thanks if you've been reading that far!), I see a lot of arguments about software, to-do's and workflows, and that very interesting because there's a consensus about the 'no one-size-fits-all' way of doing things, and I love it. My background had me use Max extensively, master photoshop, and have a very intuitive feeling with new software. Is being specialized on some tools restrictive in this industry, or do people let you use the tools you know as long as you deliver? (i suppose it only applies to studios, though some clients may have specific needs...?)

 

 

Thanks in advance for the input if you can provide some!

[philippelamoureux]

I'm not a pro yet but I think I can try to answer some of your questions... You seem to have some good experience in the graphics field which is nice to get started...again.

 

1st question...I don't think the size of the studio matter that much. If you are a lone wolf you can still take a project from A to Z and do very good work. A bigger studio would be able to work on multiple projects at once tho. That means a lot more revenues :-P Look at some of the pros, sometimes they work alone or in very small team. Of course if the project is to render manhattan and do a 5 mins fly-tru video you might want to skip that one lol. If you work by yourself you always have the opportunity to refuse work that don't interest you. Something you might not be able to do if you work for someone else.

 

2nd question...I don't have much experience but I assume most architecture projects include both interior and exterior scenes! If you really prefer, let's say, exterior renderings, you can always try to work for urban planners more instead of manufacturers (modeling furniture and stuff like that). You can try to target a niche market if you want too. Try to become the best in that niche and you should not have trouble getting projects that you'll most likely enjoy doing! If you go by yourself I think it's a better solution than trying to do 56 000 things relative to 3d and graphical design. But that's my opinion.

 

3rd question...With 3ds max and V-Ray you can do everything. You already seems to be proficient with 3ds max and photoshop. It's a big plus. You can focus your effort on something else. Learn a renderer and then try to read stuff about photography, composition, color theory, architectural drawing, etc. It will all help in the long run! Oh and client should not care about what software you use as long as you can deliver nice images. If you go work in-house for an architect they may already have a workflow and will want you to use what they use. If you freelance (just start your own studio!!!) use whatever you want :-) It's worth giving Corona renderer a try since it's easier to use than V-Ray at first. Muuuch less settings to figure out before doing good images (latest vray version is more user-friendly than what it used to be before, tho)

 

Anyway! good luck and welcome to the forums!

[burgerdavid]

Thanks for your input, and the welcoming cheer! Tho I think my wall of text scared people - or maybe these questions have been answered a billion times. ^^

 

Yes that was the whole problem of exterior vs. interior : if they're always linked (and logically they might as well be, since a company is throwing bank notes at some graphist already. might as well see that furniture eh!) that's a whole "field" to get to know as well. Lights and ambience I think one can grasp or create, but furniture style? Budget? Personality? I guess clients expect you to find a way to populate these volumes?

 

Regarding studios vs freelance, while I think it'd be easier to get "started" as freelance on small projects (with small budgets), I doubt the learning curve is great in that, since you spend a lot of your time tinkering with your own ideas and some of your clients ones?

 

I suppose the key is to have something to offer as in good technique, strong emotion, so I might just work on building a portfolio while trying to set ambitious quality goals, and see where that leads...

[petesedlacek]

Hi David. Great to hear you're thinking about what you want to do and what you are most passionate about. I'm fairly new at this myself, but I'll answer as best I can.

 

1. Studios can do studio-sized projects, and things that a freelancer might not be able to handle. However, the freelancer is most likely cheaper and can give more personal service. I definitely learned that you need to be careful how much you take on at once. Having 2-3 clients calling and emailing you during the day really hurts productivity. It's tough to say no to projects, but it's better than taking on too much and disappointing all clients. I'm more than happy to just take on small projects right now that fit the "lone wolf" category, and these definitely exist.

 

2. No idea, but I think you could specialize. I think it depends on the scope. A nice residential exterior or an office interior might be very managable for a freelancer. A huge shopping mall for an interior, or an airport for an exterior might be too large. I think there is a market for both exteriors and interiors, and if your quality is excellent you will be in demand.

 

3. Again, all I can speak about is what's worked for me. I have a background of almost 10 years in Max, and it really can do everything. I think it's the perfect tool for the freelancer. And you have access to great plugins too. Vray is an absolute must-have if you want to make money off your renderings. The quality and ease of use is so much higher than what I've experienced with Mental Ray. I actually was thinking recently on an interior I was doing, how easy it was to get smooth and correct lighting. I couldn't recall the last time I had to battle noise or blotchiness since switching to Vray. In Mental Ray this was just part of the process, battling the engine for quality. It just simply works, and if I could change anything in my career I would have learned it sooner.

 

I don't know your level of comfort with architecture in particular, but what I did was get a certificate from a community college in architectural drafting. This gave me experience with AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup and Solidworks. I think it helped to put me in the architects mindset, as opposed to just a Max guy who can render buildings.

 

4. Depends. I have some clients who just want images, and some who like to open the files and tinker for themselves (they also know Max a bit.) Some others literally just want models in OBJ format. So I would say it all depends. I've had to turn jobs down that ask for Maya experience, and that's okay. I know Maya people who have turned down Max jobs. It's better to be excellent at one major software I think, than to spend time learning them all. That's an impossible chase anyways, not enough time in the day.

[philippelamoureux]

About specialization...just specializing in architecture is a start. Many studios try to do everything (arch, products, landscape, etc). I'd prefer my company to be the best in its narrow field than the jack-of-all-trade doing ordinary work on 56 different projects. my 2 cents!!

[burgerdavid]

Thanks for the input and the welcome messages guys, I appreciate it.

 

So yeah, specialization I can understand, especially when it comes to be good (and by that I mean 'be awesome', and that's definitely a quest I'm subscribing to) at something. Definitely not trying to be good at Max and Maya and Revit and AutoCAD and... Just how much of a luxury it is when you start off, crave for projects and experience and contacts (oh, and cash), I'm not sure?

 

On a more general note, freelancing is a bit intimidating without previous experience in that specific field - especially when (last year's survey taught me this) most of the market is supported by word of mouth... Same old problem as with everything new I suppose. Can't get in without getting past the start line. I guess what I'd need is reference - what is considered barely OK (to set a "don't go below THAT, EVER" reference) and exceptional work (to set a "Yep, might be far but that's where I'm going" reference). Kind of guessing myself by fishing everywhere I can for contemporary archviz, still haven't started my own yet, so it's hard to place a cursor.

 

Good to know that small projects (probably less intense and demanding) exist too. Now would that originate from small architects firms? I bet they do their viz themselves? Or maybe medium ones that just don't want to spend time on small fish?

 

What about Elance.com, Freelancer.com, they look full of (1$/hr) guys answering different projects and offers - looks like a ragged party though.. Any of you ever tried that for contracts?

 

That drafting certificate sounds like a great way to approach the field and build knowledge and tools. There won't be such thing as a community college around here, but that brings up ideas! I've been doing some architecture in art school, perspective techniques, hand drawing and renderings, conceptual and structural design, etc. Was less than a year though.

 

I'm harassing an architect I know for the same kind of enthusiast-and-hopefully-soon-to-be-pro 'tour', he could describe accurately the process of architectural design, projects, competitions, after-market and so on; which was really helpful understanding when and why archviz is needed. With all that and your willful answers, I might be on for the next 'what if' phase. Hopefully that'll bring more questions, and bring me further into the project. Thanks again!

 

I'd be curious to know, if you like to tell, what brought you in the field at first? Opportunity? Passion? Curiosity? Greed? Masochism? Knowledge? Contacts? Luck? Mishap?

[philippelamoureux]

My friend and I are starting our little 2-man viz studio and this is how we are proceeding : We are building some scenes to put on our professional website. It has to look pro...not amateur. Once we are happy with the quality we'll open the valves!!! We will probably contact (via email, or maybe send a flyer, not sure) all architects, industrial designers, projects developers, etc. There are a lot of these in my town, we are lucky. We already decided to focus almost exclusively on architecture tho. We may take some contracts here and there for products viz but it's not what we really enjoy.

 

I suggest you avoid looking at elance and stuff like that...You'll be ''competing'' with the asian market and you won't be able to follow. It's not where the money is anyway. Look in your town for potential clients.

 

I come from a urban planning background (studied urban planning and design at university). My friend is an engineer and photograph. We are not architects but we should be able to understand CAD plans...especially my friend lol. I've been trying to learn 3dsmax + render engines by myself for over a year now and I think I'm doing well. Just read alot, watch tutorial. I spend so much time on that, eventually you get it. There's always something new to learn, which is also cool. We both enjoy photo, architecture, design and that's how we gonna approach visualization. The photoreal, photographic style of renderings! I'd say I decided to follow the arch viz route because I like architecture and computers, graphics, etc. It's a good marriage I think!!!

[burgerdavid]

Sounds good - thanks for all the advice, I'll need to roam the forum more now, see what I can learn and grasp here and there.

 

As for Elance and the sorts, I went in there to see what people were offering, prices etc - it's pretty awful for the vast majority. There are also interesting long term partnership that pop here and there ; could be a good place to "start" and experiment without too much hassle I think. But making it a goal in client fishing : don't think so

 

Good luck with your project, sounds like an interesting mixture of skills! Can't wait to see some of your productions and ideas!

[Ernest Burden III]

I'm now working...

 

Reunion--that is an island, in the Pacific? I didn't recognize the flag. Is there a lot of new construction within your sphere of influence? That can either be local work or local clients doing work in other places. In New York there is both. Do you have enough local contacts to get going? It is the best way to start.

 

Software--use whatever you like that get to what you charge clients for.

 

Don't wait until you have perfect samples, push for whatever work you can get with whatever you have to show. The rest follows.

[burgerdavid]

Sorry for the late reply and the thread necro, I've been sick for a long while.

 

Thanks Ernest, "the rest follows" is plenty optimistic and I crave this right now.

 

Yes La Réunion is a french island, located off madagascar in the Indian Ocean, near Mauritius. Beautiful place, but very small and packed with terrible urbanization and buildings. There is a lack of available construction land here, so the construction business is coming to a rapid halt, and renovation projects take much more time to setup since we're a highly bureaucratic country.

 

Unfortunately the closest neighbouring countries aren't the most active places in the world, so I might have to go international if I stay here to start my business. I'm not sure how that can play out - I heard some pretty bad stories from the freelancing websites, which could have been a first step.

 

Also I suppose meeting your future clients in person is always a good idea for good communication purposes. And overall trust.

[munlyleong]

Exteriors and interiors typically went together for most jobs, but if they go with one (especially if its an "off-plan" project) it will usually be just an exterior. If you really want to focus on mastering one first, go with exteriors.

[adamsargeant]

I know this thread is now almost 12 months old, but i think it is timeless in its origin and the OP asks questions that are always relevant.

 

What i find most refreshing, is others in the same profession willing to offer their advice.. We are all in theory competing with each other aren't we? So it is nice to hear established Viz artists sharing their stories.

 

I would like to add mine if i could, i think it may follow along the lines of some others but i am at the beginning, so can offer more depth but over a short space of time.

 

My background actually began in aviation. Like every kid we all wanted to be a pilot (well most) 

 

It was the one industry I studied to an insane depth, especially considering I knew I would probably never be clever enough to become commercial (I have something like 10,000 hours of virtual experience on ever platform of Flight Simulator ever made).

 

It was when I accepted my love for aviation would never go further that private level and today as a 25 year old, I think that would be superior that commercial, robotic flight.

 

Anyway!

 

I was kind of forced in to a career in architecture. I love watching buildings go up and love crazy designs and things different from the norm… That doesn’t mean I could be an architect though…

 

7 years later I had completed bother under grad and masters of architecture, both levels at a Two One level. That is where it ended though. I realised I had post rationalised my way through University. Always thinking from week 1 of a 10 week project – I can’t wait to make a Sketchup model of this ‘site plan’ I can’t wait until I can produce a video flythrough of an ‘OS Map’… You catch my drift.

 

I studied whilst working part time in an Arch practice and I have now been in that said practice about 18 months full time since finishing my Masters…

 

I hate it. I have completely fell out of love with everything Building regulations, technical detailing, red tape. Basically everything which strangles ‘Architecture’

 

I have now taken the decision of a break. Travel Australia do anything but Architecture.

 

However. I will also use that time to develop my love of ‘Making a Sketchup model etc..’ to become a Pro in Viz.

 

I have a Premium Plus account with possibly the leading online tutorial website (not sure if I am allowed to mention them by name, so I won’t) But what I can do whilst still in practice (8 more months) is take the projects from within (I have their permission) and implement what I learn, in to generating CGI which can then become part of my personal portfolio.

 

As with many I aim to focus on Max and Vray and I have always had a fairly in depth knowledge with computers (I always build my own) So I hope that helps.

 

I hope in 5 years’ time I am able to come back to this thread and share my story again… 5 years on 

 

Thanks if you bothered to read even half.. Adam.