What are the benefits of 3D architectural visualisation?

[kenlau1]

I’ve been wondering about the true benefits of 3D architectural visualisation. Are 3D architectural visualisations merely pretty pictures, or are they essential to the business of the client?

 

For those who do 3D architectural visualisation and regularly work with clients, what, according to your experience, are the clients looking for when they are considering buying 3D architectural visualisation services?

 

If you have the time, please could you chime in with your thoughts on this. I’ve drawn up a list of questions that I would love to get answers to.

 

For the purpose of these questions, a client can be anybody (architects, builders, property developers, real estate agents, etc.):

1. What sort of business results do the clients expect from 3D visualisation services beyond simply pretty pictures?
   
2. What are the specific problems the client wants resolved that 3D architectural visualisations can help with?
   
3. What impact do 3D architectural visualisations have on the business results of your client? Is there any data available that shows this impact?
   
4. Specifically, is there any data that suggests that a client who uses 3D renderings in their marketing (even if they are low quality) is more likely to sell a property than a client who doesn’t?
   
5. Do 3D architectural visualisations help in terms of saving time for the client? If so, how?
   
6. What are the specific fears and reservations that the clients have when deciding whether or not to purchase 3D visualisation services?
   
7. Aside from the images themselves, what other intangible benefits do the clients look for?
   

Thanks for your time.

 

Much appreciated.

[harryhirsch]

Sounds like research questions for a dissertation...is this part of your bachelor thesis?

[Scott Schroeder]

For the purpose of these questions, a client can be anybody (architects, builders, property developers, real estate agents, etc.):

 

You can't really generalize this. Each client is going to require different sets of renderings for different purposes. What works for an architect may not work for a real estate developer looking for marketing renderings and vice versa. So all of your questions can have anywhere from 1 simple answer to a whole host of answers based on who your target client is.

[kenlau1]

Okay, let's say the target market is real estate developers looking for marketing materials. Would that help?

 

@harryhirsch

 

No it's not.

[Francisco Penaloza]

what is the point of this??

Architectural Visualization it is as old as Architecture it self. Using Computer software came a long just like using AutoCAD and others.

 

"Visualization or visualisation (see spelling differences) is any technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. Visualization through visual imagery has been an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas since the dawn of man." Architectural Visualization it define it self... why so many question... I don't get it.

[CliveG]

What are the benefits of 3D architectural visualisation?

 

In the grand scheme of things - No benefits whatsoever.... None.... that's it everybody best pack up and give it all away, go and find yourselves a proper job now you wasters, we knew it was all too good to last and that somebody was sure to find us out sooner or later.

 

[Devin Johnston]

1. What sort of business results do the clients expect from 3D visualisation services beyond simply pretty pictures?
   
2. What are the specific problems the client wants resolved that 3D architectural visualisations can help with?
   
3. What impact do 3D architectural visualisations have on the business results of your client? Is there any data available that shows this impact?
   
4. Specifically, is there any data that suggests that a client who uses 3D renderings in their marketing (even if they are low quality) is more likely to sell a property than a client who doesn’t?
   
5. Do 3D architectural visualisations help in terms of saving time for the client? If so, how?
   
6. What are the specific fears and reservations that the clients have when deciding whether or not to purchase 3D visualisation services?
   
7. Aside from the images themselves, what other intangible benefits do the clients look for?
   

 

When I'm approached by a client they are looking to communicate the design of their project to the widest possible audience in the most effective way possible. There expectations are that this imagery will help them sell their ideas to others. Visualizations can be a very effective tool especially when there is a layperson involved who doesn't' understand the process and can't easily envision the end product. One only needs to be present in a presentation where renderings/animations are shown to understand how impactful they are with clients. The results of the usefulness of visualizations can be seen immediately in the clients reactions to them. The most compelling data I know of as to whether renderings/animations help sell projects is the growth of the industry, check Jeff's 2015 Archviz survey for more information. In most cases Archviz will save time and money by allowing designers to fine tune the design. It also greatly reduces the need for physical mockups and allows the designer/client to explore different materials without leaving the office. The only fears I've encountered are those dealing with design decisions but they are really unrelated to the images themselves.

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/2016/02/2015-architectural-visualizationindustry-survey---infographic-volume-5

[philippelamoureux]

With little experience i'd say :

 

-Help client understand a complex architectural plan/design. Not everybody can look at a 2d plan and visualise it on the fly.

-Help sell a product (architecture or object)

 

and now with virtual reality it can do even further :

 

-help the client or the architect feel the real scale of a building, see flaws in the design, etc.

 

I have a htc vive and trust me the presence and sense of scale is amazing. All architects will want to use this during the design phase. Eventually it's going to be an amazing marketing tool too!

[Scott Schroeder]

We're always going to have to compete with the physical model home. That's just a fact of this industry if you are in the residential sector. The big advantages of the model home is that the buyer can actually be in the space and experience it in real time, the other real time. The other huge advantage is that the model home is a recoverable cost. They build it, maintain it, then sell it once the property nears being fully sold. Your render? That's a one time, non-recoverable cost in terms of they can't sell your rendering once the property sales center closes. Often a cost that the developer or marketing team doesn't have upfront cash to pay for.

 

The massive advantage of the render is that you can change the floor plan to reflect new design at any time. That's kind of difficult to do once a model home is being built. You can also show every finish, every floor plan, every option with a click of a button, again, very hard to do in a model home. The best way to pitch your rendering isn't to compete with the model home, it is to be a companion to it.

 

VR is going to slow with this industry. I fully agree with Jeff Mottle and his recent CGGarage podcast that this year is the litmus test for VR. Your average Joe Architect isn't going to use it. They don't have the time to figure out how to get their poorly organized and overly bloated Revit model in there. Sure, tools like IrisVR are going to help, but how much and those are targeted to the lower end of the visual spectrum. The IrisVR podcast on CGGarage spoke about how many Rifts are just now collecting dust in architect's offices. They got these because it was a buzzword they all heard and expected them to just magically create the VR scene for them. They forget about the overhead needed to do VR right. We barely have enough time to do rendering right, VR is going to have to force some major shifts in how many offices do their 3D process. Big firms can do this. They have the command and control structure to dictate new pipelines. Medium to smaller offices with a more wild west approach to project management, not so much.

 

The public? Meh. They won't care too much either way. VR is going the way of the 3D TV in terms of mass public consumption. The first time in a sales center when a sale goes south because someone got VR sickness, they will drop VR like a sack of dirt. Until you can make sure you can always hit an optimal frame rate to ease the effect of VR sickness with cost effective equipment, VR is going to stay a niche tool. VR needs more development (years and years) before it can be released to the mass public.

[philippelamoureux]

Yea I agree with that tho. Even if I think it's really cool I still don't know what I want to do with it. We'll probably just use it for marketing ''stunts'' and see what happens. VR is nice but the hardware is not. My vive is so clunky it's not even funny. It also gets very hot under the helmet and after 15mins I feel the need to remove it :-S

 

It's meant for gaming but I don't see people really jumping in the vr boat for that purpose. Games are not optimized or if they are it's because they're just mini tech demos.

 

Final word is that I would never pay 600$ for this generation of vr headsets. But since I got it for free I'm gonna enjoy it and test it as much as I can and we'll see how it goes. Some games, if they were optimized, would be amaaaazing. Like DCS world (jet fighter simulation) for example. When you play it you really are in the damn plane!

[monatank]

I agree with Scott, moreover 3D visualization projects can have a huge positive impact on building projects:

 

3D Visualization process helps building & construction companies to reduce design cycles, bring about huge enhancements in efficiency, accelerate plan introductions to clients and reduce costs.

 

3D Visualization technique is the most affordable and cost effective way to view a project before it make live.

 

3D architectural visualizations used as a great marketing tool in the real estate industry.

 

With the help of 3D architectural and visualization, the complete projects can easily be copied, shared and archived.

 

It proven to provide enhanced visual accuracy and dimensional integrity over traditional models and visuals.

[SkylineArch]

The simple answer, ArchViz is done to communicate the design to those who can not visualize it in their head and/or to "sell" the design to customers, clients, review boards or investors, etc.

 

a.k.a., marketing

[monatank]

Visualization is the best way to simulate those things before going through the time/expense of building them.

Edited September 28, 2016 by monatank

[monatank]

Depending on the skill level, complexity of project, etc. a designer might charge anything between 500-3200 USD. These days, outsourcing can be done internationally. You will find affordable solutions provider in Indiaand other south-Asian countries. For in depth, refer this thread - https://www.quora.com/3D-Modeling-How-much-does-it-cost-to-create-3D-interior-and-exterior-renderings-of-houses