Is It Just Me, or Does This 3D Stuff Just Take A Long Time?

[Declan Flynn]

My first introduction to 3D occurred back in the mid-nineties with a program that some of you reading this might remember, depending on your age, Bryce 3D by MetaTools. Then, I studied fine arts at The Atlanta College of Art (ACA), a one-time prestigious, private art school located in midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Technically enrolled in their burgeoning 3D Modeling and Animation program, the school's prerequisite included a comprehensive fine arts program, learning the fundamentals and principles of design before gaining access to their 3D program. Although Bryce 3D did not actually teach me anything but patience waiting hours for photo-realistic fog to render, what the 3D program did is that it made me want to learn more!

Later, I assisted with the creation of Kennesaw State University's 3D program as part of a testing student body headed by Dr. Brenda Faison, Dean of the University's Art and Design program. The exceptionally talented 3D artist, Chris Cooke taught us Newtek's Lightwave 3D, which concluded with my first animated short-film, "Top-Toy" in 1999.

Unfortunately, after leaving ACA and KSU, I did not pick up 3D again until years later when a colleague agreed to teach me Alias Wavefront's Maya way back before Autodesk acquired it.

Studying Maya is where I learned the fundamentals of 3D modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing and materials, lighting and rendering, and the basics of animation. I used Maya during my first professional job as an in-house Art Director, modeling the manufacturing company's product line for marketing and advertising.

However, even after all of these decades of experience, I am still amazed at how long it takes me to concept, model, UV unwrap, texture, light, and render a single project. It is just me, or does this 3D stuff just take a long time? Am I doing something wrong?

This article (i.e., post) is an attempt to gain an understanding of other 3D artists' processes, so that I can adjust the methods I use in my work and improve! Being primarily a self-taught 3D artist, learning from others' experiences and methods vs. a textbook or a paid instructor is how I got here.

It is understood, as my old architectural instructor, Rick Hudson used to say, "Perfect practice makes perfect," and so, I realize most of you may say that it takes a lot of practice to decrease the amount of time that it takes from concept to final presentation. Additionally, you might suggest that it depends on the kind of project and the intended use, which can be the difference between weeks or months of work.

Lastly, others reading this might imply that depending on one's workstation specs, a slow CPU/GPU can severely decrease one's ability to make numerous creative decisions per work session. I can personally tell you that my AMD Threadripper 3960 24-core 48-thread processor and Nvidia 3090 Ti edition GPU barely makes a dent in my time progress.

Here's a question; do you unwrap your UVs after you model each 3D object, or do you wait until you have reached the texturing and material creation process? And what's the difference? Are you a fan of kit bashing, or do you download free or purchase models from the marketplace to speed up your process?

Some 3D artists have reported that it's the detailing and texturing that takes the longest time, adding intricate details and applying textures to a model that is particularly labor-intensive. I agree! Others say that, again depending on the model's intended use, e.g., animation or real-time applications, clean topology or retopology is what takes the greatest amount of time. Finally, lighting and rendering to achieve a desired visual effect can be - sometimes - the thing that slows everything down.

So, what can one do to speed up the process?

According to reasearch on the subject, planning your work before diving into a project, outlining the project's requirements and planning the workflow is one good method, i.e., organization. Reference images, some suggest, can make all the difference, ensuring accuracy and consistency. Another tip says mastering software shortcuts is key to significantly reducing the time spent navigating through menus. YouTube is filled with tutorials, claiming practicing basic shapes will improve one's understanding of form and topology, which can lead to increased speed and proficiency. Lastly, have you ever considered procedural modeling? I haven't, but maybe it could help(?).

Now, all of the above sounds fine for producing game assets or models for print or for manufacturing, one might say, but is the same advice transfereable to ArchViz? I wouldn't know. I am new to ArchViz, but it makes sense that organization and pre-planning certainly would speed up one's time spent producing a project, knowing a program's shortcut keys, and using references. Also, investing into a darn good computer, too could help.

What do you say?

Edited February 10 by Declan Flynn
Typos

[Ricardo Eloy]

Ok, this one took me a while to read... lol...

In my opinion, architectural visualization (ArchViz) presents a unique set of challenges. We often receive detailed project briefs, specifying all elements for each image. Sometimes even the camera angles are pre-defined by the client, and most projects require a dozen or more images. This necessitates prioritizing speed over artistic expression, as deadlines are typically very tight. Consequently, we rely heavily on pre-made and custom asset libraries, such as Chaos Cosmos, for both models and materials. Unwrapping is infrequent, as it's usually reserved for complex and unique models. What I'm trying to say is that ArchViz is more focused on production efficiency these days, and the focus is less on artistic innovation than on meeting practical needs. Of course, I'm completely generalizing, as there are so many types of clients and demands. While we share similarities with other industries, such as game development, ArchViz also has unique characteristics, particularly concerning client expectations and production pressures.

[Declan Flynn]

I know, I know!! Sorry for the very long post. I am going to curb my long-windedness, I promise. I just discovered one can write articles on this site, so maybe I will do that, if allowed to. Nevertheless, thank you for enduring my long post and posting a reply. 

"This necessitates prioritizing speed over artisitic expression, as deadlines are typically very tight." Boy, I heard that! It can be a tough tightrope to walk. 

"Unwrapping is infrequent, as it's usually reserved for complex and unique models." This is very good to read! I just learned something today, so thanks for that. Frankly, I assumed one would unwrap and prep for materials just about all objects within a scene. And as for using premade assets, why not? It can be a huge timesaver, but perhaps costly, too. I guess it depends.

"ArchViz is more focused on production efficiency these days," I'm not surprised to read this. 

As usual, Ricardo, your replies are very educational for me, so I truly appreciate them. Again, I will try hard to keep my posts light in word count. I'm terrible with being concise.

Thanks again!

[Ricardo Eloy]

Glad to help!

[Umer Shafiq]

When I started my 3D artist journey, I used to create every single model from scratch for a solid two to three years. I worked on all kinds of projects ArchViz, game assets, Cinematic,  product visualization, and even cartoon animation. There were times I spent 12 to 16 hours a day working on small projects for weeks. It was intense, but it helped me learn different tools, workflows, and most importantly, what clients actually need.

Over time, I realized that, in most cases, clients just want great visuals and everything on time. To speed up my workflow, I started building my own asset library and investing in marketplace assets rather than modeling everything from scratch. This made a huge difference in efficiency. Then came rendering times something that used to slow me down significantly. In recent years, I started using render farms, and honestly, they’ve been a game-changer. Instead of overloading my PC, I can keep working on other tasks while renders are processed in the cloud. If you're doing client work, it’s worth considering render farm costs when setting your rates.

That said, I still believe there’s value in modeling by hand, at least for a solid two years. when you're starting out. It gives you a solid foundation, so when you do need to create something from scratch, you won’t feel lost.

Now, with a team of artists working alongside me, I have more time to focus on bigger projects and even enjoy outdoor activities! But everyone’s journey is different this is just what worked for me. :)

[Declan Flynn]

Umer,

Wow! Yet another great reply! You're on fire! 🔥 

It is so hard form me, as someone who has trained at hard-surface modeling, NOT to want to model every single thing myself. I love the concept of kit bashing, i.e., building a database of different models that one can import into their scene, again - as you suggested - that align with the client's needs, and purchasing assets, including materials, versus modeling everything. As a cost-savings measure, I mostly just model it myself, but your point is well taken.

As for rendering, although I have a darn good PC, IMHO, it hasn't helped with render times as much as I had hoped. Although I've not used cloud-based render farms YET, I do plan on investigating that and will absolutely utilize them to meet a deadline.

Umer, thanks again for your time and attention to my posts. 

I hope we can keep in touch here on these forums.

Best wishes,

[Jose Negrete]

Hi Declan,

 

First of all, I want to say I appreciate  your posts lately as it reminds of years ago when this forum was more active. I work in archviz but would still say all of the above to your initial post. Most of the time I avoid uv unwrapping, use tri-planar mapping, and/or use procedural materials if I can. I used 3DS Max since 2005 but eventually rendered stills and animation in Lumion for about 5 years because of the library of entourage it has and the "what  you see is what you get" workflow while building the scene. I'd still prep my scene in 3DS max. I buy assets I need and when I can't find something I model it. I would add to your core workflow as you go rather than trying to learn everything first. Some visual scripting doodling eventually comes in handy whether its grasshopper, geometry nodes, or tyflow. Some examples are a column generator w/ geometry nodes or procedural fences.

I've switched to blender 3D around 5 years ago now and its more fun for me to use than 3DS Max ever was. For me, the add-on ecosystem was very familiar because when I was in 3DS Max I was constantly looking for scripts or plugins. I really like the shortcut-key heavy workflow in blender but this was after I'd forced myself to learn shortcuts for different software over the years anyway. Try to keep navigation controls straight when moving between Rhino/Revit/Sketchup for example. I'd say you can find similar libraries for blender as you can in 3DS Max. Landscaping is also a hurdle that requires either forest pack or geo-scatter to setup quickly. it also helps to have some form of asset library for when you model things or make procedural materials you want to re-use. For that I'd recommend Connecter app or blender's internal asset library. For archviz there are some popular brands I see repeatedly. Some examples are Louis Poulsen pendant lamps, Herman Miller furniture, Steelcase furniture, etc. All of these major brands provide 3D models and some even provide viz versions in addition to revit versions.

[Umer Shafiq]

thanks for the kind words! I totally get the urge to model everything yourself, especially if you enjoy hard surface modeling. But having an asset library can save a lot of time while still giving clients what they need.

For rendering, I’d recommend checking out cloud-based render farms. Prices vary, but a 4K render Exteriors usually costs around $10–$30, depending on the scene and lighting. They’re really useful when you’re on a deadline or working on big projects just make sure to include the cost in your quotes.

I really appreciate your reply, and I’m looking forward to staying in touch!

[Declan Flynn]

21 hours ago, Jose Negrete said:

I've switched to blender 3D around 5 years ago now and its more fun for me to use than 3DS Max ever was.

Jose,

Thanks for your post and your appreciation! I find forums like these that are visited by professionals very helpful to someone like myself who, although a professional 3D artist, is new to ArchViz, and all of your posts, yours, @Umer Shafiq and @Ricardo Eloyposts are like GOLD to me because of the tiny pieces of information you all provide in your posts. I've already started a notebook, so please stay in touch on these forums. I promised @Ricardo Eloy I would try harder to keep my posts brief (a hard thing for me), but it's just that I am so excited and enthusiastic to be apart of an ArchViz community.

I quoted your sentence about Blender because as someone who couldn't afford Maya or 3ds Max (until I discovered their Indie license), I turned to Blender about 4 years ago and studied and used it solid for over 2-years. However, I stopped using it because I fell victim to those in the game and film/TV markets that said they'll never use Blender because it will never become mainstream or a professional's tool. I once spoke to an owner of a very well-known visual effects company that explained to me why he believes Blender will never be the tool of choice for professionals, and I understood his position. But to me it's a tool just like any other software. The issue that arises, and this is well-documented, is Blender cannot offer the profit-based model tech support that a company like Autodesk is expected to offer when issues arise. And that's really the only reason it is said that Blender will never make it to the "main stream" or an industry-leading "toolset."  BUT I LOVE BLENDER TOO!

I have an Indie license for Maya and 3ds Max, and so it's affordable for me right now, else I would be using Blender right now to learn ArchViz.  I did this project entirely in Blender and UE4 a few years ago and it's been copied since, so I guess that's a compliment. It was a ton of fun to do and I learned a lot about Blender and UE4 in general.

 

Again, Jose - many thanks for your reply to my long-winded post, and I look forward to corresponding with you again on this forum(s).

[Declan Flynn]

16 hours ago, Umer Shafiq said:

But having an asset library can save a lot of time while still giving clients what they need.

You said it brother! No argument from me on this one. Plus, at the end of the day, and maybe you'll agree, I love to make stuff in 3D, so building a asset library, whether you're buying assets or making your own - win win!

You're awesome, Umer - thanks!