3D architectural design: construction document examples

The design team is primarily responsible for taking a client’s idea and bringing it to life using their professional skills. For this reason, many different types of drawing can be used during the process of designing and constructing buildings to achieve an end result that aligns with the client’s desires and to verify if the project is feasible.

Technical construction drawings are used by architects and designers for a number of purposes: to develop a design idea into a coherent proposal, to communicate ideas and concepts, to convince clients of the merits of a design, to assist a building contractor, or to make a record of a building that already exists.

In this focus article, I’ll show you some technical drawing and construction document examples that you can generate for your 3D architectural design using  ACCA’s software Edificius.

Architectural design | drawing produced with Edificius

What is an architectural project?

An architectural project is a design and planning for a building and can contain architectural drawings, calculations, time planning of the building process, BoQs and other documents.

It aims at describing a building intervention by defining the functional organization of spaces, the connecting elements between the various layout environments, the dimensions, the shapes, the technologies involved and the materials used.

How to start an architectural project?

The process by which a building project is delivered may be divided into the following phases:

1. preliminary analysis entails the building context analysis (surrounding environment, size of the lot, orientation, accesses, borders) together with the analysis of urban planning tools (generic volumes, maximum heights, distances, etc);
2. design phase is where you look at the many project features, floor plans and elevation views, functional and layout/distributional compositions, external spaces, materials, etc.

How to present a project plan to my client?

A great design can look mediocre if not presented well. Today, thanks to technological innovations implemented in the most known architectural design software, you can present an architectural project to your client in multiple ways:

• 3D views (axonometric and isometric views and cutaways)
• detailed photorealistic renderings with high-quality graphic impact, which can now be produced in a matter of seconds
• real-time rendering-based video presentations
• immersive virtual reality
• sharing a link to view the project with a common browser (find out more)

What are the top BIM architectural design software?

The best architecture software is a crucial tool for architects working on the digital design of buildings. These are some of the most common architectural design software:

• Edificius allows you to deal with all aspects of design: bi and three-dimensional architectural design, interventions on existing buildings, technical installation modeling, construction scheduling, cost estimating and the possibility of navigating the model in real time (RTBIM) or in virtual reality (VRi BIM)
• Revit is a software solution that reproduces a faithful example of  reality through  three-dimensional, isometric and perspective elements and the ability to apply the fourth dimension or time-related information to your projects
• Archicad allows you to manage the entire architectural project through a complete model of partitions, doors, windows and furnishings. It is suitable for both small-scale construction projects and more complex projects
• AllPlan is software that addresses both architects and engineers working in construction and infrastructure, allowing you to first build the virtual model, then to recognize and resolve possible errors and conflicts present already during the design stage, thus avoiding delays in the construction phase.

Can I deal with all the aspects of architectural design with Edificius?

With Edificius you no longer need to have multiple software for your architectural design, as this solution allows you to address multiple aspects (surveying with point clouds, architectural planning, interior design, outdoor spaces, MEP, redevelopment of historical buildings).

As a matter of fact, with an all-in-one solution you can address architectural design environments, outdoor spaces and gardens, interior design, technical installation systems, etc. Edificius allows you to easily produce all the relevant project documents (floor plans, elevation views, cross-sections, isometric views, working drawings, etc.) and impressive archviz presentations (automatic renders, videos and animations, scene photo matches and photo editing tools).

What integrations does Edificius provide?

Edificius integrates multiple design disciplines in order to deal with various industry related aspects such as: structural calculation, cost estimating, energy performance analysis, technical installation modelling, etc. It is also dynamically integrated with Revit®, SketchUp®, Blender® and Rhino/Grasshopper® for free-form solid modelling.

With Edificius, you have an integrated DWG CAD (Edificius-CAD) that allows you to produce technical drawings in 2D and model in 3D mesh.

You can also import and export in the standard IFC format, collaborate with other BIM authoring software and BIM tools, take advantage of the integration with collaborative BIM management platforms, and obtain topographical and surveying data directly from Google Maps.

Can I also create immersive reality environments with Edificius?

Edificius has a dedicated environment (VRiBIM) that enables you, with the support of a VR headset, to navigate within the project in immersive virtual reality and even edit it in real time.

The project reproduced for immersive virtual reality is dynamically integrated into the BIM model. In fact, any modification made in the VRiBIM environment will automatically be applied to the BIM model.

Find out more about Edificius with VRiBIM

Can I make a Photo Match with Edificius?

A photo match is the synergistic combination of a 3D render and a traditional photograph. It allows you to preview how the construction urban and landscape context will be transformed, whether it involves a renovation or a new construction work.

You simply need to upload a photo and the software will allow you to rebuild the entire perspective in addition to identify orthogonal planes, to set the vanishing lines and position the 3D model in the photo by applying visibility, transparencies and shadows to obtain an even more realistic effect.

Working Drawings

Working drawings, and more generally project drawings, provide all the project information necessary to implement them.

In order to create executive working drawings, you certainly need a 3D architectural design software to generate the different 2D views of the model (plans, elevations, sections, etc.).

Starting from your 3D model in Edificius, you can automatically obtain 2D drawings complete with technical information with a single click.

Then you can easily drag and drop the single drawings, including images and renderings of your architectural project, into the title block of your choice and layout them as required.

All the views generated (plans, sections, etc.) are always dynamically linked to the BIM model. They get automatically updated each time the model is modified, or viceversa, and are ready to be presented to clients, public authorities or to be published on websites, social media and blogs.

Download a drawing model example

3D architectural design and photorealistic renders

Although they are still indispensable, it is no longer enough to present an architectural project on the basis of classical technical drawings: plans, elevations and sections. Often clients require project renderings and 3D representations to be able to visualise the project choices and details to be reproduced in a more realistic way.

What are photorealistic renders? What are they used for?

Photorealistic renderings are images processed on a PC using a specific software, with the purpose of realistically representing an architectural project before its actual implementation. In this way it is possible to communicate architectural choices in a clear and immediate way even for those who are not experts.

To produce professional renders it is fundamental to manage:

• the model
• materials
• natural and artificial lighting
• the scene set-ups.

Photorealistic render produced with Edificius

Typically, very long rendering times and a good deal of experience are required.

On the other hand, with Edificius, by taking advantage of Artificial Intelligence (AIrBIM), you can produce astonishing super-fast photo-realistic renders.

The integration of BIM architectural design and the AMD Radeon™ ProRender ray tracing rendering engine has in fact created a revolutionary technology that allows you to create professional renders without being an expert, without wasting time making adjustments, and most importantly, without post-processing operations with other dedicated software.

AIrBIM also allows you to change settings ‘in progress’ while the render process has already started and see the changes applied to your render in real time.

The images produced can be exported, printed or used in working drawings that you can layout directly with Edificius.

See also The advantages of photorealistic rendering 

Archviz presentations

Have you ever had to present your project to a client and felt that you could not fully communicate your architectural ideas?

The client is generally not a technical expert and, therefore, you should opt for a clear and engaging type of communication.

Technical drawings (plans, elevations and sections) may not be sufficient to convey ideas and often static images (renderings, photo-inserts, etc.) give only a partial view of a complex model. A video presentation can help in this case to overcome these difficulties.

To make an impressive video presentation you can use BIM Video Studio, the video editing tool available in Edificius.

You can insert different contents:

• texts
• images
• video clips
• solar lighting
• effects
• artificial lights
• objects visibility.

You can use videos that you have already created in the Edificius Real-Time environment and edit them to suit your needs. For example, you can add fade-in and fade-out effects to each clip, change its duration, add text (adjustable in size, background transparency, font and position), images or views of the graphics and set the sunlight.

The result will be a stunning video that actually shows the design choices that you wish to communicate to your client.

In addition, the videos you create in the BIM Video Studio environment are dynamically linked to the BIM model. In fact, each change applied to plans, sections, axonometric views and other representations of the 3D model automatically update the generated videos.

See also Architectural Visualization: from representation to presentation

Export in various formats (IFC, DWG/DXF, OBJ)

If you need to collaborate with other technical experts involved in the architectural design process, it is fundamental to be able to export the model in various formats.

With Edificius you can export your model in the open IFC format, in DWG/DXF or in OBJ.

This is how easily you can collaborate with colleagues who are not using your same 3D architectural design software.