Software tools for professional photorealistic renderings
How to get object and texture libraries, post-production tools and a 3D modeler all in one software solution that also provides photorealist renderings for your architectural projects
As a designer or arch-viz artist you might want to create photorealistic renders for your architectural projects without having to use too many dedicated software and without wasting time becoming an expert and making complicated adjustments and above all without doing any image post-processing operations.
In this article I’ll show you how to produce astonishing 3D renders with a single rendering software, making it easier to present and discuss ideas with co-workers and clients and reducing costs and the time necessary to learn to use a professional solution.
How to obtain photorealistic renders for your architectural projects
Photorealistic renders are fundamental tools for presenting a project.
Architects and designers are required to transform their imagination into reality, and the ability to visualize their ideas is a large part of this creative process that can be long and complex as well.
Traditional rendering methods involve:
- 3D modeling
- 3D objects selection
- textures and materials slection
- rendering process
- post-production process.
The steps and software to use are generally too many.
In addition, it is necessary to invest a lot of time to obtain a more or less in-depth knowledge of the different tools to be used and invest a lot of money to purchase the proper software to be used in the various phases.
1 – 3D modeler
3D modeling is the first step in creating photorealistic renderings.
Basically, you need to create three-dimensional objects and place them in a virtual environment through the use of computers and dedicated software. This software is referred to as a 3D modeler.
The 3D modeler allows you to look at your project in 3 dimensions and, therefore, to more effectively analyze volumes and spaces, obtaining a better overall view.
There are a wide variety of 3D modeling software that take advantage of many different modeling methodologies.
3D modeler
So, what is the best 3D modeler to adopt and how long does it take to learn to use it?
2 – 3D Objects Library
To enrich your model, it is necessary to insert many 3D blocks. When designing a house, in addition to the model, consisting of floors, walls, windows, roof, etc. you also need to insert furnishings to complete the various environments and faithfully recreate your project spaces, or you need to choose objects (such as tables, chairs, kitchen, sofas, etc.) available on online libraries.
You might also wonder whether they are free or if they are good quality objects.
3D Objects Library
Many websites allow you to download free 3D resources but you might also have to pay to use them or it can happen that they might be poorly detailed objects.
3 – Materials (and textures) Library
The third step enatils the research of materials and/or textures.
In this case as well, there are many material and texture libraries available online that allow you to achieve good results. But again, most likely, finding what is right and convenient for you requires a lot of time.
Materials Library
4 – Architectural rendering
The fourth step is relating to the production of the architectural rendering.
In the field of architectural design, the term “rendering” refers to the process of creating photorealistic images that have the purpose of illustrating a specific subject (house, landscape, design object, etc.).
This is the most complex step because it is usually managed by software that requires in-depth knowledge of photography, lighting, materials, etc.
The result can be surprising, but also very disappointing.
Architectural rendering
5 – Post-produzione
Once the render is obtained, you can move on to post-production operations. During this process final operation, thanks to specially designed software, you can “retouch” renderings and improve their performance. For example, you can add objects, people, vegetation to make the final result more realistic. Or you can just change brightness, saturation, shadows, highlights, colors, etc.
Basically, more software to buy and to learn how to use!
Post-production
How to obtain photorealistic renders in a single software
So far, we have looked into the steps to create photorealistic renders and the software with which we can achieve professional results.
A more intuitive alternative to obtain renders in a faster way and also an easy-to use solution designed to meet all professionals’ needs is represented by Edificius+AIr BIM Pro2, the 3D BIM building design software.
With Edificius, you can create a 3D space to be rendered and automatically obtain a BIM model, in which the objects are not only graphical elements but contain information relating to the building, such as geometry, material properties and technical elements or even to construction and maintenance operations, etc.
The modelling process in Edificius is very simple because you have all the objects, such as walls, floors, windows, roofs, etc. already available to insert.
Edificius objects menu
You can enrich your model with 3D objects, such as furniture, decorations and vegetation and apply custom textures that you can choose directly from the Edificius online catalog.
In fact, the Edificius library contains tens of thousands of free resources (textures, CAD blocks, 3D models) to help you design better and faster.
Edificius online library
With a simple click you can import objects and insert them into your project. In the library there are already very detailed objects and furnishing accessories of well-known brands, both national and international, but you can also create new personalized objects. Click here to find out more about the Edificius online library.
Textures in the Edificius online catalogue
At this point, you can move on to the rendering process.
You can create photorealistic renderings without being an expert, in just a matter of minutes and without using other software. The results are surprising even for beginners.
