I love beautiful renderings with all the architectural details like you see from the winning renderings from the CET Designer contest. They are fun to do too!
However, the reality is, that if you are working for a dealership and you have an RFP due, time is (usually) not on your side. You want a fabulous presentation, but need to get it done quickly. Here are some tips I use in creating my photo realistic renderings for presentations. These are steps I take once all the furniture has been laid out in the space.
Step 1: Go to Photo lab and set up your view (s). Find the views you want to render and take note of what you see. You ONLY need to build out what is seen. It’s like a TV Sitcom- you feel like you are in the living room, but once the camera pans out, you can see it is all fake. You are essentially doing set design here. Try to group your views to one area if possible (like sharing walls). Getting your views decided early helps you to not waste time on areas that you are not showing.
Step 2: Think about your views. Do you want sunlight? Pick a southern or eastern exposure for brighter light. Do want to even see out the windows or have an interior view?
Time-saver tip- if you do not care if you see sunlight- leave the ceiling off, set your sunlight to 0 (in photo lab) or use Product Rendering. Its MUCH faster this way. I do this quite a bit.
Step 3: Start building your architecture based on what you can see in your view ports- plus a little extra over, in case you decide to shift you view a little bit.
NOTE: if you are working on an RFP or project with very little information on building finishes- keep everything plain and neutral. You do not want to distract from what the A&D firm is creating, or create confusion for the client if they see architectural details that do not exist. Keep the focus on the products you are proposing.
If you need help figuring out what the building looks like- google the address. Sometimes a street view can give you information on windows and ceiling heights. Also, sometimes leasing brokers have pictures on their websites. You can get a sense of ceiling heights, window sill heights, etc.
Step 4: Add accessories! This is where it gets fun! Think about who the end user is and what they would make their space look like. Techy? Law Firm? Bank? Choose accessories that enhance the flavor of the space. CET’s accessories are fine. Your client hasn’t seen them 100 times (like we have!) so they should work. (I know I get tired of using the same ones over and over, but they are good). You can also make some of the accessories a special and change colors, etc). I also use Sketch Up quite a bit for accessories. Once you find some you like, save them as favorites in an Accessories folder so you can access them quickly in the future.
Other Notes:
Computer Monitors (and monitor arms). Be mindful what image you use here. Try to find a faded image so it is not the focal point. I used to use company logos when I first started doing renderings, but I found that they sometimes can look a bit overbearing after a while, especially on dual monitor arms.
Ceilings- If you are putting in a ceiling… (and ceilings can get tricky and time consuming) use the ceiling in the lights tab. I typically use round or square can lights on a grid, then add and delete lights as necessary. You will probably have to play with the lighting to get it right.
Lighting- if you are not doing a ceiling- throw in some pendant lights up high, above your camera view. It can help add some shadows and depth to your rendering. I’m a fan of the Kitchen Light (found in the Lights Tab)
Outside view- use a panoramic of the city the project is in, if you can. CET has added some panoramic views that are pretty good if you want to play with those. Make sure you turn your floor off though, so you don’t see the line of flooring out the window.
Below is a project example showing how I built out minimal architecture (used no ceiling) and had rendering that felt like they were in the building.
The areas in green are where I built out walls and windows. Minimal build out for (1) Conference Room view, (1) Workstation view and on the right side- a private office and meeting room. The below 2 renderings are from that lower left hand corner. I did not use a ceiling.
