Communicating your ideas as an architect and being able to impress your clients with an attractive pitch is vital for your success in this niche. Drawings and maquettes did their job. Complex interior and exterior designs call for modern solutions, mainly 3D rendering.

Why would you make adjustments to your workflow and depend on rendering services? Do I need these services at all? How to tell whether I need it or not? These are all completely legitimate questions, which we will answer here.

As an architect, you probably have your plate full and minimal time to research on your own. Let us help you out then. Below you can find nine legitimate situations which indicate that you need rendering services as an architect.

1. The idea is unclear

Architects often have these magnificent design ideas that are hard to translate to mood boards, sketches, or maquettes. They don’t necessarily even have to be complex.

In any case, using legacy methods to communicate vague ideas is doomed to fail.

As an architect, you can also have problems visualizing your ideas, especially during the exploration and experimentation phase. Having the option to see your ideas brought to life, compare them, work on them, or expand them is great. However, none of the legacy visualization techniques enable you to do this unless you don’t want to spend dozens if not hundreds of hours at your sketch desk.

If you are struggling with a vague idea, it is a sign that you might need rendering services. 3D renderings can help you a lot in terms of making your idea easy to understand. The best thing about rendering is that it comes with almost no limitations. You will be able to see your ideas on your computer or smartphone screen, no matter how complex they are.

Whether you are working on an interior or exterior project, rendering can help you breathe life into your ideas and see how they appear in the real world.

2. You need a precise representation of the project

Architects work on dozens of different projects. Each one of them comes with unique requirements. At one point, you may end up working on a project that requires a precise representation. Creating accurate models from scratch is time-consuming. Plus, it can be exhausting if you are working on a big project.

Yes, you can be pretty precise when representing big buildings with many details in their natural environment. Still, what if the client demands a change? Can you imagine the scope of the work you need to do just to live up to your client’s expectations?

Rendering is a perfect solution for this issue.

First, you need to understand that you have 3D rendering software and 3D artists or specialists at the core of rendering services. Having the right software solution and a skilled person using it makes making adjustments easy and fast.

This means that you can have a 3D rendering specialist deliver an exact representation of your project. We are talking about submillimeter-precision range rendering, accurate colors, materials, and textures. You can even have the building you’re designing render in the exact area where it is supposed to be constructed.

3. There are potential issues with the design

You can tell a lot about the project you are working on after the first meeting with the clients. Architects always strive to deliver what the clients are expecting. But sometimes, clients’ ideas are not feasible. From this, a lot of potential issues with the design can arise.

It can be a massive problem if you are using legacy methods for architectural visualization. Why? Because you can go back and forth with the client a dozen times before the client is happy with the outcome. Every time you get a request for modifications, you need to work on your design and develop new sketches and drawings.

Now it would be all fine if you didn’t have other clients and projects to work on. Rendering services can help you cushion the blow of running into problematic designs.

You should know that a final render is just an image of a model and the model is kept saved in a file. This means that you can edit the model anytime you want, introduce the required changes, and have it rendered again. It will save you a ton of time and energy, and you will still be able to work on other projects. It also opens the option to go back and compare previous instances to the version of the project you are currently working on.

4. You can’t communicate design ideas

Do you know why architects started working with mood boards, sketches, and maquettes in the first place? Because some of the ideas are pretty hard to communicate without the previously mentioned aids. It especially applies to complex designs.

Naturally, being able to communicate design ideas efficiently can make or break your studio.

If you find it hard to clearly explain your ideas to clients, you should consider using rendering services. Pay special attention to the outcome of your pitches. If you don’t get return calls or emails after your initial meeting with a client, they probably didn’t understand your idea.

Fortunately, rendering services can help you turn the tide. With a 3D render at your disposal, you will have to do very little talking. Your clients will be able to understand your ideas no matter how complex they are. You can send them renders before the meeting and focus only on answering their questions. It saves time and shows professionalism.

Modern 3D rendering tools enable artists to create virtually anything. This is great news for architects that like to push boundaries and offer unique solutions.

5. Your clients love modern technology

The clients requiring services from architectural studios have changed. We have entirely different demographics now. It’s pretty rare to see someone from the generation of “Baby Boomers” in a position of a decision-maker. Today, it is more likely that you will end up working with Millennials or Generation Z.

These generations are tech-savvy people. They feel confident around computers, smartphones, apps, and cloud technologies, and the chances are that they won’t like you using sketches and drawings. They are more interested in deliverables only modern technologies can create - renders, walkthroughs, and presentations.

If this is the case with your clients, you don’t have many options. Rendering services are your best bet. You will come through with stunning visuals that will impress clients and make your presentations much more manageable. Since they are tech-savvy, you will be able to share your renders with them in plenty of ways — email, direct chat, and shared cloud storage are just some of the options.

Plus, you will get ready for the future and ensure the success of your business, as more and more of your clients will see modern tech solutions as one of the signs of a well-organized operation.

6. You’re not proficient in 3D rendering

This one is rather obvious. There are millions of people working as architects worldwide. At least half of them are not well-versed in the latest tech solutions useful to modern architects. They can do wonders with maquettes, mood boards, and pen and paper in general. Still, when it comes to using computers for completing advanced tasks such as 3D modeling and rendering, they fall short.

If you are not proficient in 3D rendering, you can still be competitive. You can still have quality renders to help you cut through the noise and reach modern clients. Rendering services stand at your disposal at all times.

One of the most critical things architects fail to understand is that this is not a long-term deal. Yes, you can make it if you want. But, in its essence, outsourcing 3D rendering to a 3D artist or 3rd party company is a one-time deal you can use when you have a need for it.

You can use rendering services whenever you want. You can also use it for projects of all sizes, whether you are hired to work on the interior, exterior, or complete building designs. Finally, you also get to choose the format of your renders in terms of resolution, file format, and size.

7. Clients are asking for 3D renderings

Imagine the perfect first meeting. You’ve successfully pitched your ideas, the clients love what you want to deliver, but there is one problem. They ask you to prepare 3D renderings before the next meeting. You may not be able to pull this off due to various reasons — there is not enough time, you are working on too many projects, or your studio doesn’t have the resources.

Nevertheless, your clients are asking for 3D renderings, and there is only one way to come on top in this situation. You tell them that you are going to deliver 3D renderings and invest in rendering services.

Alternatively, you can tell your clients that you cannot deliver, lose the project, and risk a bad reputation.

Rendering services create tremendous opportunities for architects, thanks to the flexibility they offer. Plus, people working in the architectural visualization niche are well-versed with 3D tools and have tons of experience working on projects similar to yours.

You will be able to easily communicate your ideas to them, work together on bringing your ideas into the virtual realm, and make final edits before you send your stunning 3D renderings to your clients. Who knows, maybe you like the 3D artist you work with, and it becomes a standard arrangement for all your future projects.

8. You need more marketing material

Architects often don’t pay too much attention to marketing. They let their past work outline their skills and expertise. However, there are those that would like to reach more clients, stand out in a crowd, and land more projects. If you are one of these architects, then you probably need more marketing materials. Did you know that you can use 3D renderings as marketing materials?

Clients interested in architectural services want to see what you’ve done so far. Is there a better way to show them your expertise but to offer high-quality 3D renders of your designs? We are talking about quality images you can share on your official website, social media profiles, or any other campaign you are thinking about running.

As we previously stated, you will get to keep your 3D model files. This is perfect as you will be able to create new marketing materials on demand. You can easily create new renders from different view positions and with unique lighting settings.

If you incorporate 3D architectural visualization and renders in your process, you will always have plenty of marketing materials to use both in traditional and online marketing campaigns.

9. Not enough clients

Finally, some architects struggle to get new clients. Many factors can contribute to this. Most often, these architects don’t have enough exposure. Clients have never heard about them or seen their work. If you don’t have enough clients, rendering services can help you land more projects and ensure repeat business.

You can add renders to your online portfolio, social media, and other relevant websites. With high-quality imagery, you will be able to extend your reach and attract more people to your studio. 3D renders are quite powerful, and they communicate more information than 2D drawings and sketches.

As you start to get more clients, you will also create more 3D renderings and have even more material to share across digital channels. Remember that rendering services can help you land more projects, but you should never base your marketing campaigns exclusively on them. Diversify your approach for best results.

Conclusion

Working as an architect in today’s markets is not an easy task, and you need all the help you can get. As you can see, rendering services provide great opportunities to architects. But many architects are not sure when to invest in these services. There are plenty of scenarios when it is incredibly beneficial. Hopefully, now you know when rendering can be of help to you.