The 3D rendering and visualization industry covers a lot of ground these days. From TV and movies, product design and advertising, there is plenty of work out there for the 3D rendering artist. Perhaps the most influence sub-industry is architectural visualization. Architects have always been at the front lines of visual communication reaching as far back as early humans with a stone chisel in their hands. And as the demand for better and better visualizations has skyrocketed, the need for professional architectural visualization services has followed suit.

There are companies out there dedicated to assisting architecture firms in their 3D rendering needs, and it has never been easier for those firms to have access to the highest quality of 3D visualizations. These companies fall into two basic categories: recruiting and direct rendering services.

Recruiting companies act as targeted, highly focused job-finding services that connect architecture firms with capable rendering artists operating on a freelance basis. Perhaps the most well known of these is Easy Render. This business model allows smaller firms to hire artists on demand, and avoid having to keep a full-time rendermonkey on staff. This saves them money they can then put back into the design. Services like Easy Render allow firms to stay lean and mean, but with the same access to incredible imagery and as the larger firms.

The other model is the direct rendering service. Companies such as Brick Visual and Architectural CGI are renderers for hire. They will work with architects on a per contract basis and provide them with all their rendering needs in house. These firms are supplementary to larger architecture firms, and employ teams of 3D artists who work together to provide work to the highest standard. Not everyone can afford to employ direct rendering services, but for projects with big boy budgets, the value of having one on board can’t be overstated.

The rise in the 3D architectural visualization industry has left firms of all sizes with plenty of rendering options. Ultimately, this wealth of talent pushes designers to do better work, and frees up architects to focus on what they are good at: making buildings. The less they have to focus on the pretty pictures, the more they can focus on delivering a beautiful, on-schedule, on-budget product.