Photography VS. 3D Visualization

3D visualizations are now treated as golden standards for all types of new architectural design presentations, and it is nothing unusual to show such projects to potential customers. I would even suggest, that it is much less likely to sell any serious product without visualising it, as renders are considered the medium through which designers can encourage potential clients to come to a stop, and pay attention to their incredible piece of work. People are keen on making sure they decide to buy something they would be pleased with, and photo-realistic, synthetic imagery is a sophisticated tool that allows them to achieve this.3D in catalogs

As architectural visualizations have become as convincing as photos taken by professional photographers, they are entering a new, higher level of accuracy. They are said to become so good they may change the way people perceive architecture and easily present the features words cannot express. A few years ago, it was hard to believe renders may ever be able to give an impression of real photography, but now this is reality. The authors of catalogs cheat our eyes with perfect visualizations of their products (especially furniture and decorative elements) and they have started using this technique on a regular basis. Nowadays, visualizations of architectural interior design have an extremely important role in the market. One of the first companies which decided to create their catalogs with the usage of the 3D presentation was IKEA. They started with a cautious 12% of standard product pictures prepared by the professional 3d graphic designers to reach the opposite situation, where this amount stands for the actual photos placed in their annual catalog. However, it was not that simple to implement, artists working for this Swedish company put a lot of effort to get the skills essential for such projects; they closely cooperated with photographers and exchanged experiences with each other. This means, that the photographers were trained as professional 3D artists, while 3D graphic designers took the training for photographers to reach absolute perfection in their faculties. However, we need to take into consideration that technology has evolved a lot, and available tools and computer programs have much more potential than a couple of years ago. Still, without an artistic soul, the graphic designer would never be able to create the same atmosphere of shades and structures as the photos may convey.Advantages of 3D

There is plenty of advantages standing in favor of 3D visualizations in the process of interior designing. One of the most important is the possibility of control over the conditions or lightning and the possibility of unlimited flexibility. The graphic designer does not need to wait until the sun rises or sets to take a perfect shot, the rain, snow or wind do not stop them, but even encourages them to stay in the studio and continue working on the project. They can create any location they want – the interior of a luxurious villa on the beach, a lodge deep in the Norwegian forest, a chalet in the mountains, or a tower block in the city valleys- nothing seems to be a problem. If we think about a professional session with a photographer, it involves a lot of complex preparations of the studio, shipping the models from all over the world, and serious changes in decorations; generally speaking, there are a lot of hands hired to organize such session, what creates unnecessary confusion, and still, the results are rather unpredictable. The most time-consuming process of preparing a 3D visualization is to create models of each piece of furniture offered by the company; once this is done, preparing visualizations in different interiors seems to be a piece of cake, as each model can be slightly changed to adjust to the needs. Furthermore, visualizations do not need any additional retouching, the images are perfectly flawless, with a superb balance and peculiar precision in an exposure. Nevertheless, they can be changed at any moment, either before publishing or after, on a special request of a client, who wants to use them in another campaign or decides to introduce more variations of particular product colors or textures. There is no need to waste time on organizing another photo session and spending a big amount of money to capture only some not of high important elements. 3D visualization solution is highly convenient for all furniture designers and producers, who want to spend a reasonable amount of money on the promotion of their product lines, save time and used resources. Product visualizations are thought to be a key element of product life-cycle management and facilitate the sale of ready-made stock. It is good to have such specialists, who can make the lives of busy entrepreneurs much more pleasant.Is it really that simple?

It is still relevant to mention that the work of a 3D visualizer is not that really simple, as some people might think. A primary task of a 3D visualization is to communicate the message in the context of both abstract and concrete ideas of human beings. There are a couple of stages during the designing process of a 3D project. In each of them, the artist may encounter some obstacles which must be overcome to provide a perfect meaning to the above-mentioned communication. Particular phases – designing, modeling, or rendering, are equally important, however, the final consultations with the client on the minor details, might be the most demanding and time-consuming. For the graphic designer, it is extremely important to get the style of their clients and make them fully happy, so they try to satisfy all their needs, in every single aspect like composition, texture, structure, or shape. But let’s face the fact, for an experienced 3d graphic designer it is much easier to cooperate with the client and to narrow down the correction time to the minimum… as they say practice makes perfect.Further gaining in popularity

In the 21st century – the century of modernity, it is quite exciting to be able to produce something completely artificial, that would look exactly as our imagination wanted it to and that gives better prospects than regular photography. Even though not everyone can show off such skills, the competition has been growing. New studios are being opened around the world, trying to drop a bomb on the current market. I hope this is still just the beginning and this area will be growing and developing with the speed of sound, giving the specialists more and more opportunities to visualise every detailed thing, which can be seen with a human’s eye and more.