Architecture – Maricar de Dios

Articles Tagged with: Architecture

Apr

How AI is Altering the Landscape of Architectural Design and Visualization

As we enter into 2023, the field of architecture is set to experience a significant transformation with the emergence of more developed AI models generating realistic 3D renderings and architectural visualizations. This advancement in technology is expected to have a profound impact on architects and 3D artists, as they will be required to adapt to these new tools to remain competitive in the industry.

AI generated architecture Retail

Retail interior generated using Midjourney

The integration of AI in architectural visualization has been growing rapidly in recent years, and 2023 will see a significant acceleration of this trend. AI-powered algorithms and machine learning techniques are being used to generate more realistic and detailed 3D models, textures, lighting, and materials, making it possible to produce highly realistic architectural visualizations in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.

AI generated architecture

Santorini-inspired villa generated using Midjourney

With the use of AI, architects and 3D artists will be able to create more complex designs and renderings, while at the same time reducing costs and shortening project timelines. These tools will also enable architects and 3D artists to experiment with a wider range of design options and iterate more quickly on their ideas, which can lead to more creative and innovative solutions.

AI generated architecture zaha hadid

Conceptual Zaha Hadid complex in the tropical mountains generated using Midjourney

However, the rise of AI-generated architectural visualizations also raises concerns about the future of the architecture industry and the potential displacement of 3D artists. While AI can generate realistic renderings, it still requires human input to create designs that are functional and aesthetically pleasing. Architects and 3D artists will need to adapt to these new tools and learn how to integrate AI into their workflows to remain relevant and competitive.

Furthermore, AI-generated renderings may not always be suitable for all projects, and architects and 3D artists may need to rely on their expertise and experience to make judgments on when and how to use these tools effectively. Additionally, there will always be a need for human creativity and critical thinking in the architecture industry, as these skills cannot be fully replicated by AI.

AI generated architecture Interior Ceiling

Intricate ceiling design inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Starry Night generated using Midjourney

In conclusion, the emergence of more developed AI models generating realistic 3D renderings and architectural visualizations in 2023 will have a significant impact on the architecture industry. While it will bring significant benefits such as increased efficiency, reduced costs, and greater creative possibilities, it also poses challenges that architects and 3D artists will need to address. By embracing these new tools and learning how to integrate AI into their workflows, architects and 3D artists can position themselves to thrive in the rapidly evolving landscape of the architecture industry.

Article written by ChatGPT. Images generated by Maricar de Dios using Midjourney.

Apr

80 Parton Rd. Café

Who else misses going to coffee shops? We know we do!

This 2021, normalcy is highly dependent on where you are in the world – some countries are almost back to normal while others are still imposing lockdowns after lockdowns. The Philippines falls into the latter category, unfortunately. That said, the moment the studio got this coffee shop rendering project, we knew we had to create wonderful images out of our great love for coffee and sad longing for hours spent inside a café.

We were tasked to create a coffee shop exterior rendering for a new building along 80 Parton Road, Papamoa, New Zealand. The building developer aims to show possible coffee shop tenants the potential of the commercial space for their business.

For the project, a 3D model was provided by the client.

Usually when we get this kind of file, we do the model clean-up, texturing and mapping based on specifications, as well as detailing of landscape, entourage and interiors.

However, the first thing we always do is a google street view check. The building is still non-existent but one take-away from this quick peek is that the whole area is low lying, no high rise buildings or mountain views. Here are some reference images we looked into. The vibe we went for is industrial but with wood tones to add warmth. Here is a screenshot of our 3D model file after some work done. Detailing is definitely the most tedious part of the process. We always put a lot of effort in this step because we believe details make or break a rendering.

Some clay render tests below. We had our fun and added some extra views.

FINAL IMAGES

Hope you like this set!

Go ahead and make that cup of coffee.

Apr

2 Newbury St.

One memorable Architectural 3D Rendering commission we got a few months back is the visualization of an existing building along 2 Newbury St., Boston, MA.

A luxury watch store and a jeweler intend to lease the ground floor commercial space of said building and they want 3D renderings made to show how the storefronts and signages will look like once they occupy the space. It is quite interesting as they want to show the totality of the building and not just the leasable ground floor commercial.

Photo from Client

Easiest route is to photoshop the ground floor to reflect the clients’ storefronts and retain the upper part of the building as is – BUT the clients do NOT want that. They didn’t prefer a photoshopped version of an existing photo online because they are luxury stores and that will just look unprofessional. Besides, after a quick google search, there are no hi-res images available online. Even if there were, it isn’t acceptable to use someone else’s photo for commercial purposes unless clients buy the rights to the image or they hire a professional photographer to take new on-site photos.

Another route is to recreate everything in 3D and recreation is what we did… from the comforts of our workstation in the Philippines.

CREATING A 3D RENDERING OF AN EXISTING BUILDING FROM SCRATCH

How to start? In the studio, we work with whatever files the clients give us. Some give us full cad plans, elevations, even Revit models. Some give us concept sketches, design pegs and mood board. In this case, we were just given a copy of this conceptual plan showing leasable spaces. Okay, no one is panicking, we got this.

CHECK GOOGLE EARTH/ STREET VIEW

Our best friend ever since we got into the business of providing outsourced 3D renderings is Google Street View. We are based in Manila and we don’t usually never fly to project locations so to give us an idea of the surroundings, we turn to Google.

Usually, we just check what the streets look like to help us understand the project context and/or give us ideas for the background and foreground. In this case, we used Google street view to eyeball everything. We were not given building elevations so we did estimations and used our expertise to make things seemingly proportioned and looking just about right.

IMPORT FLOOR PLAN OR ANY IMAGE THAT CAN BE USED AS BASIS OF SCALE

We imported the plan image in Sketchup and scaled it according to measurements we got from Google Earth. This plan size will be the basis of all wall heights, window sizes, roof scale, etc.

BUILD UP THE PLAN.

Start by protruding walls, setting floor boundaries then adding windows and doors…

…and continue with the rest of the building.

10,000 hours later and we are done! Kidding, we are only given less than 48 hours for this project and building it in 3D is just half of the job.

It is important for us that every groove, relief, projection, molding is reflected as 3D. We believe the secret in a great architectural visualization is the high level of detail in the 3D model. Some parts of it we achieved using texture mapping but most of it we created by pushing and pulling.

LIGHTING TEST

Once we were satisfied with the base model, we exported the Sketchup file into 3Ds Max where we set up the lighting and did further detailing (the signages, interior shops, entourage).

To those wondering why we had to use Sketchup initially then switch to 3ds Max midway, it is because we work faster in Sketchup when it comes to Architectural modelling. After using Sketchup for more than 9 years, it is just more time efficient for us to use. However, we believe we can achieve better details in 3ds Max because of nicer 3D components and models available in our collection. More importantly, we can utilize Corona Renderer which is not available for Sketchup.

After another tedious process of 3D detailing and finally the light testing, here are clay models we created.

MATERIALS CHECK

Here we did a final review of materials and finishes using the images we have from Google Street View. Since we weren’t able to see the finishes in real life and were only relying on images taken on a specific time of day, we tried to recreate it using more or less the same environment.

THE FINAL IMAGES

Let us zoom into the renderings to appreciate the details and effort put into creating the building.

So that’s it! We appreciate your time in reading about the process behind these architectural visualizations. Let us know how we did. As for what the clients think, we are leaving you guys with this.

Apr

Photographed vs 3D Rendered

3D Renderings are usually used to help clients “experience” architecture before it is built.

In practicing arch visualization, we usually reverse the process and look into existing photographs of architecture to study textures, lighting and shadows.

As an exercise, we chose a photograph (credits to owner) and recreated it with a few of our twists using 3ds Max and Corona Renderer. What do you think?