Architectural Virtual Reality
Last year we posted a video that architect Sebastian Mariscal shared with us; a cinematic architectural rendering that takes viewers on a virtual tour of a project he designed in Woodstock, New York. You can see it here (and check out his other videos here). I recently found my way back to that post and was delighted to see all the comments my question had sparked. In response to my query—"Is video an effective presentation tool for architects?"— the flurry of responses ranged, effectively, from "hell yes" to "meh."
One Adrian Jon Miller replied: "In this design climate it has become imperative that the presentation of an idea almost be equal to the idea itself… it is hard for someone to internalize an idea from a rendering. A virtual experience that includes multiple senses helps to convey the idea in a way that just can't be overstated."
Another reader wrote: "I believe video is really the way to go. 80% of people are visually driven anyway, and video's cheap, so why not fully exploit the persuasive power of the medium?"
Others, though, felt that the combination of an empty house and the moody music was a turnoff; some wondered what would happen if the real, finished project doesn't live up to the virtual space depicted in the video... a strange new 21st century hazard, and a testament to today's powerful rendering tools.
I'm putting together a panel for Dwell on Design in June and I'd love to speak with other architects and designers about how they use new or unconventional forms of rendering and modeling... any suggestions for people I should reach out to? Please comment below!
Mariscal recently posted his latest video rendering, depicting Casa Juanita, a design-in-progress—what do you think of this latest video venture?
casa juanita from Sebastian Mariscal Studio on Vimeo.
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Realistic video renderings are useful, but like any other tool, they have their limitations. In my experience, the significant amount of effort required to generate a high-quality animation does not contribute enough to the overall project objectives to make the cost and time worthwhile. There are many lower-cost and faster options available to create a compelling client presentation, and work out design development issues at the same time.
You might be interested in Alex Roman's (very, very cinematic) rendering work – here is a link to his short piece featuring Louis Kahn's Exeter Library: http://vimeo.com/5407991 He also shares animatics on his vimeo page, which give the viewer an idea of how he creates and applies those almost hyper-real textures. I think he strictly works with existing structures... which may or may not tie in to your discussion, but he's definitely worth watching. Best of luck!
Realistic Animation is not the right tool for every architecture firm, but it is especially useful for projects in which a great amount of detail and customization needs to be tested and communicated. Animations are not just a presentation tool, they are a design tool. For Casa Juanita, our model was made in Revit letting us work out design development issues at the same time as we were working on the animation. This animation was used to choose finishes and determine openings in the building. For instance, it is hard to see the difference between walnut or mahogany with other design tools, as neither the quality of light during a sunrise nor the density of a tree can be seen in low quality renderings. The animation also allowed us to determine the correct window placement based on solar studies, topography using 3D survey data, and shadow conditions during different times of the year. Working in a model like this helps visualize every corner of the house, even if it isn’t shown in the animation. Since many issues are addressed simultaneously the animation becomes a cost effective tool.
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