What is archviz? A beginner's guide

Archviz isn't attached to one specific technique, despite what you might think from seeing some 3D renders. "It can be anything, from a Frank Lloyd Wright watercolour to a CG city asset in a sci-fi movie," Victor Bonafonte says. "In the end both of them are showing hypothetical architecture".

These days, archviz is almost always done on computers, but the direction and output for a given project will depend on how the brief defines client expectations. Generally, artists will model a design in 3D using software to bridge the gap between the technical drawings and the client's vision.

While industry-standard software like 3ds Max an be expensive for getting started, there are alternatives, such as SketchUp and the free, open-source software Blender.

Appropriate textures and materials are applied to walls, floors, furniture, and other elements to enhance the image. Lighting is added, and the image or animation is then rendered using the best rendering software before post-processing for final touches in digital art software like Photoshop. This can include colour correction and adding effects.

Good archviz often isn’t so much about architecture as it is about storytelling. Visualisations usually need to engage the viewer, not just make a project look pretty. If the visuals tell a compelling story, imperfections can often be overlooked. Often this involves helping people to imagine themselves in the story – and thus in the architecture.

Although a lot of archviz aims for realism, it doesn't have to. Some architectural firms actually dislike hyper realistic renders, preferring a more conceptual type of presentation to achieve an emotional impact.

Emotional impact can enhance communication and decision-making on architectural projects, and visualisations that fail to achieve it can look flat and lifeless, losing the viewer's interest, hence the oft heard criticism that something "looks like a render". Hyper-realism has its place, and hyper-stylised renders can sell a project too, but an uninspiring semi-realistic image without feeling can come across as artificial and generic.

"We provide architectural illustrations with a strong art direction, crafting iconic visuals that drive the observer’s emotions," Victor says. This takes much more than placing blocks and materials in the correct place. "We like to think of our images not as a collection of checkmarks in a PDF document, but as something with much more coherence and intention," he explains.

Archviz has expanded beyond static images to animations and video and now AR and VR. Some of those working in the sector say they have moved away from images completely to work mainly in video marketing. Videos and real-time walkthroughs were once a luxury but they have become almost obligatory for even relatively low-budget projects.

This is largely due to the range of real-time tools now available, like the video game software Unreal Engine. Animations that would previously take months can now be done in days.

Some agencies that specialised in archiz have accompanied this evolution by expanding their services and becoming fully fledged branding agencies for architecture and real estate projects. For Victor Bonafonte, we're seeing a "major shift where software and technicality will play a much less visible role in the profession."

"This is going to leave a giant hole for those relying on their expertise in software," he warns. "I think creative thinking and artistic ability will eventually be what is needed almost exclusively to work in this field." 

Those who enter archviz have often had a long love of architecture and want to be somehow involved with it. You might also have an interest in computers and all things technical.

But even if you have the blend of artistic flair and technical wizardry necessary for archviz, taking the first step in your career can be a challenge.

Consistent work comes with jobs are at design firms, property branding agencies and specialist architectural visualisation studios, or at architectural firms that do their own archviz in house. Work can be intense and timelines tight.

Working independently can give you more flexibility, but it can be harder to get started. You also have to manage the business end of things on your own.

"One of the positive aspects of being a freelancer is that you have a creative freedom on projects and are able to make them unique," the freelance visual designer Mohit Sanchaniya told us. "You can work in your own style, experimenting with new stuff and different workflows."