It’s been a while, we need to return to updating the blog! There are a handful of projects to showcase here, some new and a few that are updates of earlier projects. Often, a project that comes into the office from an architectural firm will go through a design phase where the renderings are used to inform architectural decisions. Once the design is refined, that architect’s client will want a set of renderings with more “life” to them that can then be used for marketing. The first two projects shown were in the office earlier that came back to get populated with “entourage.” The following residential projects are a mix of styles and interior and exterior renderings.

The release of the new version 3 of V-Ray for Sketchup has taken a bit of effort to incorporate into my workflow. There are many changes in how V-Ray handles materials the net effect of which has made large swathes of my existing models obsolete. On the one hand, the render engine that uses video card rendering has been substantially upgraded, which makes for fast renders. On the other hand, the workflow changes have been most pronounced in this method of rendering. The massing study image above is the first project for which I’ve actually used the latest V-Ray for Sketchup.

The image below is a photo-realistic view of a commercial project that I had rendered previously in a watercolor style.

Conceptual interior renderings of a proposed shared office space in an existing building.

Exterior renderings of a small-footprint development within Lochlyn rendered with Vray for Blender.

This fall has been packed, with great projects all around. The first pair of images shows a proposed stone bridge that would be part of a new entrance road at a historic site. This rendering request came as a direct result of the success of my previous landscape project where I modeled a bridge and dam structure. I used Vray for Blender for this project as well, and I was very pleased with how the stonework came out in the 3D model.

I also had a few interior rendering projects. It seems most new floorplans are quite open, so there is a lot to show in terms of how the spaces flow from living room to dining room to kitchen and any connected outdoor spaces. I usually take several views to show the dynamic qualities of the spaces.

I’ve also been working on some larger scale developments. This next project is an exterior design of a multi-family residential complex that is being built in a location that requires city design review. I’ve been involved in generating 3D exterior views throughout the design and the review process. We are hopeful this will be the final iteration and the review process will be complete.

Last, but certainly not least, I’ve been working on a high-end mixed-use building project that included preparing a high-quality rendered walk-through of the lobby and the residential units. The following are some stills from the project, as well as a link to the marketing page where you can see the video. You can also view the video on my vimeo page.

Between projects and vacations, I’ve had some time to get up to speed with the latest version of the V-ray rendering software and the Blender 3D modeling program. This pair of images are from a model I used both to produce images for a project, and as a way to test some of the neat new features of the software, Chief among them is a much faster rendering engine that cut my computer processing time by almost ten-fold!

This next pair was also rendered in Vray for Blender, used for an exterior scene.

These are some other marketing images I prepared recently. One is for new residential construction, and the other one is a facade renovation for a familiar local Charlottesville retail location.

Renders Fall 2014:

Poolside renderings showing the exterior courtyard area with pool, deck, and enclosed yard. Another view from the interior living space.

Luxury master bathroom shown in a cutaway view. Second view showing interior view of the vanities and shower.

Quick 3D model to show potential reconfiguration of an existing courtyard space. Photo of existing space and rendering of proposed arrangement.

3D massing studies. First one shows the massing with proposed materials applied. Worked with project architect to finalize exact material appearance.

Following are massing studies prepared from 2D plan and elevation drawings.

Interior marketing renderings showing typical unit and material choices in condo building under construction.