A rich photo-realistic 3D presentation. Necessity or utopia?

[Ilia Chechetkin]

Colleagues, Last year I was interested in creating photorealistic 3D images.
Recently, it became pretty well, I hope (you can see examples in the gallery).
I wanted to know whether I should such a presentation for clients?  Can a service to interested colleagues to visualize their designs?  With that kind of work will be done not a computer studio, and a practicing landscape architect with experience.  Your opinion?

[David Barbarash]

I have an (unpublished) paper sitting around that measured how the general public (non-design educated) are able to react to and understand images produced from 3D models at different levels of detail. It also measured their acceptance/rejection of specific elements in the image.

 

Results showed that there was little to no advantage between “photo real” images and mid-level detailed images despite the massive time investment in modeling and rendering the photo real images. Even low level Sketchup style massing models were able to get design intent across; especially through the schematic phases of a project.

 

From an office production context, unless a client specifically wants top quality renderings for presentation or marketing purposes, it isn’t worth the time and money invested to create them. Also it seems that many design firms outsource their photo real 3D renderings to southeast Asia where they have both the employee training and computer hardware necessary.

 

That being said, those images look great in a portfolio…

[Ilia Chechetkin]

I do not know exactly how things work in Europe and America, but in Russia landscaping business (as well as all the other) is quite young and at the presentations of people think differently.
Those who do not know how to draw, saying: “We will show pictures of previous work or from a book or magazine.’ll Take the customer in the nursery show look like a plant. And this will be sufficient to explain our idea.”
Those who know how to draw hands, saying: “Take away your soulless computers, images can be created only on paper but with his hands.”
Those who have learned to work in the SU, said: “Do not photorealism, it’s long and expensive, the customer is well aware of our designs”
I want to say that the new computers and new programs can make excellent pictures quickly, cheaply, with a high degree of detail (down to the color of the petals, like a tulip).  A landscape designer will do it correctly.

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

Situatioal rather than Utopian or necessary.

 

It is communication no matter what media is used. Most designers use a multi-faceted approach to communication rather than leaning on one particular media or method. We each have different ways of communicating and then there are those to whom we are communicating to. Know your abilities, know your audience, and use the strengths of each to do what you need to do. Lacking or having any one skill will not make you or break you in this business in my opinion. Almost any single deficiency can be overcome and no single skill set will overcome all others.

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