What to Expect When Working With an Agency for Architectural Visualization

Architectural visualizations have become an integral part of real property marketing. The question now is not whether to visualize, but how to do it – you can hire a full-time artist or outsource architectural visualization. 

When your business is at stake, you want the best possible option. Ideally, if it’s hassle-free and does not dilute the energy you need to focus on your core business. While having a full-time artist with your company might be a major investment, it is a very good idea to engage a professional third party to prepare your visualizations. In this article, we would like to present the details of such collaboration, so that you can prepare for it beforehand and make the most of this opportunity.

Should I Outsource 3D Rendering?

In architecture and real property marketing, images tell a powerful story. Or rather – they can if handled and prepared properly. While we agree that 3D rendering is best done by professionals, you may still wonder how much architectural renderings cost. It is definitely a small fortune if you want to hire an in-house rendering artist. 

Fortunately, you have the option of outsourcing architectural visualization – this is a cost-effective way of ensuring you get top quality, at the same time streamlining your project workflow and saving the time needed to pursue your core business. 

As a specialized agency, Vero has an understanding of the latest technology and implements the best practices aligned with state-of-the-art software. This means you don’t have to invest in the latest tools or train your staff to use them – your 3D rendering partner has all this and more.

Selecting the Right Agency for Architectural Visualizatuion

A popular go-to place when looking for absolutely any specialist is sometimes Google. But mind you, the first 1 or 2 pages might include mostly recruiter websites. When wishing to outsource 3D rendering you may also venture to browse Behance, a popular website for sharing creative work. Last but not least, you will probably check out LinkedIn, where professionals meet other professionals. Be careful, though, because you may soon be flooded with random e-mails from various individuals. You are well advised to check them out for suspiciously low prices. 

Once you’ve narrowed down your search, you will probably want to browse the portfolio and assess the expertise of selected providers. An expert architectural visualization agency will boast an extensive portfolio to showcase the variety of services they provide – only experienced artists realize how many diverse aspects are included under the umbrella term of ‘architectural rendering’. From motion images to virtual tours, drone pictures and interactive apps for mobile devices – the digital domain knows no limits, and a knowledgeable professional can help you pick just the right tools to market your project.

When outsourcing architectural visualization, look out for testimonials and references on the website of the agency, to make sure you can trust them with your project. It might be the case that they have a portfolio of similar projects and a bunch of happy clients, who have shared their opinions online. 

Another way to find a good and trustworthy specialist is to attend branch events and listen for recommendations. Mingling with real-estate experts and companies means you can exchange information on what’s trendy, plus, you can always pick up some interesting tips on where to find the best rendering artists. This kind of publicity seems positive and reliable, since there’s no better proof of quality than a happy client sharing their experience.

With all of the above, you can shortlist the agencies and pick the one you want to engage. 

Initial Consultation and Project Scoping

Once you’ve made your choice, it’s time to get talking. Reach out to the agency you selected to define the scope of work and explain which projects you want to outsource. The initial consultation serves to establish rapport and align mutual expectations. The first conversation sets the tone for possible future collaborations, so make sure you prepare as many details beforehand as possible. 

Make sure you define communication channels, stipulate the deadline, target audience, showcase the design, and explain the purpose of the visualization. Modern 3D rendering agencies offer a wide portfolio of diverse services, so if you provide the background, they will help you pick the right means of expression to market your property. 

While the agency has a role to guide you and advise on visualization, you provide the initial input for them to work on. Be specific as to the deliverables, revisions, and approvals. An important aspect is also defining how much your architectural rendering will cost. While you reach an agreement on the basic requirements, you can move on to the next stage of your collaboration.

Project Execution and Workflow

When the project scope is defined, you collaborate with the agency of your choice on the approaches and tools. This is where the professionals may take on the role of an educator, guiding you through the meanders of modern software and advanced technologies. This is yet another benefit of 3D rendering outsourcing – you get to learn from the best. 

It’s important to define clear communication channels to facilitate the entire collaboration – both parties of the process need to appoint contact persons to avoid unnecessary overlap. 

A detailed timeline and milestones will keep you and the experts on track, and you can rest assured that you get what you wanted. The schedule is complete with timely feedback and periodic revisions, which are especially important in the case of complex projects. Although hardly anyone is a fan of micromanagement, client involvement is welcome throughout a project, provided that the rules for such involvement have been defined beforehand. The key thing is that both the process owner and the 3D rendering team are comfortable within their predefined boundaries.

As always, everything is fine as long as it’s fine – you have to make allowances for the unpredictable. A professional team can accommodate changes in their original project, but it’s important that you’re specific about them. The more you define at the onset of your collaboration, the better.

Quality and Attention to Detail

Although you may not have the right background to assess the quality of outsourced 3D rendering, there are a few details you ought to focus on. A good architectural visualization should be photorealistic and accurate. You start out with a 3D model incorporating large blocks and structure and then move down the scale to smaller details. A specialized artist will play with composition, light, angles and different fields of view. Sharp objects get smoother edges to look natural, appealing materials are chosen, and their color, transparency, finishes, reflection, and other features are adjusted to make a desired impression. 

A good rendering specialist will achieve the right balance of light and shadow to influence the warmth, color, volume and shades of the materials and textures in the envisaged building. 

Another very important thing is that your rendering can’t be a mechanical 3D representation of a 2D design. Your real estate project is intended for people and a rendering artist will know how to tell a story of your investment. It’s important that they go beyond a simple highlight of features, and focus on user experience. That’s why rendering specialists choose to add a precious finish to their work – it’s all in the details: people moving around, interacting with one another, a cat or a dog here and there if it’s a residential area, a hedgehog or a squirrel to indicate there’s a park around the building, or a group of employees discussing a project or having coffee in an office kitchenette. All this adds to the positive, lifelike experience and makes your prospective clients feel as if they already belong there. And as you know, as a real estate marketer, you appeal both to reason and to emotions.

Most of the work done by a professional agency is delivered after quality control, but as a client, you are always welcome to ask questions and express your opinions.

Deliverables and Revisions

Companies that outsource 3D rendering will expect a range of typical deliverables: it could be a motion picture, an interactive mobile application, or a virtual tour with aerial photos. As is the case with most artistic renderings, the artist’s vision might be subject to changes when juxtaposed with the client’s expectations. It’s important to observe the predefined milestones and stipulated timing, and make sure that they can exchange feedback and implement changes smoothly. 

You may find that not all of your expectations are feasible, which is again where the agency might guide you through the technical limitations and possible solutions. In the end, in the post-processing stage, you will find a compromise between your original ideas and the practicable results as proposed by the rendering artist.

Collaboration and Communication

When artistic visions clash and collide, you are bound to venture into an unknown land of impressions and inexpressible ideas. To minimize such clashes, make sure you organize regular updates and prepare reports. The more you save in writing, the less chance of going back on what has been agreed upon. 

With clearly defined communication channels and appointed contact persons, you reduce the chance of information overload, also known as intoxication. A professional, trustworthy agency is not only a team of creative artists but also an efficient entity, whose purpose is to help you keep your business growing. A responsive partner will make your 3D rendering project smooth and effective. 

Proper communication will also help you build a strong relationship with the rendering agency so that both parties are willing to engage in future projects. 

Conclusion

As you have seen, there are a number of factors you need to consider when choosing whether to outsource 3D rendering and how to select the right partner to produce high-quality architectural visualization for your real estate. 

When choosing a rendering agency, remember to watch out for expertise and knowledge. A reliable, trustworthy partner with an extensive portfolio and proven market presence, can guarantee scalability, faster turnaround time, and increased client satisfaction. An established architectural visualization team will help you optimize your resources and help you save time so that you can focus on your core business.