30/6/2025 - 5/8/2025 : (Week 11- Week 15)Ting Wen Yi / 0361799Computer Applications/Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative MediaProject 2 : Architecture Visualization PROJECT 2 : ARCHITECTURE VISUALIZATION
Project 2 is a continuation of the architectural model developed in Project 1. This stage focuses on producing photorealistic renderings of both exterior and interior spaces. The process involves applying realistic materials, setting up lighting for day and night scenes, and choosing suitable camera angles to create well-composed views. Additional elements such as landscaping, furniture, vehicles, and human figures are included to enhance the realism and overall presentation.
Post-production is carried out using Photoshop to refine the final images. This includes adjusting color tones, enhancing sky backgrounds, creating lighting effects, and adding human silhouettes to provide scale and atmosphere. Different tone variations are also explored to test the mood and visual outcome of the renderings.
Reference
Figure 1.1.1 - 1.1.4 Reference Images
These reference images were collected to guide the overall mood and composition of the renderings. The focus was on minimalist house designs with clean lines, natural elements such as trees and grass, and cloudy skies to create a soft, balanced atmosphere.
Exporting from Revit
Figure 1.2.1 - 1.2.2 Adding Lights in Revit
Before exporting the model from Revit to 3ds Max, lighting elements and camera views were set up directly within the Revit file.
Figure 1.2.3 - 1.2.5 Importing to 3Ds Max & Adding Cameras
After exporting the model from Revit to 3ds Max, a Physical Camera was added to set up the desired view angle. The camera was positioned at an eye level of 1500 mm to simulate a realistic human perspective.
Sky Environment & Camera Set Up
Figure 1.3.1 - 1.3.2 Adjusting Environment & Sun
Following the tutorial video, a water surface was created using a Plane object, with appropriate materials applied to simulate water reflections and movement. To light the overall scene, a Physical Sun and Sky system was added in 3ds Max to replicate natural daylight conditions. This setup helped create realistic environmental lighting, including accurate shadows and highlights.
Figure 1.3.3 - 1.3.4 Test Render & Camera Settings
After setting up the water surface and physical sun, test renders were carried out to evaluate the lighting and material effects. Camera exposure settings, including ISO, were adjusted to control the brightness and contrast of the scene.
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| Figure 1.3.5 Material Error |
During the process, an issue was encountered where some materials created in Revit did not appear correctly after being imported into 3ds Max. These materials were not affecting the render outcome as expected.
Figure 1.3.6 - 1.3.8 Test Render & Camera Set Up
The next step was to set up a
camera for the interior view. Similar exposure settings were applied as used in the exterior scene to maintain consistency.
Test renders were done to ensure the interior was
bright enough and properly lit, allowing the details and materials inside the space to be clearly visible.
Touch Up/Decorating
After finalizing the sky and overall environmental lighting for the exterior, the next stage focused on enhancing the visual richness of the exterior scene through decoration and detailed lighting.
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Figure 1.4.1 IES Lightings |
To elevate the quality and realism of the render, IES lighting was incorporated. Various IES profiles were sourced and downloaded from online libraries, then applied to key areas on the exterior walls where lighting would naturally be installed.
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Figure 1.4.2 Importing IES File |
The intention was to highlight architectural features and create a warm, luxurious ambience, especially in areas like entrances, façade accents, and landscape lighting zones. The IES lights helped introduce soft falloff, realistic spread, and depth that could not be achieved with standard light types alone.
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Figure 1.4.3 Material Test Rendering |
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Figure 1.4.4 Seamless Texture Lookup
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While adjusting the lighting, I realized that some of the original materials I had used didn’t give a convincing or polished look in the render. To improve this, I created my own custom materials using the Physical Material system in 3ds Max. I sourced high-resolution seamless textures online, such as for concrete, stone, and wall finishes, to replace the more generic ones.
Figure 1.4.5 - 1.4.6 Mapping Issue
However, once applied, I noticed the textures didn’t always align correctly or were scaled improperly on certain surfaces.
Figure 1.4.7 - 1.4.8 UVW Map Fixed
To correct these issues, the UVW Map modifier was applied to adjust the scale, orientation, and placement of textures on each object. Different mapping types (e.g., planar, box) were used depending on the surface geometry. This process ensured that the materials appeared realistic and proportionate in the render, contributing to a more refined and professional final image.
Figure 1.4.9 - 1.4.10 Grass Material Fixed
I also added grass elements to the exterior scene to make the environment feel more natural and complete. However, after importing the grass asset, I noticed that it had missing texture issues, which affected how it appeared in the render. To solve this, I manually searched for a suitable soil texture and created a custom material to apply underneath the grass layer.
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Figure 1.4.11 Grass Test Rendering |
That said, I realized that the soil wouldn’t be very visible from the main camera angle, since it was mostly covered by the grass. Because of this, I didn’t focus too much on perfecting the soil texture, and instead prioritized making sure the grass looked presentable and blended well with the surrounding landscape.
Figure 1.4.12 - 1.4.13 Exterior Decorations
Plantation-like pots were placed at the front of the house to add detail and a welcoming touch to the exterior. Trees were also added to the scene to enhance the natural environment and create a balanced composition. However, because the tree models have a high polygon count with many complex faces, they significantly increase render times. To manage this, I optimized the tree assets by reducing their complexity or using lower-detail proxies where possible, ensuring a good balance between visual quality and rendering efficiency. A car model was also added to the car porch area to provide context and scale
Interior References
Figure 2.1.1 - 2.1.3 Interior Deign References
Moving on to the interior part of the project, I first gathered several reference images to guide the design direction. I wanted to achieve a cream-toned minimal aesthetic, focusing on clean lines, warm neutral colors, and a clutter-free arrangement. These references helped me define the materials, lighting style, and overall mood I wanted to create in the interior renders.
Interior Decorating
Figure 2.2.1 - 2.2.2 Adding Furniture
For the interior space, I added a sofa to anchor the layout and create a cozy, livable feel. A rug was placed beneath the sofa to add softness and texture to the floor. After applying the materials, I noticed that the texture scale didn’t appear correct, so I used the UVW Map modifier to adjust the mapping and ensure the fabric and rug textures were scaled appropriately.
Figure 2.2.3 - 2.2.4 Adding Decorative Elements
I added several decorative elements, including picture frames on the wall, a sculptural statue, and a potted plant. For the flooring, I chose a herringbone wood pattern to introduce texture and visual interest without overwhelming the overall cream-toned theme.
Figure 2.2.5 - 2.2.6 Art Prints for Decorations
The art prints used in the interior were sourced from Pinterest. I looked for prints with cream-colored backgrounds and simple subjects such as cakes, minimal illustrations, and line art.
Figure 2.2.7 - 2.2.8 Carpet
During test rendering, I noticed that the carpet appeared much lighter than expected, even though it looked fine in the 3ds Max viewport. The lighting in the scene caused the original color to appear washed out in the final render. To fix this, I adjusted the carpet material to a darker tone, closer to dark brown. After re-rendering, the new color looked much better and balanced well with the rest of the interior elements.
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Figure 2.2.9 Adding Downlight |
To enhance the visual focus on key decorative elements, I added downlights directed at the statue and the wall-mounted picture frames. These lights helped to highlight the textures and forms of the artwork, creating subtle shadows and adding depth to the scene. The lighting also contributed to a more gallery-like atmosphere.
Figure 2.2.10 - 2.2.12 Suspended Ceiling
To complete the interior detailing, I added curtains to the window area. However, the curtain track appeared visually unappealing in the render. To resolve this, I designed a suspended ceiling above the window, leaving a small gap at the sides to allow the curtain to hang naturally while concealing the curtain track.
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Figure 2.2.13 Curtain Material |
During test rendering, I noticed that the dark brown curtain blocked a significant amount of sunlight from entering the interior space, making the room appear darker than intended. To resolve this, I decided to remove the non-transparent curtain and replace it with a semi-transparent fabric. I adjusted the transparency settings of the curtain material in 3ds Max to allow more natural light to penetrate through while still maintaining a soft, diffused look.
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Figure 2.2.14 Lighting Strips |
Lastly, I added lighting strips above the suspended ceiling, positioned on each side of the ceiling. These hidden lights provided a soft indirect glow.
Raw Rendered Image
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Figure 2.3.1 Exterior Raw Rendering |
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Figure 2.3.2 Interior Raw Rendering
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I chose not to place human figures directly in 3ds Max, as I felt that Photoshop offered more flexibility for adjusting the size, position, and style of the figures during post-processing. This allowed me to better match the overall composition and atmosphere of each scene, especially when aiming for a more stylized, architectural presentation style.
Photoshop Editing
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Figure 3.1.1 Exterior Rendering Issue
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After completing the initial rendering, I imported the image into Photoshop for further post-processing. In the middle of the render, there were some noticeable grey color patches that disrupted the visual continuity. To address this, I used the Content-Aware Fill tool to seamlessly blend those areas with the surrounding textures.
| Figure 3.1.2 & 3.1.3 Reference Images |
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| Figure 3.1.4 Sky Replacement |
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Next, I sourced reference images to guide the overall tone and mood I wanted to achieve. The original sky in the render felt too flat and unappealing, so I used Sky Replacement in Photoshop to insert a new sky background with clouds, while keeping it within the range of natural daylight.
| Figure 3.1.5 & 3.1.6 Color Correction |
I wasn’t fully satisfied with how the original daylight sky appeared, so I adjusted its tone using Curves, Hue/Saturation, and Color Balance tools. The goal was to give the sky a slightly darker, late-afternoon feel similar to 5 PM lighting while keeping it realistic.
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| Figure 3.1.7 Edited Exterior |
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I also made sure the color tone of the sky matched the building to maintain harmony and avoid any visual disconnection.
| Figure 3.1.8 - 3.1.10 Creating Lighting |
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| Figure 3.1.11 Edited Lights Effect |
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I felt that the IES lighting in the render was not prominent enough, especially in the downlight areas. To enhance this effect, I manually added lighting in Photoshop. I created soft yellow rectangles to represent the downlight glow, then applied Gaussian Blur and gradient masking to give the light a more natural and subtle falloff. This technique helped simulate a warm lighting effect without making it look too rigid or artificial.
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Figure 3.1.12 Added Human
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Lastly, I added a human figure to the scene. Using the silhouette of the person, I created a shadow by duplicating the shape, filling it with a darker tone, and applying Gaussian Blur and distortion to simulate a realistic shadow on the ground. To match the style often seen in architectural visualizations, I also applied Motion Blur to the figure, giving it a slightly dynamic and stylized appearance.
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Figure 3.1.13 Edited Exterior Version 2
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I also explored alternative tones and color variations to experiment with different moods and visual impact. By adjusting the overall color grading and lighting balance, I was able to compare multiple versions and choose the one that best conveyed the intended atmosphere and design intent.
Figure 3.1.14 & 3.1.15 Interior Image Editing
I also edited the interior render, but the raw output did not have major issues, so I focused mainly on tone adjustments. I aimed to maintain a warm, cream-colored theme, so the edits were kept minimal to preserve the original lighting and atmosphere. I added a human figure to give a sense of scale and enhance the liveliness of the interior space.
Final Visualization of the Project
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Figure 4.1 Final Exterior Version 1
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Figure 4.2 Final Exterior Version 2
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Figure 4.3 Final Interior Version 1
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REFLECTION
Experience
This project offered a valuable opportunity to explore the full workflow of architectural visualization, from Revit modeling to rendering in 3ds Max and final editing in Photoshop. Throughout the process, I was able to practice applying materials, configuring lighting, setting up cameras, and solving real-time rendering challenges. I gained hands-on experience in managing both exterior and interior scenes, decorating with context elements like furniture, plants, and human figures, and enhancing the atmosphere using lighting techniques such as IES lights, sky environments, and hidden light strips.
Observation
One key observation was how significantly lighting and material mapping affect the final outcome. Some materials that looked fine in the viewport didn’t perform well in the actual renders—such as overly bright carpets or missing textures—which required multiple test renders and adjustments. I also observed that decorative elements, even small ones like picture frames or lighting strips, contributed greatly to the realism and mood of the scene.
Findings
Through this project, I found that thoughtful composition and material control are just as important as technical rendering settings. Pre-setting cameras and lights in Revit helped smooth the transition into 3ds Max, while test rendering proved essential in identifying visual inconsistencies early. Creating custom materials with proper mapping made a significant difference in realism. I also learned that post-production in Photoshop offers great flexibility for fixing lighting, adjusting tones, and adding human figures or shadows in a controlled, non-destructive way. Overall, I gained a deeper understanding of how to combine design, technical skills, and visual storytelling to effectively communicate architectural intent.
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