Rendering House Architectural Illustrations » Single Family

Praises from DR Horton

Stephen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:54:35 +0000

If you are new here, then you probably did not know that we just revamped our website in the past month. As things are moving along, we are also in the process of creating a testimonial page (because I don’t like to toot my own horn!) Below is a recent email and some samples of work we did.

Hi Stephen-

I wanted to shoot you a quick note thanking you for the excellent work you did for us with our recent product changeover. You consistently beat the tight deadlines, and provided a great product that helped to make our new rollout a success. We look forward to doing more work with you in the future.

Thank you!

Todd Johnston
Product Development Manager
D.R. Horton, Inc. – Portland

Color Adjustments

Stephen — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:23:42 +0000

One of the many wonderful elements to illustration is definitely color. One service we often provide for architects is showing the many options of color palettes for the design. The challenge often lies in having all the different parties agree, with stakeholders ranging from architects, developer, city council, marketing/advertiser, etc.

In addition, what looks good on a color board or even color fan may not look good as an illustration. This is largely due to the need for the rendering to “pop” and have a punch. In the real world, the colors need to blend and be more subtle.

Of course, there is the perennial problem of making sure we are all looking and talking about the same colors. Monitors and printers are often not calibrated or synchronized. In addition to that, color samples from the manufacturer’s website sometimes also appear wildly different than tangible color chips. Colors scanned also suffer data or quality loss.

Overall, color changes may require many iterations but at the end, we always end up with a satisfied customer. Below are two project, one commercial and the other residential, showing the many (sometimes subtle) color choices.

Picture Perfect!

John — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:09:34 +0000

Sometimes you’re ready to market a property, but the property isn’t ready to be marketed. Construction, the season, or poor landscaping can hamper the photo. Other times, you may want to show what an ugly building could look like with different colors, textures, or landscaping. Here’s where photo-editing could save the day.

With your guidance or design plans, we can dress-up the building with our huge library of plants, skies, and building materials. We can even computer model some un-built or renovated architectural features. Photo-editing is a great way to spruce-up your property for its glamour shot or it can be an excellent design tool for existing-home makeovers.

Turning Architectural Illustrations Upside Down

Stephen — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:30:57 +0000

Effective communication is a key to success. Increasingly, graphics help you tell your story better. That’s where we come in. Our job has always been about visualization. Historically, this entailed architectural illustrations of 2D elevations and then 3D perspectives. Lately, we’ve taken this static medium and literally “turned it upside down”.

Our new 360 tools (360 interior and 360 exterior) not only help you communicate your project from every angle, but it lets your audience explore your designs in their own way and at their own pace. The more they are engaged, the more likely that they get your message, and the more likely that they want to hear more. And that’s a true measure of effective communication.

Success with Clayton Homes

Stephen — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:20:43 +0000

In 2007, just as the single-family builder are experiencing the a slow down, the factory-built sector is swamped by the same factors. Fortunately for us, we have been working with one of the leaders in that industry, Clayton Homes. Builder magazine May 2008 (National Association of Home Builders) ranked Clayton Homes first for 2007 Manufactured House Builders and second for Modular/Whole-House Panel Builders. Our relationship started a few years ago, when Clayton Homes wanted a new look for their marketing in the Internet and print. Although they had photorealistic renderings in the past, they wanted something that would help them differentiate from other builders. We had shared with them our different styles and after some deliberations, they chose our Enhanced Photoreal Style – which offers warmth but still holds details. Another reason Clayton Homes chose us was because, regardless of rendering styles, we can handle high volume and were always able to meet their deadline.

Building the Field…

Stephen — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:35:51 +0000

In our field, we routinely witness how building a great design can change a community; creating a safe and functional environment where people will come to work, play, and live. We often get to work on meaningful public projects including memorial parks, churches, schools, historical landmarks, ballfields, restorations, and government buildings. Aside from having worked with some wonderful, civic-minded people, it is also rewarding to see how certain projects can help with fundraisers, revitalize depressed areas, and re-energize communities. In his “prior life”, one of our partners, Stephen, was a social worker. So this convergence of great architectural design with community sensitivity is dear to his heart.

In particular, the Raleigh Housing Authority has done a wonderful job achieving this balance. We have worked with them for several years on a number of HOPE VI (HUD’s federal grant for urban redevelopment) projects, including Capitol Park, Chavis Heights, and Walnut Terrace. The RHA folks run a very successful organization. HUD recognized them for being one of the few organizations nationwide to develop a HOPE VI project on budget and ahead of schedule!

Turning-up the Volume on House Renderings

Stephen — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:16:00 +0000

Over the years, we have worked with many clients, especially national and modular home builders, who wanted to create a new look for all their house plans to help differentiate them from their competitors. These opportunities give us the chance to show our ability to provide many different illustration styles, all completed in-house, with the same quality and quick turnaround time – often with volume discounts. Once complete, it’s nice to see consistent art work throughout the printed brochures and website.

Actus Lend Lease – From “Virtual Sea to Shining Sea”

Stephen — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:42:59 +0000

We have been working with Actus on several military housing projects for a few years now. It is a pleasure to help develop improved military housing for the families of our armed forces. These projects took us to many bases “virtually” around the country including:

Camp Lejeune (North Carolina)
Fort Huachuca (Arizona)
West Point Academy (New York)
Fort Wainwright (Alaska)
Army Hawaii Family Housing (Hawaii)
Fort Knox (Kentucky)
Beaufort (South Carolina)

For these projects, we provided aerials, streetscapes, clubhouses, entrances, interiors, and floor plans. Here are some examples showing the various regions of our beautiful country:

Hawaii

Camp LeJeune

Fort Huachuca

Fort Knox

Fort Wainwright

West Point