3D Architectural Animation
3D Animation is also often referred to as flythrough or walkthrough as they allow you to walk or fly a viewer through a property before it is constructed. 3D Animation allows you to bring a project to life. You can showcase everything from walking through the front door to taking a swim in the pool. We offer exceptionally high-quality 3D animations and our animations come in 1440p QHD format.
Presentation
Marketing
Development
Preview
Draft
Result
Have a project
to visualise?
Send us your project brief or requirements
and we’ll get back to you within 24hrs
Gallery
Freedom of movement
In traditional virtual tours, there is only one vantage point per room, with a “jump” to another room. Our tours allow you to more fully immerse yourself in the virtual space, quickly navigate and understand the layout of the premises.
Easy to create a tour
An intuitive web interface and our tools save you time and effort, with their help, exporting the necessary components and preparing for rendering takes less than half an hour. To create interactive tours, you do not need to learn new software or other special training, everything you need is already collected in our Knowledge Base.
Multiplatform
Biganto tours work on computers, tablets and smartphones. Easy access to the tour for a wide audience is provided by demonstration online via an Internet browser or offline in our applications.
Wide functionality
Clickable objects show detailed information about pieces of furniture and finishes
3D top view
Tape measure for measuring distances
Anchor links to a specific location on the tour
Recording and subsequent playback of the route
VR support
In traditional virtual tours, there is only one vantage point per room, with a “jump” to another room. Our tours allow you to more fully immerse yourself in the virtual space, quickly navigate and understand the layout of the premises.
Easy to create a tour
Any Biganto virtual tour works in VR mode. To do this, use virtual reality glasses Oculus Rift / Oculus Go / HTC Vive or cardboards for mobile phones.
WHAT IS ARCHITECTURAL ANIMATION – THE ARCHITECTURAL FLYTHROUGH GUIDE
We at 100cgi, created this guide to help you understand the architectural 3D animation process and the 3D animation industry. This can be a somewhat confusing process and we hope that this guide supports you to make better-informed decisions by understanding the options available.
Reading this guide can help better equip you to understand:
- What kind of animation best fits your needs
- How to use animation to showcase your project
- What styles are available to you
- How to use cinematography techniques to showcase and enhance your architectural video project
- The process of animation and how animation is priced.
We wrote this guide based on our vast, collective experience as a 3D animators. We have collected a plethora of experience with companies ranging in scale from independent architects to Fortune 500 Companies.
We hope that this guide helps anyone- whether you are looking to hire an architectural animation studio, or if you just simply love 3D animation like we do.
UNDERSTANDING THE 3D WALKTHROUGH PROCESS AS A CLIENT
The following is an outline of the animation process from a clients perspective:
1.) Conveying your ideas and vision.
The first step in any 3D animation process is to convey your design, idea, development, invention or concept to the 3D animation company. You may choose to provide architectural drawings, plans, engineering plans, sketches, an architectural 3D model, an engineering 3D model, or a similar video or animation. The key is to clearly convey what you want the animation to showcase.
2.) 3D model preview.
The 3D animation company creates a few rendered images from the materials and brief you provided. These images are presented to you as either a series of stills or a storyboard to show you what the animation might entail. This step allows you to provide feedback prior to producing the animation.
3.) Storyboarding.
Storyboarding is not always completely necessary. Depending on the complexity of the animation, your project may or may not require a storyboard. For example, architectural fly-throughs tend not to require storyboarding, since the path is usually linear from the perspective of a person walking from room to room. If you are envisioning a more dramatic cinematic experience, storyboarding can be very useful to ensure everyone’s visions are cohesive and to ensure the animation is directed effectively.
4.) Low-resolution drafts and refining.
The 3D animation company will send you low resolution drafts for feedback to refine the animation. The draft is rendered in low resolution to drastically cut down on the time it takes the computer to create the animation. Low resolution drafts will be provided to you that incorporate your feedback until you are satisfied with the animation.
5.) Full resolution final animation.
Once you have signed off on the low-resolution animation the full resolution final draft is computed. Generally, any changes needed at this point, other than issues that are made visible by the higher resolution draft, are considered a change of scope. Therefore, it is very important to make sure you are completely satisfied with the low resolution animation before signing off.
UNDERSTANDING 3D ANIMATION PRICING
There are two major costs to a 3D animation project, the modelling and setup labour and the time it takes to compute the animation.
UNDERSTANDING THE TIMELINE: TURNAROUND TIME
3D walkthrough projects generally take 4-6 weeks to complete. This time frame is generally due to the computing time for drafts. Updating part of an animation can take several hours an upwards of several days to compute. To make even minor tweaks can have a long turnaround time.
3D ANIMATION QUALITY
‘Quality’ in 3D animation is defined by two components: resolution and realism. Resolution is pretty straight forward. Simply put, it is the dimensions of the animation: the difference between DVD quality and HD quality and now as high as 4K. The general rule is the higher the resolution of the animation the crisper and clearer the image quality will be and along with that the longer rendering times. Having high resolution can impact the overall price of your project as well as delivery time.
Realism is somewhat more complicated and it might help to first explain how it is created. Realism is achieved through the successful combination of the 3D rendering software settings, along with the setup of the 3D scene. In other words, realism really depends on the setting utilized, and the skills of the artist, to create the desired realism of the scene. Putting aside the setup of the scene, one thing to keep in mind is the more realistic the settings, the longer it will take to compute the animation. The software is simulating real world flow of light, which is extremely complicated. Simulating the interaction of light between objects involves complex calculations and takes the the computer a long time to complete.
WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL TURNAROUND TIME?
The timeline for an architectural animation can vary considerably based on scope and client requirements. Projects can be done in as little as a week while others can take 3-5 weeks to complete. The key to ensuring you are happy with the final product and not behind on your deadlines is to make it clear at the start of a project what your timelines are. As each project is different, it is best to inquire about the estimated turnaround times during the quoting p
WHAT IS ARCHITECTURAL ANIMATION?
3D animation is the use of computer software to create fluid, computer-generated videos. One of the most well-known examples of 3d animation would be the work Pixar has done for their movies. What we do is based on the same principles; however, applied for showcasing architectural structures. Animations are great learning aids and can quickly and effectively tell a story which words or pictures can not. RenderHouse’s speciality is undoubtedly our ability to create architectural animations. We are one of the industry leaders in the creation of animations thanks in part to our rendering technology which allows us improved rendering time over other companies. In addition to our animations, we often create drone videos containing superimposed animations of future developments and professional filming to showcase surrounding neighbourhoods. 3D animation can be a somewhat confusing process, and we hope that our FAQ supports you to make better-informed decisions by understanding the options available. Reading this FAQ can help better equip you to understand what animation best fits your needs, how to use animation to showcase your project, what styles are available to you, and how to use cinematography techniques to showcase and enhance your architectural video project. This guide brings you through the process of animation and animation pricing. We have experience as a 3D architectural animation studio working with companies ranging in scale from independent architects to Fortune 500 Companies.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN ANIMATION QUALITY?
3D animation ‘Quality’ has two components: resolution and realism. Resolution is pretty straight forward. It is the dimensions of the animation: the difference between DVD quality and HD quality and now as high as 4K. The general rule is the higher the resolution of the animation the crisper and more precise the quality will be. The downside is that it takes longer to create and results in a higher cost. Realism is somewhat more complicated. Realism is achieved through a combination of the 3D rendering software settings, along with the setup of the 3D scene. In other words, realism depends on the settings utilized, and the skills of the artist, to create the desired realism. Putting aside the setup of the scene, one thing to keep in mind is the more realistic the settings, the longer it will take to compute the animation. The software is simulating real-world lighting, which is complicated. Simulating the interaction of light between objects takes highly complex calculations and requires a long time to compute.
WHEN TO USE ARCHITECTURAL ANIMATION?
Still renders are a great way to showcase rooms and their features. Animations are a great way to tie those rooms together and bring the space to life. It allows you to show the viewer the flow of the space. The movement can bring a project to life and give the user the experience of “being there.”
WHAT IS THE 3D WALKTHROUGH PROCESS LIKE AS A CUSTOMER?
The following is an outline of the animation process from a clients perspective:
- Conveying your ideas and vision. – You send any plans, sketches, or reference materials. The first step in any 3D animation process is to express your design, idea, development, invention or concept to the 3D animation company. You may choose to provide architectural drawings, plans, engineering plans, sketches, architectural 3D model, engineering 3D model, or a similar video or animation. The key is to convey what you want the animation to showcase clearly.
- Storyboarding (not always necessary). Depending on the complexity of the animation, your project may or may not require a storyboard. For example, architectural fly throughs tend not to require storyboarding, since the path is usually linear from the perspective of a person walking from room to room. If you are envisioning a more exciting cinematic experience, storyboarding can be very useful to get everyone on the same page and to direct the animation properly.
- 3D preview. We complete the 3D model and provide you color still images to confirm styling along with a draft animatic to show the proposed camera paths. Our architectural animation artists create a few rendered images from the materials you provided. These images are presented to you as draft renders ready for your feedback. At this time, we may also provide you with a quick flythrough of the animation to confirm the camera paths through your project. This step allows you to provide feedback before making the animation in high quality.
- Low-resolution drafts and refining. Once we have worked through the revision process for the still image drafts and animatics, we will send you a low-resolution draft animation for feedback to refine the project further. The draft is done in low resolution to cut down on time it takes the computer to create the animation. We will continue to provide low-resolution drafts through your revisions.
- Delivery of your full-resolution final animation. Once you have signed off on the animation, the full-resolution final draft generated. If you require any changes at this point, other than issues that are made visible by the higher resolution draft, they will be at an additional cost.
WHAT IMPACTS THE COST?
Animations are one of the most complex aspects of 3d rendering. Some factors that affect the cost of animation are as follows:
- Length of the animation
- Complexity (is it a simple house or a 100 million dollar development)
- Resolution
- Number of revisions
- Level of quality required
For an exact price, please send us an email and brief description along with a copy of your architectural plans (if you have plans).
For a more in-depth explanation of 3d animation, costs see our Animation Pricing Guide.
WHAT ARE DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURAL ANIMATION STYLES?
3D animation is an extremely versatile media. The artist has control over almost all aspects of the 3D scene, which makes the possibilities almost endless. In the case of architectural animation, realism is generally the primary goal. Although some alternative styles can be used to enhance the experience. The best way to make sure you get the style you are looking for is to provide an example of an animation you like.
