Intro to the 3D Guide

Need some help navigating the process of getting 3D architectural renderings? Welcome to Ingenious3D.com’s 3D Guide, our online resource that tries to answer every question you might have about 3D architectural imagery.

If you’re looking to have someone create a 3D rendering for you, there are probably lots of questions about the process, the how’s and why’s and the do’s and don’ts. We’ve tried to outline everything here to be an ultimate resource.

But first this note: 3D is a big topic, and so we want to be clear on what’s covered here. This guide explains the process of creating 3D computer-generated architectural visualizations, from start to finish. This includes the uses, typical output, software used, methodologies, price ranges, current practices, and indications of future trends. We’ve tried to keep this document focused on architectural 3D, and so we don’t cover related 3D genres such as work for films and computer games. There are many great resources for these topics, and our appendix has links to related fields.

In a hurry and just want a Quick Overview? We’ve distilled things down to the essentials so you can get the broad-strokes picture in about three minutes. Otherwise, the guide is organized according to the chronological flow of a project, so you can read the chapters in order, or pick and choose from the chapter menu on the left. And if you have any suggestions, questions or corrections, by all means please email us.