Real architectural visualization moves a building through three
stages: a blueprint (2D-derived wireframe, checking
geometry and proportions), a massing study (flat, unlit
volumes for early client review of scale and siting), and a
final photoreal render (materials, sun position and
shadows composited together). Each stage costs more to compute
than the last — this panel's Est. render time follows the same
rule real render engines do:
Render Time ∝ Model Complexity + Lighting Intensity
Rt = k1·N_polygons + k2·L(sun elevation, stage)
- Floors — more storeys means more window instances and
more polygons for the renderer to shade.
- Sun / time of day — moves the directional light
across the sky; low sun angles need softer, costlier shadows,
and shift the sky and material colours toward dawn/dusk tones.
- Blueprint / Massing / Rendered — the same geometry,
shaded with cheaper or more expensive materials and lighting,
exactly like switching preview quality in SketchUp, Revit or
3ds Max.
- Orbit / Walkthrough — Orbit is the client-review
camera; Walkthrough auto-flies around at street level, the way
a VR walk-through would.