The architectural visualization industry has evolved significantly through technological advancements. 3D animation is one of the significant results of this advancement. It is a powerful technique for visualizing architectural designs virtually. Its demand and popularity are already at the top, and it is increasing gradually day by day because of its interactivity and easy-to-understand power. The easily understandable feature makes it desirable to clients and stakeholders from non-architectural fields.

3D animation is the process of creating moving images in the 3D world using sophisticated software like 3ds Max, Blender, Unreal Engine, etc. This animation technique in architecture is called 3D architectural animation. It allows architects to bring their designs into reality and also allows clients and stakeholders to evaluate architectural designs based on their needs and give feedback.

Advantages of 3D Animation in Architecture:

3D animation has dynamic advantages in the field of architecture. It helps both the architect, the client, and the stakeholder. It has a massive impact on marketing as well. Now it is not only used for presentation purposes but also in the design process.

3D animation enhances overall architectural visualization quality and reduces the gap between realism and the virtual world. A 3D animation is closer to reality than a still image. It helps the industry see the design more realistically before construction, which also makes it cost-effective in the AEC industry.

Architecture involves many professionals from different industries. 3D animation improves communication between different industry professionals and helps them identify the cost to build the real structure. It also helps to solve technical issues in complex cases.

In the architecture design process, feedback from the client or user is crucial. Because at the end of the day, the design is for them. So it is important to evaluate the design from their perspective. However, for most clients, technical architectural drawings are hard to understand and evaluate. 3D animation reduces the complexity. New clients, even from non-architecture fields, can easily understand the proposal and experience the overall design to evaluate it and provide necessary feedback. From this, architects can make changes in their design to make it more user-centric.

In the real estate business, 3D animation has become an integral part. Stunning 3D videos are great elements for marketing products. They are more engaging and provocative to potential customers.

How to Create 3D Animation in Architecture:

The process of creating a 3D animation starts from boring 2D architectural drawings. Artists first create 3D models or meshes from the drawings in 3D modeling software like 3DS Max, Sketchup, Revit, Rhino, etc., and also do some basic texturing here.

After completing the model, they send it to rendering software like 3ds Max, Lumion, Unreal Engine, Blender, etc., where they do advanced texturing, add 3D assets, and create the environment and neighborhood.

Then they set up cameras and determine the shots. After being satisfied with the shots, it’s time for final lighting setup and camera setup. After all is done, they do all the rendering setup and render out the shots. It is more time-consuming than image rendering.

After getting the rendered video clips, it’s time to work with video editing software like Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, etc. Here, they add all clips together to make a complete video and do all necessary color corrections. After all is done and the file is exported, finally, we get a complete architectural 3D animation.

Types of 3D Animations in Architecture:

There are many kinds of animations used in architecture, each with its purpose. So, the types of animation made depend on the purpose of the 3D animation.

Exterior Animation: In exterior 3D animation, we see the exterior outlook of a building. It is a great tool to see the outer beauty of a building and how it merges with the surroundings. We can also see the backyard, front yard, parking lot, facades, and entry in an exterior animation.

It is also very useful to understand the impact of different seasons on the building outlook. You can also determine the facade treatment by it. Moreover, exterior lighting can also be shown here.

Interior Animation: As the name suggests, it shows us the inner part of a building. The inner spatial connections are shown here. It also shows the impact of weather on the interior. Decoration can be evaluated by an interior animation. It helps to set up the interior lighting setup a lot. Clients can evaluate the spatial connections and organization through this and can provide their feedback.

Mixed Animation: Again, as the name suggests, it is a combination of interior and exterior scenes in an animation. Here, we are shown the connection between the exterior and interior space, how the interaction between exterior to interior happens, how we will get entry into a building, and how the facade treatment impacts the interior space. It is a great way to show a particular space from outside and interior simultaneously in an animation.

VR/AR: The advancement of VR and AR technology opens a new door for 3D architectural animation. These technologies are now widely adopted in the archviz industry.

Before this, you could only view the animation on a screen, but now you can get into the animation and experience the overall space more interactively and realistically. Software like Unreal Engine allows the viewer to make changes in the scene when they are on a tour of the space by VR. These increase overall interactivity and control over the elements in the scene for the viewer.

Walkthrough: In walkthrough animation, the camera is fixed at eye level, giving the feeling of walking through the space. It helps to understand how it looks to walk around a building and the spatial quality, experience, and organization in an interior space. It is mostly used for renovation projects, where users are familiar with the space but need to interact with the new decoration work and furniture layout.

Flythrough: It gives you a drone-like feel. This type of animation is used to show the city-level interaction between the surroundings and the building. Accessibility and transportation connection of the site can also be effectively shown here. It is also useful for visualizing large-scale landscaping.

In conclusion, it can be said that 3D animation plays a game-changing role in the field of architecture. It allows architects to design more user-centric and realistic designs, increasing their limit of imagination and also reducing the gap between their imagination and reality. Not only that, but 3D animation also allows clients to actively participate in the design process of their house with the architect. After all, it creates more contextual architecture. The end of the 3D animation contributes to the relationship between humanity and architecture.