If you are looking at one or more renderings for your exciting project, there might be one issue bothering you occasionally: What should I do about the surrounding context? If you’ve been paying attention to rendering works for a while, you may notice that there are various ways to deal with this issue. AIMIR has a couple of articles concerning this issue, which published in January 2019 and August 2020. Today, we will bring this topic to the public and discuss it again with our experience and works gained during the past years.
What is the best surrounding context for your project? Let’s get to know all four methods and then take it from there.
1. Grey massing / blocks
Workload and expected time consumed: ★★★
Additional cost: ★★
Accuracy: 50%-80% of the original site
Recommend: ★★★
As one of the most common methods, using grey massing requires less time and work and in some cases, the rough model can be achieved in a short period of time. There are two ways of gray massing:
- Simple grey blocks, to show the surrounding context.
- Rough model blocks, to show the surrounding buildings’ rough structure, height, windows, etc. without specific details.
Of course, the rough modeling is more time-consuming and costs more than the pure grey blocks.
2. Using models from existing library
Workload and expected time consumed: ★★
Additional cost: No additional cost
Accuracy: 20%-40% of the original site
Recommend: ★★★★
Refer to the street layout and density of the surrounding in the Google map, but use the existing models from our library. The most similar buildings will be selected and put in the backdrop according to the google map.
3. Photo composition
Workload and expected time consumed: ★★
Additional cost: No additional cost
Accuracy: 100% of the original site
Recommend: ★★★★★
It’s a highly recommended method for clients who are after 100% veracity of the original site. With its amazing effect and easy-to-operate, photo-matching is the fastest way of getting the ideal results. It will require you to provide the drone high-resolution images that match the same camera angle and mood as the renderings.
4. Modeling
Workload and expected time consumed: ★★★★★
Additional cost: ★★★★★
Accuracy: 99%-100% of the original site
Recommend: ★
This is a complicated way of presenting the surrounding context of your project. To model the surroundings exactly based on the google map, which requires your side to provide the high-resolution images of each building. It is nearly 100% accurate as of the original site, but it is the most time-consuming and costly method at the same time. Normally, we don’t suggest using this method especially in high density city center or any other special needs.
Shortcut
- If you are looking at the most efficient way within an urgent deadline, photo composition and grey modeling are the best choices.
- If you are looking at the veracity of the original site, photo composition and modeling are the best choices.
- If you have a limited budget, using our library is a good choice. You can go with photo composition for more accuracy of the site, but there are certain requirements for the photo and normally they are taken by professional photographers, which in turn is another cost.
Of course, there are also cases of combining these methods which can include grey masses and photo composition, photo composition and modelling, or modelling and grey masses. This blended option can be a great choice for those who are looking for cost-effective solutions or who need balance of the whole image rather than highlighting the main building design.
This is a typical example of using photo composition and grey masses. The photo makes the site real, and the grey masses of tall buildings nearby assist the project stand out.
Have you found the best solution for your upcoming project? AIMIR is here to help anytime! Please feel free to contact AIMIR at info@aimircg.com or comment below.