Have you run into a situation where you’d like to have the “color” changed when you receive the visualized draft or even final results? You may think: even if it is the final stage, changing a small area of “color” seems to be as easy as pie. But, is it true?
As an architectural visualization specialist for more than 16 years, AIMIR has confronted various situations about “changing color”. Some at the early stage such as first round rendering, some, however, at the final stage. This actually is the merit of architectural visualization – you can change your mind any time before it’s built. However, in certain cases, extra charges may apply. How does “color changing” work? Does it really as easy as falling off a log? How to avoid extra charges? AIMIR has summarized three different scenarios on “changing color” that you should know before starting that journey.
1. Change the Real Color or Pattern – Post-production
This is the most straightforward situation, where you’d like to have the actual color or pattern changed. It could be simply change the color or pattern of a small area, or have the logo changed. There is not much work involved normally, and it can be done by post-production, such as Photoshop. Below is a project where the client wanted to change the color of the wall after the final delivery. It is very clear that only the color of the bricks is being changed from red to grey, which can be performed by post-production. The same comes to a logo, a drawing on the wall or anything similar.
Red bricks changed to grey.
Workload for this type of color-changing:
1 – 10% depending on the area size. Normally, there is no extra charge for this type. Any special situation, we will communicate with our client when we receive the files.
2. Change the Texture or Material – Re-rendering
While you believe color seems to be the only part being changed, it is not true in some of the cases. This means that most, not all, of the situation that requires a “color change” is more than just colors. Let’s take the following project for instance. The client hoped to have the colors of the cupboard, benchtop and wall changed. Apparently this color-change needs to re-render because not only the color but the textures were changed. It is not difficult to tell the difference, as long as you focus on the changing areas. Is it just the color, or the texture or material? The answer is obvious when you think this way.
Please pay attention to the material and textures.
Workload for this type of color-changing:
20-50% depending on the area size. There is no extra charge if the change is minor. For example, change the texture of a chair will not occur any fees. Extra charges apply depending on the actual workload.
3. Change the Design of a Specific Area – Re-modeling
Now you should be aware of the fact that only changing the color or texture won’t occur any extra fees or only a little. There still is a situation where some clients hope to “change the color” but actually they are talking about changing designs. To elaborate, please see this project below.
The design of the walls and window frames is changed.
Please pay attention to the walls: red walls changed to grey walls. Easy? It’s not like the first situation where only bricks color got changed. This time, it is the design of the wall which is being changed. If you pay closer attention, you will find the design is adjusted, from red bricks pattern to grey long bricks, and the window frames are redesigned. The workload is not simply change the bricks color. We need to re-model the building, and render and post-produce it, which actually equals to a brand new image.
If this example is not clear enough, please check this project:
Please pay attention to the bottom half of the house façade. What can you see?
The bottom half part of the façade of the house is changed from grey concrete to wooden panel. We had no choice but to modify the model and did the whole process from the beginning.
Workload for this type of color-changing:
Up to 80%. This situation usually needs a heavy workload, because the model has changed.
Now you know 3 typical situations where architects and designers hope to “change color”. As you see, this article covers basically all aspects of this color-changing situation, and potential possibilities of extra charges. AIMIR highly recommend to use them as a guide to avoid extra costs and time when dealing with your architectural visualization project.
Looking for professional architectural visualization services? Contact AIMIR now at info@aimircg.com to get the ideal visualization works for your exciting project!
Host: Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and Nansha District People’s Government of Guangzhou City
Organizer: Nansha Branch of Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau (Guangzhou Nansha Development Zone Planning Research Center)
Competition Decision-making Institution: Urban Design Competition Committee of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone
Technical Service for the competition: Guangzhou Urban Planning Association
Conference and Logistics Assistance for the competition: Guangdong Electromechanical Equipment Tendering Co., Ltd.
Project Name: International Urban Design Competition of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone (hereinafter referred to as the “Competition”)
Project Background
In 2019, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council proposed to build a demonstration zone of all-round cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in Nansha, Guangzhou. The Work Report of People’s Government of Guandong Province in 2021 proposes to strengthen the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Macao Science and Technology Innovation Corridors, and promote the linkage between the “twin cities” of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Shouldering the new mission of further promoting innovation demonstration for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone is the portal directly connecting the hubs of the seaport, high-speed railway and airport at the southernmost tip of Guangzhou, the intersection of two technology innovation corridors, and the strategic hinge connecting the inner circle development belt around Greater Bay Area in the southern expansion urban spatial development strategy of Guangzhou.
The Organizer have carried out research on the functional orientation and industrial space planning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone and reached a preliminary consensus. They have put forward the overall vision of building the integrative strategic center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, building the world’s emerging technology innovation source, the national advanced manufacturing technology study place, the new highland of future industrial growth and the demonstration place of modern service innovation in the Bay Area, and planned the industrial and spatial layout of intelligent manufacturing park, digital valley, health valley and ocean science city.
Based on the relevant master plans and the above previous research results, the Competition will carry out in-depth research on development strategy and high-quality design of spatial form, put forward the planning, construction and development roadmap of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone with high standards, and establish the city image of Guangzhou as the southernmost sea-land portal.
Competition Scope and Requirements
The scope of the Competition is divided into two levels of overall conceptual design and detailed design.
Overall conceptual design scope: south of Bayong (8th canal), west of Longxue South Waterway, east of Hongqili Waterway and north of Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge, covering an area of about 71 square kilometers
Overall conceptual design requirements: According to the new situation of regional development, the opportunities, such as the successive implementation of major transportation infrastructure and the closer linkage between the elements of the inner bay circle and the population in Greater Bay Area, are seized, the vision and positioning of the planning objectives are determined, the industrial and functional planning is carried out, and the functional spatial layout for driving regional development in the future is planned on the premise of creating a landscape pattern integrating sea, river, field, city and wetland. The requirements of peak carbon emission and green development are implemented, and the overall urban feature, living environment, supporting services, ecological environment and transportation are optimized and improved.
Detailed design scope: south of Shiwuyong (the 15th canal) and west of Lingxin Avenue, covering an area of about 8 square kilometers.
Detailed design requirements: On the basis of the overall conceptual design, according to the functional orientation of the detailed design range of 8 square kilometers and the assumption of industrial space demand, the supporting conditions are analyzed and detailed design is carried out, including functional format planning, land layout optimization, land development intensity, vertical design, traffic organization, public service facilities planning, open space, and urban style control. At the same time, no less than one node should be selected for deepening design.
Registration
(I) Registration requirements
The following Items 1-3 are necessary requirements for registration, and Item 4 is a reference requirement.
The Competition accepts the registration of domestic and overseas design institutions alone or in a consortium, and does not accept the registration of individuals or combinations of individuals. Both domestic and overseas design institutions must complete legal and effective agency registration locally. The number of institutions forming the consortium shall not exceed 3, and each institution within the consortium shall not participate in the competition alone in its own name or form a new consortium with other design institutions. During the registration, the consortium must submit the Consortium Agreement and specify the main unit of the consortium in the agreement
If the person in charge of the unit is the same person or different units with direct holding and management relationship, they are not allowed to sign up for the competition alone or in different consortia at the same time.
The planners and designers participating in the competition shall be registered personnel of this design institution, and the chief designers shall participate in the whole competition.
It is preferred for the chief designers to have the following experience in hosting similar projects:
Experience in overall planning and design of waterfront urban areas at the mouth of major rivers；
Spatial development strategy and planning experience of important development platform nodes in large urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas；
Detailed urban design ability and practical experience in key urban waterfront sections；
Cutting-edge key technology reserves in one or more aspects such as future cities, ecological resilience and carbon-neutral cities；
(II) Registration time
Beijing time: From 10:00 on July 13 to 17:00 on August 3, 2021 (the acceptance time of on-site submission materials is from 10:00 to 17:00 on working days, which will not be accepted on legal holidays).
Payment Arrangement
Competition cost compensation and bonus
If it is confirmed as an effective design result by experts, each participating institution (the consortium unit is regarded as a participating institution) of the effective design result can get a cost compensation of RMB ONE MILLION YUAN Only (￥1,000,000.00, about US$154,900). If it is judged as the winning scheme by experts, the participating institutions of the winning scheme can receive a bonus of RMB SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND YUAN Only (￥600,000.00, about US$92,900) on the basis of cost compensation.
Scheme integration and optimization cost
After the Organizers negotiate with the participating institutions that have won the winning scheme and report it to the competition committee for confirmation, one participating institution will be determined to win the right of integrating and optimizing the competition results, which is responsible for integrating the characteristics of each competition scheme, combining the opinions of experts and organizers, and forming the optimized overall conceptual design and detailed design scheme. After submitting the integration and optimization results that meet the requirements, the Institution can get another scheme integration and optimization fee of RMB ONE MILLION YUAN Only (￥1,000,000.00, about US$154,900) on the basis of cost compensation and bonus.
Payment method
The competition cost compensation fee, bonus and scheme integration and optimization fee will be all paid in RMB, and the Organizer of the competition, Nansha Branch of Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau (Guangzhou · Nansha Development Zone Planning Research Center), is responsible for settling with the participating institutions, and any taxes incurred shall be borne by the participating institutions themselves. If the participating institution is a consortium, a written agreement shall be formed on the proportion distribution of consortium expenses within 28 days from the date of the technical document release, and submitted to the competition organizers. In case of failure to submit it within the time limit, all expenses of the consortium will only be settled with the main unit of the consortium.
The obtained cost compensation, bonus and scheme integration and optimization fees will be paid to all participating institutions in China in RMB. If the overseas participating institution cannot collect RMB with its own account, it may authorize a domestic legal independent legal person to collect money, and the Organizers will not pay relevant formalities and taxes.
Competition Deposit
In order to guarantee satisfactory running of the Competition, any participating institution formally invited shall pay a competition deposit of RMB FIFTY THOUSAND YUAN ONLY (￥50,000 yuan, about US$7,700) to the competition affair service unit before the announcement of the technical document for confirming its participation.
The full amount of the competition deposit will be returned to the account of payment (bearing no interest) within 2 weeks after the scheme evaluation is completed. If a participating institution fails to submit competition results according to the stipulations, the cash deposit will not be returned.
Any participating institution failing to pay the cash deposit according to the requirements shall be deemed to have automatically abandoned its qualification for participating in the competition.
The announcement is published on AIMIR’s website now. If you want to know more following details regarding to this competition, please feel free to contact AIMIR. What’s more, you’re more than welcome to touch base with us if you need architectural visualization.
3D renderings do bring designs to life! Come and check this private island in Maldives.
AIMIR is glad to work with our client Anantara Group again, for delivering the new look of this private island to its visitors in advance by our top-notch photorealistic 3D renderings.
It is always pleasure working with Anantara team. They are well-organized, detail-focused and they have insane creativity. The working procedure is clear. We are so proud to be part of this challenging at the same time amazing project, and we can’t wait to share with you the renderings!
The Start of Everything – a Complete Redesign
We received the email from our client Anantara Group in March 2021, asking whether we were able to create some photorealistic renderings. They are renovating a resort and need some renderings for marketing purposes. So we started this project when all files were received.
Naladhu Island is a private island with just 20 houses, all with private pool or beach. New York based designer Yuji Yamazaki redesigned the resort, which will reopen with a modern colonial look. Long noted for its beauty among the locals, this small private island is welcoming a complete renovation and will relaunch in November 2021 with an impressive new look and feel. Please enjoy the final renderings made by AIMIR.
210424-Maldives (1)
210424-Maldives (2)
210424-Maldives (3)
210424-Maldives (4)
210424-Maldives (5)
210424-Maldives (7)
210424-Maldives (8)
210424-Maldives (9)
210424-Maldives (10)
Brief and References
To ensure the efficiency and timely delivery of final results, the brief is an indispensable part of a visualization project. A brief should be as detailed as possible. The brief from Anantara was amazing, just like what we received in our past cooperation. Files and references were received at the same time. It included all the information we need to complete this project, such as the mood, surrounding context, floor plans, pictures of the furniture, texture, and other supporting files.
Photos of hotel rooms.
Floor plans and textures.
Furniture design.
Exterior Renderings
It is an interior renovation but it is still crucial for exterior renderings. This is because part of the interior scene is visible through glass windows and doors. So, the exterior views play an important part in showcasing the overall redesign.
Duplicated View
Since it’s a renovation project, Anantara provided the site photo with the wanted camera angle and mood. They were looking for a 100% duplicated rendering of it but with new interior design. Our 3D artists built the whole model according to the photo and this is the final look:
Final rendering of one of the villas based on provided site photo.
Site photo. Can you tell the differences?
They also requested a view with two different surroundings: one facing the beach; one facing the ocean. AIMIR used different sunlight and shadow direction to convey this difference.
Interior Renderings
This resort is undergoing a total redesign with all the accommodation and public areas, including the restaurant, bar, wine cellar, spa room and gym. Anantara needs renderings for them all.
As the first step of everything, we confirmed the camera angles with Anantara before moving to next. Eye-level view is the typical and effective way to showcase an interior space. Then, we refine the model with colors and textures. Of course, every piece of furniture had to have a unique texture.
At this stage, it is very important to make sure that our client and our team are at the same page. It will save a lot of time and money if we are, and cost a lot if we are not. Back to the topic, the brief and supporting materials are crucial to this stage.
One of the challenges was to have the right background view. AIMIR’s 3D artist had done a great amount of researches on Google Earth to set the background correctly. As a result, our client was super satisfied with the results.
Renderings Help Marketing
When the final delivery was made, Anantara team was excited about the results. They use the renderings for their website, pamphlets, media and other marketing platforms. These renderings are so photorealistic that you’ll find them on the booking page, to show visitors what the villas look like.
AIMIR’s renderings displayed on booking page.
Renderings on local media.
The Naladhu Island Resort Redesign project shows what AIMIR has been insisting: a detailed brief; a strict workflow; and a dedicated team. We are so grateful that Anantara Group offered this opportunity for AIMIR to contribute to this fabulous project. We can’t wait to visit it one day. And we are looking forward to working with them for their exciting projects in the future.
How about the story behind Naladhu Island Resort Redesign project? Do you like to showcase your design before it’s built? Contact AIMIR for architectural visualization solution for your next project!
Located in the heart of Longgang District’s Universiade New Town, the shenzheninspired xiexin Science and Technology Park project is generally positioned as an influential, set headquarter R & D Housing, Industrial R & D, innovative R & D housing, high-end talent living and entrepreneurship, complete and dynamic international industrial benchmark projects, and for Shenzhen Longgang Dayun District to create an international image of the city. The four phases to be designed are the only superhigh-rise building in the project and the most important landmark building in the project.
Phase IV site area of 9048 square meters, total building area: 94488.97 square meters, the final planning and design indicators to the formal tender documents shall prevail.
Work Content
The four phases to be designed are positioned as the most high-end R & D Building in the project, designed according to the standard of Grade A office building with 5A, which meets the requirements of internationalization, humanization, digitalization, energy conservation and commercialization, and trying to make it a landmark in the region and a calling card for Longgang District. Design content for the plot of land within the Red Line of all the building planning and architectural design.
Registration Requirements
This tender is for the design of planning and construction scheme. The tender is by invitation + Open application. Domestic and foreign design units can apply, do not accept individuals and individual combination of the application. The applicant should have design experience of 150 meters or above Super high-rise building without limitation of design qualification.
WORK RULES
This tender is for the design of planning and construction scheme. The tender is by invitation + Open application. Domestic and foreign design units can apply, do not accept individuals and individual combination of the application.
Schedule (all times shown below are China Standard Time) :
Prizes
The position of the tenderers shall be ranked according to the comprehensive score. First is the winning bidder, the winning bidder won the project design contract (the tentative total contract price of about RMB 3 million yuan – US$463,000 with the notification of winning the bid and the contract agreement shall prevail) , no award and compensation;
COMPENSATION
The position of the tenderers shall be ranked according to the comprehensive score. The second winner received a compensation of 300,000 yuan (US$46,300), the third winner received a compensation of 200,000 yuan (US$30,850), the fourth and fifth winner received a compensation of 50,000 yuan (US$7,700), no other design units awards and compensation.
All expenses incurred in participating in this tender, including design fees, and all taxes incurred shall be borne by the tenderer.
The announcement is published on AIMIR’s website now. If you want to know more following details regarding to this competition, please feel free to contact AIMIR. What’s more, you’re more than welcome to touch base with us if you need architectural visualization.
Photo-composition, as one of the best methods of 3D rendering to showcase the veracity of the original site, is widely used by architects and designers who are after the authentic rendering with 100% accuracy of surrounding context. AIMIR have an article about different ways to deal with surrounding context and their pros and cons in May 2021 here.
With its amazing result and easy-to-operate feature, photo-matching is the fastest way of getting the ideal result. In most of the cases, the original photos are provided by architects and designers. However, do you really know what makes a site photo feasible? What attributes a successful site photo should have? What photo will help make the final rendering, or destroy it?
If you get the successful site photo for your project, 3D artists can make out of it to accelerate the production process. We’ve listed a few things you can do to make the whole process far easier, and here is how.
Make the Mood of the Site Photo Aligned with Your Ideal Rendering
First thing in mind, the mood of the 3D rendering will be the same with the site photo. Although minor changes could be adjusted, they will have a very similar result in the end. This is to say:
Please consider what mood you’d like for your rendering, and take photo under that particular mood. The mood cannot be changed dramatically.
If you’re looking for a twilight rendering, a 12 p.m. daytime site photo won’t help a lot. AIMIR’s 3D artists are able to Photoshop the photo’s mood, but only within a small range. The vital part is the light and shadow, which are fairly difficult to deal with. It takes ages to process the incorrect photo to make the lighting relationship aligned with desired one. A 10 a.m. photo can be produced to a 2 p.m. one, but the light and shadow on the subjects will be quite contradictory and not compatible with the atmosphere at all.
In some cases, if the client is not available of providing better site photos, we will process the photo provided to make it look more compatible. Despite this, an original site photo is always the best wanted.
Use Professional Cameras or Hire Professional Photographers to Guarantee the Definition
Rendering is in the details, so as photos. You cannot expect a high-res rendering when you can only provide a 1.3M photo. We have conclude the basic quality a good site photo needs:
Resolution: equal or over 5,000 pixel both width & length. As for the file format, it doesn’t matter. We accept all formats.
Besides, we highly recommend a professional photo. A professional photo refers to a photo taken by a professional photographer with professional devices. This is because a professional knows how to present the scene in the best way. Composition, weather, color, light, and other factors will be considered at the same time.
In case of a non-professional situation, which we’ve confronted a lot, a decent photo is accepted as long as it has the right resolution. This means, not only professional photos, photos taken by your handset are accepted when they meets basic requirements. Please be cautious, the quality of the photo is the key factor of the quality of final rendering.
A high-res photo is definitely needed when expecting ordinary and spectacular rendering result.
A Well-Composed Photo with the Right Camera Angle is a Must
Camera angle is the very first presentation of your design, this is for sure. AIMIR has an article about how to choose the best camera angle for your project here. Both 3D rendering and photographs hope to achieve is that the beauty and aesthetics will resonate with its viewer. Again, this is why a professional site photo is strongly recommended. Everyone can imagine what it looks like if an amazing building got fit into a slanting, blurry photo.
The camera angle cannot be changed. The final rendering will share the same angle with the site photo.
Under certain circumstances, a site photo can be adjusted by our 3D artists. For example, a slightly slanting photo could be straightened. However, it still depends on the photo itself whether can be adjusted.
Avoid Irrelevant Objects, Such As Too Many People, Cars, Poles…
Photoshop is able to cope with most of the cases when irrelevant objects are being removed. However, there is a situation where Photoshop cannot do. When there are too many irrelevant objects in the photo that you hope to get rid of, but some of them have covered the main part of the building. It will result in a dilemma where a “blank area” will be left on the photo when removed irrelevant objects.
If this happens and no more site photos can be provided, AIMIR’s 3D artists will use Google Earth to try to find a screenshot of the missing part. This is not always working well, because we need to take the angle and definition into consideration. If the blank part is fairly small, and also on a proper position, we may use plants or people to cover it.
These are AIMIR’s advice for selecting a good site photo when using photo composition in your 3D rendering. When you’re considering using photo composition for your project, please bear in mind these advice to save plenty of time and money. You’re also welcome to talk with AIMIR for professional advice at info@aimircg.com
