How to render custom architectural drawings
Effortlessly infuse life into your drawings with Lumion
Beyond the technicalities
As an architect, you know that the success of any project depends on key drawings. These documents, including site plans, elevations, and sections, aren't just technicalities; they're the blueprints that help transform your vision into reality, guiding every step from concept to construction.
But did you know that you can produce, personalize, and stylize these all in Lumion? That’s right, Lumion isn’t just for final renders – it integrates into your entire workflow, right from the very first plans and sections, so you can rely on just one software from start to finish.
This guide will walk you through some simple ways of adding a touch of personality and life to your architectural drawings. Read on to discover the power of orthographic views, clipping planes, import topography and OpenStreetMap, and styles. And if you're new to Lumion, you can easily follow along these tips with a free Lumion Pro trial.
Transform your technical drawings
Orthographic projections allow you to illustrate true-to-scale representations of 3D designs in 2D, without the distortion caused by perspective. Often created for multiple different angles of the same structure, they’re essential for providing accurate dimensions, layouts, and details.
The orthographic views effect in Lumion offers a refreshing way of livening up your technical drawings with the ability to add color, texture, and even animation. Sitting somewhere between traditional drawings and rendered images, orthographic views offer the best of both worlds: accuracy, simplicity, and visual appeal.
So, what can you create with the effect in Lumion? Here are some of its main uses:
1. Site plans
Create top-view images that allow you to effectively analyze how a building fits into its context. In Lumion, you can take this one step further than your typical wireframe drawings. Combine it with the sun study effect to see precisely which shadows will be cast and where, getting a more vivid insight into how your design will affect its surroundings.
2. Elevations
Create side-views of each facade of your building to accurately portray proportions, massing, finishes, and more. The orthographic effect in Lumion lets you embellish surfaces with realistic materials and detail surroundings with nature, as well as animated vehicles and people.
3. Isometric views
Create 3D drawings that illustrate exactly how different components fit together. Add surrounding landscape and set the lighting to present your design in a highly realistic setting.
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Select your style
Once your drawings are in good shape, there’s one last step to making them completely your own. Combining a few effects can create a visual style that perfectly fits their purpose.
Head to photo or movie mode, then browse the range of effects under the relevant tabs in +FX. The styrofoam effect allows a clean classic clay render look, which works wonders for testing lighting. Adding Outlines makes for a sharper, 2D-looking drawing, which you can then personalize using the various color correction options.
Using the styrofoam effect and adding a blue hue with color correction can create a style similar to traditional blueprint graphics.
Customize every render
Finding the perfect personalized style can make all your renders stand out – not just your technical drawings. This guide to creating a signature look shows you how you can put your own stamp on your images and videos – whether realistic, artistic, or conceptual – and effortlessly apply it across all your projects.
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