How to Brief a 3D Render

Drawings and file formats

Studios can work from almost anything, but the format changes how long modelling takes. PDFs are the universal minimum. Native files save time because the geometry already exists and dimensions do not have to be read off a page.

Send the latest revision only, and say which drawing number wins if two of them disagree. Superseded drawings in the same folder are the most common cause of a model built to the wrong design.

• PDF: plans, elevations and sections at a stated scale, which is enough for most houses and interiors.
• DWG or DXF: 2D CAD from AutoCAD or similar, so the artist can trace walls and openings precisely.
• Revit (RVT) or ArchiCAD (PLN): a BIM model can save modelling time, although it usually needs tidying before it is fit to render.
• SketchUp (SKP): common for interiors and smaller schemes, and useful as a massing base even when the detail is light.
• IFC: the open BIM exchange format, handy when the design team uses software the studio does not.

Levels, sections and elevations

Plans describe a building in two dimensions only. Sections tell the artist floor-to-ceiling heights, roof pitches and how the ground falls across the site, while elevations fix window heads, sill heights and the lines where one material gives way to another.

If the site slopes, a topographical survey or a set of spot levels prevents the most common exterior error, which is a house sitting on a perfectly flat platform that does not exist. For interiors, include reflected ceiling plans where there are bulkheads, rooflights or feature lighting, and joinery elevations for kitchens, wardrobes and media walls, since those are the details buyers and clients look at first. Note any level changes inside, such as a sunken living area or a step down to a garden room, because they change every interior camera.

Site photographs and context

For an exterior, photographs of the site do more than any written description. Walk the street and take pictures from where a person would naturally stand, then a few looking back at the neighbours on each side. Include the boundary walls and fences, the pavement, any trees that are staying and anything awkward such as a substation, a bus shelter or a steep drive.

If the images are going into a planning application, say so at the very start. Pictures for a planning officer are framed and labelled differently from sales images, and our guide to planning visuals explains why the viewpoint matters as much as the finish. Mention any trees or boundaries that will change, too, so the image shows the site as it will be rather than as it is today.

Finishes, FF&E and the specification

The finishes schedule decides how close the first draft lands. 'Grey brick' covers dozens of products; a manufacturer name and colour reference covers one. List every visible material: facing brick and mortar, roof tiles, cladding, window and door frames, rainwater goods, paving, flooring, worktop, splashback, sanitaryware and paint colours.

For interiors, the furniture, fixtures and equipment list matters just as much. You do not need to specify every cushion. Name the pieces that carry the design, such as the sofa, the dining table, the pendants and the kitchen stools, and add a short style note for the rest so the artist can dress the room in keeping. If a supplier publishes 3D models of its products, include the links, because a real product modelled once is better than a lookalike.

Camera views and mood references

Mark each camera on a floor plan or site plan with an arrow showing where it stands and what it looks at, and number them. Say whether a view sits at eye level, from an upper window or high above the site. If you are unsure, describe the purpose instead, for example 'the view a buyer gets walking up the drive', and the studio will propose positions on the draft.

Mood references are about light and atmosphere, not architecture. Three to five images are plenty. Note what you like in each one, whether that is a low autumn sun, soft overcast light or a warm evening interior with the lamps on, so the artist does not copy the wrong thing from a picture you chose for its sky.

Mark-up rules that keep a job on schedule

Feedback is where most timelines slip, so agree the rules before the first draft arrives. Our process is a draft render with materials and lighting close to final, then revisions of your mark-ups, with up to 4 revision rounds included on every image.

Kept to the four rules below, a typical set is delivered in 5–7 business days, assuming mark-ups come back within a day of each draft. Our turnaround guide shows how those days break down and how to plan around a fixed date.

• One consolidated round: collect comments from the architect, the developer and the agent, settle any contradictions, and send a single set.
• Annotate on the draft: circle the issue on the image itself and write the fix beside it, rather than describing it in a long email.
• One approver: name the person whose word is final on each image.
• Separate design changes: moving a window or changing a roof form alters the design rather than the render, so it is scoped before work continues.

The questions the studio will ask

Even a thorough brief leaves a few decisions open. Expect to be asked the following before modelling starts, and answer them in the brief itself to save a round of emails.

• What is the image for: planning, a brochure, a property portal, a hoarding or a funding deck?
• What size and format do you need, and is any large-format print planned?
• Which date is fixed, and is there a launch, committee or tender deadline behind it?
• Should neighbouring buildings be shown in full, simplified or left out?
• What time of day and season should the images show?
• Do you want people, cars and furniture in shot, and in what style?
• Who approves the images, and who else will comment on them?

Sending the brief

When the checklist is done, send everything together through the quote form, with drawings attached or linked from a file-sharing service. We reply with a fixed quote within one business day, setting out what is included and the delivery date, and flag anything missing before the clock starts rather than halfway through the job.

Nothing on this list has to be perfect on day one. A brief with gaps that are named is far easier to work with than one that looks complete and is not, so if the landscape or the kitchen is still undecided, say so and the studio will plan the order of work around it.

Looking for prices? Every published figure is on one page: 3D rendering cost in the UK.