An ages old problem is with people looking at an architectural drawing and being able to use their mind to visualize what is drawn. A typical architectural drawing is nothing more than a square, or rectangle, drawn on a piece of paper. Connect several of these of differing sizes and you can have an actual drawing of a house or building. But having people see what that building or house is actually going to look like is where the problem lies. Many people just don't have the ability to visualize something from a flat, two-dimensional drawing.
Another issue is that it is difficult to depict materials that are used. For instance there may be a brick or stone wall which is really difficult to show in a drawing that is basically an overhead view looking down at the floor. You really can't show any true design elements in these basic drawings. The time it takes to create traditional mechanical drawings is also a hinderance. Nothing happens quickly when it comes to manually drawing a house or other architectural plan.
These are all issues that are overcome with rendering. Computer Aided Design (CAD) allows for every detail to be visualized and easily understood. The renderings can show lighting and reflections and allows for minute details that were never possible with basic mechanical drawings. Today an architect who is equipped with the tools to create architectural renderings can fulfill any request for detail and imagery that is desired.
But the name architectural rendering is a bit of a misnomer, or maybe it is better to say, there is a lot more available through this computer aided drawing than simply for architects alone. Today it is a valuable tool in many walks of life. From courtrooms where it can be used to visualize a crime scene to automobile manufacturers where you can see what the latest model is going to look like in exact detail, color and dimensions.
The uses are truly endless. Computer animations have entered into the world of cartoons where cartoon artists can now animate cartoon books like they never could before. Cartoon creators and storyboard artists can now make a cartoon figure that is realistic to human proportions and have the image actually look lifelike as a portrait or photograph would. The future awaits us to see what other changes will come from the technology but it is certain today that the value of CAD goes far beyond its original use in architectural drawing and design.
Robert D Kelsey writes about architecture and how it is being advanced today through CAD and expanding from it's original intention in architectural rendering to its use in political cartoons and by storyboard artists worldwide.
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