20 replies to this topic

[Jim Crook]

Seems with the increased rendering capabilities of Softplan and other programs in the last few years that more and more

time is being spent on developing and showing 3D Renderings ( most in colour ) to our clients.  I know personally I spend 

much more time at the front end fussing with the Renderings to show my clients during the preliminary stages of a project.

And, I'm increasingly including at least some level of rendered drawing within the actual Construction Document set.  My

question for everyone;  is this the typical experience amongst most users and are you actually able to charge any extra

dollars as a result of the additional time investment required to supply 3D renderings, or has this just become the defacto

new normal ?

JimC

[Keith Almond]

In our case, the 3D renderings have just become a tool to make sure that the customer is aware of what they are getting - it never ceased to amaze me that clients would see the constructed building, and say "I didn't think it was going to look like that!", We don't charge any extra for renderings.

[Jack Carson]

Keith, after many years in the building business I can't count the times I have heard "I didn't think it was going to look like that"  And "are you sure that's the______________ I picked out.  Fill in the blank. 

 

The 3D renderings eliminates a most of that.  A lot of times I will just draw the exterior wall, place the windows and doors, a roof and then send the rendering to the customers before I do much more. 

 

Jack Carson

[Yvon Gonthier]

My case is a little different since I work for a builder but I use more and more 3D to be able to show more clearly to clients what some changes they require will look like or suggestions that we have. It also help for clients to see different views for models that we haven't built yet. As Keith says, people need to see because they aren't very good at visualizing. In most cases, it's not something that we can charge for. The problem is in trying to balance out how much information you provide them because with some, when you open the door, they expect you to show them multiple options even some that they have no interest in purchasing.

[Keith Almond]

.... when you open the door, they expect you to show them multiple options ....

 

We get that too, I've even had customer say, "Can you show it with the "Annapolis Blue" and the "Richmond Red" siding, so that I can choose" .... I've tried to tell them that it's just an artists concept, but they're trying to select their colours from the renderings, and so we get to do multiple options, where we never had that option before.

[Sam Morgan]

I find that I can finish jobs faster when showing clients the renderings so they can see problem areas.  I don't spend time showing them specific colors of things, but its nice to be able to zoom in on a specific thing and show people why their idea is crazy!!!   I don't charge anything for renderings.

[randolph cohn]

I do most projects using a "flat fee" contract.

 

with additional hourly fees noted in the contract

which usually don't add that much to the original contract.

 

i've done so many hourly contracts during the beginning of and thru out

 my design business that i can guesstimate what a fee should be for a particular type of project

depending on many variables, like site terrain, style, materials, type of clients,  etc,  etc,  etc.

and in the end, it's only our time so it's all profit.  especially when you work out of

a home office.

the only large expense would be if you hire a draftsman.

 

btw:

i wouldn't do a project if i couldn't do 3d renderings which i include with my "flat fee".

 

i saw a project being built on the water of Sausalito, marin county, California, designed by a

well known local architect.

 

i'm not sure if the architect did many or any renderings but i heard the client was constantly "saying"

" i didn't know if was going to look like that" and usually that meant "tear it down" and "redesign"

after a couple of teardowns and redesigns and rebuilds, the architect had the contractor

do mock-ups of specific design elements with "cardboard" or other inexpensive materials that

were easy to put up and tear down.

 

btw,  most of the materials had to be brought in by "BARGE" and unloaded with a crain.

getting to the house / building site was via a hillside cable car

 

https://hillhiker.com/

 

 

hillside cable cars

 

also known as:

​outdoor elevators,  incline lifts,  hillside trams,  funiculars

 

​

[Yvon Gonthier]

show people why their idea is crazy!!!   I don't charge anything for renderings.

Do you charge extra to show them that their idea is crazy

[Sam Morgan]

I really should!   In one case I am.  

 

I started a project a year ago that was a major addition to an existing home that had been added onto before.  The project also included a 10,000 s/f detached indoor poolhouse.  Nice old home sitting on several acres.  As I got into the drawings for the addition, I could show the client what the new kitchen was going to look like with the new HUGE steel beams running through it to carry the addition/original second floor.  She asked how we could get rid of that and after discussion with the builder we thought we could tear off part of the second floor to eliminate some beams...if we reframed the floor with floor trusses.   Got a little further along and there were new issues she didn't like that could be corrected if we tore down a little more of the existing house.   Finally, the owners came to the conclusion that we should just tear down the entire old house and build a new one, which was what the builder and I suggested at the very first meeting with them!!!   So...I did some 3D for free to show them the problems her ideas were creating and in return I get to charge them for as builts on the addition, preliminary designs for the addition, and full set of plans for a 15,000 s/f new home.   Well worth my few hours of 3D work!!!!   Of course, now I'm having to explain how some of her new ideas don't work still but at least with it being a new home, I can work around things a little easier.

 

Sam

[Trevor Bauer]

We have found the renderings to be a huge blessing and curse. We build about 150 homes a year and two years ago started using the renderings on our brochures in place of the 2D drawings an outside source was doing for us. It has definitely helped sales. One model we sold 5 homes off the brochure before we ever built it.

In our area everyone wants to customize something on their home. I have a "master rendering of each model we build. The insides aren't totally complete but the structure is. I use this to make the changes people want - 3rd car bay, 2 extra feet here, 4 feet over there, add a window, etc. I give them a choice of "browns or grays, brick or stone" in the rendering. It has made a difference in our presentations and sales and saves me time.

Total custom homes from scratch are a different animal and takes more time but we do them as well. I seem to do a lot of "doll house" renderings on these jobs. Helps them visualize.

And although we should charge some customers (version 5 rendering and above), we don't

[randolph cohn]

ron,  I have to ask,  are you still using v5 ?

 

if so,  go to v16  >  huge improvements with the program itself

and especially the renderings.

 

and you can afford it if you do 150 homes a year / 3 homes per week.

[Yvon Gonthier]

ron,  I have to ask,  are you still using v5 ?

Could be mistaken but I think he means after 5 renderings (revised).

[Trevor Bauer]

Yes, I was referring to charging them after doing 5 different renderings for them. We have been using v14 and just started v16 this week.

[Yvon Gonthier]

Is there still anybody alive that's on version 5?  I started on version 8 and I'm no spring chicken. Man, that would be like playing pong on tv.

[Thomas Roman]

Nice question Jim..

 

Renderings certainly are the "New Normal" for us...

 

We get all the way through Owner design approvals without ever drawing a 2D elevation... All we show them is 3D... We add notes and comments with MS Paint as needed.. The attached is an example of what we show the Owner in lieu of 2D elevations...

 

We only start the 2D elevations for the Permit Plans..

Attached Thumbnails

• 

[D M]

^{That is beyond beautiful Thomas, .. the house design, the rendering style, .. everything.}

^Doug

[Tom Rogers]

Most of my renderings are for me to get it all together as a working model as I design.  Though reading the posts I think it is the way to go.  My problem tends to be not having all the pieces in Softplan that I need (brackets, beams, etc.).  Though I have done a fairly good job of strategically placing trees. 

[Thomas Roman]

I hear you Tom... we've made a lot of comments to Owners saying something like:

 

"these renderings are not perfect... we're not showing the exact type of bracket we want to use for your project... we're showing a bracket that should give you some idea...  here is a photo of the type of bracket we think would look best for your project"....

 

we've even had to fake stuff in with MS Paint once in a while...

 

That said, we're saying / doing those things a lot less these days, as SoftPlan's tools improve each version, our modeling skills are improving (especially since we've made the renderings the "new normal"), and since the Google Warehouse has just about any object we need: brackets, outdoor fireplaces, posts, funky railings, light fixtures, pediments, etc...

[Jim Crook]

Tom, nice Rendering, is that Sketched Mode ?   I know I personally prefer the look I can get from Sketched Mode to that of Textured or Rendered !

 

JimC

[Thomas Roman]

Hi Jim.. mostly sketch mode settings, but then customize a bunch of settings, like turn off squiggly lines, turn on textures for surfaces, etc..