Improves the Ability to Share Infrastructure Concepts

Rendered drawings are incredibly beneficial in 3D, since they ensure that the designer, developer, and the public can all clearly visualize the end result and its impact on the city’s current infrastructure. The ability to create a detailed and thorough visualization and then easily share it with all parties involved in its development makes it easier to collectively figure out the optimal use of land, water, materials, and energy.

Improves Presentation Materials

The realistic images and details displayed in these renderings will ultimately enhance a digital presentation or stationary mock-up.  Many infrastructure developers have discovered that 3D renderings are an invaluable resource for presenting a project to municipal boards and commissions.

Improves Municipal Environments

Developing and expanding cities to achieve the best possible environments for the individuals who reside in it is a complex and challenging objective. The use of land must not only consider the most cost-effective and functional strategy, but also the one that will be the most beneficial to the residents of the municipality.

3D infrastructure modeling can be used to depict the entire construction process, so residents and city officials are always updated on the rebuilding schedule. Infrastructure modeling can also outline what changes need to be made to existing infrastructure to prevent further or future damage.

Improves Protection of Existing Infrastructures

Infrastructure modeling can be used to show city officials or builders how factors like the speed of the wind in a hurricane or the damage from rising flood waters could have on their current structures or on projects that are already in progress. They can use this insight to make the necessary changes to better protect their cities from potentially dangerous storms.

3D modeling technology can determine water consumption’s impact on aquatic ecology, possible air emissions problems and their effect on the environment. It not only predicts the ecological impact on its surroundings, but the economic and social impact that accompanies it.

Less Chance of Costly Errors

This 3D technology is designed to minimize the possibilities of errors regardless of how often the design is altered. Every aspect of the current model will instantly adapt to account for any new additions to the virtual city.  Infrastructure modeling also allows engineers and developers to study various design options during the initial planning phase to make better-informed decisions.

Improves the Efficiency of a Team Environment

Infrastructure modeling improves team collaboration by making it easier to share conceptual designs across various project teams and external contractors. Everyone involved is able to monitor, manage, and improve performance by taking advantage of 3D infrastructure modeling.

3D infrastructure modeling software allows a person to manage and control engineering operations digitally. It can encompass everything from roadways, to water infrastructure, to communications networks. The 3D modeling approach combines various disciplines and aids in the efficient planning and execution of managing a city’s infrastructure.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’d like to learn more about using Infrastructure 3D Modeling, contact us. We’d love to show you how it can help.

ZUM had the pleasure of working on this project, creating 3D Visualizations and animations, to help plan and market the development. We’ve been amazed with this project since the beginning and can hardly wait to see how it will look in another year when everything is complete and the city is lively and thriving.

There were several strong teams working together on the Rawabi project, many of whom we had regular interaction with and consider great partners to side with. The developers were Bayti Real Estate Investment Company together with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Massar International. The architects were AECOM and EDAW. We’ll talk more about the work we did with them in a separate post.

Our excitement about the development has been growing over the past weeks as the media starts to talk about it and, well, seeing our work in the articles is fantastic. We’re feeling great about what we’re seeing, who wouldn’t be?  So when we received a note the other day from two of the architects we worked with, who have since started their own business, we were absolutely smitten.

“We have had the pleasure of working with Wendy Cohn and her team at ZUM on a number of groundbreaking projects. Consistently they were easy to work with, constructive in their suggestions and produced breathtaking images and animations that facilitated communicating our vision to our client.

These images and animations also served as valuable collateral material for our clients with their stakeholders and were instrumental in moving these challenging projects forward.” – Raphael Samach, AIA and DB Seo, Partners Samach + Seo Architecture and Planning, LLP

Maybe it’s just the press coverage or perhaps a little Palestinian construction dust that we’re breathing in, but whatever it is, we’re glad to be a part of it. And thanks Samach + SEO, we can’t wait to work with you again soon.

If you’re not up-to-date with the intricacies and possibilities of 3D printing, this piece, produced earlier this year by NPR’s Planet Money, is worth a listen.

For us, it’s a really interesting situation to see unfold. We’ve watched as this technology has developed through the years, and are intrigued to see how different industries will be able to use it in the future.

Because we spend so much time working with the real estate industry (like finding ways to use 3D renderings to woo home buyers), we’ve been curious to see how this particular industry will use 3D printing technology.

“We’re starting to see a lot of people in the real estate industry talk about the benefits of 3D printing,” says Michael Semmen, co-founder of Zum. “What they’re beginning to explore is the idea that they’ll be able to start printing building components to actually build houses, and particular pieces that will go into various real estate developments.”

This could become particularly useful, Semmen says, in real estate developments that are being built in hard-to-reach areas. Can you say Rawabi?

“If a builder can’t get a particular piece of equipment into a location, but they’re able to get a 3D printer there, that could be enormously helpful to the construction of the project,” says Semmen.

Right now, the interest with 3D printing is primarily in its use for prototyping products. It’s something that manufacturers have been doing for awhile, and it’s becoming a way for businesses to cut costs while developing new products.

“There are so many possible advantages to using 3D printing in the real estate industry, but it’s in such an infant stage that we really have no idea what could happen,” Semmen says.

And there are plenty of architects, designers and engineers who are trying to figure that out. Janjaap Ruijssenaars, a Dutch architect, recently announced plans to build houses using the world’s largest 3D printer. The Mobius strip-shaped building would have almost 12,000 square feet of floor space, created by a massive printer.

Printer designer Enrico Dini told AFP News that everyone connected to the project understands the challenges facing them, but there are many more advantages to embracing this technology.”The challenge is demonstrating that it’s possible to print real buildings in 3D and affirm that there is a new way to manufacture buildings,” he says.

For more about the project, read the New York Daily News’ article here.

When we do 3D Modeling and Rendering, much of the computer work requires a level of technical savviness. From choosing the right CPU to RAM and memory, to understanding how to maximize the rendering software to get the final look just right, there’s a lot more involved than meets the eye. It’s not like we’re creating a powerpoint presentation.

But the one part of all the tech stuff we work with that drives us crazy the most is a slow graphics card.

In this world of instant gratification and fast flowing information, we hate – really, we hate – waiting for a processor to complete a 3D Rendering. It can take what seems like forever with the wrong card.

So when NVIDIA came to us a few weeks ago and asked us to be part of a workflow case study for them, we were stoked. Why?

Well, earlier last month the famed GPU maker released a new range of graphics products. CGArchitect covered the release last week in a story, which you can read here. NVIDIA sent us two of the new boards.

Based on the software we use in-house, NVIDIA wants to get feedback on their new Kepler architecture in order to see how these new cards improve our workflow.

“NVIDIA Quadro with Kepler architecture offers no-compromise workflow acceleration for customers with exacting computing and graphics demands,” said Sandeep Gupte, senior director of the Professional Solutions Group at NVIDIA. “Kepler offers a future-safe GPU solution, whether professionals are integrating more realism and physics into their manufacturing designs or dealing with the complex demands of 4K workflows in broadcast and film.”

So what are we running on now? Good question.  We’ve got the Quadro K5000 and Tesla K20 under the hood.

So far, these things are freakin’ fast. Our internal estimates are that the GPUs save us significant rendering time. This kind of time saving for a business like ours is fantastic. Not only do we get to see the final product much, much quicker, we can tackle more projects and get client renderings out the door to them sooner as well.

We are looking forward to NVIDIA publishing the study so we can see how the boards tested out overall.

As a company, one exercise that we like to do is to revisit some of our favorite projects, and re-imagine what we would do with the same project if we were assigned to it today. One of our favorite projects in the last few years was the work that we did for Pacific Research Center.

We began working on the project in 2007 when we were approached by BioMed Realty Trust and their brokerage firm to help create a video and 3D renderings of what the campus would look like.

Pacific Research Center, located in Silicon Valley, was a redevelopment of the Sun Microsystems campus that aimed to turn a large high-tech property into labs for the bio tech research industry.

“Initially, our clients approached us because they wanted help creating a video and renderings that would show what the campus would look like when it was populated,” says Zum co-founder Michael Semmen. “The problem that we ran into was that they had a massive, four-million square foot property that was totally vacant.”

Charged with creating a video that would get viewers excited about the campus, the team at Zum focused on highlighting the variety of amenities that would be made available to potential tenants, including a full-service cafeteria, fitness center, and a number of common conference rooms.

“Obviously, technology has changed so much since 2007,” says Semmen. “We were thrilled with the work we did, but if we were doing it today, we would probably do things a little bit differently.”

Semmen says that now, a lot of work is done using green screen technology, with live actors helping to create scenes.

“One thing that we really like to do is to tell the story of a worker, or a number of workers, arriving to work, using the amenities, working in their office space, and going about their days,” Semmen says. “We’d also want to make sure that we showed what the campus would look like during different times of the day, to really show potential tenants what their experience would be like.”

Zum has used that kind of “day-in-the-life” storytelling as the cornerstone of a variety of projects, including 360 Third Street, a massive office building in San Francisco (read all about the project here).

“We really loved the work that we did for Pacific Research Center, and they’re still using our images to show what the property looks like,” says Semmen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are many governmental agencies, at the local, state and federal level that are using 3D Modeling to help better understand a variety of impacts on the environment as a result of potential policy and infrastructure changes. These models help increase the level of understanding about the natural systems as they currently are and how they will react to varying conditions. These models are also used to help facilitate environmental clean-up, protection and even regulation. Below are a few examples of how 3D Environmental Modeling is used.

Land Cover Change Analysis and Prediction
Mankind’s impact on the Earth’s land surfaces is escalating at an unprecedented rate and it is affecting key processes in the earth’s natural progression. Land use and land cover changes are contributing to local, regional, and global climate changes, including global warming. Changing global biogeochemical cycles are the primary cause of soil degradation and the loss of biodiversity, which influences natural ecosystems by altering the ability of biological systems to support human consumption. An improved understanding of land use and land cover change is necessary for the study of global environmental changes and related earth sciences.

Habitat Impact
Environmental 3D modeling can be used to effectively assess and predict land cover change and determine the consequences of these changes on ecological sustainability. The software can analyze past land cover change, model the potential for land transitions, predict the future course of change, assess the implications of change for biodiversity, and evaluate planning strategies for maintaining ecological sustainability.

Land Development Planning
Environmental modeling allows users to perform a variety of change analyses using two land cover maps of different dates. An environmental 3D model can be used to view any location from any position or angle. It provides a highly realistic virtual world based on real-time data information that can be manipulated to assess different scenarios.

3D environmental modeling is as close as a person can get to truly visualizing a development proposal in a realistic landscape prior to it being built. It is incredibly specific and allows you to focus in on any location on a model within seconds.

Using environmental modeling software makes it easier to understand relationships between complex GIS data in the context of landscape and has the potential to reduce costs in EIAs (environmental impact assessment) for visual assessment, since it assists with field survey planning and execution. This accurate visual representation can assist with technical design for routing, structure positioning, and topographic cross-sections. It can even be used as marketing material to promote a project before it is complete.

Assessing Pollution
Environmental modeling increases the level of understanding about natural systems and the way they react to fluctuating environmental conditions. This includes the spread of toxic substances, the short- and long-term effects of exposure to different hazardous substances, and other forms of risk assessments. These 3D models estimate the environmental outcome of pollutants, their impacts on our health and the environment, as well as the costs and benefits of alternative policies. Quite often, these models become the basis for environmental cleanup, new regulations, or protection policies.

Environmental 3D modeling is the most advanced way to target environmental changes, monitor land changes, plan land use, assess the impact on specific habitats, and follow climate trends. It is an all-encompassing visual that can be altered to determine the effects of various scenarios using real-time data. More professionals are turning to this technology due to its ability to provide the most accurate information and predictions on the environment we live in.

And Zum was a part of the project from the beginning.

We first began work on the project in 2006 when we were approached by AECOM, a global architecture and engineering firm, to work on renderings of the city that would be used to showcase the project to investors, potential residents, and journalists. As we created renderings, we collaborated with a variety of companies on the project, including Bayti Real Estate Investment Company, Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Massar International.

ZUM was charged with creating a 3D site that not only showed the city of Rawabi, but also the surrounding area, which gave the backers of the project their first real view of the city as a whole.

The plan for Rawabi included 5,000 housing units with a central commercial area featuring shops, banks, and restaurants. Once the project is completed, more than 40,000 residents will be able to live within the city.

As Bashar al-Masri, the developer of the project, told French newspaper La Tribune, that he has never wavered from his initial goal to create a new and affordable community for Palestinians and their families.  “My goal is to create a sustainable and self-sufficient city, which is why we plan to attract business to create jobs.”

He says that currently, the first two neighborhoods in the community are almost finished, and construction has begun on the city center, cafes and offices. “Several high-tech companies, telelcommunication centers, and banks have already booked their business spaces,” al-Masri told La Tribune. al-Masri says that 1,500 jobs will be created this year, with 5,000 more jobs expected in the next three years.

Despite the construction, there are still some major roadblocks that al-Masri and his team must conquer before the city is fully functioning, namely water and access. In a report for NBC News, correspondent Martin Fletcher noted that all the water to the city has to be piped in, and there is currently no obvious source. There’s also only one road leading to Rawabi, which passes through a part of the West Bank that is controlled by Israel. Palestinians can only use it with an Israeli permit, which must be renewed every year.

Needless to say, it’s an interesting project, and one that we were thrilled to have the opportunity to work on. Our renderings are still being used today to show the city’s potential, and it’s a project that we’re particularly proud to have worked on.

“The amazing thing is to see it continue to move forward, year after year,” says Zum co-founder Wendy Cohn. “This team had the fortitude to hang in there and acquire the land they needed to build it. We’re excited to see where it goes.”

To read the rest of Fletcher’s report on Rawabi, click here.

Drive Down the Cost of Production

Many automotive manufacturers have already switched to 3D product modeling to drive down the costs of producing traditional prototypes. 3D modeling is the mathematical wireframe (a template), used to create a 3D rendering. Before new vehicles are introduced to the general public, product developers can produce a 3D model to give them a working visual of how the idea will appear and function once it is finalized.

Automotive manufacturers can then utilize these digital replicas for product research prior to manufacturing a full-scale prototype. Every new car that is produced starts with a sketch that will be later developed into colored conceptual drawing. If this sketch is created using 3D modeling, this drawing can then be broken down into various parts and tested using 3D product modeling.

Experiment with Various Concepts

If the vehicle design team uses 3D modeling in the initial stages, they will be able to experiment with various colors, trim styles, interior details, and other design components to determine which will create the desired end result. They can also test the virtual vehicle on a digital “test drive” to see how it will perform in various driving scenarios. Costly automotive prototype production only begins once it has been thoroughly tested in a virtual environment.

This gives automotive manufacturers the ability to test out an assortment of features, parts, and materials to analysis the potential success of each piece without investing any time or money on actually producing it. For example, rather than build an entirely new engine to see if it will yield greater performance, they can create a virtual engine and then test and compare its performance.

Test New Features for Potential Conflicts

3D product modeling also aids in the visualization of a vehicle at different stages in its development from various perspectives. Modern cars are expected to encompass all of the latest and greatest features, but each new addition to the standard model can lead to a greater chance of conflict. 3D modeling allows automotive manufacturers to implement new features and test their validity at a fraction of the traditional cost.

3D Modeling Used for Marketing

This powerful 3D model can even be used by more than just the engineering and design department. The marketing department can use it for demos and presentations to generate interest in a new vehicle concept. A virtual 3D vehicle will have a much greater impact that a stagnant sketch.

3D Modeling Used for Production

Even more importantly, the digital information that resides within a 3D model can also be sent directly to production once it has been tested and approved. This will allow an automobile manufacturer to automate the machines on their assembly line to reproduce the product with the utter-most precision using the 3D product model as their template.

There is no doubt that technological innovations in product design have created a more efficient standard for product development. The introduction of 3D modeling allows designers and engineers to communicate more efficiently with their manufacturers, clients, and associates using clear and detailed renderings instead of costly prototypes. The extraordinary insight that 3D product modeling offers automotive manufacturers creates an unparalleled competitive advantage.

Can you think of any other ways Automotive CGI and 3D Modeling help manufacturers make cars, smarter? Let us know in the comments section below.

Unfortunately, if you are looking for those here, you’ll be disappointed.

Although we don’t consider ourselves commercial real estate marketers, we do have a vested interest in our clients’ property marketing, specifically, how best to incorporate the 3D Visualizations we make for them.

Incorporating Architectural Renderings into Marketing

Over the years we’ve seen many different ways of using 3D renderings for marketing, so we tend to think we learned the best ways to use them. Below are a few of our favorites:

Website:

One way to get the property out in front of potential investors and buyers is, well, obvious. Put it on the company website. Dedicate a webpage specifically to the property and load it with great looking images and calls to action (like contact us now). Make sure to add the right keywords for SEO purposes, both on the webpage and the image alt tags, but don’t over do it, making the copy read like spam. Shorenstein, for example, does this with their properties.

Microsite:

A microsite is a mini website. These can be good to use when a simple webpage just isn’t enough. Although sometimes microsites can be completely custom made, other times a simpler WordPress site can work. A New York Times article from earlier this year investigates why developers are going this route.

We think a brochure style site works best in getting the message across. For example, each page can highlight different features and benefits of the property. With a microsite, you have more flexibility with the high-resolution images than you might on the company website. You can also put your Architectural Animations and Walkthroughs on the microsite, which is great.

An example of a microsite, although this one is on the larger side, is The 88 in San Jose.

Sales Center:

The sales center is a great place to have larger printed versions of the visualizations. When the buyer comes in, it’s one of the first things they see. Another good idea is to have the animation on a large screen tv in high definition. Take them on a virtual tour and get them excited before you even say “hello.” Suffice to say, this is also where you can have printed brochures and take-aways for after the meeting for the buyer to bring home. Direct them to the microsite to revisit the animation with their friends and family.

Lennar Corporation leveraged their sales center very well, strategically placing Architectural Visualizations throughout.

Print / Editorial

With every good commercial real estate marketing plan, there is the topic of publications. 3D Renderings work very well here. If you plan to do print ads, or if you happen to get an editorial about the property, the architectural visualizations can help tell a story that no one else can write about. Make them work for you here while you get your talking points across. Also, a good idea is to get a link from the article back to your website or microsite when possible.

Using Lennar again, the BLU development’s Architectural Visualizations were made into print ads and sent to various publications.

It’s easy to see how each of these takes full advantage of the 3D Renderings for your property, and using them in multiple marketing channels helps stretch that all too familiar budget. Let us know how you’ve used 3D renderings and what success you’ve had with it.

With this new addition, architects who use them are better prepared to make the most persuasive bid for a building project. By combining a three dimensional printed model with the 3D Rendering of the building and surrounding area, the developer gets the most realistic perspective of the architect’s concept and the architect potentially gets a quicker approval and contract.

There are many ways that 3D Printing and 3D Rendering work together to help architects win the bid; Here are some of our favorites:

Easier to Make Adjustments to a Design

Using 3D printing and 3D rendering together make it easier to experiment with different design ideas by reducing the amount of time spent on making each revision. The architectural plan is created in a highly-flexible virtual world, so there is no reason to toss out a first draft and start from scratch. Design changes are simple in 3D, because every component can be quickly adjusted electronically.

3D printing and 3D rendering allows an architect to present the building in a realistic way prior to construction. This will allow them to test out various design options including décor, landscaping, and structural shaping. A professional 3D print should be incredibly precise and take into considerations all aspects of the final project. This would include things that used to be considered trivial like the way a tree’s shadow may interfere with a home owner’s enjoyment of their swimming pool.

Identify Problems Earlier

Another way 3D rendering and printing work together is by helping architects to identify and resolve possible design flaws that could occur during the development and construction process. For example, using 3D renderings allow the architect to accurately test spacing and lighting elements in a “real” life-like environment. If a problem is found, a 3D printed model can be used to quickly print out a larger scale version of the problem area along with  a few design changes that may help resolve it. The team can gather around a table and pop in or out different solutions to see what works best. Once a solution is found, it’s easy to go back to the original CAD file and make the changes.

Makes it Easier to Sell a Concept

A 3D printed model combined with a 3D rendering help architects in selling and promoting their concept.  Stakeholders are presented with a more holistic view of both the interior and exterior of a project. To have printed models at each seat around the table for people to touch and inspect, and then look at the 3D Rendering to see how it would look in real life is something that not a lot of architects are doing right now. There’s a wow factor to it at a time when the wow factor is needed most.

And because a CAD model is used to create both the rendering and printed model, the developer benefits because they can create marketing and sales materials earlier in the process. Meaning they can go to market sooner. These 3D model files can be sent to a professional 3D rendering company to create as many visualizations and animations as the developer needs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Using 3D can improve communication among architects, engineers, contractors, and buyers by creating a realistic proposal within a virtual environment. 3D printing and rendering helps architects save valuable time and money by identifying problems earlier, allowing for easier revisions, and helping them sell and promote a concept prior to its completion.

We’re curious to get your thoughts on using both 3D printing and 3D rendering in your design process. Let us know how you see the two technologies working together.