Archinect - Features

Let’s Talk About Architectural Visualization

2024-10-14T08:00:00-04:00

Welcome to Archinect In-Depth: Visualization. Over the coming weeks, Archinect will explore the process of visualizing architectural work and what challenges and opportunities the field presents for the architectural design process. Our journey will include not only tips and advice for designers seeking to improve their own visualization skills in the present day but also reflections on the history of architectural visualization and explorations into the forces shaping its future.

What we will cover in this series:

History of Visualization
Contemporary Questions
External Influences
Tips for Designers
Future Trends

AI is Good For Architects (For Now)

2024-04-15T13:30:00-04:00

In the final chapter of Archinect In-Depth: Artificial Intelligence, Niall Patrick Walsh reflects on the historical relationship between architecture and technology, charting a trajectory for the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the future of the architectural profession. New contributions on the topic from Autodesk's Mike Haley and Superusers author Randy Deutsch are joined by earlier reflections from throughout the series by Richard Saul Wurman, Carlo Ratti, Bjarke Ingels, and Molly Wright Steenson.

This article is part of the Archinect In-Depth: Artificial Intelligence series.

SCI-Arc Student Investigates How Artificial Intelligence Can Assist in 3D Modeling

2023-01-31T14:43:00-05:00

Advances in 3D modeling software continue to develop year after year. An example of this is a new thought-provoking 3D modeling plug-in designed by SCI-Arc EDGE graduate Jimmy Wei-Chun Cheng. His work offers a new way to challenge design "from the perspective of toolmaking and AI technologies [...] The plug-in proposes an alternative model to existing applications of AI and procedural methods."

In our latest Thesis Review installment, the SCI-Arc Architectural Technologies EDGE graduate shares his thesis project, Artificial Imagination Owl. During our interview, Cheng discussed the motivations behind his project and how it can help reshape "real-time ideation feedback" for users. Cheng explained that his project is a "Human x AI cooperation 3D modeling plug-in" that was designed to "awaken our awareness of the cliché in architectural design but also to contemplate how designers can engage with AI Machine Vision/Machine learning differently in the recent AI Architecture proliferation...

Ali Chen, Architect-Turned-Multidisciplinary Designer, Wants to Help You Pass the ARE

2022-05-19T08:59:00-04:00

An architecture background offers individuals skills to thrive in disciplines outside of traditional architecture roles. As evident in our Working Out of the Box series and Archinect's Interesting Jobs series, we highlight examples of how architects and design professionals use their backgrounds in different industries.

With design expertise continuously evolving, our editorial team has connected with those who have applied their architectural backgrounds to alternative career paths. One such example is multi-disciplinary designer Ali Chen. A licensed architect and visualization expert, her interests evolved into packaging design, UX/UI design, and app development.

For this exclusive interview, we connected with Chen to learn more about her multifaceted career path, her experience with architecture licensure, and the launch of her IOS app that aids in studying for the ARE called ARE Inquizition.

Meet the Architects Designing Software to Fight Climate Change

2021-06-14T13:57:00-04:00

The 21st century has seen rapid advances in technology, allowing an ever-increasing portion of the architectural and urban planning process to move into digital space. At the same time, our understanding of the climate crisis and momentum to address it have also gathered pace. Responding to both technological advances and climate awareness, architects and designers have begun to embrace software not just as users, but as creators. To explore this further, we speak with four architecture and design studios who are developing digital tools that respond to the climate crisis. From BIM software plug-ins and carbon calculators to interactive tools that generate location-specific environmental design strategies, these four teams are carving a potential future path for the profession; one with responsibility for the design of both digital and physical systems.

From Start-Up to Industry Leader: Enscape Develops A Real-Time 3D Experience That Puts User Experience At the Forefront Of Designer Workflow

2021-03-17T21:05:00-04:00

Enscape, the leading provider of real-time rendering and virtual reality technology for the global Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) market announces the release of Enscape version 3.0 and its new branding. More than a recent update, 3.0 is a milestone in Enscape's company history. Their latest release and branding reflect its mission to unleash a designer's creativity through continuous innovation in accessible design technology.

Archinect unpacks Enscape's latest software launch and explores how this will impact the architecture industry as it continues to move forward with project planning, client interaction, and architectural visualization.

Choosing the Right Specification Software for an Architecture or Interiors Firm

2019-12-04T20:08:00-05:00

Remember when we had to look up a business in the yellow pages? Or when we had to go to the library to learn about a topic of interest? Technological advances, particularly the internet, have drastically changed the way we perform such tasks. Clearly, this has had a profound impact on the way we work. Not only do we have a vast amount of information at our disposal, but that information can be accessed quickly, then managed and organized clearly and efficiently.

For an architecture practice, technology has particularly affected the way designers can specify products and materials. Rather than wading through an office's library of quickly-outdated catalogs, designers these days can search ever-expanding and constantly-updated resources with ease, identifying products from around the world to use in new architecture projects. Designers can connect with representatives, negotiate quotes, and coordinate delivery faster than ever.

UNEXPECTED COSTS ~ Big ticket design software versus alternate methodologies

2013-04-15T18:25:00-04:00

Not twenty years ago, if you wanted to start your own firm, you could do so on a Mayline drafting board in your basement. Sharpen your lead holder, unroll a length of vellum and you were ready to go. There were no promises of your skill or success but the tools were within reach. Today, my partner and I sit on our couch as we write up a wishlist of basic softwares we might need for a fledgling practice: Revit Architecture, Autocad, Rhino, a decent rendering engine, Adobe CS, maybe Sketchup Pro. Meanwhile, a small house addition and competition briefs await on the coffee table. We click around on the internet for single-use licensing costs, tally the price tags, and the bottom line drops like an anvil: just over $15,000.