How to begin with the end in mind

Many people (often including me) start right out, modeling everything they see in as much detail as possible and simply run out of time. Their presentation is unfocused and patchy, because having modeled everything, they sure as anything want to include it all in the presentation!

The better way to go about it—the vital ingredient to success—is to begin with the end in mind. Sketch each still. Storyboard each moving sequence. Then, model only what you need to get these shots done. This way, you conserve energy in the areas that don't need your time and divert it to the areas that do.

Sketch out your visuals

Take a few sheets of paper and a thick pencil or marker and sketch each visual you wish to create. Sketch quickly, and don't worry at all about making it look good. If you want to, include written information here about how you will achieve each item in the scene; here's one as an example:

I've included positions of people and plants (entourage), notes on whether details will be modeled or textured, and information on where the background and the sky will come from (in this case, an image for the background and a basic sky will be chosen from within the rendering software). Draw a frame to help you compose the view.

Now that you've sketched your main visual, how about some extra views? It's often good to give an idea of the building's context and maybe a close-up, to show some neat features, as shown in the following image:

These will help focus your mind on what you want to show and what you can leave out. You can refer to these images when you need them. You can see how we progress with this visual later on in the chapter.

Think like a film set designer

Successful film and stage designers save time with the following visual tricks:

In this chapter, we will introduce the use of a backdrop image for whatever stays in the background and never enters into a close shot. We will also use 2D cutouts for peripheral elements rather than 3D geometry, which eats up our modeling time. Once you have mastered these simple time-saving principles, you'll be a top arch-viz artist.