THE ‘JE NE SAIS QUOI’
Imagine a photo-realistic scene with high resolution, good lighting, textures, and everything. Now, imagine presenting that work to a client, and you hear this comment: “this is great, but I think it’s missing something.” If such a photo-realistic scene lacks that “je ne sais quoi”, it probably lacks some compositing.
This article argues that technical skills, by itself is incapable of producing phenomenal visuals, by highlighting the relevance of compositing in creating remarkable visuals.
WHAT IS COMPOSITING?
Compositing is a technique that combines visual elements like people, buildings, objects, furniture, and lighting from different sources to create an illusion that they all belong to a single scene. Architecture rendering transforms design ideas into media (images, videos, and virtual reality). Thus, composition enables 3D artists to communicate ideas effectively. Like an orchestra, compositing engages viewers by employing elements such as form and proportion, camera settings, depth of field, luminescence, tone, and color balance to deliver a compelling melody.
BASIC COMPOSITING TECHNIQUES
Over centuries, various compositing techniques have guided the art of visual communication, this, however, does not mean that the rules apply the same way in every situation.
Architecture rendering combines 2D and 3D thinking, such that a rendered image is perceived to be an intellectual ensemble of shapes and masses.
With that said, below are some compositing techniques one should consider:
#1 CAMERA HEIGHT
There are three camera angles commonly used for architecture renders, the human-eye, worms-eye, and the aerial perspective. At times, setting the camera to human-eye level is preferred, as this provides a first-person view of the virtual world. In other cases, however, the worms-eye level or aerial view would be more suitable depending on the point of interest.
Rendering by LetsDesign Studios taken at aerial view level
Rendering by LetsDesign Studios taken at worm-eye level
#2 CAMERA ANGLE
The word “perspective” is a common term in the architectural industry. It is the art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional media where parallel lines that are non-perpendicular to the viewer’s line of sight will converge into one or more points. The three main types of perspectives are one-point (1pt), two-point (2pt), and three-point (3pt).
– One-point perspectives feature a majority of horizontal lines in a scene converging into a single point.
– Two-point perspectives feature a majority of horizontal lines converging into two or more points.
– Likewise, three-point perspectives feature a majority of horizontal lines converging into two or more points but include vertical lines that converge into a single point.
“types of perspective” by Hamiltonian of Design
#3 PERSPECTIVE CONVERGENCE
An image with a high degree of perspective convergence will promote a feeling of dynamism and movement. However, in most cases, reducing the degree of convergence makes the render more legible. Perspective convergence, however, can be adjusted with camera settings within a 3D software before rendering, or with photo-editing software after rendering is completed.
Rendering by LetsDesign Studios showing vertical lines of high perspective convergence
#4 LINE OF SIGHT
As mentioned earlier, setting the camera height to human eye level is ideal in most cases as this provides a first-person view of the virtual world. Adding people to this view adds more realism and gives a sense of scale. The people should be placed on the same ground level and have a common line of sight as illustrated below.
Image by Autodesk Sketchbook, showing people in a scene with a common line of sight
#5 DEPTH OF FIELD
The depth of field is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that make objects appear focused in a camera. This concept is achieved by blurring objects far away and concentrating only on the objects in front. In the image below, the escalator in the foreground is the focal point. The background, however, is blurred which gives the viewer an idea of the context.
#6 ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE
In Asymmetrical balance, primary elements in the image are positioned closer to the right and balanced with secondary elements to the left or vice versa. This technique creates a less-static scene, which attempts to move the viewer’s attention across the entire image.
Rendering by LetsDesign Studios showing Asymmetrical Balance
#7 SYMMETRICAL BALANCE
Symmetrical balance creates a reflection-like image centered on the primary element(s) such that they appear evenly distributed on both sides of the image. It can infuse a contemplative mood to the scene.
Rendering by LetsDesign Studios showing Symmetrical Balance
#8 THE RULE OF THIRDS
The Rule of Thirds is a well-known technique in photography. In the rule of thirds, the area of focus is limited to two-thirds of the grid, thus, directing attention to objects without losing conformity. A similar technique to this is the Golden Ratio which is applicable in the concept of ‘asymmetrical balance’ (3.7)
Rendering by LetsDesign Studios showing the Rule of Thirds
Achieving compelling renders require a good knowledge of geometry, viewpoint, texture, lighting and shading that evoke deep thoughts. By applying the right techniques, the art of compositing becomes less daunting. We’ll delve deeper into composition techniques, as well as tonal and colour composition in succeeding posts. Thanks for reading.
REFERENCES
[1] https://brickvisual.com/eye-architecture-visualization/
[2] https://www.ronenbekerman.com/photographic-approach-in-architectural-visualisation/
[3] https://visualizingarchitecture.com/composing-your-perspectives/
[4] https://rockynook.com/article/four-step-visualization-process-composing-photograph/
[5] https://rockynook.com/article/rethinking-visualization-and-composition/
[6] https://www.photopills.com/articles/ultimate-guide-depth-field#step3
[7] https://hamiltonianofdesign.wordpress.com/2014/05/25/why-some-scientific-graphics-just-look-better-how-to-use-perspective-and-axonometric-projections/types-of-perspective-3/#main
[8] https://www.sketchbook.com/blog/how-to-draw-architectural-street-scenes/
TESTING
Illuminating
I have learned a lot from your post and I look forward to the next. Good job!