From Sketches to 3D Renderings: Making of “AER In The District” in Florida

It is always a challenging and enjoyable job to create visual works from sketches. Rest assured that AIMIR has loads of experiences in doing so. We’ve shared a project in last October about turning a sketch into a 3D rendering:?How did AIMIR Turn a Single Sketch into a 3D Rendering? Case Study of Royal Manor Residential Project.

Jonathan and Sal, from C* Architects, one of AIMIR’s long-term partners, talked about “AER In The District” project in 2020. This was a project with both exterior and interior views. They had finished the model of the building in Revit, but could only provide hand sketches for interiors.

This project went through 2020 to 2021, with modification of designs to meet the city’s requirement. AIMIR’s?photorealistic 3D renderings?unveil the final plan for Tampa’s upcoming tower. Please join us in discovering the making of “AER In The District”.

AER In The District, Tampa, Florida

This 31-story mixed-use tower is planned for Tampa’s northwest section of the Downtown area. Towering over Downtown Tampa and the Hillsborough River, the basic plan for AER is:

• 334 residential units;
• 11,629 square feet of retail spaces on the ground floor;
• 514 parking lots.

AER site diagram

The architectural design of AER In The District is postmodern. Clad in smooth stucco, the fa?ade of the tower is joined by vertical rows of stacked balconies and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. And the parapet wall at the top of the tower makes it stand out among surrounding buildings.

West elevation. There is a bridge on the 10th?floor linking both structures.

Because C* Architects team had finished the model for exterior views however the sketches for interiors were not ready, we’d like to start with the exterior views.

Exterior Views

We decided to complete the exterior views of the building first, while the design team was working on finishing the interior. The first thing we did was to?fine-tune the model.

We used 3ds Max for this project. However, what we’ve received was a Revit model. As a result, our 3D modeling specialist converted the Revit model to a 3ds Max compatible one. After this, the model was officially ready to go!

The original Revit model.

Sal didn’t have a confirmed decision about the views, so we’ve suggested some. During this stage, AIMIR’s experienced 3D specialists used the fine-tuned model to select camera angles.

Sal and his team took a while and decided to go with five of them.

Proposed views.

Five confirmed views.

These views strictly followed a standard?3D rendering production process: 3D modeling – material and texture – lighting – post-production.

Some comments from Sal.

As our precious partner, we know C* Architects’ tastes and preferences. For this reason, we’ve directly completed the final images after the view confirmation. Fortunately, Sal was happy with the result. After a couple of tiny modifications, the final images were set.

Please enjoy the moment when 3D model turns into?3D rendering:

Interior

The four interior views were based on sketches done by its designers. We are always surprised by their talent and techniques. Because this is an original space, the whole space plus the inner fittings and furniture needed to model from scratch. Below are four interior views Sal shared with us:

The first step was to build the 3D model based on the sketches. At this point, our 3D artists created the interior spaces first. This was to show the geometry of the space, such as ceiling, floor, and structure. As it was for general checking, the white model didn’t have much details.

And then added the custom-made furniture, décor and fittings in:

At this step, Sal had redesigned a few points based on our 3D model drafts.?Architectural visualization?is always a great tool to help you design. Below is one view with redesign and some comments from Sal.

Applying materials and textures came to the next. During this step, the 3D specialists would attach materials and textures to corresponding objects. Thus, these objects would look more photorealistic. Our 3D artists applied parts of the textures for the images:

With the view and materials were set, our 3D specialists proceeded with setting the lighting in. At the same time, scene outside the building was added to create a vivid scene.

This is material and furniture plan for one of the views:

Finally, we added some people and other small stuff in the images. And rendered them in 72 dpi with over 4000 resolution. Please enjoy the magical moment when sketches turned into 3D renderings!

Design Updates

In September 2021, Sal brought us the updated model for AER Tampa. They needed to update two images this time. This time, they wanted to adjust the pool on the top of the lower building.

Reference from Sal about the update.

Updated plan for the pool deck.

In most of the cases, we do not charge for minor adjustments right after the final delivery. However, the situation depends on time, workload, and other factors. Please refer to our blog about how to calculate modification fees here:?Four Typical Scenarios Concerning Extra Charge during the Rendering Process.

Sal decided to use the same mood as previous images. It meant the updated views would share the same lighting and people, except different design.

Comparison of previous and updated plan for the pool deck.

We finished the final images as soon as possible to meet the reporting date. These are the updated two views compared with previous ones:

Stories After

With the help of our?3D renderings, the presentation went well and the City of Tampa is processing this project. The site is already cleared and ready for ground breaking. Construction could potentially commence this year if building permits are approved relatively soon.

We are always honored and enjoy working with C* Architects. Now, we are dreaming to visit the tower one day when it’s built. It is a nice experience seeing a building that we created in 3D visuals. Of course, we cannot wait to create more visual works for Sal and Jonathan and C* Architects team

If you like this project, or need to bring your sketches to life,?AIMIR?is here to provide the 100% photorealistic works for your exterior and interior projects. Why not say hi now, we’ll create?3D visuals?that will take the viewers’ breath away!