How to Brief a 3D Render

Start with the purpose, not the picture

A render for a development application needs a realistic camera at pedestrian height, honest planting and no beautification. A render for a launch campaign needs a hero angle, dusk light and a lifestyle in the picture. A render for a client choosing between two cladding options needs the same view twice, with nothing else changing. Tell the studio which of these you are buying — it changes the camera, the lighting, the styling and how the revisions are spent.

What files to send a rendering studio

The more of these you have, the fewer assumptions get made. Native CAD is best, but PDF is fine if that is what exists. For a single home, the guide to 3D rendering from house plans goes through what each drawing is used for.

• Site plan with north point, boundaries, setbacks and levels
• Floor plans for every level shown, with room names and dimensions
• Elevations and at least one section (for ceiling heights, parapets and roof pitches)
• Joinery drawings for kitchens, wardrobes and vanities if interiors are rendered
• Reflected ceiling plan or lighting layout for interiors
• Landscape plan, or at least the planting intent
• Window and door schedule (frame colour, glazing type, opening style)
• Survey and site photographs, and the address, so context and neighbours can be modelled
• Any 3D model that already exists — SketchUp, Revit, ArchiCAD, Rhino — even a rough one

The finishes schedule is the brief

Nothing causes more revisions than an unspecified material. 'Timber floor' becomes a revision when it is not the blackbutt you meant. Send a finishes schedule with supplier and product codes for every visible surface: bricks and blend, render colour, cladding profile and colour, roof, window frames, front door, driveway, fencing; and inside, floors, benchtops, splashbacks, joinery fronts and handles, tapware, tiles, wall paint, feature walls and lighting fittings. If there are multiple colour schemes for buyers, send each as a separate schedule. Physical samples can be posted for stone, timber and fabric where colour accuracy matters.

Choosing the views

List the images you need and what each one is for. A typical residential set is a hero exterior, a streetscape, two or three interiors and a floor plan; the studio will send a draft render for feedback so you can adjust angles before any materials go on. Say if a view must show something specific — the entry, the outlook from the balcony, the alfresco — and if a view must not show something, such as a neighbour's wall or a view the apartment does not actually have.

References, brand and the audience

Two or three reference images that show the mood you want — from a competitor's campaign, a magazine, a previous project — are worth a page of description. Send brand guidelines so colour grading, typography on floor plans and any titles match. Say who the buyer is: a first-home buyer, a downsizer and an investor are styled differently, and an image aimed at the wrong audience is a wasted image.

Deadlines and decision-makers

Give the real deadline and what depends on it — a launch, a lodgement, a board meeting. A typical set takes 5–7 business days from approved brief, with a draft render at day two or three and a draft around day four or five; the calendar only works if someone is available to review on those days. Name one person who signs off. Feedback from five stakeholders arriving over a week, some of it contradictory, is the most common cause of a late delivery.

What a good studio will ask you

If any of the following are missing from your brief, expect the question: What time of day and season should the exterior be lit for? Is the landscaping shown at planting or at maturity? Do you want people and cars in the image? Which colour scheme is the hero? Are the neighbours to be shown accurately (for planning) or softened (for marketing)? What resolution and format do you need — print, hoarding, portal, social? Who is the final approver? Answering those in the brief saves a day.

The briefing checklist

Copy this into your project template and tick it off before you send the brief.

• Purpose of each image (sales / planning / sign-off / investor)
• Drawings: site plan, plans, elevations, section, joinery, RCP, landscape
• Finishes schedule with supplier codes, per colour scheme
• Window, door and lighting schedules
• Survey, site photos and address for context
• Existing 3D model if any
• List of views and what each must show or avoid
• Reference images and brand guidelines
• Target buyer
• Resolution and format needs (print, hoarding, portal, social, video)
• Real deadline and the dependent event
• Single approver and their availability on review days