Thinking in 3-D
Computer visualization educates and excites --even before you break ground

By Gary Walton, AIA

One of the church's important missions is to cast a vision to help people clearly see plans for the future. The need for this vision is especially evident in church planning and development. And communicating ideas developed by the design team to the church body in a clear, understandable and affordable way is a daunting task. Fortunately, recent advances in computer technology have given some architects the ability to communicate their designs in a three-dimensional, interactive format that gives clients and congregations an accurate vision of the project before it is even built. These 3-D computer visualization services help educate and promote the kind of enthusiasm and excitement that a project needs to stay on track and move forward.

Using computer visualization tools, design ideas can be communicated in an exciting and informative way. Viewers experience the size of the building, its layout and its overall design elements, as well as realistic lighting and material definition--right down to the carpet on the floor and the brick on the exterior.

How do they do that?

The building committee (pastor, staff and church leadership) may not be technically knowledgeable about the building process. It is therefore the architect's task to communicate the design ideas in a way that is easily understood by committee members unfamiliar with construction documents.

Traditionally, design ideas were presented through the use of hand-drawn colored renderings or by constructing physical models of wood or illustration board. These methods allowed the committee to see a 3-D representation of the proposed design in a way that they could understand rather than studying blueprints. These models were reasonable in cost and schedule, but both had their limitations. Hand-drawn renderings were limited to only a few views, and it was hard to portray realistic materials and lighting with the physical model. Three-dimensional computer visualization allows limitless views, extreme realism and an added dimension physical models and rendering cannot: motion.

Phase 1: Creating the 3-D model. The creation of the 3-D model is still the most man-hour-intensive part of the visualization process, comprising about 70% of the total process time. In this phase, each component of the 3-D model is created--its building mass, materials, site components, landscaping, lighting, camera angles and so on. Generally, interior models are more complex than exterior ones because interiors contain more details about finishes and lighting variations and more elaborate spaces. Exterior models can be large in scope, however, encompassing not only the entire building but also its site and all that is visible around it.

Phase 2: Image creation. Once the model is complete and approved, the 3-D specialist enters the image creation phase. Images can be created from any viewpoint and under any lighting condition. An unlimited amount of images of the model can be produced, allowing the communication of important information about the building--what it will look like from the main entrance, from a business across the street, or from the main parking lot under any lighting condition, day or night. Images can be printed to a CD-ROM, the Internet, videotape or e-mail at just about any size and output. The time it takes to process an image varies according to a number of factors: the complexity of the model, the size of the image being processed, and the capability of the computer. Generally, however, it takes one to five minutes per image. The more processing power and memory the computer has, the better, since processing time will have a huge impact on the production schedule.

Photo-matching is a related technology. This process combines standard photography and 3-D computer imagery by taking a picture of an existing environment, then producing an image of the computer model from the same vantage point. "Matching" the viewpoints allows the combination of two pictures into one realistic image containing both the original information from the standard photograph and the computer-generated information from the computer model. Photo-matching is a big timesaver because only the new elements of the environment are modeled. This is very helpful for building additions, when the photograph of the existing building can be merged into the new computer-generated building information.

An extension to the computer still image is computer animation. Computer animation offers added dimension of motion, something the still image or physical models cannot. Cars can be driven, doors can be opened and closed--digital people even interact with one another. This adds a dynamic to the building that makes the experience even more meaningful. The camera can simulate the viewer approaching the building by car, taking off in a helicopter to fly around the site, then drop down to walk through the building on foot. And all of this happens before ground is broken.

The computer animation process uses thousands of images (30 for every second of video) and records them to videotape. Through the use of sophisticated 3-D software, computer cameras can be set up in the model and a path can be plotted for the camera to follow. Flying around the exterior and interior areas of the model depicts the building as it will appear after construction is complete. It is truly the next best thing to being there.

There is even the ability to create a Panoramic Environment that offers a "real-time" interactive view of 3-D models. This process involves taking a series of photographs, either with a standard camera or with computer-generated pictures of a 3-D computer model. Pictures are meshed together into a "seamless" 360-degree image that the viewer can move around. He has the freedom to zoom in or pan around the environment. While this technology is powerful, it does require a computer and Internet browser to view the imagery.

The benefits of computer visualization

Computer visualization has proven beneficial in all aspects of the building project. From the 3-D model to the simplicity of the still image to the realism of photo-matching to the dynamics of computer animation to or the interactivity of panoramic environments, computer visualization is a great communication tool.

This technology also is valuable when used as part of a capital funds campaign. Many churches combine their computer animation video with testimonials from the pastor and church leadership to create an exciting project video. The more informed a person is about a project, the more likely he or she is to get personally involved. Some churches have reported sizeable increases in contributions when using computer animation.

Another benefit to using computer visualization services is to capitalize on the design components. It gives a study of certain key design components. Many "what-if" scenarios can be developed and examined, and the resulting decisions can be made with confidence that the best solution was reached. For example, an analysis can be done showing accurate views of the podium or projection screen from certain seats in the sanctuary or balcony. By studying the different color and texture possibilities in place in the computer model, material selections can be enhanced. The model can also be used during construction to help familiarize the construction personnel, permitting agencies and code officials to view the proposed end product.

Computer Visualization offers exciting options and turns what starts as a vision into reality.

Gary Walton, AIA, is the Director of Visualization Services at TurnerBatson Architects, P.C., in Birmingham, Ala. His Visualization Group has received numerous awards in the animation field, including a 15th Annual Telly Award and several awards from the Intergraph Corporation. Throughout its history, the firm has completed more than 600 religious facilities.