How Will I Know What My Building Will Look Like?

It’s your future space, home, office, or development—but until construction begins, it can feel like an abstract concept. How do you make sure what’s in your head (or someone else’s!) is what will be built?

Why It's Hard to Picture a Building From Drawings

Struggling to picture how your future home, workspace, or development will actually look and feel? You're not alone. Many clients—regardless of experience—find it challenging to interpret architectural and engineering drawings. This is where modern architectural visualisation transforms the design process.

What Is Architectural Visualisation?

Architectural visualisation transforms technical data into visual clarity. Using powerful digital tools, architects convert 2D drawings into photorealistic renderings, interactive 3D models, and immersive virtual experiences—all designed to help you understand, explore, and refine your project before construction begins.

Visualisations aren't just beautiful—they’re strategic. They help test lighting, materials, proportions, and layouts, giving clients and architects the tools to iterate quickly and make informed decisions early, when changes are easy to implement and cost-effective.

The Workflow: From Revit Models to Realistic Visuals

Everything begins with Autodesk Revit, the industry-standard Building Information Modelling (BIM) software for 2D and three dimensional (3D) drawings and digital models. Revit creates more than just drawings—it builds a central, data-rich 3D model containing every design element, from structural details and finishes to lighting and landscaping. This comprehensive model acts as the foundation for coordination, design development, and decision-making throughout the project.

(There are alternatives like Rhino + Vray, Archicad + Twinmotion but for this article we’ll focus on Revit + Enscape, our preferred pipeline).

The Revit model is then brought into Enscape, a real-time visualisation engine that produces stunning still images, animated walkthroughs, and interactive experiences. Enscape uses the exact geometry, lighting conditions, and material specifications from Revit to simulate realistic spaces in real time.

Want to see how your kitchen catches the morning sun in March? Or how the evening light transforms your space? Enscape makes that possible.

Type of Visualisation You Might See

Architectural visualisation can range from quick early sketches to fully immersive virtual environments. Each method varies in cost, speed, accuracy, and impact. Not every project needs a photorealistic walkthrough or a VR headset, but the right visualisation at the right stage can make all the difference — especially when trying to communicate, decide, or sell an idea. 

Below outlines the most common visualisation methods we use, how they compare, and when they’re most effective:

1. UNIVERSAL USE

Hand Sketch 

• Description: Quick freehand drawings using pencil or ink, often used in early concept stages
• Speed: Fast (minutes to hours) 
• Cost: Low 
• Accuracy: Low – expressive, not precise
• Best For: Capturing mood, layout ideas, early conversations

Digital Hidden Line View 

• Description: A 3D model viewed in basic outline or wireframe mode, with no materials applied 
• Speed: Instant (once model is built) 
• Cost: Low (included in workflows) 
• Accuracy: High (based on model geometry)
• Best For: Technical discussions, internal reviews, documentation

Digital Rendered View with Materials 

• Description: A still image showing geometry with assigned surface materials like wood, glass, brick, etc. 
• Speed: Medium (a few hours) 
• Cost: Medium 
• Accuracy: High – depends on model detail and textures 
• Best For: Client reviews, mood-setting, finish selection

2. REGULAR PROFESSIONAL USE

Digital White Card/Shadowed View 

•  Description: A digital view of the model in plain white with realistic shadows and lighting but no materials
• Speed: Fast (minutes to render) 
• Cost: Low to medium 
• Accuracy: High for form, low for finishes
• Best For: Massing, daylight studies, early design approval

Photorealistic Render 

• Description: A highly polished image with lighting, reflections, and depth — often indistinguishable from a real photo
• Speed: Slow (several hours to a day per image)
• Cost: Medium to high 
• Accuracy: Very high – idealised but realistic
• Best For: Marketing, planning submissions, high-stakes decisions

3. PROJECT-SPECIFIC

Digital Flythrough 

• Description: A pre-recorded video-style walkthrough or aerial flyover of the 3D model, white or fully rendered
• Speed: Medium to slow (1–3 days) 
• Cost: Medium to high
• Accuracy: High 
• Best For: Stakeholder engagement, planning, investor decks

Hand Perspective 

• Description: More refined hand-drawn perspectives, sometimes shaded or coloured with markers or watercolour
• Speed: Moderate (hours to days) 
• Cost: Medium to high (time-intensive) 
• Accuracy: Medium – relies on drawing skill
• Best For: Presentations with artistic flair, emotional engagement

Immersive Flythrough 

• Description: An animated sequence experienced through a screen or headset, often real-time and explorable 
• Speed: Medium (once model is ready) 
• Cost: Medium to high 
• Accuracy: Very high
• Best For: Early-stage client immersion, design validation

4. ADVANCED/NICHE

Interactive Walkthrough or VR Experience

• Description: Fully interactive environment where the user controls movement and viewpoint — often in VR 
• Speed: Slower to set up (1–5 days)
• Cost: High (hardware + setup) 
• Accuracy: Very high – uses full BIM data
• Best For: Complex designs, large projects, confident decision-making
  

From Concept to Communication 

Digital Models maintain BIM compliance, meaning they combine visual appeal with technical integrity. This matters for contractors, engineers, and town planning consultants, but for clients, it ensures visual accuracy and clear, transparent communication throughout the process.

Seeing is Believing: VR and Immersive Technology

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) allow you to experience a design as if it were already built. Walk through each space to assess:

• Room proportions and true sense of scale
• Natural and artificial lighting throughout the day
• Material finishes, including how wood, glass, or stone respond to changing light
• Circulation and flow, with real time testing of access, visibility, and movement patterns

Rather than imagining how a space might feel, you experience it directly—enabling faster, more confident decisions grounded in how your design will live and function.

Why Visualisation Really Matters

Visualisation serves as an essential tool for better, faster, and more collaborative design. It helps avoid costly misunderstandings between clients, designers, and builders, accelerates town planning approvals by demonstrating quality and intent. It supports value engineering by testing design changes without redrawing. And it creates emotional connection by transforming abstract designs into personal visions.

Ready to Step Into Your Future Space?

If you've ever asked, "Can you help me visualise it?", we're here to say yes—clearly, confidently, and in three dimensions.

Good design begins with clear understanding. With visualisation, you don’t have to imagine your future space—you can step inside it.

Contact us today to discover how modern architectural visualisation can bring your building project to life. Don't miss our related post on physical models and how they complement digital design throughout the process.