Cloud Rendering in Revit

Rendering Pro of the Week - Pierr French - Render Them Speechless

More on Cloud Rendering

The hot topic at the moment is that of cloud computing. In terms of architecture, cloud computing will become the next big thing. The software that many architects and designers use today come with a heavy processing, graphics and memory requirement. Top of the range desktops and laptops are then required to be able to meet these hight demands and allow one to work lag free and produce results on time.

The solution lies in that of cloud computing. By now most of us use at least have one form of cloud service or another. Dropbox, Google drive, Onedrive, Cubby, Office 365 online and AutoCAD 360 are amongst a few of the common ones. Now Autodesk Revit is offering the "Render to Cloud" service that is starting to take the architectural community by storm.

I only recently stumbled upon this feature during the latter course of this year and I am completely hooked. Not only can you continue to work on the model whilst your renders are underway and uploaded to the cloud, but you can produce the highest quality renders in a matter of 2-8 hours. There is also the possibility to upload more than one render at a time, and they can be completed simultaneously.

Smaller draft renders can be completed within 10 minutes from upload to be able to identify where the model might still need some adjustments. The number of renders that you have uploaded is unlimited and thus within a space of 10 minutes, you can have a full set of draft renders completed.

Another useful feature of the "Cloud Rendering Service" is the ability to create a panorama rendering of a space, allowing the user to look around in a single spot and experience the design more holistically.

Further enhancements include features such as Solar Study, Illuminance and Turntable renderings. These can be great tools for showcasing different aspects of a project. Visit the Great Hall of Democracy 2014 - French Designs for some examples and to view "Autodesk's Cloud Rendering Gallery".

3D Printing for Architects

Before the growth of 3D printing reaches epidemic proportions I have decided to give some insight into basics as well as the advantages of the 3D printeing in terms of design and architecture.

Types of Printers

ABS/PLA Plastic printers - are the most commonly used. The reason for this is that the plastic is relatively cheap (Approx. AUD $50.00 per Kg) It is also the simplest additive method for creating prototypes, simply melting layers of plastic and printing a single layer at a time.

Powder Printers - are more expensive and less common than the plastic. They use starch and gypsum plaster as the powder with water the binding agent (colour can be added to the binder). The print requires infiltration of wax, glue or similar to add strength for handling the final model.

Desktop Printers

One is able to buy a standard desktop printer starting from AUD$ 600.00. The technology is rapidly increasing and the prices are becoming more achievable. The software is quite simple to use especially if you are familiar with Google Sketchup and other 3D software. The models that are most commonly used in Australia are the UP 3D printer series. These desktop printers are able to print an average size of (L)130mm x (W)130mm x (H)100mm. Printing time varies on the complexity and resolution of the model, but an average quality large print will take approximately 6 hours.

Materials

There are many variations in colour, texture and materials that are becoming available. Almost any colour  can be found and in a plain to a metallic finish. Transparent plastic, bendable plastic/rubber, a mix of ABS and timber (Laywood), glow in the dark just to name a few. The same goes for the powder types available at present. There are new products coming out every day.

Advantages

The advantages of 3D printing are almost limitless. One can transform their visualization from a 3D computer model to a physical product in a matter of hours with little to no supervision. This is perfect for communication between designers and clients or to challenge the design team, encouraging dialogue as early as concept stage through a series of mock up models.

1 - Saves time as you may already have the digital model
2 - Easy to use and produces relatively fast results compared to conventional methods
3 - It is becoming increasingly more affordable
4 - Can become a design tool within the architectural firm
5 - Vast array of materials available

Limitations

There are some limitations in terms of the size that is available to us as consumers and architectural firms. This is simply a matter of time as they have begun making printers on a large scale that will literally be able to print the final products in a flat pack nature, for assembly on site. Or possibly the final 3D house will be able to be printed without need and added cost of construction workers.