Many of you guys probably have seen a lot of our 2D rendering boards and some of 3D rendering images post on both Facebook and Instagram. I want to discuss with you about behind the e-design works.
A little over three years ago, just before I started my e-design business, I had to teach myself how to do 3D renderings of my interior design work so I can show the clients what their space would look like when the makeover is completed. In my college days, my school didn't teach us how to do 3D rendering because it was brand new and wasn't available in my school at that time. Over time I learned a few programs that perform 3D layouts and renderings to do photo-realistic pictures of the space to give people a more realistic idea of what their space could look like after makeover/remodel; it's like the designer's version of CG in movies. I still am in awe that even though I am not a tech savvy person but managed to learn how to do it on my own without taking any classes or have a mentor.
After a little over a year of being in e-design business, I decided to join some online design platforms to learn more about e-design industry and expand our client base. They required all designers, including myself, to do 2D rendering boards (it is often called style board, concept board, or look board) via Photoshop. At the beginning, it was a bit challenging for me since I was used to doing 3D renderings. I had to teach myself and master Photoshop in order to create a room with furniture and accessories.
Now, after doing lots of 2D and 3D rendering works for our clients, I have some observations about the pros and cons about each type of rendering:
2D Rendering - It includes real life images from vendors to display the furniture and accessories but the background often gets chopped off and put on the board. It can be challenging to include some items on the board due to poor image quality or the picture I want to copy sets the furniture piece at awkward position for my need. In my experience, sometime 2D rendering can be confusing for some people due to awkward positioning and doesn't offer photo-realistic image to envision the space. 2D rendering is very popular though for e-design industry today since it is much more affordable compared to 3D rendering. Here is an example of what 2D rendering looks like:
2D Rendering of Dining Room
3D Rendering - It offers a photo-realistic image of your space. It will help you to understand the space better by showing you exactly where to put items. It can be challenging because some items not available in the 3D library or they may be difficult to build. This means the designer may have to use a 3D model that is not exactly the same as the item selected. Because of the detail and skill involved in creating the model, it takes much more time compared to a 2D rendering. Here is an example of what a 3D rendering image:
3D Rendering of Dining Room
In my own opinion, 2D rendering is ideal for anyone that can envision the space or understand the design plan well. 2D rendering is not always helpful for someone who struggles to envision the space but 3D renderings will definitely help anyone to envision the space and able to understand the design plan better.