15.01.2011 - Stanislav Orekhov
How a visualizer may become a designer: the first step
Problems in design?
While
conducting trainings on visualization, I frequently face design problems and
questions. It seems like people are able to work,
model, place lightening, yet, often they can’t
create the scenes that even remotely resemble a normal interior. And the
quality of
visualization
has no impact on that.
Sometimes we
have to deal with this kind of design:
No matter how the light is located and materials are
adjusted – this interior cannot be saved. It's even funny to describe all the
problems here. However, this example is absolutely
real. The person knows how to do rendering and wants to work.
What is the matter?
The mistakes are the wrong filling, the absence or
excess of details, and the inconsistent constructions.
Practically every detail of the interior in your
portfolio shows either your professionalism, or lack of education.
Let's analyze the examples
On the reasonably good rendering below we can see the
following problems:
1. Unreasonable 3-steps podium in the middle of a huge
space that simply cannot be so huge without internal beams and columns.
2. Office lamp near the window.
3. Small TV hidden in a vague stand.
4. Uncomfortable place for a couch that forces a
person to sit with his/her back to the cliff without feeling secure.
5. The absence of sills, small pictures on the left,
smooth ceiling with built-in light, the absence of curtains,
continuous glazing, and other errors.
The human eye, especially the designer eye, got used
to clear proportions and forms.
Everything should be exactly the way it is constructed
in reality.
Only these kinds of interiors attract attention and
outsell.
You might have noticed that one may adjust the
lighting and materials, set colors and interior filling, and still if the scene
contains
some errors or there is no logic in objects/furniture
location, it will not beautiful.
This is very important: your interior is the reason
why you are chosen as a visualization partner.
The designer immediately sees how comfortable it is to
work with you and whether you understand the
design and will understand the task.
Do you have an education? And how potentially
difficult or easy it will be to work with you.
These issues are not always seen from the inside, to
the visualizers, but are always obvious from the outside, to the designer.
In this article I will tell you about the most
frequent errors that absolutely kill your projects and, thus, the effectiveness
of your portfolio.
We do not perceive the image as reality if we do not
see naturalness on 3D.
In that case, the image seems meaningless with
materials and lighting of any quality:
Let's analyze the real projects made by vizaulizers with no basic
knowledge of design.
Problems:
Incomprehensible small columns, a mixture of poor-quality
modern furniture and terrible semi classical slim-legged chairs,
no curtains, different width of window frames and, in
addition, the African installation on the wall.
No wonder that nothing came out: the visualizer got
carried away by lighting and didn't thought through the style, purpose,
and function of the future interior. We can see all
that on the layout:
Proper design is a very, very important thing. How to
explain and teach this to a visualizer? Just list the problems? Perhaps,
but has simple enumeration from work to work helped
someone? This issue requires a systematic approach.
How to distinguish good design from bad design?
It is almost impossible to do that from the inside,
from the visualizer point of view. A fish cannot see the whole
world picture from an aquarium. Still, it is possible.
It can be done with the help from the outside.
I experienced it myself.
Now you can test yourself. I will give you 3 versions
of the design.
Observe your feelings and decide what do you like the most
and why?
Perhaps, you cannot give priority. That's okay too. It
also counts for an answer.
This is a good test. The explanation is at the end.
Which of the 3 versions you like the most?
The first version
The second version
The third version
Questions for you regarding the 3 versions:
1. What is wrong with the version that you like the
least?
2. What do you like in the best version?
3. What version is intermediate, if any?
4. Perhaps all the options are bad? Good?
5. Can you justify your answers?
Made your decision? Excellent.
*
*
*
*
*
*
If you think that all options are roughly the same,
then you are exactly in the situation of that fish in the aquarium, i.e. you
do not see the whole picture. I was there too. I have
made all the 3 versions. I liked them all. It was one of my first projects.
At that time, I’ve just learned how to design and was
not able to sensibly evaluate what is wrong.
I saw the discrepancy. I felt that it's not perfect.
Yet, I could not understand what is wrong. It was one of my first projects.
At that time I had no experience or understanding of
how to make a design.
Note that when I developed this design (each version),
I basically liked it.
I have not seen any problems until I got the
explanations of what's wrong.
.
Explanation:
1st version - pseudo ethnic style.
I seek an ethnic style solution (African motifs – I
thought it would be cool) - and get a mess.
In fact, it's the pile of ridiculous elements.
Everything here is bad: cornice, blinds, shelves, the pile of elements,
and modern furniture.
2nd version – an attempt to calm the elements and add
greens. Not bad, but still not right.
Problems are the same. They are just slightly less
pronounced.
3rd version - the right choice.
The most quiet and high-quality interior. What's good:
a curtain that covers the wall and gives the illusion of
volume; aged elements - rough cabinets and cow skin in
the finish. A good combination of lamp and stand lamp.
No more articles on the shelves. The room is cozy.
The third option does not necessarily have to be in
this style. It is good not because of its brutal elements,
but because of its scheme.
Change the style and you'll get the same quality of
interior, African or modern.
This is one of my first design projects.
Once this room was finished, the others were designed
very quickly.
House in country style
- see other rooms of this project.
Let's analyze the example of a very good visualization
The project is published here: http://render.ru/gallery/show_work.php?work_id=71749&gal_rub=2&gal_add=discuss
# work
Just a few slight changes to design will make it the
perfect project.
Regarding the design (numbers are on the image):
1. Joint fracture on the ceiling is better to be made with the beam. Cornice
with lightening- not very good.
2. Built-in cupboard and plinth have a small crack. It is better to be removed.
3. The plinth itself has to be more serious (Profile).
4. It feels like too much lighting (by design, not at
the bottom). I have been in such rooms - two floor lamps on
each side of a bed and 1-2 sources in the corridor are
always enough. Sometimes, a floor lamp. Ceiling light is excess.
The lamps on the ceiling are very bright.
5. The
door is a little wide horizontally while the piers are small. If possible,
remove 5 cm on each side, so it will look solid.
6. It will be great to frame the cabinet with brown profile.
7. If there are panels behind the bed, there might be
seams (or this paint is glossy)?
8. It will be more stylish if diamonds on the bed and
in the mirror were made proportionally the same. It will add reasoning to the
interior.
I like everything a lot. Soft, pleasant atmosphere and
cosines.
Here are the basic errors made while creating an interior:
Error 1
The first and most common - excessive decor
Here is an example of design.
Errors: a lot of textures, styles and details.
Eye cannot stop on anything. The entire interior is made
up of small things. Fragmented. The shelves are absolutely unnecessary.
Error 2
Wrong solution of structural and
decorative elements
Beams, plinths, columns, cornices, paneling.
All elements must be in place. In addition, they must
be proportional.
You should know how and be able to combine classical
and modern elements.
This cafe spoils the paneling.
Problems in the kitchen:
1. Space above the doorway is solved incorrectly –
where is this incomprehensible beam came from?
2. Small classical cornice is absolutely out of place
here.
3. Gap above the kitchen should be closed (panels
should be completely blind).
Living room:
An interesting example – everything seem okay.
However, we can make this room
more interesting by using color and slightly modified
geometry.
Before:
After:
Hall
Furniture is not provided at this stage. Let's analyze
the geometry:
1. Column plinths and barriers are missing.
2. Elements are painted in a strange way.
Contrasting colors that are not typical for classics.
As soon as we add furniture, we'll get a mess in emphasis.
Error 3
Incorrect work with colors.
There should not be many colors and they should be
adequate to the room’s purpose.
For example, here in the bedroom, in the private
relaxing space, we see colors typical for a gym:
wrong combination of opposite colors – yellow-blue,
the nuclear bas-relief and other "pleasures" of active life.
Bedroom is, primarily, a place to rest.
Hall - 3 colors of wood are used in the interior
design: white, oak, and cherry – that is unacceptable.
Error 4
Visual effects and psychology of perception
For example, a curtain must be completely drawn. This
gives a sense of window continuation.
Even if this window is small ...
... like here. The room looks cozy (because of the
curtains that expand the space on the sides of the window).
Error 5
Improper room construction and furniture location
It is always obvious. Non-functional capacity, mixed
style. Good lightening can't save this interior because it makes no sense.
As well as this interior – we must start with layout.
Error 6
Ignorance of basic laws and sizes. Incorrect furniture sizing
There is a great book by Ernst Neufert called
"BAUENTWURFSLEHRE". You can find all
sizes there.
The height of railing - 900 mm, a chair - 420 mm, a
table - 750 mm and other important parameters.
Knowing them, we can build an interior from modules
and not being afraid of errors.
It will be absolutely correct with its sizes and
objects location.
It is also important for the initial layout to know
furniture dimensions from the top view, according to the plan.
The AutoCAD library of ready elements is recommended
for that.
Examples:
Furniture and chandeliers look very small for such a
space.
ERROR 7
Inconsistent mixture of styles
Yes, you may use luxurious elements in a modern
interior (ardeko), but they must be entered with harmony.
Many renderers and modelers just do not see these
problems.
Or they see the problems, but do not know how to solve
them. No wonder.
One should have extensive experience and, preferably,
designer education to know all the tricks.
If this knowledge is missing or is used inefficiently,
I recommend starting with a systematic study of the basics.
Example:
In addition to the acid colors, we see the
poor-quality mixture of styles.
1. Curtains of classical form
2. Sofas with strange upholstery.
3. Pictures with scone.
4. Ardeko cornice.
5. Modern TV installation.
6. Classical carpet.
7. Riot of colors.
All of these elements just do not get along together
in one space.
This work is part of the visualization training.
In addition to visualization, we have worked on the
design and have got the acceptable result:
More frequent errors - briefly:
1. Lighting that is not
thought through. Light sources must be placed in accordance to reality.
To do this you need to know their type, capacity and
the requirements for room lighting.
2. IKEA and evermotion
style. Using many elements at the same time in one interior.
3. A lot of suspended and complex ceilings.
Curved lines, complex plasterboard, suspended
multilevel ceilings are excessive.
4. The 90s design. That’s how the interior was
designed 20 years ago. Outdated techniques, fragile details, and many
decorative items.
5. Chandeliers, lots of chandeliers, wrong positioning
of chandeliers.
6. Incorrect proportions of plinth and cornice.
7. Wrong positioning or form of curtains.
8. Too many small things in the kitchen.
9. Improper configuration of the cornice.
And many more. Unfortunately, I cannot tell and
illustrate everything within the limits of one article.
You can just remember these recommendations and to
monitor them by yourselves.
More options of design transformation:
While conducting interior visualization course, I
always asked the artists to pay attention to the design.
It worked fine. However, the errors repeat without a
systematic approach. Nevertheless, it was possible
to improve and
refine several projects, including comments on design, right during the
training.
Task
Try to trace the listed errors and their solutions on
the images (before-after).
Example 1
Before
After
Example 2
Before
After
Example 3
Before
After
Example 4
Before
After
Example 5
Before
After
Example 6
Before
Referens was used to change this design
After
Explanation:
What do you think has changed in these examples and
images «Before» / «After»?
Why is the image «After» better? What has changed?
Keep track of the errors and your feelings.
Please send your responses to my email: coaching@d-e-s-i-g-n.ru
You will receive a brief explanation, sequence and
logic of these changes, as well as my version, in response.
This is a useful exercise.
Stanislav
Orekhov