5 Tips on How to Start Architectural Visualization for Free

When I first began my own architecture visualization journey, I set out on a mission to make the entire process cost zero. Yes, you heard it right—zero!

Through countless trials and a dash of determination, I became quite the expert at creating awe-inspiring visualizations without breaking the bank. While professional architectural design software can be expensive, there are ways to start your journey into architectural design for free.

In this blog post we explore how to get started with the power of Blender, free online resources for 3D Models and Textures, and Polarr's versatile editing capabilities.

#1. Get started with Blender!

Blender sometimes gets some bad reputation from the veterans in the industry, and you understand why once you start working in a studio that uses 3Ds Max, the standard for architecture visualization as of right now. Overall, there are better tools and more stability when handling giant 3D models.

However, if you are just starting out or you are a student, the price for 3Ds Max is just not justifiable. Blender can teach you all the concepts you need to learn to become a successful artist, from 3D Modeling to Material creation to UV editing and mapping, for example. And if, later down the line, you feel like transitioning to 3Ds Max, knowing these concepts will insure that you have an easier time.

Here are my favorite resources to learn Blender:

Complete beginner:

Get ready to make some donuts! These series of tutorials are a classic in the Blender community and they will ensure you have all the basics down to move on to some harder stuff

Cool, now you know Blender. But how will you populate your scenes with models?

#2. Use free online 3D model resources!

To populate your architectural scenes with detailed and realistic objects, you can take advantage of free online resources for 3D models. Some of my favorite websites for this are:

• https://3dsky.org/ (Paid and Free Models)

• https://cgmood.com/ (Paid and Free Models)

• https://zeelproject.com/ (1 free download per day)

• https://dimensiva.com/free-3d-models/ (Paid and Free Models)

• https://www.designconnected.com/Freebies/ (Paid and Free Models)

• https://shop.imeshh.com/product-category/free-products/ (Awesome 3D models and Blender Addon, highly recommend)

Take a look at each of these websites and start building your own library. Remember to check the licensing terms and give proper credit when using these models, if credit is required.

#3. Textures, textures, textures!

Textures and materials play a crucial role in bringing realism to architectural visualizations. Sometimes they are what makes or breaks the realism in your render, so you need to pay close attention to them. Here are my favorite websites to get free quality textures:

• https://ambientcg.com/ (wide variety of materials, all free)

• https://cgmood.com/category/materials?category=materials&maxcredits=free (Amazing materials for archviz)

• https://architextures.org/ (Create custom floors or walls with patterns)

• https://www.cgbookcase.com/ (Free PBR Textures)

• https://cgaxis.com/free/

• https://polyhaven.com/textures

Bonus: Watch this video if you want to learn how to quickly add PBR textures to objects in Blender using the node wrangler. This will save you A LOT of time!

Sour Planet | How to set up PBR textures in FIVE MINUTES using Node Wrangler in Blender

#4. Post-Processing, Baby!

3Ds Max isn't the only expensive software you will encounter on your journey to become an archviz artist. There is also post production software, and the leading one is Adobe Photoshop. If you are just starting out and you don't feel like spending money on Adobe Products (isn't this the point of this blog post?) then you can use this free alternative instead https://v2.polarr.co/.

Polarr acts as the Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop and it can give you a pretty basic start into Post Production. Best of all? It's both free and it runs in your browser, so you won't need to fill your hard drive with software and have more space for all your GB of 3D Models and Textures!

Note that there just isn't any good alternative to Photoshop and, if you want to become professional, you will have to learn it at some point or another.

#5. Experiment with Real-Time Rendering Engines

While Blender is a fantastic software for architectural visualization, another exciting option to explore is real-time rendering engines, such as Unreal Engine, D5 Render or, if you are feeling adventurous, Blender's own real time render engine, Eevee.

Real-time engines provide powerful capabilities for creating interactive and immersive architectural visualizations and it is easy to speculate that they will be the future of Archviz (if AI doesn't completely take over). Knowing at least one of these engines is really powerful for quick turnaround times and if you need to make animations since path tracing, although accurate, takes a long time to render.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Embarking on your architectural visualization journey without breaking the bank is an exciting and achievable endeavor. With the power of Blender, free online resources for 3D models, textures, and materials, and the intuitive editing capabilities of Polarr, you have the foundation to create stunning visualizations. But why stop there? Push the boundaries even further by experimenting with real-time rendering engines like Unreal Engine and D5 render. By embracing these engines, you can unlock a new level of interactivity and immersion in your architectural visualizations.

Hope you enjoy this list, feel free to share it!

Intermediate/Advanced:

These three videos are some of my favorite when it comes to architecture visualization in Blender. If you already understand the basics of the software and just want to learn how to achieve really cool and realistic results, then watch these.

Blender Guru | Blender Beginner Tutorial - Part 1

Blender Guru | How to Make Interiors in Blender (Tutorial)

IMeshh | Professional Blender Arch-vis Tutorial | Moody Room | iMeshh

IMeshh | Blender 3.0 Exterior Arch-vis Tutorial! iMeshh.com guide