Curb appeal. Two simple words that carry great significance in real estate. A potential buyer’s first impression is soon formed after laying eyes on a home. Clients don’t even need to see a property in person to form an opinion on a listing’s curb appeal. 

Our exterior house renders allow customers to catch a glimpse of what a construction project will look like once it’s finished. Designers can also use 3D exterior renders to fine-tune the outward appearance of homes, adjusting the placement of doors and windows, and experimenting with various materials to create the best possible exteriors for their buildings. 

In modern architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), a well-made exterior house render is an invaluable asset. Join Plus Render as we take a closer look at the benefits of exterior house renders, how they’re created, and more.

3D Exterior Rendering: A Perk of Modern Architecture

3D rendering is quickly becoming the preferred medium for the architectural visualization of residential properties. According to a survey conducted last year, at least 75% of designers use rendering software weekly, and 27% use rendering daily. It’s hardly a surprise since 3D renders are much more convenient and practical than 2D sketches and blueprints. 

In the residential architecture market, it’s important to entice customers with attractive visuals that encourage them to invest in properties. Exterior house renders are a powerful tool that can be used to create life-like, aesthetically pleasing images of listings. Modern 3D architectural renders are so photorealistic that they can highlight a property’s curb appeal even before it is built!

Benefits of Exterior House Renders

In addition to looking good, working with exterior house renders has many more advantages. The top four advantages of working with 3D renders are:

• Clear Communication of Ideas: When it comes to residential design, a render speaks a thousand words. Exterior house renders are a great way to accurately reconstruct a building’s appearance, making design concepts easier to grasp.
• Informed Design Decisions: Using 3D renders can be used to test different iterations of a building’s exterior by simply moving elements around on the 3D model. Adjustments have become even easier with the advent of real-time rendering software. 
• Marketing Potential: A sketch doesn’t have the same realism as an exterior house render, and photographs can only be taken after a project is complete. In comparison, renders can be created while construction is still underway. This makes 3D renders one of the best assets to include in the marketing of residential properties. 
• Cost- and Time-Efficiency: Advancements like real-time rendering and artificial intelligence (AI) have made rendering software faster than ever. Also, detailed renders allow designers to identify potential mistakes or complications before a single brick is laid, saving money during construction.

Plus Render stands out with its advanced visualization services. We specialize in creating detailed 3D exterior renders that enhance design communication, allowing architects and homeowners to explore different iterations before construction. Our expertise in photorealistic renders also adds significant marketing value, providing a visual asset for residential projects at any stage. 

How Plus Render Creates Photorealistic Exterior Renders

After learning the benefits of exterior house renders, you might have wondered how Plus Render makes it all happen. As you can imagine, the process is technical, requires specialized tools and software, and is quite complex.

Here are the seven steps we generally follow when recreating home exteriors:

1. Reference Material

This is the research stage where the rendering experts collect all the relevant information about the project. The reference material includes site plans, photos, blueprints, material samples, and reference images.

2. 3D Modeling

Using the reference material, a 3D model of the house’s exterior is created with software like Autodesk or Blender. First, the building’s facade and form are created, with architectural features being added to the model afterward, allowing the home’s basic geometry to take shape.

3. Materials and Textures

At this point, the 3D model is just a sculpted shape composed of smooth pixels. It needs to be brought to life using materials and textures that will be seen in the real structure. This is the phase where designers can have fun experimenting with the exterior house render, swapping out bricks for stucco, and trying different kinds of roof tiles and colors.

4. Landscape and Surroundings

For an exterior house render to appear realistic, it needs to be placed in its proper context. The space around the building needs to be represented faithfully as well. Any surrounding buildings or greenery needs to be incorporated into the render so that the image looks exactly like the building would in real life. These surrounding elements also help create a clear sense of scale.

5. Lighting

Unlike photographs, which remain frozen in time, 3D renders allow easy manipulation of natural and artificial light. The sun’s position in the sky can be adjusted to depict how a building would look at different times of the day, and nighttime lighting can be used to show off the lighting elements in the home’s landscaping and facade.

6. Rendering

Using dedicated software, the 3D model is then turned into an image using a rendering engine. Depending on the number of elements and the complexity of the model, the rendering process can take anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. 

However, the rise of real-time rendering has greatly reduced the amount of time needed, allowing changes to be made more quickly.

7. Post-Processing

Once the rendering process is complete, the image enters the final stage of the exterior house render production cycle: post-processing. Using image editing software like Adobe Photoshop, the renders are digitally enhanced and color-corrected so they look their best before they’re shared with clients.

As you can see, crafting a render of a house’s exterior is a multi-stage process that requires technical know-how. This is why using the services of an architectural visualization firm like Plus Render is the smart decision.

Who Needs Exterior House Renders?

Many AEC professionals rely on 3D exterior house renders to perform their tasks effectively. Groups that regularly use 3D renders include:

• Architects: Use exterior house renders for visualization and experimentation
• Developers: Use renders to showcase upcoming properties to attract investors and future customers
• Construction Firms: Use renders for planning projects, applying for permits, and identifying potential issues in the construction process
• Marketers: Use renders to promote residential properties through different mediums like print ads, digital ads, billboards, and brochures

Since 3D house renders are used for so many different purposes, it’s best to have them before actual construction starts. The best time to do an exterior house render is when the concept has been finalized but construction has not yet begun.

Virtual Tours: The New Trend in 3D Exterior House Renders

There are two types of external rendering, static and dynamic. Static renders have a fixed perspective while dynamic renders can be rotated and zoomed. They can even be made to depict changing light conditions. 

As exterior house renders become more detailed and true-to-life, another visualization tool has emerged. Virtual reality (VR) can greatly enhance the experience of interacting with 3D renders. It’s an immersive way to explore a home’s appearance and layout in great detail. When you have access to accurate 3D renders, they can be used in virtual tours that offer external previews of a property.

Plus Render: Your Trusted Vendor for Exterior House Renders

Plus Render has several years of experience in creating high-quality exterior house renders. Whether you need renders for depicting designs, promotional purposes, or virtual tour creation, we can help you with all your architectural visualization needs. Aside from external renders, we also simulate the interiors of a home and create aerial views. 

Create standout representations of your listings or real estate developments with us. Explore our rendering services and book a free consultation.