Historic renovation meets modern 3D

Our photo-realistic renderings will enable your client to evaluate the virtues of your design right away. Let me demonstrate  how we at One Imprint create an architectural visualization .

To illustrate the process, we shall use a case study of a historic building renovation at Renaissance Marriott Hotel / Colorado National Bank in Denver, Colorado.

It may be of special interest for architects or interior designers who work on hospitality projects.

Renaissance by Marriott, Colorado National Bank

Create renderings of hospitality environments

The process of creating lifelike renderings at our company goes as follows:

STEP 1: Send us your CAD drawings, furniture specs and materials to receive a price quote. Below is what we typically get from hospitality designers. This information is sufficient to price your visualization project. Click on images to enlarge.

Hotel floor plan and CAD drawingsHotel material board seating

STEP 2: We create custom 3D models of fixtures, furniture and environment…

Hotel furniture white models

…and then build black and white structural models for your initial review.

Black and white 3D models

White models of the hotel lobby

Step 3: You make changes to 3D geometry and we add color, texture and life.

Hotel rendering

Step 4: Your visualizations are rendered at high resolution and delivered to you via e-mail or our secure FTP server.

Marriott hotel architectural visualizations

Renaissance Hotel by Marriott, Denver, Colorado. Renderings by One Imprint.

One Imprint is proud to be a 3D design provider for this project. Give us a call at (510)-501-5002 to see how we can enhance your design presentation today.

Get a price quote >

Hospitality renderings that get designers ahead of the game

The food industry is still thriving today making restaurant design trade a profitable business. Can you make your designs stand out from the crowd? It is not always easy for bar or restaurant owners to understand nuances hidden in black and white line drawings. In fact, it takes a skilled designer to envision the ambiance of the interior just by looking at floor plans, elevations and material boards.

The solution is often photo-realistic, life-like 3D renderings that will get you ahead of the game. Let’s take a look at some examples and processes.

At One Imprint we start with thoroughly studying your floor plans and elevations gradually developing 3D geometry from your line drawings and making sure no detail escapes our attention. White Models are 3D models with no materials applied. They are fairly easy to update and are perfect for getting a preliminary approval on location and shape of all key elements of your design from your client.

Pietro’s Restaurant, Vacaville, CA. 3D by One Imprint.

When materials are applied renderings come to life. Present your client with a material board and spice up your presentation with a photorealistic rendering showing how textures and surfaces interact with light in a stunning life-like environment.

Lounge area is presented in black and white for geometry approval.

The dining area is rendered a warm, earth-tone space with dark brown leather and fabric booths, walnut table tops and natural stone tile floor.

Here is a picture of the restaurant before and after renovation.
Courtesy of Banis Restaurant Design, Inc.

One Imprint is proud to be a 3D design company for this project. Give us a call at (510)-501-5002 to see how we can enhance your design presentation today.

More renderings from One Imprint here >

Price quote >

Which logo do you think they picked?

A story of one logo for Philco – a building maintenance company.

Whenever a logo design job comes in I go out to a client and ask a few questions about their vision, business strategy and inspiration behind their company. Sometimes a simple question such as “What are the two most important things you want people to remember about your logo?” can spark new ideas. Client is realizing that it is not about a cute swoosh and a tag-line, but about their entire company’s philosophy that needs to be reflected in this new look.

I come back and start thinking about the design. It is a 24/7 process that cannot be limited to 8 to 5 office hours. The idea has to be planted in my mind for a while. It takes time to thrive before turning into a graphic representation of my client’s vision. The sooner I touch the drawing board the worse it comes out. But when the time is right (and that can be in the middle of the night) I know I better start drawing and conceptualizing. Simple hand sketches are a good way to start:

logo design sketches

Next step is to create a few versions of the logo that are presentable to a client:

logo design company

Which logo do you think they have picked?

I will post an answer in 3 days. Let’s see if you pick the same one.

More logo designs from One Imprint here: http://oneimprint.com/logos_design.html

Make your vision a 3D reality

The 3D renderings of hospitality environments can make all the difference in designing a fine guest experience. The photo-realistic architectural visualizations including lighting conditions and ambiance become key elements in conveying designer’s idea of what an interior should essentially “feel” like. Hotel Room Renderings Hotel Yountville, Wine Country (Yountville, CA). 3D by One Imprint.

Let’s take a look at how renderings enhanced the designer’s presentation of the boutique resort located in the heart of California’s Napa Valley. We received the Material Boards, CAD plans and elevations from our client DLS Hotel and Spa Design and Development Hotel room 3D rendering I wish we could use existing stock furniture from 3D libraries, but in this case every furniture piece had to be individually modeled to the finest detail from the existing photographs or hand sketches that client provided. Sketches of hotel room furniture White models are 3D renderings with no materials applied. They allow getting a preliminary client’s approval on the geometry of the interior. Here is the Yountville Hotel conference room in black and white. 3D White Model of the Conference Room When the materials are applied the white models come to life. Conference room with materials applied The Bathroom is rendered in warm white light to bring out the best in natural stone flooring, glowing herringbone tile walls and quartz countertops. Yountville Hotel Bathroom Lobby features vaulted ceilings, custom-made light fixtures and modern Victorian furniture. The space is illuminated by table lamps and natural lighting. The warm ambiance is enhanced by carpet changing its color from beige in the center to light gray at the edges. Hotel Lobby Rendering Guest Room is rendered an airy and spacious retreat with stone fire place and carpet floors. Hotel Guest Room Rendering “Starting Late November 2010, The Yountville Inn will become Hotel Yountville a full service Napa Valley resort and spa . Guests will enjoy the strikingly beautiful new rooms and suites, the guest exclusive Hopper Creek Restaurant, the sensual Y Bar with fireside terrace and the 4,000 sq ft Acqua Spa. A state of the art conference and wedding venue will welcome groups. Oversized spa tubs, stone fireplaces, four poster beds, lofted ceilings, private decks and virtually every amenity imaginable will combine to make Hotel Yountville Napa Valley’s premier boutique resort destination.” — Hotel Yountville.

One Imprint is proud to be the 3D provider for this project.

More renderings from One Imprint here:

http://www.oneimprint.com/arch_visualizations.html

Setting up a 3D production studio

How to create architectural renderings in-house – useful advice for architects, designers and planners.

Learning how to create architectural renderings is quite a process. And just when you think you know it all, it takes years to polish your technique. If you are an architect, a designer or a planner, I recommend outsourcing such a burden to a reliable 3D company. But if you are still thinking of creating 3D renderings in-house, here are some tips on what your setup should look like to produce high quality, photo-realistic renderings.

Equipment: You will need to start with a workstation that has good processing power. Office desktops intended for Internet browsing and word processing will not work for this. 3D graphics requires much more fire power than any standard desktop (never mind laptops).  Key characteristics to look for when you buy a computer for creating 3D graphics are:

  • Fast Processor – 3D takes a lot more recourses than ordinary computing
  • Dual processor is preferred – to cut rendering time in half
  • Video card tailored for 3D graphics – to view and rotate complex 3D models on your screen without getting stuck after each move
  • Get as much RAM as you can – to cut down your rendering time
  • Buy a screen at least 22” in size. 24” and up is preferred. Each inch adds to productivity exponentially.
  • Spend at least $3,000 on the whole hardware setup. Put money mostly into a processor and a video card.

Software: There are many options and every 3D pro has different preferences. Here are mine. This setup combined with proper skills delivers stunning photorealistic results, guaranteed. View examples on our website.

  • 3D Studio Max – to create scenes, models and environments
  • V-Ray – to add photo-realism to your renderings
  • Photoshop – to touch up and polish your images
  • Total software expense – around $6,000

Workforce: It is a good idea to have three people on your 3D team. One person dedicated to modeling and geometry, another to materials, lighting and rendering and the third one to animation (if you ever plan to create fly-throughs and videos). I have known individuals who manage to combine these skills, and that is OK as long as you are not slammed with 3D work.

Useful advice: Make sure your workstations are ergonomic. Working on 3D models, rotating, panning, zooming and editing tiny details can create a lot of tension in your body if your workstation is not setup properly. There are quite a few professionals in this industry and almost half of them complain about carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms or increased stress levels due to their workplace not being ergonomic (and they don’t even realize it!). 3D graphics designers are a very special breed. They take a lot of pride in what they do and they treat their work and equipment almost religiously. So make sure your 3D designers love their workstations. You will see a huge gain in productivity if you do it right.

Wishing you good luck setting up your 3D production studio!

Or you can always get 3D renderings from One Imprint at a fraction of the cost.

www.oneimprint.com

Renderings of 3D City Models

3D Renderings of the city

One Imprint created architectural visualization consisting of twenty four luxury apartment communities, two K-12 schools, eight Pre-K schools, two soccer fields, three shopping centers…year long project and 53 camera views to show it off!

More architectural renderings and detailed views of this city in 3D on our website:

http://oneimprint.com/arch_visualizations.html

One Imprint project: Sun City (Solnechniy Gorod)
Client location: Kazan, Russia

Russian Fast Food Restaurant in San Francisco Brand Design

It is interesting how Bay Area has only a few Russian Restaurants and almost zero Russian fast food places. Here is a brand design that we created for PL Many. PLMany is traditional Russian food with a modern twist. It was created for a restaurant in the heart of San Francisco’s Van Ness district that serves delicious Russian meals – fast and at a fraction of the cost. The Russian pelmeni (the closest association would be pot stickers) is  a comfort food that can be served with a variety of fillings and sauces. It is also very traditional. So PLMany decided to give it a “Modern Twist” by hiring One Imprint to create it’s brand.  I can not wait for PLMany brand to be out on the market. It will be not only delicious but also stylish.

www.plmany.com

Graphic design that gets attention

That’s a spot for Graphic Design ideas. Whatever stops you in your tracks and makes you look – commercial or just for fun, non-profit art or purely profit-oriented advertisement. Some by One Imprint, some by other designers.  If it makes your heart miss a beat post it here.

Architectural Renderings

Architectural renderings and the process of making them is actually a lot of fun. This is a place to see projects take shape starting from wire frames and progressing into photo realistic visualizations.