At the end of each design phase, the architect delivers the project – i.e. the 2D drawings – to the client, the competent offices, the contractors, the design partners, etc. These can be in the form of folded paper tables, digital PDF files or, more often than not, both.
In most countries this is also the only way to apply for a building permit. Until recently, there were indeed no alternatives, as computer-aided design, with the help of CAD software, became established in the construction industry “only” in the early 1990s.
3D design and Architecture
Since then the technology to support these phases has progressed extremely rapidly, but in many architectural firms the way to use it has not been in step with the times. Most CAD programs continue to allow 2D design and accept 2D drawings. Architects therefore have no compelling need to push them to move to 3d modeling services. After all, switching to a different method always involves changing processes and, above all, habits.
But it’s not just architects who have lost the connection with the latest technologies. As digitization continues to make progress in other sectors, most construction offices continue to accumulate requests and projects in paper form, thus filling the archives.
However, some progress has been made. Electronic tender notices are used, for example, in 80-90% of cases, for public procurement; in Great Britain and Italy we are even at 100%, if the construction volume exceeds 90,000 euros. More and more countries recognize the potential of digitization and develop standards for competent authorities, so that data can be used in various ways, for example for procurement where multiple offices are involved. When these standards are established, the consequences will also affect the architects. A paper project will no longer be accepted. Procedures already exist in calls for tender which require the presentation of a digital model, thanks to which the contracting authority can verify compliance with the requirements.
Today it is possible to work competitively only with digital design, which allows the use of a wide range of data to be shared with the client, project partners and competent offices.
3d Designs for Product Promotion
The advantages of 3D design are indisputable, as experiences in mechanical engineering and the automotive industry teach. But this is not always evident, because many designers use 3D models only for presentation purposes to clients and investors or as an illustration in architectural competitions. In most cases, these computer-generated 3D models are just 3D bodies that have been given realistic textures and surfaces.
You can get such 3d services from a 3d modeling company. There they use 3d virtual services exclusively for aesthetic representation and cannot be used for the actual design as they do not have a database with information. These animations are not comparable to real 3D models.
The 3D printer also offers advantages in participating in tenders, since it also allows the rapid production of an architectural model with the same 3D model data, regardless of the scale and colors.