Clients (mostly architects) ask me sometimes why won’t I take a generic texture and use a randomiser to adjust it to create a material.

What they should ask is, what are the consequences of doing so?

Using a randomiser can be sometimes perceived as a higher skill or better expertise in creating CGI, but we have to ask ourselves: What is the purpose of creating the CGI in a first place?

If it is a concept design and images created to show overall look and Level of Detail 1 or 2, then, by all means, randomise away. If you’re creating images to share on social media, to build awareness about your project or use in your business proposal finishes having correct finishes my not be that important.

However, if you are applying for planning approval, creating visuals for off-plan sale, it is better to use the correct material and textures/samples provided by the manufacturer. Here is why.

  • If you’re developing in a conservation area, depending on your conservation officer, you may get a specific recommendation for finishes. Some of them are very peculiar and may ask you to match RGB of the render colour exactly (true story).

  • If, for example, I use generic brick and then change its colour texture and randomise its blemishes, yes, I won’t look like a pattern, but you won’t be able to buy it off the shelf and match the facade from the CGI either. A consequence of that will be spending more time on finding the closest match and possibly adding to the cost or changing it.
    Isn’t it easier to do it right the first time?

  • If you ask your specialist to propose interior design including finishes and then decide you like the overall look and are keen to match the exact design, your CGI Specialist won’t be able to share with you specifics of the finish schedule nor the manufacturer’s details because it was created at random.

  • If you decide to change your CGI specialist during the development and will require additional images, the new provider won’t be able to match the randomly created textures and will have to redo already existing ones to match the newly created, which means you may end up paying for them twice.

There is no one way to create CGI. Every specialist has preferred software, style and technique.
Our preference is to use the textures provided by the manufacturers and create accurate photo-realistic CGI.
It doesn’t mean we are better or worse than other providers; it just means we approach it with engineering precision and take different factors to the account. That’s all.

If you like what we do and would like to work with us, let’s have a chat!
https://calendly.com/3davenue/