Computational design is revolutionizing architecture with its ability to provide precise analyses through advanced computer processing. This innovative approach extends beyond simple digital modeling to encompass a new way of thinking, especially crucial in an era where the architecture industry seeks both efficiency and quality, even in large-scale public projects. Traditional workflows, often inadequate for addressing certain complexities, are increasingly supplemented or replaced by computational strategies.
Today, Peng Fan, an architect at Sun Yimin Studio of the Architectural Design and Research Institute of South China University of Technology (hereafter 'Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT'), shares his experiences and insights on integrating D5 Render with Archicad to enhance the computational design workflow for large public projects.
© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
Merged Excellence: Reshaping 3D Design with Archicad-D5 Workflow
Sun Yimin Studio is renowned for its expertise in designing sports facilities, including notable projects like the stadiums for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Since joining the studio in 2008, Peng Fan has leveraged Archicad to develop a range of projects, including schools, universities, and sports centers, with the Central South University gym standing out as a key example.
The studio has long embraced Building Information Modeling (BIM) for its architectural designs. However, presenting and delivering the evolving design concepts of a dynamic model remains a challenge. Outsourcing renderings can be costly and may not fully capture the depth of the designs, while in-house visualization demands significant time and effort in learning new skills, potentially diverting architects from their primary design tasks.
To optimize these processes, the studio has been exploring rendering engines like Lumion, Twinmotion, Enscape, and D5 to find the best fit. They first eliminated built-in rendering tools to avoid heavy lag caused by huge space and resource consumption and determined that the scene file has to be detached from the model.
Considering factors such as asset management, usability, learning curve, and output quality, the studio has ultimately selected D5 as the real-time rendering engine to work with Archicad, which provides livesync of model updates and standalone scene files.
After syncing models, materials, and cameras from Archicad to D5, architects can intuitively adjust lights, environments, and post-production effects to output appealing images/panoramas/animations, delivering creative ideas in a more straightforward approach.
SCUT Gym
© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
The gym at SCUT's international campus, one of the institution's three largest buildings, spans approximately 25,800 square meters. To accommodate a wide range of activities within this limited space, the gym features courts for basketball, table tennis, badminton, tennis, as well as facilities for swimming, fitness, kung fu, and yoga. This diverse offering presents a significant challenge in terms of spatial arrangement.
© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
While developing the architectural plan in Archicad, the studio concurrently explored various visualization engines, including Lumion, Twinmotion, Enscape, and D5 Render 2.4. Upon the release of D5 Render 2.5, the studio decided to fully transition to using D5 Render. Since then, it has been utilized extensively to test seating material colors and effectively present the finalized plans.
After applying basic materials to the model, the studio could utilize it to facilitate communication with the client, enhancing their understanding of the design concept and enabling immediate feedback.
"The integration of two superior tools has significantly enhanced our workflow. Both Archicad and D5 exhibit exceptional qualities. Archicad, as a comprehensive three-dimensional design tool, boosts productivity. When combined with D5's visualization capabilities, our designs are clarified through detailed drawings, models, and vivid images/animations. Often, we have only about a week between the announcement of a project and the bidding deadline. The Archicad-D5 workflow is remarkably efficient, proving to be an effective strategy in keeping pace with the demands of a fast-paced work environment."
Focusing on the Design Core: Seeking Optimal Solutions for Large Public Buildings
Sun Yimin Studio masterfully integrates art and technology, focusing on technical precision in major public structures that are crucial to both the beauty and utility of urban landscapes. The firm is committed to harmonizing architectural elegance with functionality, employing thoughtful technological applications and strategic design planning—a philosophy that resonates through their entire portfolio.
D5 Render streamlines large-scale projects by allowing designers to concentrate on the core structure while quickly handling peripheral elements, thus cutting design time, boosting efficiency, and reducing proposal costs.
© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
The above two renderings were first created in 2017, not made with D5
The Transportation Hub at Guangzhou, originally a bus terminal, has been transformed into a sprawling mixed-use complex spanning roughly 70,494 square meters, with about 40% of it situated underground. This modern facility serves a dual purpose, accommodating commercial activities, transportation services, and public amenities.
Positioned in the heart of Guangzhou and intricately woven into the city's fabric, the hub's triangular configuration is a result of the surrounding converging roadways. This strategic yet challenging location is further complicated by its integration with an adjacent subway station. To navigate these complexities, Peng Fan and his team employed Archicad software, ensuring a seamless and consistent architectural solution throughout the development.
© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
The project commenced early and underwent an extensive design phase. While D5 Render wasn't employed during the schematic design phase, it played a pivotal role in finalizing decisions regarding interior ambient lighting and landscape arrangements later in the project. This marked the team's first comprehensive application of D5 Render throughout the entire design process.
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© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
Designers can visualize models realistically with D5's Livesync plugin after modeling in Archicad, and quickly present interior and landscape options once the structure is complete. This streamlined process aids in precise decision-making and efficient communication, reducing the need for revisions.
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© Sun Yimin Studio, ADRI of SCUT
“ For interior design projects in locations such as transport hubs or stadiums, highly detailed visualizations may not always be essential. Yet, visual renderings become crucial when presenting plans to clients and are often in high demand. Outsourcing renders can be costly, and involving another interior design team isn't practical. D5 Render provides a cost-effective solution by enabling quick, easy material mapping to Archicad models, satisfying both project managers and clients. D5 also excels in landscape rendering and lighting adjustments.”
Bridging Workflows: A New Solution for Team Collaboration
As architectural projects grow larger, their complexity and the need for specialized, cross-departmental collaboration increase, especially across domains like architecture, interior design, and landscaping. Teams often use different tools, complicating file integration. Peng Fan's team, for instance, uses software like Archicad, SketchUp, and Rhino.
D5 for Teams facilitates efficient collaboration by streamlining the integration of diverse project files, enhancing teamwork on large-scale projects.
D5 Render supports real-time workflow integration with platforms like SketchUp, 3ds Max, Rhino, Revit, Archicad, Blender, and C4D. This allows for seamless synchronization of models, cameras, and lighting settings. D5's ability to convert and unify various software formats into its .d5a format enables efficient merging of different components into a single main scene.
Building on the project merging feature, D5 for Teams has enhanced its capabilities to support project segmentation from the outset of visualization. Key segments like the main structure, surrounding landscape, and interior spaces can now be allocated to different team members, facilitating concurrent visualization. Updates to each segment occur in real time, ensuring that all team members are consistently aligned.
While navigating projects, D5 enables users to insert anchor points for adding text or image comments with targeted recommendations. Tagging relevant team members automatically generates email notifications, prompting them to examine the feedback. This feature facilitates prompt synchronization and accurate adjustments, enhancing effective online communication for both local and remote collaboration.
Additionally, D5 for Teams includes features such as the shared cloud workspace, D5 Studio, and a local team library of assets and projects. This setup allows every team member to access and create visuals that are both standard and consistent.
"I am impressed with the current version of D5; it surpasses my expectations and is extremely user-friendly. Its design and workflow are crafted with a global outlook, enhancing efficiency and meeting the diverse needs of designers.
Previously, architectural rendering was quite challenging, but D5 has simplified this process, enabling architects to concentrate on their designs while effortlessly producing high-quality renderings. This innovation is set to transform the design industry."
