"Think of D5 as a speedy V-Ray, an easy DaVinci Resolve, and Photoshop with built-in AI — all rolled into one."

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Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is a global leader in innovative design and technology integration. With 700+ employees across 9 offices, BIG specializes in architecture, urban and landscape planning, interiors, and product design. Known for projects like The Twist Museum, BIG redefines boundaries by turning bold ideas into human-centered designs.

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Background and Challenges

The landscape of architectural software is complex and ever-evolving. BIG's Design Technology team was established to integrate subdisciplines such as BIM, computational design, fabrication, AI, and visualization into their practice.

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Confronted with the limitations of traditional renderers and the growing complexity of their toolkit, the BIG DT team began exploring innovative alternatives to streamline their ever-expanding ecosystem of design tools.

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Adopting D5

While V-Ray remains a staple in BIG's design pipeline, the team recognized the need for a more integrated and efficient solution that could meet their requirements for speed, quality, and workflow integration. With these criteria in mind, the team began testing D5 and gradually incorporated it into their projects. The deployment was based on three main factors:

"When it comes to BIG-scale projects, D5 is really changing how we work"

“D5 has truly revolutionized the way we work at BIG,” says Camila Antonella Mina, architect at BIG. “Its ability to handle some of the world’s largest and most complex projects is a complete game changer. Unlike traditional rendering tools, D5 stores project files in the cloud, allowing the team to easily manage, access, and share them with people involved. It also works as a powerful standalone app, separating 3D assets from the design work done in Rhino.”

This innovative approach simplifies asset management and ensures smooth, efficient workflows from start to finish.

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Another feature setting D5 apart is its real-time collaboration. Architects can work on the same project simultaneously, eliminating the inefficiencies of back-and-forth communication or rigid handoff processes. Whether it’s small tweaks or major revisions, the entire team stays aligned and productive, making even the most complex projects feel manageable.

“What makes D5 great is that it strikes a balance between speed and quality”

One standout example is the Biosphere Treehotel, a unique retreat designed by BIG in northern Sweden. The project embraces local materials like wood and stone, creating an immersive experience that blends seamlessly with its natural surroundings.

Using D5, the rendering process for this vibrant project was completed in just a matter of hours—delivering results that closely resembled actual photographs. By comparison, achieving a similar level of detail and fidelity with traditional tools like V-Ray would typically require 3-4 days of work. This dramatic improvement in speed without sacrificing quality underscores why D5 has become an integral part of BIG’s design workflow.

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“Creating cinematic animation is now a matter of minutes”

After testing various render apps, BIG found D5's animation rendering to be the most intuitive and effortless. The process is incredibly fast, and setting up a convincing walkthrough is simplified with built-in animated assets like fire, fog, and characters.

The camera movement templates provided by D5 are pivotal. Once the scene is ready, simply adjust the cameras and choose a suitable template, and an engaging animation is done --- literally in a few clicks.

The new phasing animation in D5 2.9 is also a game changer for architects looking to deliver visually compelling presentations to clients or the public. Tasks that once required hours of painstaking effort can now be completed in mere seconds, enabling faster and more impactful design communication.

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Results

After over a year of use, BIG is now expanding D5’s role in their workflow, further unlocking even more benefits D5 brings to their projects:

Effortless Collaboration — Multi-Architect Collaboration on One Project

The multi-editor editing feature in D5 for Teams has transformed how architects collaborate. Team members can now work on the same project in real time while using separate Rhino files. This avoids the pitfalls of heavy, bloated workflows, and keeps everyone up-to-date with all the latest changes effortlessly. Even when dealing with complex animations, D5 remains lightweight and responsive, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted workflow.

Faster Turnaround — Video Render Time Cut by 80%

D5’s real-time rendering capabilities have redefined speed and precision in architectural visualization. Tasks like walkthroughs, which used to take 3–4 days, can now be completed in just a few hours. Final outputs, whether high-quality images or videos, are also delivered quickly without sacrificing detail or accuracy. This allows teams to spend less time waiting and more time refining designs, solving creative challenges, and meeting tight deadlines with ease.

Streamlined Administrative Processes — Fewer Tools, Greater Productivity

Managing software for a large team often means dealing with subscription renewals, seat updates, and compatibility issues, creating unnecessary administrative hurdles. BIG's commitment to innovative tools has underscored the need for solutions that streamline both design workflow and software management.

By bringing together AI tools, live-sync plugins, collaborative features, and a comprehensive asset library on a single platform, D5 cuts unnecessary costs and simplifies workflows across the board.

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Onboarding with D5 is also fast and intuitive — architects generally get up to speed within an hour or so. With in-house visualization capabilities, BIG is able to create high-quality client presentations with greater efficiency and control while reducing outsourcing costs.

With D5's fast iteration speed and advanced AI capabilities, it's poised to become a fully integrated all-in-one workflow solution, replacing more single-function tools and driving greater efficiency for the team.

Conclusion

For a global enterprise like BIG, which tackles master plans across varying scales, having a tool that grows and adapts with their expanding operations is not just a benefit, but a necessity.

"D5 is not just a real-time rendering engine; it's a robust AI powerhouse that we're excited to continue using."

Continuously testing and adapting tools, including AI, without error is challenging, making D5 a solid bet for the long haul. "It’s not just that it’s already in great shape; the way D5 keeps adding new features and planning with AI in mind really seals the deal. We even hope others will follow D5's approach!" says Jens Majdal Kaarsholm, former Director of BIG DT.

BIG sees AI as a way to empower designers, enabling them to lead the creative process rather than replace it. D5’s AI-driven features, seamlessly integrated into a single pipeline, align perfectly with this vision. Looking forward, BIG is excited to capitalize on D5's innovations and see how they shape the competitive landscape.

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