Architectural rendering is the process of creating two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of a proposed architectural design. The goal is to illustrate a lifelike experience of how a space or building will look before it is built, accurately representing design intent.

There are three main benefits of using 3D rendering software for architecture projects:

• Develop design ideas more accurately

• Identify problems early in the development stages to reduce costs

• Communicate design ideas with clients and partners

Throughout history, architectural visualization has acted as the language between client and designer. Without that tangible common ground, an architect’s work is left to being judged in numbers on a ledger. From the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Popes of Rome to the board of trustees and the family of four, architects have been tasked with telling a story that we can all understand. A story of space and light, materiality and texture.

Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks were pioneers of significant architecture. The methods they used to communicate their ideas weren't that different from the ones used today. Ancient architects were artists by trade, only with their work planted firmly in the real world. They experimented with different pigments and mediums to achieve an aesthetic worthy of their monarchs.

In 1415 Renaissance man Fillipo Brunelleschi painted the first example of linear perspective - a three-dimensional depiction of how the human eye actually perceives the world. The Italian Renaissance earns humanity's first great breakthrough in architectural visualization with the discovery of perspective. It was used by artists and architects to create a realistic 2D depiction of our 3D world.

The modern architecture movement - originating in Germany in the 1910s with the Bauhaus - took visualization to new and interesting places. Architects invented visual tools that allowed others to understand not just the 'what,' but the 'why' and the 'how' as well. The Frank Lloyd Wrights and Louis Kahns of the world started designing buildings that suspended disbelief and elevated architecture to the greatness it enjoyed throughout antiquity.

As technology progresses, more and more of the design process will inevitably rely on automated processes. With that grows the danger that control will be relegated by emotionless machines, and the risk of losing the humanity of architecture and design. It's exciting to be living in a time where meaningful strides are being made towards making our world a more ecologically responsible, aesthetically beautiful place to live. Innovations in design communication play an important part in that equation.