I am an architect and designer and I have been using Blender for almost 10 years, lately quite frequently in the office as well. I have been using Blender quite a bit for concept design and development, and it is my preferred tool for quick design, much easier to get something decent modelled than in Rhino.
I have noticed that there aren’t many tutorials showing how Blender can be used for architectural concept design, so I decided to create a series on it, aimed towards anyone from complete beginners to more advanced users.
I have uploaded the first 4 videos that give a very general and highly specific overview of Blender, covering only the tools required for concept design and should help anyone with a few hours to spare to get started.
Hey, love the clear videos, im sure some beginners would find this very easy to be introduced to.
Will you be covering materials, lighting and rendering in this series?
Thank you. I have finished the series, which covers basic lighting and rendering with Blender Internal. As the focus is more on modeling, the renderings are only so as to present the idea beautifully and in a very fast manner, without providing realism. Here is an example:
Hi Dimitarsp, nice works you have here. Is it possible, or do you have a workflow to produce complete construction documents without leaving Blender, or a blender course perhaps?
Nice works you have here Dimitarsp. Just asking, is there a way or possibilities of producing construction documents just by using Blender, sort of a revit or sketchup style? Or do you have a course that discusses such a workflow? Thanks in advance for the reply.
In my experience, blender isn’t well suited for scaled 2d drawings. I use a combination of rhino and blender - blender for early conceptual studies, then rhino, then blender again for visuals, and then rhino again for documentation.
Besides rhino, there is a free (but not open source) alternative called draftsight that’s reminiscent of Autocad lt 2007 (does everything that’s really needed to produce 2d drawings for small to medium size projects)
If you are interested in a workflow either between rhino and blender or blender and draftsight, let me know and will consider making an overview tutorial of the process.
yes, I use many - Offset Edges, Sure UVW, Sun position, Pro Lighting Skies, NP Station, the grove, blenderGIS, BLAM.
The ones I use all day every day are offset edges, sure UVW, and sun position. Pro lighting skies is good to have because it saves time, but not as essential as the first three. I’ve created a tutorial highlighting the essential plugins for architectural conceptual design - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTbJpRKPRa8&t=428s if you are interested to see it.
I am just starting out with architecture design. I am trying to create a small modern Japanese style infrastructure. do you have any advice on where to start?
Look at as many reference images as you can. What type of concept design are you looking into? Is it a small an intricate house with traditional wooden japanese joints? Or is it a masterplan project with a few buildings? If it’s a larger project, than I would suggest starting out with massing studies based on the existing context, solar studies, proximities, and views. If it a smaller private project, then I suggest working with modules for walls, roofs, etc if you want to remain fairly consistent with japanese design considerations.
I’m trying to build a small town environment for an adventure game. all walkways no roads no moving cars etc. Just really interesting buildings that feels like a smaller portion of city.
I’ve had the privilege to present using Blender for Achitectural Concept Design at this year’s blender conference in Amsterdam. Video reposted with better audio on my channel here:
(Video also available on Blender’s youtube channel but the audio is not good)
I’ve had a bit a time to record a few videos over christmas break. The first one has been an update of the most important addons that come bundled with blender for architectural design.
