Chapter 13 Visual Communication: Drawings, Renderings, and Models 477 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. To create a simple presentation model, use the follow- ing steps: 1. Print or draft a floor plan of your choice. (Optional: include the surrounding landscape.) 2. Add flooring textures with black pen or by using CAD. Rendering the floor plan is optional. 3. Cut the finished floor plan out and mount it on a foam core or cardboard base. 4. Measure and cut all foam core pieces for the walls to the determined scale. 5. Add the elevation details. (Optional: render the elevation details.) 6. Cut out or draw the doors and windows into the elevations. (Optional: use transparency film to create the illusion of glass in doors and windows.) 7. Mount the walls to the base, one wall at a time, using the appropriate adhesive. 8. Use white tape to hide the exposed edges of the model. 9. Label the plan with the North arrow, logo, scale, and firm’s name. 10. Add doors of either foam core or balsa wood. Three-Dimensional (3D) Digital Modeling and Rendering Architects and interior designers use a variety of software programs to create three-dimensional digital models. A software model can be built as a wireframe model, surface model, or solid model. ■ Wireframe model. Used in CAD, a wireframe model is a technique for representing three-dimensional objects in which all surfaces are visibly outlined in lines, including the opposite sides and all internal components that are normally hidden from view. Wireframe modeling is the least complex method for representing three- dimensional images. See Figure 13-47. ■ Surface model. Widely used in CAD for 3D illustrations and architectural renderings, surface modeling is a mathematical technique for representing objects that appear solid but in reality are not. Surface models do not have mass or volume (meaning they are not solid forms). A surface model is basically a wireframe model with a “thin skin” or outer covering. Although surface models are easier to visualize than wireframes, the designer cannot slice them open to examine the interior volume and mass. In addition, with surface modeling the object or area can be geometrically inaccurate. See Figure 13-48. A computer model is a true three-dimensional envi- ronment. Therefore, you can select viewpoints from anywhere you want to figuratively stand within the model. You simply press a button to select the view, and the rendered image appears on the screen. Three- dimensional rendering is the process of producing an image based on three-dimensional data stored within a computer. The designer often renders the digital models to convey the client’s interior materials and finishes. In addition, the designer can make changes as the client or team members suggest while viewing the model. This makes the design outcome a truly inter- active process. Computer speed and client interaction allows the design process to progress more quickly— eliminating the tedious back-and-forth communications common with construction or remodeling projects. Alexey Kashin/Shutterstock.com Figure 13-47 Wireframe models are one method used to digitally represent three-dimensional objects and spaces. Designers and clients can easily see through these models to view interior details.