The week I spent trying to determine if we should sink our living room down a couple of feet, I really felt the limitations of paper floorplans and a ruler. At the same time we were debating tile versus polished concrete, and playing around with the room visualizers from some of the big tile suppliers. Nothing was quite like our house though.
If only there was some way to really see how the house will look, in 3-D. That would make all these sorts of decisions so much easier. Our architects don't have a huge appetite to do this work and I suspect as a result it'd be expensive and slow.
There is, of course, CAD software that just anyone can buy. And I have a computer, hands and eyes - how hard can it be? I downloaded an inexpensive, favourably reviewed kit, and soon found out.
Four or five hours in I had a 3-D model of our ground floor. I put some tile down, added a couple of people and a cat, and felt very pleased with my work. The living and dining room looked about right - though the TV kept sliding down to the ground for some reason - but the library just wasn't quite right.
This is the library: it's supposed to be inside, not outside. I think those little french windows on the left are meant to be both taller, and elsewhere. It's quite confusing to look at, isn't it? Safe to say it won't be aiding us with design decisions any time soon...
My appetite whet and my ambitions frustrated, I turned to the gig economy. Within an hour of posting my job - create a 3D model from existing floor plans, add cabinetry and appliances, and create a few different flooring scenarios - I had over 20 applicants. They were all more expensive than doing it badly for free at home but oh! the portfolios! the world of 3D rendering is a magical, beautifully lit one and I want our house to be in that world. I narrowed down my applicants to women and people of colour - can't think of a better way to discriminate really - and after a frustratingly fruitless 2 days of silence with Ruth from Nairobi, selected Ariana from Albania.
I'm so glad I did. For less than we'd spend on a date night in a nice restaurant (remember those?), she has created a 3D model that actually makes sense. To be continued...
If only there was some way to really see how the house will look, in 3-D. That would make all these sorts of decisions so much easier. Our architects don't have a huge appetite to do this work and I suspect as a result it'd be expensive and slow.
There is, of course, CAD software that just anyone can buy. And I have a computer, hands and eyes - how hard can it be? I downloaded an inexpensive, favourably reviewed kit, and soon found out.
Four or five hours in I had a 3-D model of our ground floor. I put some tile down, added a couple of people and a cat, and felt very pleased with my work. The living and dining room looked about right - though the TV kept sliding down to the ground for some reason - but the library just wasn't quite right.
This is the library: it's supposed to be inside, not outside. I think those little french windows on the left are meant to be both taller, and elsewhere. It's quite confusing to look at, isn't it? Safe to say it won't be aiding us with design decisions any time soon...
I'm so glad I did. For less than we'd spend on a date night in a nice restaurant (remember those?), she has created a 3D model that actually makes sense. To be continued...
Comments
Post a Comment