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Turning Virtual Into Reality

Cody Reid
Mar 28, 2017
2 min read

The days of standard flat Blueprints are numbered. No one builds in two dimensions. No one lives in two dimensions, nor can we go on thinking in only two dimensions.

The early days of rendering had us producing models that looked like mine craft. Nothing was smooth. If you wanted to get it there, you would surely crash whatever archaic box you plotted the numbers into. In recent years everything has of course gotten faster. Now, as with video editing, a lot more can be done in less time.

Drafting has become rendering. With new technology it's easy to step up to a three dimensional environment. I have let my kids use software powerful enough to design a skyscraper and they are undaunted.

The detail one is able to include in a rough sketch is immaculate. If you are still out there jotting things on napkins...There's a much better way. Even if you can only deal with two dimensions. The software available is intuitive enough to speed the process greatly. It can also add a degree of accuracy you will never find on graph paper or a QDOBA® napkin.

This technology can allow for an accuracy in placement that has never been seen before. A good craftsman can bring an entire project to within one eighth of an inch accuracy. I've seen more slop than that on a single plane, where the perimeter was already defined.

From something as simple as a built in bookcase to an entire building, 3d rendering is the state of the art. I know some folks are out there saying "I'm not that good with computers". Well it's 2017 and it's time to get good.

This technology allows to project your design directly over the top of images taken from the job site. If you combine that with a little GPS persuasion, you can solve almost every problem before it even presents itself. As a project manager this is vital to our ability to predict costs and schedule accurately. These programs also make it a breeze to order materials, calculate waste, and plan for debris. They render virtually (pardon the puns) every problem with a job site obsolete so you can spend your time making customers happy.