ARCHVIZDAILY
an architectural visualization journal

Tutorials · Breakdowns · Software guides

Architectural visualization, taken apart.

ArchVizDaily teaches arch viz the way studios actually work: real project files, full render settings, and honest breakdowns from clay to final frame.

Read the latest issueOpen a breakdown
Cantilevered hillside villa at dusk with warm interior light and infinity pool below, featured render breakdown in Corona 12
[ VIEWPORT: CAM_04 ]
RES 4096 × 2160 · f/8 · 21mm
WIRECLAYBEAUTY
BREAKDOWN Nº 41 / Hillside villa, dusk in Corona 12+0.42 EV · ISO 100
Studio: Anonymous · 3ds Max + Corona + PhotoshopOpen the full breakdown →
[ Index 01 – 04 ]

Journal pillars

All guides →
01.

Foundations

78 articles

Definitions, workflows, career paths and the software landscape, the hub everything links back to.

02.

Exteriors

21 articles

Site context, vegetation, HDRI lighting and post-production for exterior shots that sell.

03.

Interiors

17 articles

Daylight studies, fabric and wood shaders, camera composition and the art of believable clutter.

04.

Real-time

6 articles

Lumen, Nanite, datasmith pipelines and building interactive walkthroughs clients can explore.

[ The journal ]

Latest from the journal

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Spherical 360 degree panorama render of a Scandinavian double height living room with lake view windows, oak floors, curved panorama distortion and warm 3599K lamps lit against overcast daylightWORKFLOW
CORONA11 MIN READ

360 panorama tours: the cheapest way to stop client revision loops

Stills get approved, then the client walks the model and asks to move the camera two metres. A linked panorama tour kills that meeting before it happens. How to produce them without doubling your render bill.

Interior render of a luxury bathroom with a bookmatched Calacatta marble feature wall, mirrored veining meeting at the slab seam, freestanding stone bath and warm 3599K cove lighting grazing the surfaceINTERIORS
V-RAY12 MIN READ

Bookmatched stone in CGI: the veining detail luxury clients notice first

A mirrored marble wall is the signature move of high end interiors, and the one most renders quietly get wrong. How to build bookmatched slabs that survive a close look.

Exterior render of a modern house with vertical larch timber cladding, silvered grey weathered boards on the sun exposed face and warmer protected timber under the eaves, low evening sun raking across the facadeTUTORIAL
3DS MAX11 MIN READ

Timber cladding that looks built, not wrapped: weathering exterior wood in CGI

Fresh larch on every elevation is the fastest way to make an exterior render look like a sales brochure. Real timber weathers by orientation, and your materials should too.

Close up render of a glazed office facade in late afternoon light, showing green tinted double glazing, reflections of neighbouring buildings and sky, and faint interior detail behind the glassBREAKDOWN
V-RAY12 MIN READ

Glazing that reads correctly: tint, reflectivity, and what sits behind the glass

Glass is the surface clients look at first and the one most renders get wrong. A working method for tint, reflectivity, interior fill, and the dirt that makes a facade believable.

Evening interior render of an open plan living space with cove lighting washing a plaster ceiling, recessed downlights, warm 3599K table and floor lamps, oak flooring and a linear fireplaceINTERIORS
CORONA13 MIN READ

Cove lighting, downlights, and lamps: building an interior that feels designed

Most evening interiors fail because every fixture is doing the same job. A layered approach to cove, downlight, and practical lamp lighting, with the numbers that keep it believable.

Exterior residential render in bright daylight showing a deep entry canopy casting a crisp shadow across white render walls with dappled tree shadow patternsLIGHTING
CORONA11 MIN READ

Sun angle and shadow quality: the two settings that decide an exterior render

Shadow softness, sun altitude, and contact behaviour tell the viewer more about your competence than any material in the scene. What to set and why.

The Weekly Crit

Submit your render →

Renders judged the way a studio judges: light, materials, composition. Score each from 1 to 5 and the board re-ranks live. Top render earns a full pass-by-pass breakdown next issue.

#1 THIS WEEK
Brick warehouse converted to offices with a steel entry canopy, shown at golden hour from street level
Cycles X, sun at 12 degrees altitude, 50mm with a 2mm shift.

Warehouse reuse, golden hour street

P. Novak · Blender + Cycles

Light5.0
Materials4.8
Composition5.0
Board score
73 votes4.91 / 5

0/280
#2
Rammed earth desert courtyard house with an olive tree and weathered steel pergola under low golden hour sun, rendered in V-Ray 7
V-Ray 7, sun at 4 degrees, earth albedo pushed warm.

Desert courtyard, last light

R. Haddad · V-Ray 7

Light5.0
Materials4.6
Composition4.5
Board score
87 votes4.70 / 5

0/280
#3
Dark oak and marble loft kitchen lit warmly at dusk with a city skyline visible through full height glazing
V-Ray 7, interior practicals at 3599K, exterior dome at 8000K.

Loft kitchen at blue hour

D. Ferreira · V-Ray 7

Light4.9
Materials4.8
Composition4.4
Board score
79 votes4.69 / 5

0/280
#4
Walnut library reading room at night lit by warm 3599K table lamps with a rain streaked window showing blue city light, rendered in Corona 12
Corona 12, practicals only at 3599K, exterior at 9000K.

Reading room, rain outside

E. Marchand · Corona 12

Light4.8
Materials4.3
Composition4.3
Board score
95 votes4.47 / 5

0/280
#5
Minimalist white museum atrium with a helical concrete staircase lit by soft north facing skylight, rendered in Corona 12
Corona 12, portal-lit skylight, plaster bump at 0.15.

Museum atrium, north skylight

L. Weiss · Corona 12

Light4.7
Materials4.0
Composition4.5
Board score
92 votes4.41 / 5

0/280
#6
Concrete and glass gallery pavilion in a birch grove under overcast rain, wet paving reflecting warm interior light
Corona 12, overcast HDRI at 0.8 multiplier, wet paving IOR 1.4.

Gallery pavilion in rain, birch grove

K. Tanaka · Corona 12

Light4.4
Materials4.3
Composition4.4
Board score
84 votes4.35 / 5

0/280
#7
Sun bleached limestone courtyard at midday with hard raking shadows across a stone bench, rendered in V-Ray 7
V-Ray 7 Hosek sky, turbidity 2.2, ground albedo 0.4.

Limestone courtyard, midday

A. Ruiz · V-Ray 7

Light4.0
Materials4.5
Composition4.0
Board score
88 votes4.18 / 5

0/280
#8
Slender high rise residential tower in warm dusk light beside a reflective river, rendered in Corona 12
Corona 12, PRG Clear sky, 35mm lens across the water.

Dusk study, Riverside Tower

M. Okafor · Corona 12

Light4.3
Materials4.1
Composition4.2
Board score
96 votes4.17 / 5

0/280
#9
Small dark timber cabin isolated on a rocky coast wrapped in dense sea fog, rendered in Blender with Cycles X
Cycles X, volumetric density 0.0012, AgX view transform.

Cabin in coastal fog

S. Lindqvist · Blender + Cycles

Light4.4
Materials3.7
Composition4.3
Board score
91 votes4.15 / 5

0/280

Scores reset every Monday · See past winners · Voting is anonymous, one ballot per criterion.

Guides by software

01 3ds Max02 Corona Renderer03 V-Ray04 Unreal Engine 505 Blender06 Twinmotion07 D5 Render08 Photoshop post

Arch viz, asked and answered

What is architectural visualization?+

Architectural visualization (arch viz) is the craft of turning unbuilt architecture into images, animations and interactive experiences, using 3D software to communicate a design before it exists.

What software is best for architectural rendering?+

Most studios pair a modeling package (3ds Max, Blender, SketchUp) with a renderer (Corona, V-Ray) or a real-time engine (Unreal Engine 5, Twinmotion, D5).

How much does a 3D architectural rendering cost?+

Freelance exterior stills typically range from $300 to $1,500+ per image depending on complexity, revisions and market; studio work and animation run higher.

How long does it take to learn arch viz?+

With focused practice, expect 6–12 months to portfolio-ready exteriors and interiors.

One breakdown, every other Tuesday.

Scene files, render settings and post-production recipes from working arch viz artists. No render-farm spam.

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