Seamless real-time archviz with your favorite CAD tools

A house is only as strong as its foundations. When it comes to architectural visualization, those foundations are the CAD tools you use to create the architectural model, and the rendering software you use to visualize it. 

To create visualizations in a fast and effective workflow, you need your CAD tool and your rendering software to work together seamlessly. Previously, architects and designers had to rely on offline renderers. Aside from lengthy rendering times, these can force the user into inefficient and unnecessary workflows, such as having to tweak models every time they’re exported from the CAD tool. 

Now, real-time rendering tools like Twinmotion and Unreal Engine have put superfast real-time rendering at architects’ fingertips whether their CAD software of choice is Revit, ARCHICAD, SketchUp, or anything else. 

With the development of Datasmith in Unreal Engine, CAD tools can interplay with Unreal Engine flawlessly, unlocking powerful real-time workflows to create compelling interactive 3D and VR experiences. 

Datasmith is a collection of tools and plugins that converts CAD drawings into the Unreal Engine format. It enables files from Revit, 3ds Max, SketchUp, SolidWorks, and Rhino to be exported into the engine quickly and easily.

Intelligent conversion means instances are preserved during the export process. Make changes to your design in your CAD program afterward, and you can simply re-export, click a button in Unreal Engine, and all your changes will propagate into the scene without you having to re-apply materials or other properties.

With CAD and BIM data quickly converted for use in a real-time engine, it becomes easier to create immersive archviz experiences.  

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM) is an award-winning architecture practice that uses Unreal Engine throughout the architectural lifecycle. On a recent project for the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, the architects heard that Alder Hey employees didn’t fully understand floor plans, sections, or images. 

They saw an opportunity to use Unreal Engine’s VR capabilities along with a HTC Vive Pro headset to take the staff into the design and explain the layout, fit out, and fixings. This enabled the employees to fully understand the space in a way that would not have been possible with 2D renders.

Similarly, Unreal Engine has become a key part of the pipeline at HOK, a global leader in architecture with a reputation for breathtaking design. The firm uses a number of CAD software packages, including Rhino, SketchUp, and Revit. 

HOK uses Datasmith to import CAD designs seamlessly from these tools into Unreal Engine. Prior to using Datasmith, they spent a lot of time cleaning up models in preparation for import. With Datasmith, an import process that used to take three days now takes about an hour.

Architects might not need all the functionality of a game engine, which is how Twinmotion came into play as a real-time rendering solution. Twinmotion is designed to keep things super-simple, with a focus on presentation.

PLAN34 is a 2D/3D design visualization agency for urban development, landscape, and infrastructure projects. It leverages Twinmotion to turn around projects at short notice—sometimes in a matter of days. 

PLAN34 uses the archiz tool to present urban development designs at stakeholder meetings, helping guide them through the project in real time and show designs from different viewpoints. 

When the studio needs to provide a presentation for clients to explore on their own, Twinmotion Presenter is there to help. This feature enables the studio to share individual projects in a standalone viewer, in small executable files that can be viewed by clients and stakeholders without having Twinmotion installed.

Scenario Architecture is another studio that has brought Twinmotion into its pipeline. This London-based architectural design studio prides itself on designing homes that are ambitious, unique, and sustainable. 

It uses Twinmotion for fast and easy 3D architectural visualization—specifically because of the direct link to ARCHICAD. Twinmotion features direct one-click synchronization with ARCHICAD, Revit, SketchUp Pro, RIKCAD, and Rhino, enabling architects to go from CAD or BIM design to interactive 3D in seconds.

As these and many other stories show, Unreal Engine and Twinmotion have changed the game when it comes to architectural visualization. Architects now have the option to use the CAD tools they know and love, in combination with powerful real-time rendering, in a reliable, seamless workflow. 

Bring superfast real-time rendering into your archviz workflow: download Unreal Engine for free and get an unlimited free trial of Twinmotion today. 

You can also explore well over 100 hours of free hands-on video courses and guided learning paths with Unreal Online Learning.