Among the most frequently outsourced jobs in the country are interior design CGI services, such as digital floorplan drawing and 3D rendering. Don’t be mistaken to think that “outsourcing” is a way to save production costs by “hiring workers from low-wage regions like South Asia or Latin America with little regard for quality.” In reality, however, outsourcing simply means getting some work done by someone outside the company anywhere in the world – as with any type of work, this requires skill and experience. Outsourcing various tasks to professionals outside a local firm’s in-house team to make up for any gaps in skills or personnel in a reliable way.
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Why interior designers outsource 3D visualization
The benefits of CGI service outsourcing come into full view when you understand the nature of the task itself. Keep in mind that the main duty of an interior designer is to devise a plan that makes the room/space work for the clients or homeowners. Much of the job involves optimizing space, comfort, style, and safety.
Interior designers provide insights into how to achieve home improvement objectives while keeping you (or their client) in mind. They would suggest repainting walls, maybe replacing furniture, removing fixtures here and there, and installing any decorative elements. Some would even have you reposition windows and changing floorings.
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As far as architectural concepts are concerned, interior design attempts to introduce harmony between a room’s aesthetic and functionality. There are more than enough problems to figure out, from colors and lighting to HVAC and structural strength. Some projects also require an interior designer to incorporate the concept of eco-friendliness as well. In most cases, a single interior designer is supposed to handle and coordinate the entire project.
It wouldn’t be much of a challenge if the interior designer is given the freedom to propose and implement all sorts of ideas imaginable, but this is very rarely possible. A designer always has to deal with at least two glaring constraints: the availability of space and budget limitations. Every single concept that comes to mind must be appropriate for the room geometry and make financial sense. It takes a lot of brainstorming, taking measurements, looking for the right materials, discussing possibilities with clients, and drafting multiple ideas.
CGI rendering is arguably the easiest way to explain how a design concept might work to the client’s benefit. An expert photorealistic 3D visualization of interior space translates the designer’s idea into an easy-to-understand illustration digitally created to reproduce detailed, lifelike imagery of the concept. It’s like seeing a photograph of a finished interior before the actual physical construction begins.
Unlike the ideation, research, and analysis processes done by an interior designer, the 3D visualization task is somewhat repetitive work. The render artist basically takes some finished drafts produced by the designer and transforms them into a digital format. This doesn’t in any way suggest that 3D visualization is a simple undertaking; it’s just that the digital drawing can be considered simply a polished version of the draft. In fact, the render artist is not allowed to make any unapproved modification to the original draft. While creating the visualization undoubtedly also involves a creative process, the render artist doesn’t have to work from scratch. In this case, outsourcing is a time-saving measure that allows the designer to focus on the core tasks of the project. Another possible reason is that many interior designers just don’t have the expertise in CGI or visual effects; they can use CAD software to draw technical drawings but not photorealistic 3D visualizations.
Despite the undeserved negative connotation, outsourcing CGI services does come with plenty of benefits for businesses and clients. At its essence, outsourcing offers practical solutions to common problems as follows.
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Handling multiple projects at once
Some CGI services, such as 3D rendering services and virtual walkthroughs, are likely time-consuming tasks. It may take days (if not weeks) just to finish the rendering works alone, leaving the interior designer little time to accept or handle more projects. By the time an interior project arrives at its “3D visualization” step, the planning portion is basically completed. Most designers will not move forward to the visualization step unless they have ironed out all the details, including permits and Bill of Materials. Sometimes, they’ve already found the general contractor to handle the field world before producing the 3D visualization. The visualization serves as a means of communication to inform the client about how the finished work should look at the end of the project.
Having the CGI task done by an external freelance CAD firm means the designer doesn’t have to wait days or weeks to take on more clients or work on another portion of the current project. Let’s say a client hires a designer to help renovate the living room and the kitchen; when the 3D rendering of the living room is in progress (by an outsourced firm), the designer can start drafting plans for the kitchen. Outsourcing not only promises time-saving but also improves productivity.
Limited knowledge of 3D rendering software
Professional interior designers can produce pretty technical construction documents, heavily annotated and color-coded. But those documents are intended for the contractors and builders, not for the client. At the same time, it’s of the utmost importance that the client understands the plan well, and that’s where CGI services come in. Although photorealistic visualizations are created based on technical documents, they’re not exactly alike. The latter is always two-dimensional, like a blueprint, whereas the latter offers a lifelike image version of it. Most modern construction documents are drawn using CAD software, but it’s not the same software used to generate 3D rendering. And not every interior designer is as adept at 3D CAD software as a professional CGI artist. Outsourcing the visualization task is an easy solution to the problem.
Difficulties accessing digital textures and materials
Even designers familiar enough with the workflow of 3D visualizations may face difficulties finding just the right 3D models, materials, and textures for their projects. You don’t have to spend dozens of hours browsing stock assets online only to discover that they’re not exactly the ones you need; it would be much better to outsource the job to a trustworthy professional. Most freelance CAD firms have tens of thousands of pre-made 3D assets at the ready, including models of ornaments and furniture pieces from well-known brands. They also have countless textures and materials to fine-tune the details. If the design requires custom pieces, any CAD firm will be glad to offer 3D modeling services as well.
Lack of powerful hardware
Creating a photorealistic 3D visualization isn’t just about proficiency in CAD software but also demanding hardware requirements. It takes both technical skills and a capable system to achieve maximum photorealism. While a large interior design company probably has no issues acquiring advanced hardware and employing an in-house team of CG artists, many designers operating as one-man small companies probably have no easy access to the technology. The hardware required to create photorealistic 3D visualization is quite cost-prohibitive. Any compromise made to the system also means a compromise to the quality of the final outcome.
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CAD firms, as the name implies, specialize in providing all sorts of CAD-related services, including 3D modeling and visualization – these are the kind of jobs where state-of-the-art technology solutions are necessities rather than forms of luxury. Outsourcing to CGI studios gives the designers instant access to cutting-edge systems without breaking the bank. And the expertise that comes with it can only guarantee high-quality visualization that accurately captures the design concepts.
Cost efficiency
This might sound counterintuitive because outsourcing costs money, but the alternatives can be much more expensive, especially if you’re an independent interior designer operating as a small firm. The initial investment you need to purchase the hardware system, buy software licenses, and hire full-time render artists might be too big of a financial burden. Let’s not forget that the CGI professionals on the team are now on the designer’s payroll as well, which means there will be additional costs associated with workforce management, like training and employee benefits. Unless the firm handles sizable projects on a regular basis, the firm’s average income might not justify such a large investment. Outsourcing CGI services to freelance CAD firms is a practical approach to prevent the designer from getting overwhelmed with a heavy workload and a tight budget, as well as punishing deadlines without making unnecessary compromises.
How Cad Crowd might help
Outsourcing has been getting quite a bad rap in the United States (and pretty much anywhere else, really) for many different reasons. Businesses often feel the need to downplay it, while politicians pledge to stop the practice for the sake of delivering more jobs in the country. “Buy American” is the ultimate rallying cry, as if the country is no longer providing local goods and services. In spite of what the opinions say, it turns out that the United States is among the busiest countries for outsourcing activities – both for businesses looking to outsource services and freelancers offering to do them.
Cad Crowd stands at the cutting-edge of 3D modeling and photorealistic visualization services, connecting interior designers and architects from all over the world to US-based CGI professionals. Every single 3D modeler and render artist at Cad Crowd has been thoroughly vetted for their technical expertise and track record to deliver the best quality result at affordable prices.
Reach out to Cad Crowd for your free quote today.
