AI rendering for architects — concept to client presentation in 60 seconds
Architectural rendering AI built for the pace of modern practice: export a viewport from SketchUp, Revit, or Rhino, upload it to Vizbase, and receive a photorealistic still image in roughly 60 seconds. No GPU workstation, no V-Ray licence, no overnight render farm. Exteriors, interiors, and concept sketches all use the same pipeline. The free tier gives you 5 renders per month to test on real projects; paid plans start at €29/month. This page covers the full architect workflow, supported software, geometry preservation, and where traditional renderers like V-Ray or Lumion still make more sense.
Architectural visualization AI for every project stage
Massing and elevation renders — minutes, not days
Export your SketchUp or Revit elevation view and describe the cladding: "dark grey weathered timber boards", "light limestone ashlar", "white render with expressed concrete fins". Vizbase generates a photorealistic exterior still in 60 seconds, bright and airy, suitable for planning submissions and client approval boards.
Lobbies, apartments, offices — same AI, same speed
Upload any interior viewport — residential living areas, hotel lobbies, open-plan offices — and specify finishes per element. The AI auto-detects walls, floors, ceilings, glazing, and furniture. Swap materials independently: polished concrete floor, white oak millwork, brushed steel hardware. Ready for presentation in under a minute.
Early-stage massing and sketch rendering
Rough SketchUp block model? Hand sketch photo? Vizbase handles low-detail inputs. Geometry-preserving mode keeps your massing intent and adds materials and light, so you can show photorealistic mood to a client or planning committee before the design is fully resolved.
Multiple views, fast turnaround
Competitions require 4–8 rendered views on a tight deadline. Vizbase lets a small firm produce all views overnight without outsourcing to a rendering studio. Each view takes 60 seconds; inpainting tweaks individual elements without re-rendering the whole scene.
From 3D model to client-approved render in four steps
Export a viewport from your modelling software
In SketchUp use the native Vizbase plugin (one click) or File → Export → 2D Graphic. In Revit use Export Image from the View tab. In Rhino use ViewCaptureToFile. Any reasonable resolution JPEG or PNG works — the AI handles low-detail massing models as well as fully-modelled scenes.
Upload and let the AI analyse your scene
Drag the image into Vizbase. Within a few seconds the AI detects room type or exterior context, identifies every element (facade material zones, windows, landscape, interior surfaces), and generates a segmentation mask for each one. No manual selection required.
Describe your materials and design intent
Select any detected element and describe the finish in plain language: “light grey board-formed concrete”, “floor-to-ceiling glazing with anodised aluminium frames”, “hand-laid dark red brick with recessed mortar joints”. Use geometry-preserving mode (Gen 2.2) to keep proportions exact.
Download and present — or iterate in seconds
Your photorealistic architectural render is ready in 30–60 seconds. Bright, airy, magazine-quality. Download for your presentation deck, swap a single element using inpainting, or upscale to 6× resolution for print. Show three cladding options in one client meeting instead of waiting a week per revision.
Vizbase AI vs V-Ray vs Lumion for architectural practice
Traditional renderers remain superior for animation, real-time walkthroughs, VR/AR output, and competition boards requiring physically-accurate sun studies or shadow analysis. Vizbase wins on speed and cost for concept-stage stills and client-approval renders.
Where V-Ray and Lumion still win for architects
Vizbase is an AI renderer for still images. It does not simulate physics, so it cannot produce a spectrally-accurate sun-path study, an IES-profiled photometric calculation, or a caustic water reflection. If your project requires any of the following, a physics-based renderer is still the correct tool:
- —Animated client walkthroughs or flyover videos
- —Real-time interactive presentations (Lumion LiveSync, Enscape)
- —VR / AR immersive experiences
- —Daylight and solar analysis for planning submissions
- —Competition entries requiring physically-accurate HDR lighting
- —Precise shadow and reflection studies across multiple sun positions
Many architecture firms run both: Vizbase for day-to-day client-facing stills (fast, cheap, no GPU queue), V-Ray or Lumion reserved for the two or three deliverables per project that genuinely need physics accuracy or animation. That split cuts annual tooling cost significantly while keeping quality where it matters.
Works with the tools architects already use
SketchUp
NATIVE PLUGINOne-click render from inside SketchUp. Plugin available on Starter plan and above. Supports SketchUp 2021 and newer on macOS and Windows.
Revit
SCREENSHOT UPLOADExport Image from the Revit View tab (JPEG or PNG). Drag into Vizbase. Revit plugin is on the roadmap.
Rhino
SCREENSHOT UPLOADUse ViewCaptureToFile in Rhino to export your active viewport. Upload to Vizbase. Works with Grasshopper-generated geometry.
ArchiCAD
SCREENSHOT UPLOADExport a 3D view or rendered preview from ArchiCAD. Upload the image. The AI handles both detailed and schematic model levels.
3ds Max
SCREENSHOT UPLOADSave a viewport screenshot from 3ds Max and upload. Useful for early-stage design iterations before committing to a full V-Ray render.
AutoCAD / Floor Plans
SCREENSHOT UPLOADAutoCAD floor plan or section views can be rendered with Vizbase. Useful for presenting spatial layouts to non-technical clients with a photorealistic feel.
Questions from architects about AI rendering
What 3D software can I use with Vizbase?
Vizbase works from any 2D image, so it pairs with SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, AutoCAD, 3ds Max, ArchiCAD, Blender, or any tool that can export a viewport screenshot. There is a native one-click SketchUp plugin (Starter plan and above). Revit, Rhino, and others use the screenshot-upload workflow — just export a 2D view and drag it in.
Can Vizbase render both building exteriors and interior spaces?
Yes. Vizbase handles exterior facades, massing studies, streetscape views, and courtyard spaces as well as all interior room types — lobbies, open-plan offices, apartments, and single-family home interiors. The AI detects the scene context automatically.
How does Vizbase preserve my design geometry?
Vizbase uses a geometry-preserving generation mode (Gen 2.2) that locks spatial structure: it encodes your source image's L channel in LAB colour space and blends it with the generated output, keeping your massing, sightlines, and proportions intact while applying materials and lighting. Walls stay vertical. Windows stay where you drew them.
Where does V-Ray still beat Vizbase?
V-Ray wins on physics accuracy, full lighting simulation (IES profiles, caustics, sub-surface scattering), animation, and panoramic/VR output. If your deliverable is an animated flythrough, a VR client walkthrough, or a competition board requiring spectral accuracy, V-Ray remains the right tool for that output. Vizbase is the right tool for fast concept-stage stills and client-approval renders. See the V-Ray alternative comparison and Lumion alternative comparison for a full breakdown.
Can I show multiple design options to a client in one meeting?
That is the primary use case. Upload one view, describe three material or massing variants (brick vs. timber cladding, dark vs. light scheme), and generate each render in roughly 60 seconds. Three distinct options are ready in under five minutes — before the client's coffee goes cold.
Is a Revit plugin available?
Not yet. Revit users export a 2D view (JPEG/PNG via Revit's "Export Image" command) and upload it to Vizbase. A native Revit plugin is on the roadmap. The screenshot workflow produces identical quality — the pipeline is image-in, image-out regardless of source software.
Ready to render your next architectural project with AI?
Start with 5 free renders. No credit card required. Upload a SketchUp export, a Revit screenshot, or any 3D model view and get a photorealistic architectural still in 60 seconds.
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