Sustainable Land Development Today - October 2007 - (Page 15)

Chad Myers, Director of the Visualization Department at Schneider Corp. said their software uses CAD files. “The software we use is standard, off the shelf technology. It’s produced by one of the major application developers in the world, Autodesk, Inc., using AutoCAD as our primary modeling tool,” he said. “We use a program called 3D Max as our animation tool. In addition to the modeling and animation, we typically do some post production work, adding video clips, video affects and narrations.” To see the Whitewater animation created by Schneider Corp., go to: http://vizstudio.schneidercorp.com/ (Above) 3-D technology offers the ability to translate hand sketch designs into a photo-realistic model that can be viewed from all angles. (Left) The 3-D visualization helped Crosland’s Reichle sell the idea of this radically different approach to the architecture of the clubhouse. “We will require that all of the homes be built to an agreed upon green level, whether it be Energy Star or another program,” Reichle said. “The National Homebuilders are on the verge of coming out with a green building program. We’re trying to see what that program will entail.” The idea was there. Schneider Corp. was hired to address some of the challenges. “The biggest is that Crosland wanted to push the envelope on what this project is,” said Foster, who was the landscape architect for the project and incharge of everything that wasn’t under a roof. “They approached it from several different fronts. One is an environmentally sensitive design, and two, technology. Everything was to be really cutting edge.” “At the end of the day we are communicating your story in a visual manner, so we have to be story tellers,” said Myers, who noted that the 3-D process has three phases: • Conceptual visualization - used by designers such as engineers or architects, to communicate a design concept to the client. • Engineering visualization - highly accurate, highly detailed images of design concepts • Marketing visualization - to communicate to the prospective buyer. In this case builders and eventually home buyers “We’ll sit down with the client to identify all the key elements they want to communicate to the prospective audience. Then we’ll take the engineering visualization that we’ve created and start assembling the pieces to tell a story,” Myers said, noting that the audiences change for each phase. “Typically in the conceptual visualization, you are communicating with one person, the manager of the development or main designer of the development,” he said. “When you are communicating engineering visualization, it’s typically to the entire development staff. The marketing visualization is geared to the end buyer or consumer.” The last can be the trickiest, because the audience can be quite wide. “In the case of Whitewater, the audience they were initially selling to was the builders, to get them excited about this,” Myers said. “Then they re-purposed the animation, making slight modifications to use it to communicate to the home buyers who were anybody ranging from age 30 to 65. Each age group has different likes and needs.” Foster said he used the 3-D technology from the get go. “I’ll put some www.SLDTonline.com 15 http://vizstudio.schneidercorp.com/ http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - October 2007

Sustainable Land Development Today - October 2007 Contents Our Voice Your Voice Editorial Board Mapping the Development Process Looking at a New Dimension The Environmental Liability Continuum GPS System Makes the Grade Regulations: Reactions Mixed Trends: Communications Easements Business Management: Recycling Sustainable Practices: LEED-ND Energy: Community Propane Systems Transportation: Mountain Solutions Recommended Reading Calendar Products/Services Showcase Classifieds Advertiser Index The Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - October 2007

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