What to Send for an Exterior Still 3D Rendering
Quick answer: For an exterior still 3D rendering, send the purpose and deadline, the plans, elevations and a section, materials and colors with codes, the survey and site photographs, landscape intent, the camera position and eye height, the time of day and the output format.
What an exterior still is
An exterior still is a single image of the outside of a building, seen from a chosen camera position, in a chosen light. It is the most common rendering deliverable and the one people picture when they hear "3D rendering." Because it is one frame, every decision matters: which facade is shown, from how far, at what hour, with what landscape. The quality of the result depends on what you send before the studio starts, and most delays come from missing information, not from modeling.
This guide lists what to send for an exterior still and explains why each item matters.
Say what the image is for
An image for a permit hearing, a sales brochure, a builder's decision meeting and a personal design review are four different images. Tell the studio the audience, the date and where the image will appear. That determines whether the light is neutral or dramatic, whether people and cars appear, and whether the resolution is for a screen or a large print. See marketing brochure and zoning hearing for the two most different cases.
The drawings that define the building
- Site plan with the building footprint, property lines and setbacks.
- All floor plans, plus the roof plan.
- All exterior elevations with dimensions or heights.
- At least one building section, especially for sloped roofs or stepped volumes.
- Window and door schedule or sizes.
- Details of any unusual feature: canopies, balconies, screens, chimneys.
Elevations are the most useful single item for an exterior. They fix the shapes, proportions and openings. See sending elevations and sections.
Materials and colors
Name every exterior material with brand, product, color and finish where you know them: brick type and mortar, stucco texture, siding profile, roofing, stone, metal, glass tint, trim and doors. Photos of samples or existing buildings you like help. If nothing is decided, say so, and ask the studio to propose options. A color name is not enough, since paint names vary between manufacturers, so include the code. See finish schedules.
Site, grade and context
An exterior is seen against its surroundings. Send the site plan, the survey or topography, photographs of the site and of the neighboring buildings, the trees and the street. If the site slopes, tell the studio how, since it changes what the viewer sees at the base. If the surrounding buildings must appear, provide their heights and approximate shapes. See survey and topography.
Landscape and hardscape
Plants, lawns, driveways, walks, fences and retaining walls soften the building and often occupy half the image. Send the landscape plan with species and sizes, or describe the intent: formal, natural, drought-tolerant. Say how mature the plants should look. Send driveway and walkway materials. If the landscape is not designed yet, the studio can add neutral planting that does not promise a design you did not choose. See landscape plans.
Choosing the camera
Tell the studio which facade to show and from where. A front three-quarter view, a street-level view and a straight elevation view each tell a different story. Mark the position on the site plan, or send a reference photo of the view you want. Give the eye height: five to six feet suits a person on the ground, twenty feet shows the roof. Avoid extreme wide-angle lenses that distort, unless the image is deliberately dramatic.
Time of day, weather and sky
Golden hour is flattering, midday is neutral, dusk shows interior lights, an overcast sky is honest for regulatory images. Choose the hour that supports the purpose and say it. Send the location and orientation of the building so the sun falls where it would in reality. A rendering with a sun that comes from the wrong side of the house contradicts the shadows on neighboring photographs.
People, cars and props
A few figures, a car in the driveway or a bicycle give scale and life. Specify what you want: none, a few, a lively scene. Avoid props that promise something the project does not include. For regulatory images, minimal people and no dramatic props keep attention on the building. For marketing, a warm scene that fits the buyer profile works better.
Reading the facade: what the studio needs to see
A facade is a composition of solids and voids, and the studio has to rebuild each one. Mark the depth of window reveals, the projection of cornices and eaves, the thickness of parapets and the shadow lines around porches. Two houses with identical elevations look different if one has deep-set windows and the other has flush ones. If the drawings do not show these depths, send a wall section or a detail, or a photograph of a similar existing building. These small depths are what make an image read as architecture and not as a box with textures.
Glass, reflections and what is behind it
Glass is the hardest material to get right from limited information. Tell the studio the tint, the reflectivity, whether mullions are thin or thick, and whether the frames are black, bronze or white. Decide what the viewer sees through the glass: an interior lit warmly, a dark void or a reflection of the sky. A large glazed front with nothing behind it looks like a stage set. If interiors are not designed, send a simple description of the rooms behind the windows, so the studio can place curtains, ceiling lights or a hint of furniture.
Roofs, chimneys and rooftop equipment
Roofs are visible in most exterior views, especially from a slightly raised camera. Send the roof plan with pitches, the roofing material and color, the gutters and downspouts, the chimneys, skylights and vents. Rooftop mechanical units on commercial buildings are often forgotten in early drawings, yet they appear in an aerial or elevated view. State whether they should be shown, hidden behind a screen or omitted. Saying so early avoids a late surprise where an approved image contradicts the construction set.
Signs, addresses and branding
Commercial exteriors carry signs, and residential ones carry house numbers, mailboxes and lights. Send the sign drawings with sizes, colors, fonts and mounting height, plus vector logos for any brand. Tell the studio if signs are final or placeholders. A wrong logo or an invented sign name can cause real problems in a marketing piece. If the sign design is pending, ask the studio to use a neutral placeholder clearly different from any real brand, so nobody mistakes it for a decision.
Lighting at night
A dusk exterior shows the building lit from inside and outside. Send the exterior lighting plan and the interior lighting intentions, since visible windows depend on what is inside them. A blank window looks lifeless, so tell the studio whether curtains are open and what is inside. The studio can choose color temperatures that suit the architecture, and warm interior light contrasts well with a blue sky.
Resolution, format and aspect ratio
Tell the studio the final size: screen only, a page in a brochure or a large print. Ask for wide and vertical crops if the image will be used in several places. Confirm the file format: JPEG for general use, PNG for transparency, TIFF for print. Ask for a high-resolution master and a compressed web version. Changing the aspect ratio after the image is finished often means re-rendering.
Revisions and approvals
Agree on the number of revision rounds and what counts as a revision. Changes to the camera or the light are cheap early and expensive late. Changes to materials are easy in a still. Changes to the geometry require remodeling. Ask for a low-resolution preview first so you can catch errors, and send comments in a single consolidated message.
Common exterior mistakes
- No elevations. The studio guesses the facade.
- Vague materials. The result looks generic.
- No context. The building floats in space.
- Wrong orientation. Shadows and light are false.
- Late camera change. The composition is redone.
- Unclear purpose. Style and light do not match the use.
A worked example: a two-story family home
A builder sends the plans and elevations of a two-story house, the material list (brick, fiber cement siding, standing seam metal accent, black windows), a survey with the north arrow, twelve photographs of the lot, a landscape sketch and a note: "A front three-quarter view for the sales sign. Warm late afternoon. No people, one car."
The studio sets the camera from the street at eye height, places the sun from the west, adds the planting from the sketch and delivers a preview. The builder asks for a lighter brick, the studio changes it in an hour and the final image is delivered in wide and vertical crops.
A checklist for an exterior still
- Purpose, audience and deadline.
- Site plan, plans, elevations and section.
- Materials and colors with codes.
- Survey, site photos and orientation.
- Landscape and hardscape plan or intent.
- Camera position and eye height.
- Time of day, weather, people and props.
- Resolution, format and crops.
Questions to ask a studio
- Can you show the camera position on the site plan before rendering?
- How many revision rounds are included?
- Can you deliver crops for print and web?
- Can you show the same view by day and at dusk?
- Who owns the model and the source files?
Making the most of a single image
Because an exterior still is one frame, it is worth spending time on it. Look for the view that explains the design best, not the one that is most convenient. Sometimes the entrance side matters more than the street side. Sometimes a corner view shows two facades. Discuss two or three options with the studio, choose one and give it the best light. If the budget allows, a second view from another angle doubles the information without doubling the model cost, since the same 3D model serves both.
Frequently asked questions
What do I send for an exterior 3D rendering?
Plans, elevations, a section, materials and colors, a site plan or survey, site photos, landscape intent, the camera position and the purpose.
Can you work without elevations?
Yes, from plans and photographs, but elevations give the most accurate result.
Can you choose the time of day?
Yes. Tell us the mood and the purpose.
Do you add landscaping?
Yes, from your plan or with neutral planting if none exists.
Can you add people and cars?
Yes, in the amount you specify.
Can I get several crops?
Yes. Ask for wide and vertical versions.
How many revisions are included?
Agree on this before the project starts.
Can I get a night version?
Yes, with the lighting plan.
Related guides
This guide is part of our series on what to send a 3D rendering studio. Start with the overview, what to send a 3D rendering studio. Related: what to send for an interior still, what to send for an aerial view, sending floor plans. When you are ready, send what you have through our quote request.