Mistakes in visualization have a habit of making a piece look fake. Here are some examples of details to look for when scrutinizing an animation that’s meant to represent your hard work. Realize that there are endless items that could be wrong, but these obscure examples are meant to give you an idea of how closely to proof that rendering, animation, or VR piece. Even if you don’t catch these items, someone is bound to so best to catch them sooner than later.
- Traffic and parking: If you’ve requested an animation, be sure the traffic is flowing in the correct directions based on the location of your buildings. Also note that the lines on the road make sense with those traffic directions. I.e. should the lines be white, yellow, double, or single and dashed.
With respect to parking, is there an event going on in a featured venue? If so, the parking spots surrounding those blocks should be full. When was the last time you went to a busy event and had a selection of parking spaces right up front? - People: With said venue, where there is an event there will also be plenty of people milling about in the surrounding blocks. Empty sidewalks don’t make sense.
- The Sky: Have you looked up lately? What happens when you look into the sky and turn around? Do you see the same cloud no matter what direction you look? Of course not. Therefore, in an animation the sky must move too. No permanent clouds.
- Building purpose: Many hotels and office buildings can look quite similar from the exterior but there are tell-tale signs that a building is one and not the other. When looking in the windows, what do you see? If it’s a hotel, you’re bound to see drapes and lighting more reminiscent of a home. If it’s an office building you’ll probably spot the shapes of cubicles and fluorescent lighting. Make sure the visualization piece is representative of your intent.