Virtual Victory
by Craig Jolly
In the current economy, how your dollars are spent is more important than ever. 3-D models, renderings and animations are often thought of as expensive "end products" used to market a project. However, these tools utilize technology that can be tremendously useful across many stages of development. When used effectively, they can save time, labor and expense.
The key to coordinating digital assets across departments is to recognize that the needs of each department are not only different, they may be in opposition to each other. Models used for design development need to be fast, flexible and cost effective, whereas marketing will generally have a much larger budget to reflect the firm's carefully crafted brand identity. Given this disparity, it should be no surprise that companies are failing to use these tools as efficiently as possible.
Design Development
At this fluid design stage, it is imperative to create flexible 3-D models. The most cost effective design development models are built to facilitate rapid change. What is not necessary is a final marketing image directed toward the consumer. If the model is built as a final end product, additional expenses are incurred in re-building a new "end product" from scratch whenever inevitable changes take place.
For some firms, the tools have become so vital to the design process that they have been brought in-house. This allows for tighter integration with existing workflow and closer coordination with the decision makers. If your firm uses outside vendors, be certain to find out what's included in the fee; sometimes revisions are included but are often considered extra.
Identifying the key decision makers and critical deadlines early will contain costs and better facilitate communication with vendors. Coordination is essential to realizing overall cost savings. Smart firms bring in the marketing staff to advise on what their needs will be at the end of the project so that models built early will have the potential to be re-used downstream.
Avoid the temptation to add more people to the process early. Too many decision makers included in an email thread can clutter the process unnecessarily and add time and costs. Smart coordination involves not only identifying the needs of the various departments but also knowing who the decision makers are and when they have the ball.
City Submittals
Renderings are regularly instrumental in overcoming opposition to a project. What's needed here differs somewhat from design development. While the model may still need to be flexible to change, it needs to be shown with more polish than before. Often, there are very specific deliverables or concerns that need to be addressed. Communicating those concerns to the team along with deadlines for hearing dates ensures that everyone has their eye on the ball and that a valuable month is not lost waiting for the next submittal date.
Marketing
The same 3-D models that are used for early design development decisions are often used downstream for dynamic marketing presentations. At this point, the design is close to being finalized and flexibility for change is not nearly as important as standing out and captivating audiences. Though the design is nearly final, it is important to continue coordinating with those making design decisions. Keeping communication lines open with other departments ensures that the marketing image accurately reflects what is being sold. Changes are always easiest to incorporate before the marketing deliverables are complete and can save revision fees.
Firms using in-house staff will often consult with outside vendors at some point in the process. Sometimes, this is due to a short deadline that requires more than the staff can handle, but almost always, it is to take advantage of additional expertise. Setting that relationship up early ensures that the handoff for critical deadlines goes smoothly. By coordinating digital assets across departments, you can add value at every stage and save costs across the entire project, yielding an overall higher return on investment.
Craig Jolly is CEO of Studio F1 LLC. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a Master of Business Administration. He has spent his career making computer modeling more cost effective for design development over the past 14 years, creating in-house and outsourced modeling solutions for architects and their clients.
www.studiof1.com
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