The art of architecture

Architectural 3D rendering and animation powerhouse Binyan Studios is not only the largest studio of its kind in Australia, it is one of the largest in the world. Starting modestly in the spare room of a Sydney flat in 2011, the company has grown to a staff of over 100 working from offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and New York.

The studio works with property developers and architects worldwide on high-end projects across residential, hospitality, commercial, retail, education and other sectors. When developers and architects need to market a project that is yet to be built, they rely on Binyan Studios to show the world their design and vision through glorious photorealistic images and videos.

Bringing static images to life

Binyan takes 2D architectural drawings and translates them into 3D models. Its team of talented artists then uses 3D rendering software together with apps in Adobe Creative Cloud for teams and the Substance 3D Collection to turn these models into a stunning final product.

“We’ve employed Adobe Creative Cloud since day one. I’ve been using it myself for 20 years,” says Andrei Dolnikov, Binyan Founder and CEO. “No other software could handle the incredibly complex information contained within the texture, reflection, refraction, shading passes and other details in every image or film we produce. It’s where the magic happens.”

Binyan’s Director Chris Worsfold agrees, explaining, “We’re really selling a dream. Adobe helps us to bring that dream to life.”

Adobe Photoshop lets designers add photorealistic touches that turn a technically accurate 3D rendering into something artful, emotional and truly real. The 3D renderings are then pulled into Adobe After Effects to create animations that better display a design space from all angles.

Achieving new levels of detail in 3D

Over the past several years, Substance 3D has increasingly become a core part of the rendering process.

“The bar on visual quality has risen dramatically over the past five years,” says Paul Gannon, Executive Creative Director at Binyan. “We’ve always aimed to capture the atmosphere of a design in photoreal detail. But more and more our global clients demand images that fully incorporate every detail, from the way patterns shift in light to the exact texture of fabrics on furniture.”

With the Substance 3D apps, Binyan artists create more detailed 3D art in less time, giving Binyan more time to focus on those little details that make spaces believable and real. Mirko Venturi, a 3D assets artist at Binyan, often likes to start with Substance 3D Assets, searching through the libraries to find just the right models, textures and maps for any planned 3D element. Rather than sculpting every detail himself, he can use Substance 3D Painter to add decorations and layer materials until the design feels real.

“I would say that working with Substance 3D allows me to create assets in one half to one tenth of the time,” says Venturi. “I was blown away by Substance 3D Sampler, because we always get references ranging from fabric samples to patterns on a plaster wall. We can turn all that into photoreal materials with just a couple of clicks. It really helps me to raise the bar on quality for our clients.”

New York state of mind

Binyan tackles hundreds of projects every year, including Hudson Yards — a marquee project for global real estate and lifestyle company Related involving the redevelopment of a large area of Manhattan. The Edge is the highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, with a unique design that gives visitors the feeling of floating in the sky with 360-degree views. Before construction was complete, Binyan created a stunning image that built excitement for the experience.

“Related’s 35 Hudson Yards is going to be a very iconic tower and part of the most important project in New York right now,” explains Dolnikov. “Our client wanted to print a wide-angle image of the project, but it was another case of the image not looking right despite the physics being correct, so we heavily invested in post-production with Photoshop to create the right visual aesthetic.”

For a neighboring tower, 15 Hudson Yards, Binyan collaborated with four Elle Decor A-List interior designers to create four different visions of what living Manhattan’s fastest-selling condo project might look like. Each designer added bespoke elements that made the space feel alive, from candy wrappers nearly spilling out of a full wastebasket in one design to a Salvador Dali lobster phone in another. With Substance 3D Painter, artists layered textures to quickly turn 3D models into furniture, flooring and room that looked equally real from any angle — even in closeup.

“Fabrics are very important for us because a designer might send us a reference of a very particular Italian fabric that they chose because the patterns change depending on the light,” says Venturi. “I can use Substance 3D Sampler to add the fabric to our library and then adjust the material in Substance 3D Painter to recreate the patterns in 3D.”

Recreating historic architecture

Other ambitious projects have taken Binyan to the Middle East. Dubai Creek Tower, when completed, will include a spire that will stand as the tallest structure in the world.

“This incredible project is focalised around a tower that’s designed by Santiago Calatrava,” says Worsfold. “It’s this massive thing that goes up into the sky and above the clouds. We did a number of images of that and one in particular that we created in black and white was displayed on a massive billboard in front of the city’s airport.”

For another project in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Binyan was challenged to bring a very particular style of local Nadji architecture to life. The artists working on the project researched the architecture extensively to make sure that the signature mud bricks looked just right.

“The most common materials I’m looking for are natural-looking materials—marble, wood or concrete even,” says Venturi. “Substance 3D Assets has such a variety of textures that I can layer and use in combination so that no two objects in a room look exactly the same.”

Mutual evolution

The artists and creators at Binyan don’t take their responsibilities lightly. They know that the work Binyan produces can have a dramatic effect on decisions people make about where they want to live and when to purchase a new home.

“When people buy a property, they buy it off the renders they’ve seen,” says Worsfold. “They look at the renders and make the decision as to whether they want to invest in this project or that project. That’s no small thing and it’s our job to help them to find that place to call home.”

Binyan continues to grow and evolve, taking advantage of each new feature in Adobe Creative Cloud apps to work faster and open up creative possibilities for clients. With the Substance 3D Collection, Binyan hopes to start creating more bespoke elements and assets to help artists create even more sophisticated visuals.

Using Adobe Creative Cloud, Binyan is able to create images that stir emotion in people. “Every single image we make has to go through Adobe Creative Cloud,” says Dolnikov. “We couldn’t do anything without it.”

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