Poland-based 3D visualization artist Iryna Nalyavaiko posted some gorgeous 3D visualization experiments, exploring a mountain landscape with illuminated footpath, but rendering the “mountains” as textile fabric simulations. A simple but beautiful concept.

As she writes:

3D environments created with fabric.
“Under the sheets” is a series of CG images, the main idea of ​​which was to create natural terrains via 3d fabric simulation. In these images I combined large scale objects such as mountains and fields with small details of fabrics. Lighting and natural phenomena such as fog are maintained in their regular state for mountain landscapes.

Abstraction early in a design process is a critical tool for designers to collaborate with non-design trained clients or project stakeholders. Abstraction allows space in the client’s mind for imagination, to help the client focus and make decisions on key topics while muting other less critical decisions. Architects are taught abstraction from their earliest studio classes, making models with plain paperboard or basswood, hand sketching black and white drawings, diagraming on trace paper, etc. So even though live-rendering technologies give designers insane visualization power, designers still need to be clever and creative in how they use all that archviz potential in working through their design processes.

You can find Nalyvaiko’s Behance board here.