Throughout these lessons we’ll learn how to model a detailed architectural house from 2D CAD plans and optimize it for a fast and impressive presentation rendering. We’ll go through the steps of modeling and rendering an architectural house in a way that makes it quick to create, easy to edit and fast to render.

We’ll learn about the various modeling techniques essential to architectural workflows such as working with CAD plans, poly modeling of every building part including terrain modeling and high resolution landscaping.

By the end of this tutorial you will be able to work and think like an architect, model and render any building, and easily be able to complete your work within very short deadlines.

01. Introduction and project overview
02. Reading our 2D CAD plans
03. Extracting information from our CAD plans
04. Refining blocks and text for export
05. Preparing contours in AutoCAD
06. Relayering plans for final export
07. Setting up 3ds Max for modeling
08. Importing CAD plans into 3ds Max
09. Modeling the raw terrain
10. Creating a refined terrain model
11. Adding roads to the terrain model
12. Editing the terrain model mesh
13. Methods for modeling the house walls
14. Editing walls and modeling columns
15. Modeling the ground floor slab
16. Creating the steps and slab edges
17. Producing the garage doors
18. Designing the fixed windows
19. Modeling the entrance window
20. Executing the main sliding doors
21. Generating the front double door
22. Modeling the vertical screens
23. Refinements to the ground floor walls
24. Creating the upper floor slab
25. Designing custom spiral stairs
26. Using shortcuts and existing geometry
27. Modeling the final walls
28. Forming the roof slab
29. Customizing the terrace
30. Modeling the pool and water
31. Sculpting running water
32. Refining the hardscape and pool
33. Transforming the slab edges and roof
34. Refining the terrain model
35. Setting our V-Ray rendering properties
36. Creating a white architectural render
37. Setting up our environment and HDRI
38. Controlling reflections and HDRI direction
39. Creating a custom site texture
40. Saving and mapping the site texture
41. Adding textures to the building
42. Using multi/sub-object materials
43. Adding multi materials
44. Texturing the falling water
45. Animating the sliding and pivot doors
46. Adding vegetation into the scene
47. Adjusting the camera
48. Final render settings
49. Editing our render in Photoshop
50. Final image and course conclusion