At this point, I am sure you clicked on this blog post out of sheer curiosity. If you frequent my posts, you will know that my blogs always center around 3D modeling and rendering. However, another passion of mine is sustainability. So what can these two interests possibly have in common? More than you would think.
Before delving into the depths of rendering and sustainability, I want to define what my definition of sustainability is. This word gets thrown around so frequently by so many, that it has begun to lose meaning. In the same way food labels now say "gluten free" or "fat free" for just about any product it can apply to, the word sustainable gets slapped onto anything it could remotely apply to. Sustainability can be defined as a resource that is easily renewable and readily reusable in order to minimize the production of something new. Most important, sustainability calls us to think not just of the present, but also to the future. When considering if something is sustainable, we first and foremost call into question the longevity of the solution. This can be applied in many ways: from the resources used to create the product, transport the product, package the product and even what happens to the product at the end of its life.Now that sustainability has been defined, we can delve deeper into how rendering encourages sustainability.
One: The creation of the render uses only electricity and no other physical resources.
Instead of building a house, painting the living room Sherwin Williams "Naval Blue" and finding out that you actually hate it with the rest of the decor, try it digitally. Since any material or paint color you find online can be made into a digital material, you are able to try entirely different colors without wasting time or resources. Switch out the paint for a "Dark Night Blue" and change the couches fabrics from a grey cotton to a white faux leather in little to no time. You are able to see results quickly and easily - without the use of any resources. No need ordering fabric or paint samples, simply just write down the product and it can be sourced for your design. Even custom pieces or art can be brought into the model. All that is needed is a name, a picture or a vendor and the specific resource can be pulled in. Same goes for models of furniture. At the end of the day, if none of the above can be found, custom models and materials can always be brought in and tried - all of it without the use or transport of any physical resources.
Two: You can do it all from home meaning no gas or travel time wasted.
Time is money but gas is also money. By being able to see results from the comfort of your home, or even phone, you are able to cut down travel time and gas use. When considering sustainability, one must look at the whole cycle of the product. Consider the case of building a house and choosing flooring. The couple decides being sustainable is a goal for them and decides to order bamboo flooring - a quickly replenishing resource. However, the closes bamboo flooring is 6 states away meaning a truck will have to carry the resources all of that way. By the time it arrives, the cost of getting the product to them has already gone up. Further more, imagine this couple has two kids and a dog. The softer bamboo flooring, while considered sustainable before, now has to be replaced in 5 years due to the easily scratched surface. By the time the entire cycle of the product is considered, the locally sourced oak flooring would have been a better option from travel to longevity.
Three: Digital models are endlessly reusable.
Once a model has been built, whether it is a home, a car, or a chair, it can be used over and over. Whether it is a model you have requested, a material that has been sourced, or even a video walkthrough of a space, you are able to use all of these resources repeatedly. Send video and still renders to clients, use them for marketing, alter them and send them to other potential clients - however you want to use these resources, you can. Create product videos advertising your services without needing real life prototypes, still shots of new merchandise or even a model apartment you can restyle digitally every couple of years as trends change. There is no limit to what can be produced or how it can be used, as long as you are able to think outside the box.
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