Key Takeaways:
- Architectural visualization creates the most value when it functions as internal infrastructure, not just a final deliverable.
- The real advantage of faster visualization is not speed itself, but the capacity it unlocks across large, complex teams.
- By removing invisible workflow friction, real-time visualization enables earlier, clearer, and more confident design decisions.
Studio Overview
- Location: Pune, India
- Team Size: 300+; dedicated in-house visualization team of ~10 artists
- Studio Type: Multidisciplinary architecture and design practice
- Project Types: Large residential developments and townships, urban-scale masterplans, public-sector and government projects, mixed-use developments, interiors, landscape-heavy projects, and environmentally driven developments
- Modeling Tools: SketchUp, Blender, 3ds Max
As design organizations grow, complexity doesn’t increase linearly—it multiplies. At VK Group, visualization evolved from a final deliverable into a foundational system—one that helps a 300-person, multidisciplinary practice stay aligned and efficient. When visualization became infrastructure, everything else—speed, clarity, and capacity—followed.
The firm works across interiors, landscape, urban planning, and public-sector projects. With hundreds of designers contributing to complex, regulation-heavy developments, the real challenge was operational: how to keep teams moving without visualization becoming a bottleneck.
When Visualization Slowed the Workflow
Before adopting D5 Render, visualization lived near the end of the pipeline. Architects developed design intent, handed off models, and any late-stage change triggered a familiar loop:
re-imports, re-texturing, lighting resets, and extensive post-production.
As projects grew more complex, this friction scaled with them. Dense urban models with multiple towers and heavy greenery pushed tools to their limits. Iterations slowed. Animations became burdensome. Visualization efficiency quietly started to cap the firm’s capacity.
A Shared Visualization Backbone
Everything shifted in late 2022, when VK Group tested D5 on a large-scale urban project. The initial question was whether real-time rendering could handle massive datasets without sacrificing quality. The answer was yes—but the impact ran deeper.
“D5 reduced our delivery time by almost 80%, while still maintaining the level of visual quality our clients expect,” said Anup Gandhe, head of the visualization team.
D5 didn’t just speed up rendering. It changed where visualization lived in the process. Instead of a final step, it became a shared environment—something teams could use throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Architects still begin in SketchUp, while the visualization team refines geometry in Blender or 3ds Max. But instead of scattering the workflow, everything now converges in D5. Materials, lighting, landscape, cameras, and animation are all resolved in one place. Visualization is no longer a hand-off—it’s a continuous, integrated process.
Also read: D5 Widgets | Merge Rendering Projects for Better, Easier Arch Studio Teamwork
What D5 Removed Matters Most
One of the biggest breakthroughs wasn’t what D5 added—but what it eliminated.
Small design changes used to carry hidden overhead, but with D5 Live Sync, that friction disappeared. Upstream changes now update instantly in D5.
“We just update the model and it refreshes in D5—no need to re-import or re-texture,” said Anup.
This invisible time savings made a visible difference. Designers spent less time managing files and more time thinking through design decisions. Visualization became invisible infrastructure—quiet, dependable, and built into the way teams work.
Also read: D5 Render + 3ds Max: Animation Made Easy
From Output to Design Confidence
As friction fell away, visualization found a new role—not just as presentation, but as a way to reduce uncertainty. Teams began using D5 to test facades, explore materials, and compare options early—when decisions are still flexible.
Design variations now exist side by side in the same scene, under the same lighting and camera. Designers don’t debate drawings—they see the impact instantly, making decisions with confidence before the presentation ever begins.
Scaling Real-Time Thinking Across Landscape
Nowhere is this shift clearer than in landscape. VK Group’s sites often span large, green spaces and layered circulation networks. Visualizing these used to take time, just to communicate intent. With real-time tools and AI-assisted workflows, designers now explore site strategies as quickly as building concepts.
This doesn’t replace detailed landscape design—it accelerates understanding. Teams can study density, rhythm, and atmosphere before committing to details. Visualization becomes a tool for thinking, not just finishing.
Also read: D5 Render 3.0 is Live: A New Era of AI Rendering for Your Design Workflow
When Speed Becomes Capacity
With faster, more integrated visualization, something unexpected happened: capacity increased. VK Group didn’t set out to create more images, but with rendering no longer a bottleneck, output grew naturally.
The same team could now support more projects, produce more options, and respond faster—without adding headcount. Speed wasn’t just about moving faster—it was about gaining space to do more.
A Real-World Test: Kohinoor Satori
Kohinoor Satori, a large residential project by Kohinoor Group, Pune consists of multiple towers, extensive landscaping, and animation needs, tested this shift. Under old workflows, it would’ve required trade-offs just to stay on schedule.
With D5, different artists handled interiors, exteriors, and landscape in parallel—merging everything into a cohesive scene without performance loss.
Ease of Adoption at Scale
One of the most overlooked success factors was ease of adoption. In large firms, new tools bring risk—not in cost, but disruption. Training time matters.
VK Group’s team was up and running in D5 within days. That low learning curve enabled fast standardization, even mid-project. Infrastructure only works when people trust it—usability earned that trust.
Over time, reliance on external post-production dropped. Tasks once handled in Photoshop now happen inside D5. Feedback cycles shortened, and consistency improved across the board.
Visualization, Reframed
What makes VK Group’s story stand out isn’t the claim that real-time rendering is faster. That’s well established. What’s unique is how visualization—once a final product—became structural. It now supports decision-making, coordination, and creative flow across the entire organization.
The real transformation didn’t happen on screen. It happened in the spaces between teams, where friction used to live. Visualization didn’t just improve—it became infrastructure.
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