“Every session confirms how eager students are to learn these tools. I’ve seen them walk into class hesitant, and walk out ready to present their ideas with pride.”

—Ignacio Sottini

Key Takeaways:

• ‍Real-time rendering accelerates learning — D5 Render shortens feedback loops, allowing students to iterate quickly and build confidence.
• ‍Visualization is communication — Ignacio teaches that rendering is not just about images, but about persuading, inspiring trust, and demonstrating value.
• ‍Education meets professional practice — Through Render Training School, D5 bridges academic learning with industry-ready workflows, preparing students for real-world success.
• ‍Integrated features matter — Ease of use, asset libraries, lighting, animation, and workflow speed make D5 the ideal tool for education.

Educator Overview:

• ‍Name: Ignacio Sottini‍
• Country: Argentina‍
• Position: Architect at Estudio Montevideo; Auxiliary Professor (UNC & UCC); Founder of Render Training School‍
• Teaching Course: Morphology III, Entrepreneurship‍
• Previous Workflow and Modeling: Lumion, V-Ray and Photoshop‍
• Now Using: D5 Render

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Visualization as Communication

Visualization is more than producing images—it’s the art of communicating ideas with clarity and impact. In architectural education, students must go beyond learning how to design spaces. They also need to master how to present and communicate those ideas persuasively—to inspire trust, demonstrate value, and ultimately convince clients of their vision.

For Ignacio Sottini, D5 Render has become a crucial bridge between professional visualization practice and education. It is reshaping how students learn design communication.

“Visualization is about giving students the power to communicate their ideas effectively.”

From Traditional Workflows to Real-Time Transformation

Before discovering D5, Ignacio relied on the standard industry pipeline: SketchUp for modeling, Lumion or V-Ray for rendering, and Photoshop for post-production. The process was slow, fragmented, and often discouraging for students who faced steep learning curves and long waiting times. Adjusting materials, plugins, and render settings stretched feedback loops, making design exploration harder.

D5 Render changed the equation.

“What caught my attention was its real-time rendering capabilities combined with high-quality results”

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The immediacy of seeing lighting, materials, and atmosphere in seconds transformed not just his own workflow but also his teaching. Students moved from the slow, fragmented SketchUp–Lumion/V-Ray–Photoshop pipeline to instant comprehension of these elements within D5.

“Students could suddenly visualize and iterate quickly, gaining confidence and motivation as they saw professional-quality results without endless technical hurdles.”

The shift made them faster and more effective in design communication—critical for both academic growth and early professional practice.

Also read: D5 Key Features to Visualize Human-Centered Design

Teaching with D5: Motivating the Next Generation

For Ignacio, the classroom became the testing ground. D5’s intuitive interface and streamlined workflow lowered barriers, letting students focus on design instead of struggling with software complexity. Its asset library, lighting system, and animation tools gave them professional-level capabilities right at their fingertips.

“Compared to other rendering software, D5 Render is easier to learn and gives students faster, more professional results. That makes them feel more capable and motivated.”

This philosophy took center stage at CONARQ 2025, where Ignacio presented a masterclass to thousands of students across Argentina. The response was overwhelming: attendees were inspired by the possibilities of real-time rendering, and many later enrolled at Render Training School.

“It reinforced the importance of bringing cutting-edge tools to education. You could see their eyes light up when they realized how quickly they could bring their ideas to life.”

Render Training School: A Regional Hub for Educational Architecture

Ignacio founded Render Training School to fill the gap between software tutorials and true visual thinking. The program blends structured workshops, masterclasses, and one-on-one mentoring.

“I wanted to create a space where students not only learn software, but also learn how to think visually”

The curriculum combines theory—lighting, materials, workflows—with hands-on rendering challenges using D5 as a core tool. Its speed and efficiency allow students to move from static images to dynamic presentations in record time.

The results speak volumes:

• Students who once struggled with static rendering now deliver full real-estate visualizations in weeks, not months.
• One standout student produced a complete real-estate visualization using D5 after only a few weeks—a task that previously took months with other software.

Ignacio notes that beyond speed and quality, confidence is the biggest change.

“Every session confirms how eager students are to learn these tools. I’ve seen them walk into class hesitant, and walk out ready to present their ideas with pride.”

Short-term, his goal is to strengthen a nationwide community of young architects in Argentina. Long-term, he envisions Render Training School evolving into a regional hub across Latin America.

Also read: Best practices of interior lighting for SketchUp

A Tool That Transforms Teaching

For Ignacio, D5 Render is not just another software—it’s a catalyst for educational change. It enables efficiency, nurtures creativity, and boosts motivation, allowing students to focus on design rather than technical obstacles.

The combination of real-time rendering, ease of use, asset libraries, lighting, animation, and workflow speed makes it indispensable in educational contexts.

“I’d like to thank D5 for building a tool that not only empowers professionals but also transforms the way we teach architecture.”

With D5 at the heart of Render Training School, Ignacio Sottini is shaping a new generation of architects who see visualization not as a barrier, but as a natural extension of their design process.

“In the end, what I want is for my students to see rendering not as a chore, but as part of their creative journey,” he concludes.

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