It really depends on the architect - mostly they’ll just provide you with .dxf “floor plans” and elevations, at best. Almost none use actual 3D yet, not unless they’re a big studio in a big city. So you’ll get line drawings, at best. Sometimes done with PENCIL, hah haa!
You’ll need to 3D-ify that yourself, and it’s often a nightmare. But I do it every day and it just takes practice. For the walls, you just Loft the wall lines up to the height you need. Simple. Cutout the windows, build yourself a nice modular window frame and panes, and work them into the scene.
Silo can do all of this, but I use Rhino 3D. It’s really fast and powerful and I can model an entire house in a day - including gutters, joist connectors, stuff like that - but the GOOD NEWS is you only have to do most of that one time, from scratch. Then you can copy/paste and adjust your first models to work in later scenes. I have an extensive library of stuff like that, from every Kohler and Delta faucet/sink/tub/shower fixture to lighting fixtures to permit plan stuff like studs, joists, beams, siding, trusses, etc.
It takes time, but you’ll get faster as you go!
And then the FUN part starts. Rendering. I don’t use Rhino for this, although Vray for Rhino exists and it’s great. I use Maya and Vray myself, but most people use 3DS Max and Vray or Cinema 4D. There’s no WRONG way, there’s just faster, more modular ones.
But you’ll import your geometry into your main rendering package, apply textures and shaders (walls, ceiling, floor, tiles, woods for cabinetry, glass for shower doors, etc.) and then set up your render and click RENDER. And wait. And it will suck, at first. So you have to learn rendering too! My HQ 300dpi renderings take about two hours each , sometimes less, sometimes more. I could speed this up by updating my computers but that’s gotta wait. Soon, though!
Again, I have built up my own library of shaders and whatnot over the past 15 years so it’s much faster for me. But it’s totally doable and worth doing, if you can find the right clients to PAY for it. I get paid far too little but it’s getting better and better, as my portfolio grows and my skills. I can charge more. They’ll PAY more, for high quality prints to close contracts with the homeowners and clients. It’s a tough field but I’ve made it work, survived, and sometimes even thrived!
