The program we used (the then-cutting edge Autodesk Revit 2011&2012,) allowed us (and our consultants) to model the entire building in the computer before anything was built, allowing us to more accurately visualize how the finished product will generally look. There are several schools of thought in terms of renderings, but we generally strive towards accuracy, minimizing the amount of embellishment. There are, of course, levels of detail that are not always present. For example, often we don't need to spend time modeling the light switches and exit signs to get a good sense of the space, but in general, with a more accurate rendering, the client is made aware of the final appearance of the space, and if any problems are found early on, they can be addressed before they become expensive change orders during construction.
When the project was completed, HMS hired a photographer to document the same spaces. See below for the comparison, to show how closely the renderings (created entirely in the computer while the site was a grass field) compared to the real world building, more than a year later.
Choir Room. Rendering on top, final picture below. Rendering is fairly accurate, other than missing furniture and curtains, and some slight material inaccuracies with the wooden slats at the top, the ceiling tile material, and the wall diffuser material.
Percussion Suite. Rough rendering on top, final photo on bottom. Views are from opposite corners of the same room, facing the same windows. All the acoustic panels and casework is modeled correctly, although the same ceiling and wall diffuser material issues are present, and the carpet tile was laid in a slightly different pattern. Notably, the curved acoustic hanging panels needed to be shifted slightly during construction.
For reference, this building was modeled in then-cutting edge Autodesk Revit 2011 and 2012, and rendered in the same program, on our local computers. Since then, we have continually improved our rendering technology and skills to create better and more-accurate renderings.
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