Lumion 101 for architects: example projects and templates
First time using Lumion 11? No worries! With nine example projects and templates, you can learn the basics and render a beautiful result in only minutes.
For over a decade, architects have celebrated Lumion as a stunningly simple learning experience. Lumion is designed to remove the element of stress from the process of rendering. Its low learning curve and real-time feedback enable a satisfying, enjoyable workflow, and it guides you as you import a CAD model, create a detailed and unique setting for the design, and render a client-ready image, video, or 360 panoramas.
No matter if it’s your first time using Lumion, or you’re looking for a useful trick to speed up your rendering, Lumion includes nine Example Projects and nine Project Templates to help get you started.
Instantly show your design in a snowy setting with the winter environment template.
In addition to using the Example Projects and Project Templates to help you master the software, you can continually improve your rendering techniques with the wealth of information and other tips and tricks on the Knowledge Base.
Basic tutorials for new users
Before jumping into the Example Projects, new users can quickly master the software and work comfortably in the 3D environment with the help of the basic tutorials for new users, an interactive tutorial available in Lumion 11 and Lumion 11 Pro.
There are currently two in-program tutorials available: Camera Control and Object Placement. To access these tutorials, go into Lumion’s Build Mode and click on the question mark (?) on the bottom-right corner of the screen.
9 Lumion Example Projects
Lumion’s Example Projects have always served as a helpful, hands-on resource for learning the basics, applying them to your own projects, and then expanding your skills to replicate atmospheric conditions and animations.
You can browse through the Example Projects to discover how to mix Lumion’s Photo, Movie, and 360 Panorama effects to produce specific moods and styles, from the photorealistic to the artistically conceptual. You can also look under the hood of different effects, such as animated phasing, orthographic views, and photo matching.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the example projects available.
Museum development
The museum development example project provides a bustling, urban environment with an eye-catching commercial building on a busy street. This project, designed by Obra Visual, demonstrates the energy and movement of a city environment set on a bright, wintery day.
In Movie Mode, you can also check out a few essential animation techniques, such as using the Mass Move effect to animate cars and people in a bustling city environment. You can also learn how to combine the orthographic view and animated phasing effects for a unique, half-artistic/half-technical result.
Valley winery
Moving from the city to the rolling hills of wine country, the valley winery project captures the essence of a picturesque setting located far from civilization. Designed by Ten Over Studio, the valley winery project is especially useful for learning how to sculpt rolling hills in the distance and plant a realistic assortment of trees, shrubs, and other natural and fine-detail nature objects from the Lumion content library.
Within Photo Mode, make sure to check out all the captivating sunsets and other attractive lighting conditions, and in Movie Mode, don’t miss the exciting demonstration of the animated phasing effect that shows the piece-by-piece assembly of the winery’s design elements.
Downtown development
The downtown development project, also designed by Ten Over Studio, is a crash course in urban residential rendering. In this project, you’ll learn the elements, objects, and materials that bring a street scene to life. You’ll also discover more about rendering in low-light conditions, such as the early morning or in the dead of night.
Additionally, the downtown development project is ideal for developing your animation skills and capturing the chaotic, exciting energy of the city with moving cars, people, trees, birds, and more.
Glass House
The Glass House is an icon of architecture, immediately recognizable for its minimalist beauty and elegant design. With its large glass panels and sweeping vistas, this example project provides a fun and familiar scene ideal for learning about creating detailed, lifelike perspectives from your building design.
You can also explore how changes in the weather and atmospheric lighting impact the mood of your interior shots, and you can explore the notion of coziness by rendering a scene at night with the new volumetric fire.
Villa Cabrera
A true Lumion clas