Robin once spent four days modeling scenery, people, trees, and streets full of buildings in order to finish off a view. The new building itself had only taken a day to model! In order to avoid this, most professional architectural visualizers make heavy use of paid-for entourage (trees, people, cars, buildings, and such) to liven up a view.

Of all the important developments that have made 3D computer visualization what it is now, the availability of digital cameras must be the most important factor. You will already have come across the basic techniques you need. The rest will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 5, Applying Textures and Materials for Photorealistic Rendering, and Chapter 6, Entourage the SketchUp Way.