FAQs

Thorpe Studios was founded by a licensed California architect based in San Diego. That background matters because every deliverable — rendering, model, or animation — is reviewed with the same critical eye used to evaluate construction documents. We catch proportion errors, incorrect shadow angles, and material inaccuracies that a non-architect would miss.

We work primarily with architects and small firms across San Diego and Orange County, real estate developers building pre-sale and investor materials, luxury custom home builders in markets like Rancho Santa Fe and Newport Coast, and interior designers who need accurate finish package approvals. If you have a design that needs to be seen before it's built, we can help.

We work directly from AutoCAD (.dwg), SketchUp (.skp), and Revit (.rvt) files. You send us your existing drawings — there's no rebuilding from scratch on our end. If you have a partial model or early-stage design, that's fine. We'll flag any missing information before we begin so there are no surprises mid-project.

Pricing depends on the scope — number of views, complexity of the model, turnaround time, and the service type. We don't publish a rate card because a single exterior rendering and a full fly-through animation are priced very differently. The fastest way to get a number is to send us your files and describe what you need — we'll come back with a clear scope, price, and delivery date.

A single exterior architectural rendering typically takes 4–7 business days from an approved 3D model. Interior renderings vary by complexity. Packages of multiple views, fly-through animations, and BIM projects are scoped individually and take longer. Rush delivery is available — mention it when you reach out and we'll let you know if the timeline is workable.

Standard renderings are delivered at 4K resolution (3840 × 2160), suitable for print, large-format display, digital marketing, and presentation decks. Files are provided as both TIFF (lossless) and JPEG. Higher resolutions are available for billboard or large-format print — ask when you inquire.

Each project includes two revision rounds. Revisions cover camera angle changes, material adjustments, lighting tweaks, and minor design modifications. Significant redesigns are quoted separately. We're direct about what falls inside and outside scope before we start — no surprises on the invoice.

A fly-through animation is a cinematic walkthrough of your building or site, rendered as a video. It's the right tool when a single still image can't communicate a sequence of spaces, the flow between interior and exterior, or the scale of a large development. Architects use them for planning board presentations. Developers use them for investor decks and pre-sales campaigns.

Yes — BIM services are one of our core offerings. BIM goes beyond a standard 3D model. It embeds data about materials, components, quantities, and systems into the geometry — making the model useful for coordination, cost estimating, and construction documentation, not just visualization. We build BIM-ready models that your consultants and contractors can actually use downstream.

Yes. Our VR/AR architectural presentations let clients walk through a design before a single wall goes up. VR is particularly effective for high-stakes client approvals, design-review meetings, and marketing suites where buyers need to feel the scale of a space — not just see a flat image of it.

Yes. While most of our clients are based in San Diego and Southern California, our entire workflow is digital — we receive files, deliver renders, and handle revisions remotely. If you're outside the area and need a rendering team that understands architecture at a licensed level, reach out and tell us about your project.