ArchEyes is thrilled to feature a guest article by Elizaveta Oputina, a talented architect and interior designer with nearly a decade of experience. Passionate about design and technology, Elizaveta has embraced AI tools like MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, and PromeAI to revolutionize architectural visualization. In this article, she shares how AI enhances creativity, streamlines workflows, and opens new possibilities for designers. Dive into her insights on the future of AI as a powerful ally in the design process.
The integration of artificial intelligence into architectural visualization is transforming the industry by introducing new tools and approaches for designers. By blending human creativity with AI capabilities, architects can explore new creative horizons and streamline their workflows.
1. Historical Context
Architectural visualization has evolved significantly from traditional hand-drawn sketches to advanced digital rendering. Early methods relied on labor-intensive drafting, limiting the ability to iterate on designs. The digital revolution brought CAD and 3D modeling, which improved precision and efficiency. Today, AI expands these horizons further, enabling the creation of hyper-realistic visualizations and innovative design concepts.
2. AI in Architectural Visualization Practice
Tools like MidJourney, insMind, Stable Diffusion, PromeAI, and DepositPhotos AI Image Generator have become essential for architects, helping them rapidly generate ideas, enhance creativity, and offer a variety of design concepts. Each platform is tailored to specific purposes, and understanding these distinctions enables effective use of AI technologies.
MidJourney excels at generating conceptual images based on detailed text descriptions (prompts). This platform is best suited for creating conceptual designs, as its capabilities for processing existing projects remain limited.
insMind specializes in extracting architectural linework from real-world photos, offering a streamlined way to turn images into clean, black-and-white outlines. Its Photo to Outline tool is particularly useful during early design stages, allowing architects to quickly communicate spatial form, façade rhythm, or structural logic without distraction. The resulting line drawings can be used for annotation, CAD workflows, or client-facing presentations.
Stable Diffusion is more advanced in installation and customization, allowing users to work with pre-existing sketches or models. It generates realistic renderings that can be refined further, making it ideal for visualizing backgrounds, details, vegetation, or people.
PromeAI is user-friendly and intuitive. Users can upload an image and provide a reference to guide the AI in generating outputs. Its internal settings allow users to specify architectural styles, seasons, and moods, offering a tailored visualization experience.
DepositPhotos AI Image Generator is a text-to-image tool, developed in partnership with Bria.ai, that is a great tool for creating commercially safe architectural visualizations based on detailed text prompts, ensuring the resulting high-quality, unique content is licensed and secure for use in presentations and professional concept exploration.
Practical Examples
Developing a project concept for a competition proved to be an exciting challenge. To bring the idea to life, I utilized MidJourney’s capabilities, crafting visualizations based on detailed textual descriptions. This resulted in the concept of a spa complex located in Turkey, which I completed within just a few hours by relying on a clear vision. The project’s primary focus was to convey the unique ambiance of spa relaxation, captured through thoughtfully created images.
To create a fully immersive concept, I generated various images, including exterior views, interior perspectives, and intricate details. Each visualization highlighted key design elements, weaving the idea into a cohesive visual narrative that captured the essence of the project.
Various interior design options were generated based on a linear sketch in PromeAI for a residential apartment design client. This process aimed to present several visually refined variations. The work took only 1–2 hours but enabled a quick demonstration of diverse possibilities, highlighting key accents and offering a spectrum of design solutions.
Generating an image from a sketch in Stable Diffusion was carried out for an architectural competition. Sometimes, the concept is fully formed, but there isn’t enough time for complete implementation. In such cases, AI becomes an invaluable assistant. It excels at transforming rough sketches into realistic visuals quickly, making it perfect for competition projects. Additionally, it can introduce fresh, unexpected ideas that enhance the concept by adding depth and originality. This approach makes the creative process efficient and highly inspiring, combining practicality with innovation.
For a concept proposal involving a mixed-use building renovation, I used insMind to streamline the process of creating architectural diagrams. Starting from on-site photos and rough Rhino exports, I transformed several elevations and interior shots into simplified line drawings. These outlines enabled me to quickly annotate design intentions, such as material changes, circulation, and structural adjustments, without manually redrawing each view.
The speed and clarity of this method were especially helpful for presenting the concept to non-technical stakeholders. Instead of polished renders, the clean outlines emphasized proportion and spatial logic. This lightweight graphic approach helped drive feedback in early meetings while keeping the process agile and efficient. The final diagrams were exported in high resolution and used directly in the pitch deck, making insMind a valuable tool for bridging quick ideation with professional presentation.
AI also excels in generating simple renders in gray material. An image initially created in 3Ds Max can be transformed into a realistic render in Stable Diffusion with just a few clicks. This method saves time and provides flexibility for experimenting with details and textures. The process makes refining and enhancing the visualizations easy, turning a basic draft into a polished, professional result ready for further development.
Looking to the Future of Architectural Visualization
In my opinion, AI is an extremely effective tool in architectural visualization that will continue to evolve and improve over time. As technology advances, it becomes more accessible and powerful, enabling the creation of increasingly accurate and detailed images. The widespread adoption of AI will transform the industry by making the design process faster, more flexible, and more accessible. It accelerates the creation of conceptual visualizations, helping designers and architects discover new, unexpected solutions that make their work more creative and efficient. In the future, AI will become an integral part of the architectural process, significantly impacting the quality and speed of visualization development.
Conclusion
AI doesn’t replace architects but significantly expands their capabilities, enhancing creativity and efficiency. Mastering these technologies allows designers to adapt to modern demands and actively contribute to shaping the future of visualization and design. The sooner specialists begin integrating AI into their practices, the faster they will be able to incorporate innovative solutions into their projects.
