Using the same principles for stills and animation

Creating movie sequences for architectural visualization requires a slightly different but related mindset to still images. That's because an animated sequence shows more of the scene than what is visible in a single image. For example, you might see the back of a building, which you wouldn't have bothered modeling for a still image; however, now you have to model it. All the principles that you have already learned in Chapter 3, Composing the Scene, are applicable here. The following is a recap:

• If you can't see it, don't model it!

• If it's in the background, make it low poly or a 2D cutout

• Use interesting and unique camera angles

However, this time, all of these principles have to be kept in mind for a duration of 30 seconds, 5 minutes, or even a feature length presentation, which is made up of many views of the model. This can quickly become an overwhelming premise. So, we need to break it down into bite-size chunks that are easy to handle...