How to Create Beautiful Exterior Renders with ArchRender

Creating a great exterior render starts with choosing the right input image and using the right settings inside ArchRender. When your base image is clean and your options are set correctly, ArchRender can produce realistic lighting, materials, and depth in just seconds.

If your results ever look flat, overly stylized, or “almost right,” the issue is usually the input image. This guide walks through how to prepare your model and use ArchRender’s tools to get professional-quality exterior renders every time.

Start with the Right Input Image

The most important step in creating a strong render is uploading the right kind of image.

ArchRender works best when it can clearly understand the geometry and edges of your model. This means your input should be simple, clean, and free of finished materials.

Avoid uploading images that already look rendered. This includes views with colored walls, brick or siding textures, shaded roofs, artificial shadows, or stylized lighting. These images limit what the AI can improve and often lead to mixed or inconsistent results.

For best results, your input should be one of the following:

A line drawing with visible edges and no shading
A wireframe or hidden-line view
A neutral clay-style model with one light color and visible outlines

These formats give ArchRender full freedom to apply realistic materials and lighting from scratch.

When to Use Ultra Mode

If your input image already includes colors, textures, or shaded materials, you should enable Ultra Mode. The toggle is right above the generate button.

Ultra Mode uses enhanced processing to handle more complex inputs. It works better with SketchUp shaded views, textured models, and partially rendered screenshots.

Use Ultra Mode when:

Your model has basic materials applied
Surfaces are already colored
The view includes shadows or shading
You cannot export a clean line drawing

If your input is already simple and untextured, Standard Mode is usually enough.

Uploading Your Image or 3D Model

Inside your project, start by selecting either Upload Image or Load 3D Model.

Upload Image is best for screenshots, exports, and drawings.
Load 3D Model gives you more camera control and flexibility if you are working with supported formats.

Once uploaded, ArchRender analyzes the perspective, geometry, and structure of your model automatically.

You do not need to set up lighting or scenes manually.

Choosing Exterior Render Settings

After uploading your file, set your exterior options on the right panel.

Select Exterior mode to focus on outdoor lighting and environments.

Choose a season such as summer, fall, or winter depending on the mood you want.

Select a time of day like noon, morning, or evening to control sunlight and shadows.

Pick an environment such as suburban, rural, or urban to match the project context.

These settings guide how ArchRender builds the surrounding scene and lighting.

Using Mood Boards for Style Direction

If you want more control over the visual style, you can use an Exterior Mood Board.

Mood boards help guide materials, colors, landscaping, and overall atmosphere. They are useful when matching a brand, neighborhood, or client preference.

If you do not have a mood board, you can leave this set to None and let ArchRender choose a natural, balanced style.

Adding Material Details

The Material Details field lets you describe important finishes and features.

You can use this to specify things like:

White painted brick
Slate shingle roof
Copper gutters
Wood siding
Stone accents
Black window frames

This information helps the AI apply accurate materials without needing textured models.

Keep this short and realistic. You do not need long descriptions.

Generating Your Render

Once your image is uploaded and your settings are selected, click Generate.

ArchRender immediately begins building your render. In most cases, results are ready in seconds.

The system enhances lighting, adds realistic textures, refines reflections, and creates natural shadows while preserving your original design.

Because the structure comes from your model, proportions and architectural details remain accurate.

Refining Your Results

One of the biggest advantages of ArchRender is how fast you can iterate.

If you are happy with a generated render, but want to tweak a few details, like changing the shutter color, or perhaps the roof color, click the edit action button below the render. This will switch to Edit mode, where you can make localized changes without changing the entire image. Here you can also change the time of day, season, and environment, without losing the design of the home or building.

Each new render takes only seconds, allowing you to test ideas quickly.

This makes rendering part of the design process instead of a slow final step.

Common Issues and How to Fix Them

If your render looks flat, your input likely had too much color or shading. Try exporting a line drawing or clay view. Or use Ultra Mode.

If materials look artificial, remove low-quality textures before uploading. Or use Ultra Mode.

If lighting feels unrealistic, simplify your base view and avoid dramatic shadows. Or use Ultra Mode.

If details are missing, export at a higher resolution and make sure edges are clear.

Most quality problems can be solved by improving the input image.

Building Exterior Renders Into Your Workflow

Once you develop the habit of exporting clean views, rendering becomes fast and reliable.

Many users follow a simple workflow:

Set up a linework or clay view in their modeling software
Export a high-resolution image
Upload to ArchRender
Select exterior settings
Add material details
Generate in seconds

With practice, this entire process takes only a few minutes.

Final Thoughts

Beautiful exterior renders start with simple inputs and smart settings.

By using clean line drawings or neutral models, choosing the right mode, and providing clear material details, you give ArchRender everything it needs to produce realistic results.

When you focus on preparing strong base images, ArchRender can do what it does best: turn your designs into professional exterior visuals in seconds.