Evolving with the Industry: How Petr Kousal Stays Ahead in ArchViz
- Ondrej Chudy
- Nov 11
- 6 min read
At TMD, creative evolution isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about refining clarity. Balancing architecture and CGI, Petr Kousal — Creative Director & Founding Partner — sets the studio’s visual direction with precision, rhythm and emotional restraint. Here he reflects on authorship and adaptation, and why clarity stays timeless even as tools, workflows and aesthetics keep shifting. For background, read his profile: Meet the Team: Petr Kousal – Shaping TMD’s Creative Vision Through Architecture & CGI.
Q: How has your creative process evolved to meet the pace of today’s projects?
We operate on two fronts: our own architecture and external CGI. On our projects we’ve collapsed design and image into a single BIM source of truth — one model that drives documentation and feeds Cinema 4D and Chaos Corona. When the design shifts, the image follows within minutes.
For CGI-only work we adapt to the fidelity of inputs. If a brief lands as a BIM model (Revit/IFC), we import via Archicad to organise and relink, or go straight to Cinema 4D where appropriate. If it comes as a 3D model(SketchUp/Rhino) or 2D CAD, we import to C4D or rebuild a clean reference when broken geometry would slow us down. The rule is simple: take the lowest-friction path that preserves intent, then apply the same discipline to composition, light and tone. That means faster iterations, less re-work and decision-ready architectural visualisation for competitions, planning and marketing.
Q: Architecture and ArchViz are often treated as separate disciplines. How does TMD connect them in practice?
We connect them by treating design and image as one continuous workflow. The architectural idea, massing and documentation live in a single BIM source; the same model feeds Cinema 4D and Chaos Corona. We agree a view matrix and a shot plan (a shortlist of camera families and framing rules) with the design team — composition, focal lengths, horizon rules and lighting intent — so the images extend the drawings rather than decorate them.
Cameras lock at the end of Round 1 — see our Architectural Visualisation Collaboration for the R1–R4 structure — to protect scope and schedule. For external inputs we adapt to the source: BIM (Revit/IFC) is imported or harmonised via Archicad; 3D references (SketchUp/Rhino) are cleaned or rebuilt as a lean C4D scene. Clear QC on naming, versioning and asset linking keeps updates traceable across R2–R4. Changes propagate, authorship stays intact. The result is a workflow precise enough for competitions and planning submissions, and calm enough to build confidence with clients and investors, fully aligned with Open BIM and the feedback discipline we outline in our workflow article.
“Calm images cut noise. Less noise means more intent.”
Q: Many of your images have a calm, almost silent atmosphere. Why does that matter in communication?
Calm images cut noise so intent is legible — massing, proportion, daylight, material. We use composition, controlled contrast and honest colour so the architecture speaks in its own rhythm. When the structure reads, you don’t need spectacle — decisions come faster and marketing stays believable.
Q: How do you translate an architect’s design intent into visual language?
We start by reading the building alongside the brief. What is the primary idea — sequence, light, structure, thresholds? We translate those drivers into a view matrix and a clear shot plan, then scout cameras directly in the model (C4D) — BIM or 3D reference, depending on source — to frame what explains the architecture best. Drawings inform intent and scale, not the exact view.
Round 1 is a camera proposal pack with basic materials and lighting (or clay if information is missing). Feedback is consolidated through one contact and, once approved, cameras lock for the following rounds (see our Architectural Visualisation Collaboration). From there, light sets hierarchy, materials remain truthful under neutral colour management, and we run focused A/B tests on exposure and tone. Human presence appears only where it clarifies scale or use. The outcome is CGI that extends the drawings, protects authorship and shortens sign-off.
Q: AI is transforming creative tools. How do you integrate it without losing control?
We use AI as an accelerant, not as taste. Practically, that means ComfyUI — a node-based, versioned workflow — for quick atmosphere tests and variations, camera thumbnails, mask refinement, upscaling and cleanup. AI speeds variation; taste, authorship and accountability stay human.
What we don’t do is let AI change geometry, structure or specifications. The BIM/reference model remains the authority; light comes from Cinema 4D and Chaos Corona; colour is managed consistently. Every ComfyUI graph is saved with deterministic seeds and metadata. AI speeds variation; judgement stays human.
“We use AI as an accelerant, not as taste.”
Q: What does consistency mean in a studio like TMD?
Consistency isn’t sameness; it’s discipline. On our own work the BIM model drives drawings and images; for external work we build a clean 3D reference when BIM isn’t available. One shared view matrix and shot plan, defined rules for composition, horizon, focal length, light and tone.
We keep colour management stable, reuse calibrated lighting rigs in Cinema 4D with Chaos Corona, and build materials with physically based parameters. Team-wise, I set the visual tone; our Senior Artist leads scene building and lighting fidelity; Junior Artists refine materials, atmosphere and post. The result reads as one language across competitions, planning, marketing and investor decks.
Q: What does creative direction mean inside TMD’s team structure?
Creative direction at TMD works like design management applied to images. I set tone and intent — composition, view matrix, shot plan, horizon rules, focal lengths, lighting — and keep authorship coherent from BIM/3D reference to delivery. Our Senior Artist translates that into calibrated scene building in C4D/Corona and manages assets and versions; Junior Artists refine materials, vegetation, atmosphere and post with consistent colour management. One shared plan, cameras locked after R1, single feedback voice and proper QC — fewer revisions, predictable timelines, decision-ready sets. Creative direction is the bridge that keeps ArchViz speaking with one voice.
Q: How do you collaborate with architects and developers during the visual process?
We start with a short kick-off to align intent, audience and deadlines. Fifteen minutes on a call often saves two rounds of email. We agree the story, a view matrix and a clear shot plan, then keep one point of contact and consolidated feedback. For architects, we scout the 3D model and anchor key camera positions; for developers, we map the set to decision milestones — competition, planning, marketing, investor deck.
We maintain a single source of truth — the client’s BIM where available, or a clean 3D reference — and adapt to Revit, IFC, SketchUp or CAD. Updates are tracked; cameras lock at the end of Round 1. R2 focuses on materials, furniture and planting; R3 refines; R4 delivers 4K finals with consistent colour management, rendered in Cinema 4D and Chaos Corona. Late changes are handled as variations to protect programme and budget.
Where the model needs deepening, we develop a more detailed BIM in Archicad in parallel with CGI. Through the Archicad–C4D connection we keep a live relink, so geometry, layers and materials update into the C4D scene without rebuilding. One part of the team models; the other lights and composes. Less idle time, fewer rebuilds, cleaner hand-offs.
The aim is a calm, legible architectural visualisation workflow that helps teams discuss the design, not the effects. Fewer loops, clearer decisions, reliable timelines and ready-to-sign-off results.
Q: What keeps you curious about the future of architectural storytelling?
The promise isn’t more effects — it’s more truth. Better physics for light and material, richer context from real data, and tools that shorten the distance between space and image. I’m interested in how little is needed for a place to feel real, and how performance lives inside the narrative: climate, daylight, energy, even sound.
Formats will keep shifting — real-time, AR, spatial viewing — but composition still decides what we see first. Provenance matters too: versioned pipelines and accountable AI keep authorship readable. If visualisation gets both more accurate and more restrained, competition juries, planning officers and investors get clearer decisions. That’s the future I want to work toward.
Let’s create projects that inspire.
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