Zellige Horizon
Architectural Visualisation Case Study
We delivered both the architectural concept and the complete set of visual materials for Zellige Horizon — an award-winning competition entry. Our internal architecture and visualisation teams worked side by side to produce eight final images and two animations that secured 1st prize. The close coordination between design and CGI allowed every view to express the project’s spatial qualities, materiality and desert atmosphere with clarity and precision.
This case study highlights how an integrated approach — from concept to final render — can communicate a vision convincingly and create a strong narrative in an international competition.
Design: TMD
Visualisation: TMD
Location: Oulad Ayyad, Morocco
Category: Competition
Award: 1st Prize Winner
Software: Graphisoft Archicad, Maxon Cinema 4D, Chaos Corona, Adobe CC
108
Hours Spent
12
Hours Per Image
3
Artists
9
Images
For Zellige Horizon, the initiation phase happened entirely in‑house. Around a week before the final competition submission, our architectural team locked the concept and handed over the Archicad BIM model to our visualisation team. Using a direct link between Graphisoft Archicad and Cinema 4D & Chaos Corona (via Din3D Importer), we were able to start setting up the visual scenes early, while still receiving live model updates as the design evolved. This workflow meant that any late refinements made by the architects could be merged without losing the work already done in Cinema 4D — a major advantage over traditional, one‑off imports from tools such as SketchUp. It allowed both teams to work in parallel and stay fully synchronised until the final days before submission.
In the first stage our visualisation team imported the finalised BIM model from Archicad into Cinema 4D using Din3D, and produced a wide range of clay renders in Chaos Corona. These early images explored the design from multiple angles, focusing on composition, scale and key sightlines before any materials or details were added.
The full set of draft views was then shared internally with the architectural team to confirm which positions would move forward into the next phases. At this point, we also started to discuss intended material finishes and the atmosphere of each shot — whether a scene should be developed in daylight, dusk or night conditions. This round established the visual direction and allowed all subsequent phases to focus on texture, light and refinement rather than camera choices.
After the draft clay renders were reviewed, a final set of nine camera views was agreed between the architectural and visualisation teams. With these views locked, our visualisation team in Cinema 4D began applying the first layer of materials based on the study’s specification and added initial furnishing and entourage.
This stage is all about defining the tone of the images – testing surface qualities, colour, and light – while keeping the geometry flexible for any late design refinements. The resulting previews give a clear sense of atmosphere and allow focused feedback on materials, vegetation and the overall character of the scenes before moving into the next level of detail.
Building on the feedback from the previous stage, the visualisation team refined all eight views to a higher level of detail. This round focused on implementing the agreed material adjustments, enhancing textures such as the reflective water surface, adding landscape elements and refining planting to bring more depth to the scenes. We also introduced a more defined entourage – people and subtle activity – to strengthen the sense of scale and atmosphere. These updated previews show the project close to its final form and give the architectural team one more opportunity to confirm every detail before post‑production and final rendering.
In the final stage, the approved scenes were rendered at full resolution in Chaos Corona and completed with detailed post‑production in Adobe Photoshop. This round focused on polishing every aspect of the eight selected views – light balance, textures, fine details and atmosphere – so that each image could communicate the project with maximum clarity and impact. Once complete, the final set was exported in high resolution and delivered in time for the competition submission. These visuals, alongside the architectural concept, played a key role in presenting the project and contributed to winning 1st prize.
A complete gallery of all eight images and the accompanying animations can be viewed on the dedicated project page.
