Quick Start: Create your first AI render

Last updated: June 26, 2026

Turn your Revit model view or an image into a photorealistic architectural visualization in minutes. No rendering experience required — Motif handles the details so you can focus on the design.


Step 1 — Add an asset to render

Place something on your board to render:

💡 For more rendering options, see📄 AI rendering workflows


Step 2 — Open the rendering toolbar

On your board, click the image or view you want to render. This opens the AI rendering toolbar along the bottom of the image.


Step 3 — Choose your render settings (optional)

You can render immediately with a single click, or customize the look using up to four modifiers. Mix and match, or leave any option unselected to let Motif decide.

Modifier

What it controls

Style

Visual treatment — Photorealistic, Watercolor, Architectural Sketch, Marker, Collage, and more

Environment

Surroundings — Rural, Forest, Mountain, Desert, Light/Dark background

Weather

Atmosphere — Clear, Cloudy, After the rain, Foggy, Snowy

Time of Day

Lighting — Sunrise, Daytime, Sunset, Nighttime

💡 Want to describe materials or set the scene? Use the prompt box to add plain-language instructions — for example: "mass timber facade, lush rooftop garden" or "apartment building in Miami deco colors." If the AI might not recognize the building type from the model alone, help it along: "soccer stadium clad in aluminum."


Step 4 — Render

Click the up arrow (↑) in the rendering toolbar to start rendering. Motif will generate your visualization — this usually takes about a minute.

Heads up: AI rendering involves some variability by nature. It's normal to generate several variations and select the best result. A small change in the view angle or wording of the prompt can make a significant difference.


Step 5 — Iterate and refine

Once rendered, your image appears on the board. From here you can:

  • Re-render with different style, environment, or prompt settings to explore variations

  • Edit with a prompt — describe a change you'd like to the entire image (e.g., "change the facade to Corten steel")

  • Edit a specific region — double-click the render, choose Edit, use the Lasso tool to select an area, and describe the change in the prompt

  • Use a reference image — Shift-select the render and a reference image, then describe how to apply it (e.g., "apply the texture from image 2 to the wall on the right in image 1")

  • Upscale — once you're happy with a render, select it, open its properties, and click Upscale to generate a 4K version

💡 Resolution: You can select 1K or 2K at generation time when using Nano Banana Pro, then upscale the final image.


You've got your first render! What's next?


Need help? Reach out to us at community.motif.io