Tips, best practices, & known issues

This article collects practical guidance, pro tips, and known limitations to help you get the most from Motif's AI rendering.

General best practices

Expect some trial and error. Many of the best renders are the result of generating several options and selecting the strongest one. It's completely normal to generate 9 renders and find only 1 or 2 that are truly useful. A small change in the view angle or a slightly different prompt can make all the difference.

What you see is what you get. Make sure the input image only includes elements that should appear in the visualization. If the building sits on a concrete slab that shouldn't be visible, hide it in the plugin before generating. If your building has below-ground structures, add a large ground plane to mask them.

Image composition matters. The viewpoint of the input image will be reflected in the visualization. Take time to get the camera angle right. Eye-height views often work well — or try going even lower. Using an orthographic instead of perspective view can work like a telephoto lens for detail shots.

Place render inputs away from your 3D model. If an image or view on the board is visible within a saved view, it will appear in the rendered output. Place the images you want to render far away from the 3D model to avoid picking up unwanted board content.

Tips by use case

Prompt tips for conceptual models: If the model is at an early stage, or the view doesn't clearly show the building type, use the prompt to tell the AI what it's looking at: Soccer stadium in black marble or Apartment building in mass timber, lush green roof.

Telelens effect: Using orthographic view instead of perspective can work like a telephoto lens, useful for close-up detail shots.

Reuse renders: Once an AI visualization is rendered, use it as the basis for new visualizations. Try changing the weather, materials, or style. Convert an existing render or photo into watercolor or posterized versions.

Adding entourage: Motif is better at adding elements than removing them. The more empty space in the input image, the easier it is to add trees, plants, people, and other items — just mention them in the prompt.

B&W color technique: Select Photorealistic Black & White and specify a strong color in the prompt. The color will often "break through" the black-and-white render, sometimes with stunning results.

Views and model position: Saved Motif camera views update whenever something is added or removed from the 3D model. If you move the 3D model on the board after creating views, the views may be permanently lost because the camera will be pointing at empty space.

Revit materials: Revit material definitions (such as bricks) can help Motif render surface details correctly. Terrain contour lines are best hidden before streaming — display terrain as a 3D model instead.

Known issues

Low contrast input images: If the input image has low contrast — for example, if the building blends into the sky, or walls and roof look similar in grayscale — Motif may produce strange results. Increase the contrast before rendering so key elements are clearly distinguishable.

Phone photos of physical models: Always take photos in landscape mode, or rotate them so the base/ground is at the bottom of the frame. AI can get confused by portrait-oriented or upside-down architectural inputs.

Revit RPC elements: RPC elements (Rich Photorealistic Content) such as plants and people usually don't render well in Motif. Hide them in Revit and use Entourage geometry instead.

Sketching on views or images: Sketching directly on a view or imported image does not work. Instead, create a new view that captures both the image and the sketch lines simultaneously. Example, sketch over image then take a screen shot and paste, so both are combined