AI Rendering tips + tricks

Practical guidance for getting the most out of Motif's AI rendering — how to set up a good input, steer the result, work efficiently, and work around current limitations.

Set up a good input

Your input image influences the result more than any single setting. A few habits make a big difference:

• What you see is what you get. The render only reflects what's in the input, so remove anything that shouldn't appear. Hide a concrete slab that isn't meant to be visible, and add a large ground plane to mask any below-ground structure.

• Keep inputs clean and separated. Anything visible inside a saved view shows up in the render. Place the image or view you're rendering away from your 3D model so it doesn't pick up surrounding board content.

• Mind the composition. The viewpoint of your input carries straight into the render, so take time to frame it. Eye-height views (or lower) often work well, and an orthographic view acts like a telephoto lens — great for detail shots.

• Boost low contrast. If the building blends into the sky, or walls and roof look similar in grayscale, the AI may produce odd results. Increase contrast so the key elements read clearly before you render.

• Phone photos of physical models: Shoot in landscape, or rotate so the base/ground is at the bottom. Portrait or upside-down inputs confuse the AI.

• Sketching on views or images: Create a new view that captures both the image and your sketch lines — for example, sketch over the image, screen-grab it, and paste it back as a single combined image.

Steer the result

• Tell the AI what it's looking at. For early-stage or cropped views where the building type isn't obvious, say it in the prompt: Soccer stadium in black marble or Apartment building in mass timber, lush green roof.

• Add, don't remove. Motif is better at adding elements than removing them. The more empty space in your input, the easier it is to add trees, people, or furniture — just name them in the prompt.

• Reuse your renders. Any finished render can become the input for the next one. Change the weather, materials, or style, or convert it into a watercolor or posterized version.

• The black-and-white color trick. Choose Photorealistic B&W and name a single strong color in the prompt — it will often "break through" the black-and-white image for a striking effect.

Work efficiently

• Explore cheap, finalize sharp. Generate at 1K while you test styles, prompts, and angles. Once you've found the one, upscale it to 4K for presentation. → 📄 Resolution, upscaling & credits

• Expect some trial and error. The best renders usually come from generating several options and keeping the strongest — it's normal to make many and use only one or two. A small change in angle or wording can change everything.

Working with Revit & 3D models

• Use Revit material definitions. Defined materials (like brick) help Motif render surface detail correctly.

• Hide terrain contour lines. Display terrain as a 3D model instead for cleaner results.

• Don't move the model after creating views. Saved camera views update as the model changes, and moving the model on the board can leave a view pointing at empty space — sometimes permanently.

• Swap out RPC elements. RPC people and plants render poorly — see Known issues below.

Next steps

• 📄 Generate an AI render from an image or view

• 📄 Edit rendered images

• 📄 Visualization styles