I was writing last time about precision. Let’s be more precise!

I like working to scale, in meters, I want my doors, windows, story heights and main elements in exact size and all objects aligned with snapping methods, no “invisible” overlaps or gaps to generate lighting artifacts or selection headaches and I can do this with Blender using the following tools (this is my list so far, I keep discovering new stuff)

• grid snap
• object snap
• constraints
• manipulators
• keyboard numeric input
• show edge lenghts
• the transform properties toolbox
• cursor placing
• object center placing
• transform orientations
• align rotation with the snapping target

I used to build all my architectural 3d models in Bricscad  (a cad software very similar to Autocad) using extrusions and boolean operations, and worked with exact precision from 2d dwg files. When I started with Blender and found all the modelling tips and tutorials on the net I thought – what if I tried modelling in Blender? I liked the idea of doing it all in one software instead of having to export the files,  but I was worried I will miss cad precision tools. In fact some usual tools like offset and fillet are missing as Blender was not designed for precision tasks, but there are workarounds for them. In the end I found a good enough set of tools and I am getting more and more pleased with this type of modelling, through extrusions, loops and cuts. I had to give up booleans as they don’t work very well in Blender but I don’t miss them as much as I thought I would.

How much precision does an architectural model require actually? A rendering might look exactly the same if the model has been built with great precision or just “thrown together” by someone experienced, with a good eye for proportions. In a small project this quick approach might be the best. For a larger project instead of gaining time you might get entangled, get errors like coinciding faces and protruding objects. Constructing with precision can help you with modular and repeating objects. It might feel better if you are a tidy type of person. Also I often get questions from clients like: “is this window really x wide? It looks too narrow” so it helps being able to answer “yes, it is built exactly” instead of “let me check and rectify”.