“As Gil Kelley of the Portland Planning Bureau notes, “dots on a map” are inadequate to convey to citizens the impact of new development on their neighborhoods or their city.

Kelley proposes computer-generated imagery to show what developments would look like. We agree and recommend that city and Metro planners enlist the talents of Portland’s high-tech and digital graphics community to develop creative ways to visualize growth management options and the trade-offs that each option would bring.”

We couldn't agree more.

To read the complete article, click here .

Photo-simulations are illustrations which attempt to accurately simulate the visual appearance of something using photography, digital "paint" and 3D graphics.  The following article, originally written in 1993, describes the steps of the process. 

Before	Alternative A	Alternative B

The images are from a series of visual simulations produced for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to illustrate proposed highway design alternatives.   The simulations were used to explain the project design alternatives to the affected communities.