Prompts that Work: Secrets for Professional AI Renders
This guide breaks down step by step how to craft the perfect prompt for AI renders (in this case, using ChatGPT).
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Content:
Step 0: Give Context
Step 1: Define what you want to render
Step 2: Describe the key elements
Step 3: Structure your prompt clearly
Step 4: Upload reference images (optional, but recommended)
Step 0: Give Context (Upload a screenshot of your 3D model)
If you’re already working on a project with certain parameters, the first step is to decide which view you want to render. Go into your modeling software (Rhino, SketchUp, Revit, etc.) and take a screenshot of the specific view you want.
Be intentional: this view defines your composition. The more detailed your model, the better the render.
“In this example, it’s a conceptual project, so the 3D model isn’t very developed, and the render will also be conceptual”
Step 1: Define What You Want to Render
Before writing the prompt, answer these key questions:
What type of space is it? (house, café, museum, public space…)
Interior or exterior?
In what context? (city, forest, beach, suburb, desert…)
What style do you want? (minimalist, brutalist, Mediterranean, Japanese modern…)
“Example:
Type: double-height living room in a townhouse Interior
Location: suburbs, with private green patio
Style: modern, minimalist, NYC loft style”
Step 2: Describe the Key Elements
Add details that give richness and specificity to your render:
Materials: concrete, light wood, glass, ceramic
Lighting: natural light, time of day, shadow type
Furniture/decor: minimalist, vintage, none, plants
People or no people
Climate/atmosphere: sunny, cloudy, rainy, foggy
📎 You can also include reference images (Pinterest, previous renders, real photos).
Be clear about what you like in each: colors, materials, proportions, lighting.
“Example:
Concrete floors
Black metal window frames
Direct midday sunlight
Glass railing staircase
No furniture or people
Sunny day”
Step 3: Structure Your Prompt Clearly
Use this formula as a base:
"I want a render of [SPACE TYPE] located in [LOCATION/CONTEXT], with a [STYLE] aesthetic. It should include [KEY ELEMENTS] and be lit by [LIGHT TYPE]. The render should convey [ATMOSPHERE/EMOTION]. Base the render on the attached 3D model screenshot and take style/material references from [REFERENCES]."
(You can even ask ChatGPT to help draft the prompt.)
“Create a render showing a modern, minimalist double-height living room in a townhouse located in the suburbs, with a New York loft style. The space has concrete floors, black steel window frames, and strong midday sunlight entering through tall windows. The staircase has a simple glass railing, with no furniture or decoration. Through the windows, a private green patio is visible. No people. Sunny day. Base the render on the attached 3D model screenshot, and use the other photos as style/material references”
Paso 4: Upload Reference Images (Optional, but Recommended)
Estas son fundamentales para que la IA entienda los materiales, proporciones y la atmósfera que deseas lograr.
Puedes subir:
Screenshot de tu modelo 3D
Imágenes de Pinterest
Collages / diagramas
Fotos de obras reales
“This image is for the lighting I want.
This other one shows the color and texture of the stucco.”
Step 5: Adjust & Iterate
Once you get your first result, ask ChatGPT to refine or change specific aspects:
“Make it more minimalist”
“Add vegetation”
“I want a nighttime version with lights on”
“Make it more realistic, like a photograph”
“This was the final render. But it could still be adjusted: the floor, the windows, adding accessories, etc.”
BONUS: Ready-to-Use Prompts
Modern House
Two-story single-family home on a compact urban lot. Modern style with exposed concrete façade, light wood accents, and black steel details. Large floor-to-ceiling windows framed in dark metal. Tropical landscaping: small palms, ferns, and white decorative stones. Warm sunset lighting, long shadows, partially cloudy sky. Three-quarter street view, low angle. No people.
Tropical Art Deco Patio
Outdoor patio in a Miami townhouse complex, modern tropical art deco with Latin influences. Party walls in textured stucco painted terracotta pink, with curved details and vertical art deco lines. Polished light concrete floor, low modern white metal chairs with neutral cushions. Two people drinking coffee under the sun. Tropical plants: tall palms, banana trees, cactus. Intense midday sun with sharp shadows.
Loft Interior
Double-height townhouse living room, modern industrial loft style. Polished gray concrete floors, plain white walls, double-height steel-framed windows. Floating concrete staircase with glass railing. Empty interior, no furniture, to highlight architecture. Strong natural light with sharp sun rays entering from the south window. Green lawn visible through windows. Sunny day, no people.
Brutalist Library
Large-scale public library, brutalist architecture. Exposed concrete façades with vertical textures, heavy geometric volumes. Main recessed entrance with planters of low grasses and gray foliage shrubs. Overcast sky, creating dramatic, diffused light. Empty scene, no people. Serious, institutional, contemplative mood. Angled corner view, slightly elevated perspective.
Thanks for reading — I hope this guide helped!
