Using 3D architectural models in presentation is becoming a commonplace occurrence. This method of design reveal offers many advantages that more tactile methods cannot. Key aspects of more traditional methods are lost with this technique however, making the benefits of using software to create models debatable in some circles. An analysis of the benefits of both design methods can provide valuable insight into what the future of architectural presentation may hold.

The architectural model has been an invaluable part of the design and development process since the start of man's recorded history. It has provided a simple and cost effective method of design revision. It has also provided a solid ground for involved individuals of varying trades to come together and discuss their valuable insights.

Physical models of the past were generally designed and created in house, making it necessary that everyone involved get an opportunity to watch the plans come together. Scale models such as these have been present in the formative design stages of famous monuments, battlefields, residential structures and architectural feats that are still highly recognized and admired today. The value of traditional methods is at once steeped in the romantic nostalgia of an era that regarded the work of the hand with high esteem, and in practical, economic uses.

Often the 3D architectural model is outsourced to a company that specializes in the software and technology that can provide the model with the desired design details and highlighted features. On one hand this means the loss of a valuable learning experience that dates back through man's architectural history. On the other, it means that the design team can then focus on the important aspects of the project design process.

Many companies find that they can create tremendous savings by choosing to outsource the design of their 3D architectural model. These savings can run as high as 60% of the total model design costs. This also brings a tremendous savings in time, while the process is still at the critical hour. This means that the design team can make development issues the whole of their focus while remaining assured that the model for presentation is professionally assured.

The traditional method of architectural presentation certainly has had and still has its appeal. Using 3D architectural models in presentation however enables designers to present realist re-creations of the project that provides details that the physical model can only aspire to. As presentation methods rapidly evolve it seems more and more likely that the method of project presentation will grow to accommodate a fusion of both the old and the new methods of model design.