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Architecture Reference Shot for 3D Modelers

A modular kit needs the details a postcard leaves out: how a cornice turns a corner, how a window sits in a thick wall, how a roof meets a gutter. These architecture reference photos document whole buildings, piece by piece. Your license lets you build 3D models from them. Start with Historical St Petersburg (393 photos, many facades already straightened) or 19th Century Harbour Settlement Architecture (559 photos).

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What a modeler needs from a building photo

An artist painting a building needs one good view. A modeler needs to understand how it is put together. When you choose architecture reference photos for 3D modeling, look for:

  • Straight-on facade views to block out proportions and build trim sheets.
  • Corners and returns, where moldings, sills and roof edges turn. This is where modular pieces usually break.
  • Depth. Angled shots show how deep a window is set and how far a cornice projects.
  • Repetition. Which parts repeat along the street? Those are your modules.

Facades for trim sheets and modular kits

  • Historical St Petersburg: 393 photos of historic streets, 338 by day and 55 by night. The photographer straightened some facades with perspective correction, so they read almost like flat textures. Note that this can slightly distort some shapes.
  • 19th Century Harbour Settlement Architecture: 559 photos of a 19th-century quarantine station in Sydney, now used as guest accommodation. Shot at 6000 × 4000 on a Sony A7C.
  • Sino-Portuguese Old Facades Phuket: 122 photos of the mid-19th-century style also called Chinese Baroque, on the island of Phuket.
  • Old Crumbling Traditional Nepalese Building: 61 photos of one of the few historic buildings in Kathmandu that survived the 2015 earthquake in its original state. Old doors, windows, original brick colors and decorative elements.

Ornament and carved detail

Ornament is where a model either looks hand-built or generic. Hindu Wooden Frames and Sculptures shows 137 photos of decorative wooden frames and carvings from Nepalese traditional buildings, some hundreds of years old. They are waiting to be put back into buildings that are being restored after an earthquake, so you can study each piece on its own. For a mix of Islamic and early 20th-century European decoration, see Gingerbread Palace: 195 photos of a palace in Uzbekistan, inside and outside.

Structure: buildings going up and coming down

A finished building hides its structure. Construction and repair sites show what is behind the surface.

Roofs from above

Rooftops are the hardest part to see from the street. Girona Rooftops - Game of Thrones has 110 photos looking over the roofs of Girona at 7360 × 4912. For temples and ruins, see our ancient temple reference and ancient ruins collections.

Building 3D models from the photos is allowed

The Fotoref license allows you to create your own 3D models, modular kits and textures from these photos for your projects. Use them in games, films, archviz and client work, royalty-free and with no limit on the number of projects. Reselling the photos or packs, in whole or in part, is not allowed. For surface materials such as rust, wood and worn concrete, see photo textures for 3D.

Frequently asked questions

Do the packs include measurements or plans?

No. They are photographs. Estimate scale from standard elements such as doors, steps and bricks, and use straight-on shots to measure proportions.

How do I deal with lens distortion?

Wide lenses bend straight lines near the edges of the frame. Correct it in your photo editor before you trace proportions, or use the center of the frame. Each product page lists the camera and lens.

Can I sell a building model I made from a pack?

You can use your models in your own games, films, renders and client work. If you plan to sell them as stock assets on a marketplace, ask Fotoref first, because no license allows reselling the photos in whole or in part.

Are there interiors as well as exteriors?

Some packs include both. Gingerbread Palace has interior and exterior photos, and Covered Carparks is an interior pack. The product description says what each pack covers.