Industry News
Eight Station Rendering Studio Shapes the Future of Hospitality with Meticulously Crafted Visual Experience
Eight Station Rendering Studio has embarked on an extraordinary journey to reimagine the storied Kenrick Hotel, nestled against the breathtaking backdrop of the Canadian Rockies. This historic hotel, set for a grand reopening in Spring 2025, is undergoing a transformative renovation that seamlessly melds its rich heritage with a visionary future.
Central to this renovation is the meticulous work of Eight Station, which has produced 64 high-quality visual renders and a 1.5-minute animation that invite potential guests to immerse themselves in the Kenrick Hotel experience long before the tangible transformation begins. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and a rendering pipeline, the studio’s visualizations serve as a powerful marketing tool, providing a cohesive and emotional narrative that expresses the hotel’s essence. Our team of four artists completed the project within 2 months under a tight timeline.
Mera Studio Architects is the distinguished interior design studio responsible for the project.
Central to this renovation is the meticulous work of Eight Station, which has produced 64 high-quality visual renders and a 1.5-minute animation that invite potential guests to immerse themselves in the Kenrick Hotel experience long before the tangible transformation begins. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and a rendering pipeline, the studio’s visualizations serve as a powerful marketing tool, providing a cohesive and emotional narrative that expresses the hotel’s essence. Our team of four artists completed the project within 2 months under a tight timeline.
Mera Studio Architects is the distinguished interior design studio responsible for the project.
Reimagining Spaces Through Advanced Visualization Techniques
The Kenrick Hotel’s warm, inviting ambiance is defined by massive wooden beams, textured materials, and flickering fireplaces that echo its mountain roots. Eight Station’s artists have created a visual narrative that elicits nostalgia and warmth, showcasing spaces where modern luxury harmonizes with the hotel’s historical charm. Each render captures the essence of the hotel, from the vibrant hum of its lobby to the serene embrace of its guest rooms, inviting viewers to picture themselves by the fire or unwinding in tranquil surroundings.
To efficiently manage such a large-scale project, the team recommends confirming the overall mood and storytelling approach upfront. The workflow involves finalizing one fully detailed premise first, allowing for better consistency and reducing extensive revisions when applying the same direction across all spaces.
The Kenrick Hotel’s warm, inviting ambiance is defined by massive wooden beams, textured materials, and flickering fireplaces that echo its mountain roots. Eight Station’s artists have created a visual narrative that elicits nostalgia and warmth, showcasing spaces where modern luxury harmonizes with the hotel’s historical charm. Each render captures the essence of the hotel, from the vibrant hum of its lobby to the serene embrace of its guest rooms, inviting viewers to picture themselves by the fire or unwinding in tranquil surroundings.
To efficiently manage such a large-scale project, the team recommends confirming the overall mood and storytelling approach upfront. The workflow involves finalizing one fully detailed premise first, allowing for better consistency and reducing extensive revisions when applying the same direction across all spaces.
“Our project faced several challenges, particularly with architectural constraints like deep layouts and limited windows,” — said Ana Romaniv, founder and CEO of Eight Station Rendering Studio. — “We employed innovative solutions, including meticulous lighting scenarios, to ensure each space felt illuminated and alive. Our hybrid lighting strategy utilized Corona Sky & Sun alongside additional light planes, creating an immersive atmosphere while preserving the hotel’s cozy ambiance.”
To optimize the rendering process, Eight Station employed a dedicated project workflow utilizing 3ds Max 2025 in combination with Corona Renderer 12, the latter known for its advanced ray tracing capabilities, which enabled high-quality photorealistic results. Given the scope of the project, consisting of 13 different premises and significant animation, the team established a thorough rendering pipeline that streamlined scene management and facilitated rapid iterations.
Key technical enhancements included:
- Gamma Workflow Management: Utilizing the latest 3ds Max features, the gamma workflow was configured within the color management tab, yielding improved highlight compression through tone mapping via ACES (Academy Color Encoding System), resulting in a more natural, filmic appearance.
- Custom Asset Modeling: Approximately 90% of assets were meticulously custom-modeled to meet the unique specifications laid out by Mera Design Studio, featuring high-poly assets with proper topology essential for detailed animations.
- Lighting Challenges & Techniques: In response to rooms with limited natural lighting, the team implemented a hybrid lighting approach:
- Corona Sky & Sun were employed to simulate natural light, supplemented by additional light planes to enhance shadowed areas without making the spaces appear artificially illuminated.
- Corona RaySwitch Material allowed for the utilization of lighter materials in the Global Illumination (GI) slot, keeping shadows from becoming oversaturated while maintaining depth and readability of important elements.
AI-Powered enhancements for efficiency and realism
AI implementation played a crucial role in enhancing both workflow efficiency and rendering realism. The built-in Corona High-Quality Denoiser was utilized for effective noise reduction while preserving crisp details in high-contrast scenes.
Additionally, AI upscaling tools like KREA AI and Magnific AI were employed to refine details in backdrop scenery, enhance plant realism, and introduce organic imperfections to textiles, all without extending rendering times.
Additionally, AI upscaling tools like KREA AI and Magnific AI were employed to refine details in backdrop scenery, enhance plant realism, and introduce organic imperfections to textiles, all without extending rendering times.
Animation: Cinematic Approach & Storytelling
Rather than merely showcasing the architectural space, Eight Station approached animation with a cinematic mindset, crafting sequences designed to convey mood, atmosphere, and narrative through:
Rather than merely showcasing the architectural space, Eight Station approached animation with a cinematic mindset, crafting sequences designed to convey mood, atmosphere, and narrative through:
- Close-up shots were carefully composed to highlight materials, lighting nuances, and spatial ambiance.
- Movement and transitions were designed to evoke emotions rather than just providing a technical walkthrough.
- The balance between wide shots and detail-oriented framing created a more immersive experience, making the space feel lived-in and engaging.
For animation production efficiency:
For client previews, the team rendered every 6th frame and used Topaz Video AI to interpolate missing frames, reducing render time by 6x. Final animations were rendered in Full HD, then upscaled to 4K using Topaz AI to maintain high fidelity while optimizing computing power. Instead of interpolating the entire video, Eight Station Studio processed individual sequences first, then edited everything in DaVinci Resolve for smoother performance and better final quality.
This project showcases our approach to architectural visualization, blending technical precision, artistic direction, and AI-driven enhancements to push the boundaries of efficiency and realism in rendering, — shared Ana Romaniv, founder and CEO.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Login here.