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Many studies dating back to the 1970s show a direct relationship between colors, and 3D shapes, and the ability to get individuals to act.  3D computer graphics and virtual reality simulations are the innovation of the last 10 years by architectural and engineering firms to show a client what they can expect and, ultimately, to give a visionary spin, prior to the construction phase.  Fundraisers, in academic, civic, and private ventures, have begun to see the tremendous pull that computer visualization can have in the ability to connect donors to a specific project or outcome. 

ArchVision of Lexington, Ky. has been one of the forerunners of this technology and pioneered its place in philanthropic communities.  This paper is presented to provide an overview of the significance of today’s fundraising efforts, how fundraisers should view computer visualization as an invaluable tool, and where this trend fits into the “big picture” of raising dollars in today’s competitive environment.

Introduction:  Fundraising Techniques Move from Handshakes to Virtual Reality

To paraphrase Faith Popcorn who paraphrased John F. Kennedy:  “Ask Not What Your Donor Can Do For You, But What You Can Do For Your Donor.”

Capturing dollars for charitable causes and civic endeavors in the millennium requires more than high energy and handshakes; it requires infotainment tactics polished by virtual reality simulations, 3D computer design, and graphical visualization.

Before examining how the affable handshake representing a fundraiser’s commitment to excellence became secondary to large-scale presentations involving computer visualization, a quick look at America’s nonprofit sector at the present time is in order.  America’s nonprofit, or tax-exempt sector embodies 1.4 million organizations with operating expenditures of some $500 billion as of the mid-1990s, according to the Nathan Cummings Foundation.  The nonprofit sector accounts for: half of all our hospitals; half of all colleges and universities; almost all of our symphony orchestras; churches of all denominations; and 60 percent of our social service agencies and most of our civic organizations.  To put this in perspective, one must note that this represents approximately 6.5 percent of the U.S. gross national product and exceeds the gross national products of all but a dozen countries. 

Fundraising in America stands for pluralism, freedom, and diversity, but also fundraising is seen as a means to an end for social solutions.  It is this proactive need that has driven fundraisers to work toward more convincing arguments with high-end tools, such as 3D representations, to make their points.  Competition for dollars amongst organizations is escalating, and this goes beyond the boundaries of the United States.  As John M. Bouza of Bouza & Associates, Consultants in Philanthropy, says, “With 75,000 registered charitable organizations in Canada-- all “worthy causes,” just being needy is not reason enough for people to give.  Your campaign must make a compelling and visionary difference in the lives of the people you serve.” 

It is this growing need to prove a visionary difference that drove the personal visit to a higher level of presentations, first 2D in the form of drawings and explanations on the boardroom table, and then later to 3D virtual reality in video footage.  Convenience and portability amongst many environments contributes to the surge in computer imaging for fundraisers.  A video can be used to make a point in the boardroom; streaming video on the Internet can be sent to busy long-time donors; and public relations efforts can be enhanced for journalists needing to understand the message.
Computer Visualization Delivered by the ArchVision Professional Team

“All Battles Are Won Before They are Fought.”--Sun Tzu

Donor expectations continue to rise as the pool for real dollars is continually reallocated amongst a growing list of worthy projects, therefore by “building” the design in the computer in three dimensions, a donor can buy into the design intent.  Computer visualization in the 1990s has fast become the preeminent tool available to the architectural, engineering, and computer marketplace.  “Designers today are able to convey their message clearly and succinctly through the power of the visual medium known as computer graphics.  A single animation is capable of delivering your design intent in a fraction of the time required for creating drawings and scale models,” explains Randall Stevens, president of ArchVision, an architecturally-based computer visualization firm based in Lexington, Ky.  The company has completed more than 100 large-scale animation projects in the last decade for churches, universities, architects, and other fundraising professionals. 

The age of infotainment has taken over in all walks of business, making the case for computer visualization as a must-have communications asset for creating solutions that work.  ArchVision has capitalized on this trend, beginning with architectural firms in 1991.  Now, ArchVision is evolving into a solutions provider where computer visualization is used and later to fulfill complex business sales and marketing or management functions.

Strategic planning and positioning budgets will continue to play a role in raising charitable donations for capital construction, and capturing related revenue.  Sizzle sells for philanthropic entities designing commercial structures, multiple-occupancy communities, colleges and universities, churches, and other large institutions.  Core construction dilemmas can be charted and corrected in the design phase, avoiding costly construction fees to redesign on site.  This has been proven to save thousands of dollars, according to architects who use 3D tools. 

ArchVision estimates that more than half all architects will use some form of computer visualization by the Year 2005.  The design-to-construction cycle is getting shorter every year.  Visualization services are a faster way to communicate than words or two-dimensional sketches. “There simply isn’t the time to digest information as in years past. Visualization tools can generate excitement and help in the decision-making process, from concept to delivery,” said Randall Stevens, founder of ArchVision based in Lexington, Ky.

Computer Visualization in Fundraising as a Marketing Tool

As the Generation Xers begin to enter the workforce in ever-increasing numbers, and the Baby-Boomers look to technology to add answers to their investment considerations, the future of computer visualization lies in solid marketing.  A picture is worth a thousand PR words, as it can act as an ongoing historical and physical record for the life of a philanthropic, fundraising campaign.  A comprehensive, complete view can be constructed in a virtual space to demonstrate the value of a project or ongoing building fund.  Even government hurdles of zoning, and construction issues can be overcome with a dynamic, computer rendition of the future.  When used in managing a donor’s expectations, virtual views of construction phases can illuminate and educate the uninformed in video presentations that go beyond a static table-top model.  And the portability of the marketing effort is greatly enhanced, according to Resource Services, Inc. (RSI), Dallas, Texas fundraising consultants.

A true case study of computer visualization in use for fundraising would include a recently developed, widely-awaited animation sequence for the multi-million dollar development campaign of the Crystal Cathedral’s new International Welcome Center.  The animation sequence by ArchVision gave life to Dr. Robert Schuller’s vision of a 30,000 square-foot welcome center, serving visitors of all ages. RSI hired ArchVision to take words describing the center and give them tangible meaning.

“ArchVision’s team has a design sense that allows them to create environments that do not currently exist.  We thought about producing traditional architectural prototypes, however there is no context for the final experience and they are difficult to transport to show potential donor groups.  We were very pleased with the quality of the work,”  said Senior Vice President Perry Webb at RSI. From conversations with Dr. Schuller and early stage sketches, ArchVision’s creative team was able to create computerized renderings of several spaces included in the conceptual phase.  These are as follows:

•  The Crystalline Sanctuaries, a private consultation interactive center
•  God’s Words, God’s Sky--a meditation arena
•  Stewardship Hall--an area honoring donors
•  A Virtual Reality Experience for Children
•  An Interactive History of the Crystal Cathedral
• and Voice-activated Holographic Barriers, lessons in possibility thinking

“Our designers have strong architectural training, so we can deliver renditions of virtual environments with little or no input from traditional blueprints and drawings.  Our turnkey approach allows us to complete projects under strict deadlines,” explained Randall Stevens, president and founder of ArchVision. 

ArchVision’s efforts, combined with video and audio footage, has been a key development tool in the launch of the widely-discussed, multi-million-dollar development campaign launch.  Donors will be able to view the finished video and understand, in more detail, the purposes and possibilities of the project.

Computer Visualization in Fundraising as a Motivational Tool

Many architectural and engineering firms have begun to apply the principles of studies dating back to the 1980s that indicate color and graphics have a tremendous impact on individuals’ desire to respond in a positive manner.  (Hollan, Hutchins, Weitzman, 1984) Building structures are particularly difficult to explain in language.  However, graphical depictions of the premise and alternate views in a model form provide a qualitative view.  A 3D graphic representation of an anticipated build can allow the user to more directly apprehend the relationships that are typically described verbally.

As a fundraiser, the motivations behind an action to spend money in an altruistic manner are critical to success.  Research by J. Rasmussen in 1986 in a paper entitled “Information processing and human-machine interaction: An Approach to Cognitive Engineering,” demonstrates the importance of three different levels of control given with computer graphics and visual perceptions taken from them.  They are:

1.  Computer graphics supports the ability of the viewer to discern spatial relationships in new data.
2.  Visualizations define values and relationships among various development components.
3. Visual perception assists in knowledge-based reasoning.

Once a donor feels a sense of control over what purpose the fundraising serves, and its ultimate benefits in construction, then computer visualization has proven its effectiveness.

Foundational psychological experiments from the 1970s have highlighted differences in people’s reactions to color and shape. (Arnheim, R.; Art & Visual Perception:  A Psychology of the Creative Eye, University of California; London, 1974.)  For example, the results showed that preschool children will be directed by strong perceptual appeal of colors.  Buying motivators in grocery stores are based on the same premise.  Color sells.  The same is true when computer visualization is used to motivate an investment by a donor.  Color has emotional impact, and 3D shapes add a more efficient means to what has always been abstract communication in words.

Fundraisers using ArchVision to create 3D views are quick to choose the same path again in new projects.  For example, Director of Public Relations at Agnes Scott College Mary Ackerley, indicates,  “Aesthetic value can be demonstrated with 3D virtual reality on video.  Artistic drawings can only go so far in making the point to contributors.” She is currently overseeing a $100 million construction campaign at the college.

Why Are Computer Models More Important Than Ever Before?

One of the more difficult challenges architects and their colleagues in related industries face is making the two dimensional drawings, tables of specifications, and lists of standards come alive. A design must strike the viewer’s or prospect’s visual nerve. Not surprisingly, man's ability to perceive and visualize is a highly developed mental capability. However, in today's highly charged visual environment it is becoming increasingly important to take full advantage of a person's perceptual capabilities to capture attention.

A person today is bombarded by images. Marshall McLuhan, one of the most prescient thinkers in the field of dynamic imaging observed, “Literate or visual man creates an environment that is strongly fragmented, individualistic, explicit, logical, specialized and detached.”[1] It is, therefore, important when presenting a design for a new building or any three dimensional object to integrate the information so the viewer is neither confused, nor overwhelmed.
Highly intelligent people often find it difficult or impossible to convert a verbal description into an accurate mental representation of a solid object. Intelligence tests befuddle millions of graduate students when two dimensional drawings must be mentally rotated and compared with other shapes.

The person or group responsible for a new structure, whether it is a single room or a skyscraper, are faced with a very difficult task. These bright people must take abstractions and convert them into accurate three dimensional solid constructs.

The problem is similar to the one baseball great Dizzy Dean explained after a trip to the hospital following a blow to the head in the 1934 World Series: “The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing.” Most people struggling with blueprints share the great pitcher’s predicament. The drawings leave the “head” empty.
For an architect to close a deal for a design, the buyer’s head must have “something” in it. And that “something” should be a sense of what the structure will look like, how it will “feel” to those who use it, and what the texture of the halls, walls, and other bits and pieces will be. Without tangible proof, the sale will be lost.

The figure below presents the three key drives for the use of realistic, full color, representations of a architectural design.

These are:

1.   Viewers today demand a visual presentation, not a verbal one. In order to maximize customer attention, increasingly sophisticated imaging is needed. Today’s customers expect show business quality presentations.

2.   Illustrations that are static can communicate, and they have an important role to play in communicating certain types of information. However, “flat” drawings do not have the type of communication impact associated with real-time animations and fly-throughs.

3.   The presentation of a four dimension presentation engages the viewer’s attention. Seeing the volumes of the structure, viewing the model from different vantage points, looking at the relative scale of the structure to accurately sized people makes the building come alive.

A presentation that relies on two dimensional pictures will lack the communication power of a presentation that pushes the fourth dimension. The “fourth dimension” is the use of animation and renderings of three-dimensional structures that move through time.

Information conveyed graphically helps fix difficult concepts in the mind, but animation is an important additional dimension enabling an understanding of data that is virtually impossible to obtain viewing still images. The advent of faster and cheaper machines has accelerated the growth of fourth dimension visualization whereby architects can turn mountains of numbers and data points into digital movies to display design, texture, and measurements of physical variables in space and time.

In order to convince a group of people to select a specific design or contribute funds to build a new structure requires:
•     A shared vision of what the final structure will look like
•     A sense of how the structure fits into the space it will occupy
•     A yardstick against which to measure the intangibles of the structure to the expectations of each person looking  at the representation of the structure.

The field of computer animation is interdisciplinary and attracts those working in the science and arts applying animation techniques.

As Le Corbusier said,
One uses stone, wood, cement, and turns them into houses or palaces; that's construction. It calls for skill...But, suddenly you touch my heart; you make me feel good. I am happy. I say: it's beautiful. This is architecture. It is art.
To make “art” come alive and be understandable to today’s customer, polished presentations using high-impact communication techniques are essential. Words can inspire, but real-life simulations of new buildings or any design captivate one’s attention and make it possible for the customer to share the vision of the architect’s craft.

The Market Is Exploding in Response to Demand

In mid-1998, Jon Peddie Associates, one of the leading market research firm covering the graphics and digital media technology markets, conducted a major study of what the firm’s experts called “The 3D Tools and Applications Market Study.”

For the year ending in 1998, the firm estimated that more than 77 million personal computers will be 3D hardware enabled, or approximately 84 percent of all PCs. These hardware-enabled personal computers will make up 98.9 percent of the total personal computer market by the year 2003. At the end of 1998 JPA estimated there were about 18 million 3D users, growing to some 79.3 million users in 5 years. Across the board, from animation to CAD and visualization, the visual simulation market is going through an explosive growth period running at 32 percent annually. Total software tools revenue for 3D Internet creation is expected to reach $681.7 million by 2001. The total animation market is expected to reach $2.58 billion in 1998 and triple within 24 months, making the digital rendering segment one of the drivers of the computer software market-place.

The reasons for this explosion of interest include:

•     The decrease in the cost of hardware to run advanced 2 D and 3 D applications is finding a hungry market across many business and consumer sectors. Architects, engineers, and consumers wanting realistic dynamic imaging are driving the market.

•     Existing personal computer owners are upgrading to machines that can provide a rich multimedia experience. Virtually all personal computers and workstations sold in 1998 were multimedia capable

•     New customers, whether in the business or consumer marketspace, are purchasing systems that can sustain near real time digital imaging.

In the recent military incident in Iraq, the number of requests for visual displays from the U.S. Department of the Army's Pathminder system increased by a factor of five between 1995 and 1999. “One does not think of the military officer as a visual animal, but real-time visualization are the only way to process large, complex abstractions,” says Michael Hunter, president of i2 Ltd. in Cambridge, England. “Real time visualization is penetrating every profession and becoming increasingly vital.”

According to Michael Dell, president of Dell Computer, “The basic machine can deliver first-class graphics, support MP3 audio, and support most of the dynamic graphics functions widely available in application software and via the Internet.”

Will this market tail off? Industry observers in publications as diverse as Computer Graphics World to Computer Reseller News believe that the demand for systems that can provide high resolution real time graphics is just beginning. Desktop and laptop computers are multimedia systems, not personal computers.

The Star Wars Prequel Effect

In mid-March 1999, Internet traffic at the pivotal San Jose, California, network access point stopped. Was it a technical failure in the technology heart of the United States? Was it a massive power failure like the one that crippled San Francisco’s business district in February 1999?

No.

The cause was the release of the 2.5 minute digital video of the motion picture trailer or preview of the May 1999 prequel to George Lucas’ Star Wars serial. Why is the release of a few hundred megabytes of digital imaging so important?

There are two reasons. First, the demand for photorealistic depictions of buildings, machines, and systems in the far future seems to be very high, even higher than for the first three films in the Star Wars’ series. Clearly the market cuts across several large demographic blocks.

Second, the visual texture of the Star Wars films combines technology and what motion picture aficionados call mise en scène or setting. From an architect’s point of view, the 2.5 minutes of dig-ital video is the ultimate marketing tool for selling the buildings of the future.

The effect of powerful visual imagery like this is going to ripple through the motion picture business, television, and even the world of architecture. Clients, whether they see this film or not, increasingly expect the images they see of proposed buildings to look like the presentations in Mr. Lucas’ films.

One advantage of animations is, that the dimension of time (succession, duration) can immediately be expressed. Another advantage lies in that an animation it is much easier to (virtually) cross the border to the third spatial dimension than it is in static graphics. Motion is one of the two best visual cues available to users of visualization systems. (The other cue being color.) A static 3D scene may be a confusing collection of graphics, but will take a startling depth-of-field when the viewing position is moved.

The use of fourth dimension techniques in architecture is a practical visual extension of what in the end is a three dimensional work of art.

The expectation is real. The technology is available. The difference between winning and losing a job in 1999 is no longer going to be a blend of price, design, and reputation. The sale will go to the team that has a presentation that makes the price, design, and reputation of the firm come alive. As the University of Florida scholar James Twitchell says, “It’s show business throughout business.”[2]

A fly-through, a virtual reality walk through, a real time video showing real people doing real things in the proposed building—these are the ingredients for getting the funding to build tomorrow’s structures.  Edward R. Tufte, one of the leaders in the discipline of presenting information effectively, said:

To envision information—and what bright and splendid visions can result—is to work at the inter-section of image, word, number, art. The instruments are those of writing and typography, of man-aging large data sets and statistical analysis, of line and layout and color. And the standards of quality are those derived from visual principles that tell us how to put the right mark in the right place.[3]

Where Is Innovation Heading?

Creating increasingly realistic representations of architectural settings is in its infancy, said Randall Stevens of ArchVision (Lexington, Kentucky). The challenges ahead are formidable. A check-list of innovations that will find their way to the working architect’s toolkit in the next 12 to 18 months range from automatic rendering of AutoCAD files to close integration with database files containing specifications, product data, and standards data.

There are many technical challenges still facing the 3D tools market. Tool developers are jockeying for position in a lucrative and expanding market. While most companies started with a basic animation package, the trend has been to build a complete toolset through acquisition of other technology or products. This however, has its drawbacks with cumbersome user interfaces, plat-form wars and cursory database support.

Are these projections accurate? One must reflect on Werner Von Braun’s observations: “I have learned to use the word 'impossible' with the greatest caution.”

Conclusions

Computer visualization, 3D graphics, and virtual reality simulations enhance the fundraising experience to overcome the competition for contributions in tangible and intangible ways.  Not only does this technology deliver compelling sales presentations, it addresses core issues of buying motivations, emotional messaging, and marketing development concerns.  ArchVision, a pioneer in this industry, constructs its assignments to bring a comprehensive vision to life, not just the structures for which philanthropic funds are being raised, says President Randall Stevens.  “This is a world where you must service your donors 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a clear, tangible message.  This message can now be crafted to push the envelope of what a donor can perceive through words, and to continue this message beyond the initial stages of capital investment, into marketing, and public announcements.”

The days of the handshake and a brochure are gone forever; the donor at the turn of the century will want to see the future to believe in the future.

© 1999, ArchVision, Inc., Lexington, Kentucky. No part of this white paper may be reproduced or reused without the permission of ArchVision, Inc.
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[1]       University of Toronto lecture in 1990.

[2]       James Twitchell, The Carnival Culture, New York, 1995.

[3]       Edward R. Tufte, Envisioning Information, 1991.