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Hi there,
I am resending this as the first one didn’t have the correct images for the new software of the week in it - apologies for this!
This week's posts are all about choice, and how badly our market tends to handle it. In AI rendering there is far too much of it, with dozens of tools making the same promise in different packaging, so the hard part is working out which few are worth paying for. In specification writing UK practices have had the opposite problem, with one real option for years, rising prices and a process that has barely changed in the 25 years I have been in practice. My conversation with Avoice showed me what a genuine alternative could look like.
Digital twins are about a different kind of choice, the one your client makes, and how a live 3D model lets them make it before anything is fixed rather than after the building is finished. That is the subject of our live session with Epic Games this Monday 16 November.
Below you will find all three posts, a last call for that session, the seven rendering tools I think are worth the money, two events where you can find me in London, this week's videos and one role worth noticing.
Let's get into it. 👇
What Sparked the Most Discussion This Week
Most practices are paying for AI rendering tools that all do the same job. I track 32 of them, and only 7 are worth the money.
For years UK architects have had one real choice for specification software. That should bother us more than it does.
Every architect has had a client approve the drawings, then see the finished building and say it isn't what they pictured. Real-time digital twins are one of the ways the industry is closing that gap.
Featured Live session
From Data to Decisions: Real-Time Digital Twins in Practice
Wednesday 4 November, 17:45 to 19:00 GMT, online. Register here
Every architect has had a client approve the drawings, then see the finished building and say it isn't what they pictured.
Real-time digital twins are one of the ways the industry is closing that gap. In plain terms, a digital twin is a live 3D version of a building or place, often built from the same Revit or Rhino model you already have, which clients, planners and communities can explore and use to make decisions before anything is fixed.
That idea ran through From Data to Decisions, the white paper I wrote with Epic Games, and on Wednesday 4 November I am taking it further in a live session with people who build these environments for a living. Each speaker will show one project and explain what decision it supported, who made it and what would have happened without it.
Who is speaking
-/ David Munro, Cityscape Digital - whose work includes the interactive planning platform for British Land's Canada Water regeneration.
-/ Dorian Vee, Imerza - who makes the case that a twin should be treated as a living asset that informs investment decisions, rather than a one-off deliverable.
-/ Sarah Causey, Implexus Lab - whose operational twin at Argonne National Laboratory moved engineers from 2D dashboards to live sensor readings in 3D and VR.
What we will get into
After the project snapshots we will move on to the questions that usually decide whether a twin succeeds or quietly stops being used:
-/ Where the data actually lives, and how many platforms it passes through on the way to the twin.
-/ Who keeps the model current after handover, when the design team has moved on.
-/ Who pays for it, and how the value is proven to the people signing off the budget.
The session is built for practice leaders and digital leads who are being asked whether twins are worth the investment and would rather hear the answer from people who have delivered them. If there is a question you would like the speakers to answer, reply to this email and I will take the strongest ones into the session.
News & Events
Digital Construction North, Manchester
I will be at Digital Construction North next month, so if you are going, come and find me. Now in its third year, it brings together people from across architecture, engineering, construction and operations, with more than 75 speakers, around 50 technology providers and four theatres covering BIM, AI, digital twins, robotics, automation and sustainability. The seminar programme is CPD-accredited.
When: Wednesday 18 November 2026, 9:00am - 18:00pm
Where: Manchester Central
Women in BIM Tech Clinic, London Build Expo
I am taking part in the new Women in BIM Tech Clinic at London Build Expo, run in partnership with Graitec. It offers one-to-one appointments with people from the Women in BIM network and the wider industry, and it is built for practical questions rather than presentations or sales pitches. I will be there to talk about workflows, early stage design and technology, so bring me your questions and we can work through them together.
When: 25th November
Where: London Build Expo, ExCeL London
Each expert only has a handful of appointments, so it is worth booking ahead, although any slots left can be taken on the day: book a Women in BIM Tech Clinic appointment
Christmas BIM & AEC London Meetup
The Christmas BIM & AEC London Meetup is a free evening of presentations, open discussion and networking with people from across architecture, engineering, construction and technology. The last one sold out with a waiting list, so this time we have opened 100 places. It is hosted by PLP Architecture and sponsored by GRAITEC UK, with snacks, drinks and perhaps a small Christmas surprise.
There are four talks this time:
Nick Johns - 2026 in Review: AEC Business Insights, Learnings and Outlook
Abhinav Chaudhary and Gizem Nalbur MacKenzie - PLP's Digital Augmentation: Mapping AI in Architecture
Allister Lewis - Before Revit: Tracing the Early-Stage Design Workflow
Tiago Santos - From Data to Design: How Information Drives Project Delivery at Grimshaw
When: Wednesday 2 December, 18:00 to 22:00 (talks start at 19:00)
Where: PLP Architecture, London
Places go quickly, so grab yours early: register here
New this week: 5 new software added to the ADDD Database
Each week I'll continue to share new software added to the ADDD Database, plus specific categories, to help you find the right solutions and stay up to date on what's emerging.
7 AI rendering tools worth paying for, sorted by how you work
I track 32 AI rendering tools, and most of them make the same promise in different packaging. These are the seven I think are worth the money, grouped by where your design lives. Pick the group that matches how you work, trial one tool on a live project for two weeks, and check where it sends your uploads before any client work goes in.
If you work inside the model
ArkoAI - renders from inside Revit, Rhino and SketchUp, so it suits practices that move between more than one package. arko.ai
RhinoBanana - a plugin for Rhino 7 and 8 that renders from your live viewport, using shaded, rendered and depth views as its input, without touching the model. It suits Rhino-first studios. rhinobanana.com
If you start from a sketch
Gendo - runs in the browser with nothing to install, so it suits practices that want quick concept images. gendo.ai
FORMAS AI - an AI-native design studio that takes sketches, collages and 3D models through to renders and short video, so it suits teams iterating on early ideas. formas.ai
If you want a repeatable process
xFigura - built by architects, it puts image, text and 3D models on one infinite canvas, so it suits practices that want to build a workflow once and reuse it. xfigura.ai
Disclosure: I have a referral relationship with xFigura, and you can get 15% off using the code ALLISTER15OFF.
Fenestra - a UK-built browser platform that turns sketches, models, CAD drawings and photos into finished visuals you can then edit with plain-language instructions, so it suits practices presenting from mixed sources. fenestra.app
Visoid - keeps a set of images consistent and lets you test materials, lighting and seasons, so it suits planning and client packages. visoid.com
Want the rest? Reply RENDER and I will send you the full list of 32, sorted by how you work.
Founder Interviews You Need to Watch
One Role Worth Noticing This Week
BrightAI is a start-up building connected IoT products and services, and this role sets the vision and strategy for new products that combine software and hardware, built from scratch. In the listing's words, it "requires a demonstrated history of 0-to-1 product execution". You would own product areas from start to finish, defining APIs and schedules with engineering and working closely with UX across mobile and web.
It is worth noticing because more of the technology that shapes how buildings are run now sits in connected devices and sensors, which is the same layer that makes the operational twins in this Wednesday's session possible.
→ View role: Here
See all roles here: www.aectechjobs.com/search
What this issue means for practice leaders
Read together, this week's posts are about the cost of choosing badly, or of not being given a real choice at all. The rendering market has more tools than any practice could sensibly trial, most of them making the same promise, so the risk is paying for three subscriptions that do one job. The specification market has had the opposite problem, with so little competition that prices have gone up while the way we write specifications has barely moved, and practices have paid for that in both fees and time. Digital twins point at the decision that matters most, which is the one the client makes, and they are only worth the investment when they help someone make that decision earlier and with more confidence. In each case the tool matters less than whether the decision about it is made deliberately, based on how your practice actually works.
The practical step this week comes from the rendering post. Pick the group that matches where your design lives, trial one tool on a live project for two weeks, and check where it sends your uploads before any client work goes in. Apply the same thinking to your specification process, and note how long the next one actually takes, so that you have a real figure to compare when an alternative like Avoice comes along.
If you would like help making these decisions across the whole practice, that is what the ADDD workshop is for: a half-day session, in person or online, that looks at where technology creates friction across your workflows and ends with a written report on the problems, the priorities and the next steps. The easiest way to start is a 30-minute call.
That's it for this week.
If something in here landed - or if you disagree - reply and tell me. I read every response.
Thanks for reading!
Allister
Richard is sulking as he’s on a diet.
