It amazes me how many good 3D architectural visualisation artists are out there who continue to make very basic mistakes in their artwork. Without much more technical ability a few pointers would turn their artwork into works of art!  Here are the most common mistakes to avoid.

1. Using low resolution texture maps that do not tile seamlessly and that show repetition of the tile. It is cheap and easy to buy or even create texture maps these days so dump the old maps and sort out a strong materials library. Make sure to use bump and displacement to avoid flat lifeless textures. There are also numerous fairly new material effects such as sub surface scattering which should be implemented when required.

2. Modelling the landscape with less effort than the buildings. The site is so important if you are striving for photo realism. In fact in many situations more effort should be put into the landscape than the building as it runs right up close the camera in the foreground.  Think about the foreground / mid-ground / distant-ground and back-ground and apply the detail as necessary.

3. Poor 3d architectural visualisation composition. Any good architectural photographer will tell you that it is as much about composition of shot as it is about subject or light. Architectural shots, both interior and exterior should generally be taken with the vertical walls of the building running parallel to the sides of the shot. This is a rule of thumb only and does not apply to more abstract shots or when dealing with exceptionally tall buildings.

4. Colour balance and colour mapping. Analyse your image carefully by looking at the balance of tones. If there is an unnatural looking green tint from the image make the necessary adjustments. If your dark areas are too dark play with your gamma settings. In 3D architectural visualisation you should try to make these adjustments within your render engine and make tweaks later in photoshop. » Read more: 5 Common Mistakes 3D Architectural Visualisation Artists Should Avoid