What do artists mean when they talk about rendering?

Question

I hear the term “rendering” thrown around in both traditional and digital art communities like it’s some sort of buzzword, but I’ve never gotten a clear explanation as to what it means.

In: 37

Answer 1

In architecture and related disciplines (I first learned this in theatrical stage scenery design), a rendering is a drawing meant to mimic a photograph of what the project will eventually look like. This is in contrast to a plan, which is a straight-down view, or an elevation, which is a straight from the side view.