Section/Elevation Photo-Collage
The rendered section is the image that communicates spatial quality better than any plan or perspective alone. Build it to that standard.
Why section rendering matters
A section/elevation communicates the vertical dimension of a design: how tall a space is, how it is enclosed or open, the relationship between ground, planting, and structure, the scale of experience a person moving through it will have. This information does not exist in plan view and is difficult to read in a perspective image. A well-rendered section is often the most persuasive single image in a design presentation because it directly answers the question of how the space is experienced spatially.
Setting up the base
The section/elevation is built entirely through photo-collage — no 3D rendering is required. Two options for the base geometry:
| Base option | When to use it | How to prepare it |
|---|---|---|
| CAD section linework | When the CAD section is clean, well-constructed, and at the correct scale. Best option when design detail is important. | Export the CAD section as a PDF from AutoCAD. Place in Photoshop using File → Place Embedded. Verify scale against a known dimension (a wall height, a path width). Place on the Base Linework layer and lock it. |
| Lumion orthographic section export | When a 3D model exists and a rendered section through it would communicate more spatial character than a line drawing. | In Lumion, set up a camera at the section cut position looking perpendicular to the cut, enable orthographic projection (Image FX), and render. This produces a rendered section view that can be used as the collage base. |
Building the section layer by layer
| Layer (bottom to top) | Content |
|---|---|
| Base linework | CAD export or Lumion orthographic — locked reference |
| Earth and ground fill | Dark solid fill below grade line — the ground section cut. This is the visual anchor of the image and should be the darkest element. |
| Paving and hardscape in section | Material texture fills clipped to section geometry, slightly lighter than the earth fill |
| Structural elements in section | Walls, curbs, retaining structures — heavy stroke, solid or textured fill appropriate to material |
| Sky background | A sky photograph or gradient, filling the entire above-grade area — this is placed early because all vegetation and structures are composited in front of it |
| Background vegetation (elevation) | Simplified, desaturated tree silhouettes far behind the section cut |
| Midground vegetation and structures | Trees and elements at the section depth or just behind it |
| Cut vegetation | Any trees or planting masses cut by the section plane — show as section cuts with appropriate fill, not as elevation forms |
| Foreground elements | Closest vegetation, people, and site elements framing the composition |
| Human scale figures | Placed to establish scale — every section needs at least one figure at correct height |
Scale consistency with plan-view images
If your section and your plan-view collage both appear in the final presentation, their scales must be visually relatable. A tree at 40' spread in plan should be approximately 40' tall in section (species allowing). A path 8' wide in plan should be 8' wide in section. Verify these relationships before finalizing either image — inconsistencies are clearly visible when both appear on the same page.
What breaks
Section without a human figure — the viewer cannot determine whether a space is intimate or monumental without a scale reference. One correctly scaled standing figure makes everything else in the image legible.
Ground fill too light — the earth fill anchors the entire image compositionally. If it is too light or uses a texture that reads as decorative rather than structural, the section loses its spatial logic. The earth cut should be the heaviest, darkest element in the image.