Picturing the future: entrepreneur 'realizes' renderings.

Res3D's range of services is also expanding. Margalit said clients are increasingly requesting services that complement his renderings and images, such as Web design, interactive Web sites, and interactive exhibits featuring sophisticated or moving images. Such components help steer clients attracted by the renderings to businesses' online marketing and sales platforms, Margalit said. Another growth market is interactive design, such as the touch-screen displays in many museums or kiosks designed to facilitate direct human interactions with images and information, he said.

MORE ROOM TO GROW

As for the cost of his services, Margalit said it varies greatly depending on the type of renderings, with the more realistic renderings, often preferred by architects, costing more.

Margalit said he charges by the project, with a fee proposal that incorporates an hourly rate--from $75 per hour for standard work to much more for custom work. He said basic renderings cost between $800 and $15,000, and Web designs cost between $1,000 to $30,000. Animation video can cost more than $30,000, he said.

While some might ask what is left to be developed in 3-D modeling and graphics given the photorealistic effects already achieved by practitioners such as Res3D, Margalit argues that there is still much room for progress.

"We can simulate what a camera lens sees, but the next level will be to simulate what the eye sees and the human perceives. There's so much you realize you are missing, mainly the periphery of information you see on every side of that image," he said.

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