Using Mental Canvas to Capture Atmosphere Through Moments in Time
written by Joe
We didn’t have time for a CGI. It was a tight pitch, and we needed to communicate the full experience of a hospitality space – not just the layout, but the mood, the atmosphere, and how it might feel to actually be there. A half-finished render wouldn’t cut it. So we tried something different.
Instead of pushing through with visuals that didn’t feel right, we turned to Mental Canvas – a sketch-based 3D tool often used in set design. It allowed us to storyboard scenes and build immersive, animated sketches that captured how the space could come to life. The result wasn’t about polished visuals. It was about energy, rhythm, and the feeling of a place told through curated moments.
🍸 A couple in quiet conversation at the bar
🎷 A jazz band playing in the background
🚶♂️ A guest stepping into a more private space beyond
Each scene unfolded like a memory. Rather than static views, we created sequences that moved with the user – showing how light shifted, how sound might travel, and how people might interact with the space. We don’t experience architecture in stills. We experience it through movement, emotion, and time. Mental Canvas helped us capture that.
It was a reminder that sometimes the most effective way to communicate a vision doesn’t come from inside the usual architectural toolbox. The right tool depends on the story you’re trying to tell – and often, the most resonant stories come when you step outside the expected.
