Common Questions
Do you have questions about Asymetrie, architectural visualisation or our 3D services?
Here you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions about our studio, the way we work and our different services:
feasibility visuals, landscape integration, 3D animations, virtual tours, real-time applications and architectural competition illustrations.
1. About Asymetrie
Asymetrie is a Belgian architectural visualisation studio based in Thuin, in the province of Hainaut. We produce 3D images, animations, 360° virtual tours and real-time applications for architecture, real estate, logistics, retail and architectural competitions. The studio was founded in 2006 by architect Xavier Vanabelle, who has been working in the field since 2000.
Asymetrie welcomes clients at its studio located at Drève des Alliés 7, 6530 Thuin, Belgium. The registered office of Asymetrie SRL is located at Rue de Thirimont 126, 6511 Strée (Beaumont), Belgium. The studio works on projects across Belgium, France and Luxembourg.
Asymetrie was founded in 2006, and its founder has been working in architectural visualisation since 2000, representing more than twenty-five years of continuous experience in the field in Belgium. The studio expanded into France and Luxembourg in 2014 and launched a dedicated real-time applications division in 2018. More recently, Asymetrie has implemented a workflow combining precision 3D modelling with artificial intelligence.
Asymetrie primarily works with architecture and urban planning firms, property developers, general contractors, logistics developers and public authorities. Its projects range from residential developments and logistics facilities to retail spaces, showrooms and public buildings. The studio’s clients include companies such as Thomas & Piron, Matexi, McDonald’s, Aldi France and many others.
Asymetrie brings together a multidisciplinary team of architects, 3D artists and developers, led by Xavier Vanabelle, architect, responsible for overall management and business development; Michaël Barrin, 3D artist, responsible for technical and artistic development; and Fanny Conesa, architect, responsible for project coordination, deadlines and quality.
Asymetrie works in French and English. Projects carried out with clients based in Flanders or internationally are handled in English, both for day-to-day communication and for project documents, briefings and review comments.
2. Services & Expertise
Coherent Landscape Integration (CLI) consists of integrating a 3D project into a real photograph of the site, taken from predefined, geolocated viewpoints. It ensures precise positioning and strict adherence to scale, even when there are no measurable reference points in the landscape, in order to produce a verifiable representation for planning permit applications.
Environmental Impact Visualisation (EIV) represents the visual impact of a project at different stages over time: the initial state, the state at the end of construction, and the state after thirty years of vegetation growth. It is designed for environmental impact assessments and public consultations, providing an objective visual basis for discussions about the project’s actual impact.
Yes, Asymetrie produces 3D animations and films alongside still images to showcase circulation, access points and the relationships between the different spaces within a project. Animation conveys movement and a sense of progression over time that a still image cannot capture.
Yes, Asymetrie creates 360-degree virtual tours that can be viewed directly in a web browser, with no installation or special equipment required. The link can be shared by email or embedded into a website, making it an effective tool for both marketing and presentations.
An orbital model is an interactive tool that allows users to rotate a project and view it from every angle directly in a web browser. It provides an overall view of the project’s layout and volumes, making it useful for presentations, marketing purposes and public consultations.
A real-time application allows users to navigate freely through a project in 3D and modify certain options instantly — materials, layouts and lighting conditions — without having to wait for a new image to be rendered. Asymetrie has been developing these applications in-house since 2018 through its dedicated real-time division.
Yes, logistics and industrial real estate is one of Asymetrie’s three main areas of expertise, alongside retail and residential real estate. The studio works on warehouses, logistics facilities, technical buildings and infrastructure projects, including their integration into open landscapes and peri-urban environments.
3. Project Workflow
Asymetrie works with files supplied by the client and accepts the following formats: for 2D, DWG, DXF, PLN and vector PDF files; for 3D, IFC, RVT, PLN, FBX, OBJ and SKP files. A vector file is always preferable to a scanned plan or image, as it preserves the project’s exact dimensions.
The quality and completeness of the files provided directly affect production time and cost: a clean, complete digital model naturally reduces the amount of preparation required.
Each project carried out by Asymetrie includes four rounds of revisions, divided into two distinct stages. Two rounds take place during the preview stage, using low-resolution review images to validate viewpoints, framing, volumes and positioning. Two further rounds take place during post-production, when the atmosphere, lighting, materials, vegetation and contextual elements are refined.
This two-stage process is intentional: it allows key structural decisions to be finalised before the final images are rendered, after which any changes become significantly more costly.
A typical project follows six stages: briefing and file submission, framing and selection of viewpoints, low-resolution preview rendering, client approval, final high-resolution rendering, and delivery. Architects model the volumes, while 3D artists work on materials, lighting and atmosphere.
Asymetrie n’impose aucun délai de validation. Les décisions dépendent souvent de réunions internes chez le client, et il n’est pas question de contraindre un processus sur lequel personne n’a prise. En revanche, la production du studio est organisée selon un planning global, où chaque projet occupe un créneau réservé. Plus la validation tarde, plus la réinsertion du dossier dans ce planning devient complexe, et plus le délai de livraison final s’éloigne, indépendamment de la volonté d’Asymetrie.
Asymetrie keeps the project files and resumes work whenever the client is ready. Work is resumed according to production availability at that time, and a new delivery schedule is then provided.
If the project has been on hold for several months, the 3D scene may need to be reconfigured, as the software and asset libraries used may have evolved in the meantime. In such cases, this additional work is subject to a supplementary quotation.
Asymetrie delivers still images in JPEG format, with an average width of 4,000 pixels, optimised for both print and web use, and animations in 1080p MP4 format. 360-degree virtual tours and orbital models are delivered via a web link, while real-time applications are delivered as executable files
Yes, Asymetrie works on projects outside Belgium on a daily basis, particularly in France and Luxembourg. The entire process can be handled remotely using files provided by the client: briefings via video conference, viewpoint approval through annotated images, and online delivery. Contact us to find out why clients in neighbouring countries trust us.
4. Pricing & Quotes
Asymetrie does not offer a standard price per image because a 3D visual is not a standardised product. The price depends on the number of views, the required level of detail, the extent of the environment to be modelled, the quality of the source files and the deadline. Each project is quoted individually after reviewing the plans.
Asymetrie provides a quotation within one to two working days after receiving all the information required to fully understand the request and the project. This generally includes the plans, the number of views required, the proposed viewpoints, the expected level of finish and the desired deadline.
If any information is missing and prevents an accurate estimate, Asymetrie will contact the client for clarification before submitting its quotation rather than providing an approximate price.
You can request a quotation from Asymetrie via the contact page form, by email at info@asymetrie.be, or by phone at +32 71 31 43 00. Providing the plans, the number of views required and the expected delivery date allows for an accurate quotation from the very first exchange.
To enable Asymetrie to prepare a quotation within its usual timeframe of one to two working days, five elements are required: the project plans in one of the accepted formats, the number of views required, an indication of the desired viewpoints or atmosphere, the intended use of the visuals (marketing, planning permit application, architectural competition or corporate communication), and the required delivery date.
The more precise this information is, the more accurate the quotation will be and the fewer reservations it will contain.
Asymetrie’s services are invoiced with a 30% deposit upon order, with the remaining balance due upon delivery and payable within fifteen days of the invoice date. The Terms and Conditions of Sale published on the website set out all applicable provisions, including payment deadlines and late-payment interest.
5. Usage Rights & Confidentiality
Images delivered by Asymetrie may be adapted for layout purposes or cropped. Any modification to the content of an image, including the generation of AI-derived versions based on a delivered visual, requires the studio’s prior written consent, as Asymetrie retains authorship of the work. The Terms and Conditions of Sale provide further details on permitted uses.
Yes, the landscape integration visuals and environmental impact visualisations produced by Asymetrie are designed to be included in planning permit applications and environmental impact assessments in Belgium. The viewpoints are geolocated and the scale is accurately maintained, making the representation verifiable.
Yes, Asymetrie signs Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) at the client’s request, even before any project files are shared. By default, the studio follows a strict publication policy: no visuals are published in its portfolio or on social media without the client’s prior approval.
Asymetrie archives projects on a dedicated server and commits to retaining production files for at least five years from the date of delivery. In practice, the studio’s archives go back considerably further.
This provides a direct benefit to clients: if additional versions, new viewpoints or updates to an existing project are required at a later date, work can resume from the existing files rather than starting from scratch, reducing both production time and cost. However, file retention does not grant any right of access to these files: the delivery of a 3D model or source files is subject to a separate quotation.
