Midjourney is one of the more commonly used AI tools for architects looking to create photo-realistic AI-generated artwork that can be used to develop ideas and concepts.
Prior to the adoption of generative AI, the initial concepts and ideas would be drawn up using a variety of tools, depending on the preference of the architect. This could range from hand-drawn sketches to common applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Canva, to more specific architecture-based tools such as Archicad, SketchUp, Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Chief Architect Software, and Rhinoceros 3D.
AI tools such as Midjourney, Leonardo.AI and Designer will not necessarily be able to replace these more traditional methods currently, but can certainly aid the creation and development of ideas.
In this article, we compare emerging AI tools for architects and weigh up their benefits, challenges, and applications for the architecture industry overall.
AI-assisted Prompts
Leonardo.AI image
One interesting feature of Leonardo AI is the ability to have the AI assist you in the actual writing of the prompt itself, provided it is under the 200-character limit.
For example, a basic version of a prompt you might enter into the image generator could be something like this:
“Futuristic skyscraper with live trees and plants growing out of the surface of the building as part of the structure”.
If we then ask the AI assistant to refine this for us it will suggest a better version of the prompt that would be most likely to generate the best results.
This is what the AI provided from that earlier sentence about skyscrapers and trees:
“A technologically advanced skyscraper covered in thriving green foliage, seamlessly integrating nature into its sleek design. Lush trees and plants sprout from every corner, adding a vibrant touch to the futuristic structure. This stunning image, presented as a high-quality photograph, captures the harmonious blend of urban architecture and natural beauty. The organic elements cascade down the building's facade, creating a mesmerizing juxtaposition of man-made innovation and organic growth. The vivid colours and intricate details of the plant life enhance the overall aesthetic, drawing viewers into a world where nature and technology coexist in perfect harmony.”
Leonardo.AI image
As you can see the AI assistant has expanded on the prompt quite extensively and seems to understand where this was going and what was intended from the short sentence.
It also shows the level of detail and type of format that the generator is expecting so you can emulate this style yourself.
MS Designer Comparison
To give a side-by-side comparison, the entire prompt that was auto-generated has been copied and pasted into the MS Designer tool to see the difference in the results.
MS Designer image
Leonardo.AI image.
While these images may not be structurally similar, there was no written input to guide the tools in this way e.g. circular structure, rectangular shape etc. Later examples will show clearly how this can be accomplished if needed.
The Leonardo version has a much more professional quality and looks less like a stylised concept and more like a real photograph of a solid object, with realistic shadowing and sharp, defined edges. The result from Designer is still very competent, however, especially for a tool that is free to use.
Let’s look at some other prompts with a range of styles and designs that could be used.
“Futuristic looking street with a row of homes with roofs made from solar panels instead of tiles, polarised glass windows and a tiny wind turbine 1-metre tall spinning on the roof of each property”.
AI-assisted Version: “In a world of advanced technology, a modernistic street lined with houses featuring solar panel roofs, polarised glass windows, and small wind turbines spinning on each roof. This striking image, presented as a hyper-realistic digital painting, showcases the sleek, eco-friendly design of the homes. The panels glisten in the sunlight, the windows shimmer with a colourful sheen, and the turbines twirl gracefully in the breeze. The overall aesthetic is a captivating blend of innovation and sustainability, inviting viewers to imagine a future where environmental consciousness meets architectural brilliance.”
Again, the AI assistant seems to have captured the intention of the image without this being explicitly suggested in the prompt. For example, we were looking for a hyperrealistic digital painting but did not request that as such. Also, the image was meant to convey a blend of innovation and sustainability, architectural brilliance mixed with environmental consciousness. This was not provided to the AI system although it seems to have inferred from this short sentence exactly the sort of notion that we are trying to convey.
Let’s see how the images compare across Leonardo and Designer using that same prompt that was auto-generated.
Leonardo Eco Street MS Designer Eco Street
Leonardo.AI image
MS Designer image
When it comes to presenting properties, Leonardo seems to be the clear winner and whereas the Designer images have an “AI generated” feel to them, the images produced by Leonardo are much more crisp and professional looking. The Leonardo version looks more like the sort of high-quality image that could be shown to a client to convey an idea or planned development.
Furthermore, Leonardo is more catered towards architecture and concepts for building in how it has adapted the miniature turbines on the roof in the first image.
Rather than simply search through data banks for images of wind turbines, Leonardo has given these windmills a more aesthetic and residential look. Again, it was not expressly told to do so within the AI-assisted prompt, although this fits the brief perfectly. Rather than an ill-placed element, they have been given an adept quality.
Realistic Property Development
According to its developers, Leonardo.AI is best suited for professionals in graphic design, marketing, advertising, and photography. Can it be used to generate realistic designs that could be useful for architecture, however?
To test its capabilities we should look at a more realistic design concept that might typically be produced as part of a commercial project.
For this example, we will use a business park with a specific set of guidelines:
“Professional image of a business park in the shape of an octagon. The main office building features rendered exterior walls with dark oak panelling and an expansive main entrance with a tree-lined path through a grassed area that leads to small cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating areas and business people sitting at the chairs, enjoying a meal and laughing with their coworkers. On the left side of the image is a car park attached to the main compound”.
Although an octagonal shape is perhaps more suited to a prison compound than a business park, this deliberately awkward shape should test the image generators further in their ability to create something aesthetically pleasing from an unnatural starting point.
Leonardo Business Park
Leonardo.AI image
MS Designer Business Park
MS Designer image
The overall effect here is much more impressive in the Leonardo-produced images, however, it should be noted that both Leonardo and Designer approached the octagon shape in quite a novel way.
Instead of creating an even-sided octagon, both image generators have gone with more of a square with chamfered edges, creating the 8 sides of the octagon.
The business park is a lot more visually appealing in the Leonardo images, especially from a client’s point of view. It is interesting, however, how both Leonardo and Designer seemed to have the ability to compensate for human inadequacies, which was useful in this case. Working within the confines of the rules, the AI has effectively airbrushed away questionable design choices that would have made the project visually unappealing.
Also interesting is how both applications have extended the octagon theme in places to include octagon-shaped decking and fountains.
Leonardo seems to have clear advantages over Designer in terms of architectural designs and concepts. For a free tool, however, MS Designer can certainly provide a clear and striking image, accurately depicting any strange concept you can imagine—although Designer has a slightly cartoony look when compared to Leonardo, where the results are difficult to distinguish from a real photograph.
Midjourney vs Leonardo
MS Designer is not a high-end prescription package and the real competition is between Midjourney and Leonardo, for architects looking for the top range of AI-generated professional images.
Taking the same prompt and comparing it across Leonardo and Midjourney provides a reasonable comparison, although this is not an entirely fair test with the various systems operating in slightly different ways.
Prompt Gaia provides suggested prompts for innovative architectural designs to try out on Midjourney. For this test, we will be looking at a relatively simple prompt:
“Photo of modern futuristic minimalist zen dome tiny house”.
Midjourney Dome House
Midjourney image
Leonardo.AI Dome House
Leonardo.AI image
It is difficult to establish a clear winner here, although Midjourney perhaps slightly edges it with the realism of the photo. With the high-end applications, a lot of the choice will be down to personal preference and what is right for your company and style of architecture.
With the AI-assisted version of the prompt on Leonardo, the results are slightly different. Using the “improve” button lets the AI elaborate on the instructions and helps to create a better and more photorealistic image.
Leonardo.AI image with assisted prompt
Leonardo.AI image with assisted prompt
This is perhaps a fairer test, using the available functions of Leonardo to refine the image, before comparing it to a similar image from another tool such as Midjourney.
The next set of images focuses on a futuristic restaurant design, which lends itself to the vibrant colours and lighting in Midjourney in particular.
Prompt: “Exterior of futuristic restaurant, design, hyperrealistic render, sharp focus, very detailed, soft lighting, photorealistic”.
Midjourney
Leonardo Without AI Assistance
Leonardo—No AI assistance
Leonardo With AI-assisted Prompt
Leonardo.AI assisted prompt image
When using the full functionality of Leonardo, it is difficult to set it apart from Midjourney and again, this would mostly come down to personal or company preference.
In general, it seems that Midjourney has a slightly more artistic look with vibrant colours and an impressive textured feel to the image. Leonardo strays more towards the corporate presentation side, showing a clean-cut image that is inviting to commercial clients and showcasing a sense of professionalism.
Apart from the useful “improve” option, there are several advanced functions in Leonardo such as texture generation, model and dataset finetuning, along with the ability to create video content.
One key advantage of Leonardo is that users can try the system for free with several tokens awarded daily allowing users to generate around four images per day for free, with more advanced functions costing more of the tokens.
This means that you can get to grips with the system and see if it would be a good fit before signing up for a paid subscription.
With Midjourney the standard plan giving you unlimited use of the software costs $30 per month, with no free trial currently available.
Whichever application you choose depending on your style preference, the results are truly remarkable.
If there are any features of the design or various options that the client would like to choose, these can be applied as simply as changing one or two words and generating another image.
To see what it would look like in a different colour scheme or various orientations would normally take a graphics department hours of work to create each version.
With AI image generators such Leonardo.AI, Midjourney and MS Designer, the development of ideas can evolve at a faster rate, with each variant being tried and tested within the seconds it takes to generate the image.
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