In architectural visualization, a building without people is just a sculpture. Human scale defines the purpose of a space, but nothing ruins a professional render faster than a poorly cropped, low-resolution “ghost” figure. To move from a basic 3D model to a compelling narrative, you need high-fidelity cut outs that match the lighting and “soul” of your design.
The Skalgubbar Revolution
When Teodor Javanaud Emdén launched Skalgubbar, he fundamentally shifted the aesthetic of architectural representation. Moving away from the stiff, corporate “office workers” of the early 2000s, Skalgubbar introduced real people in natural, often quirky, poses.
The logic is simple: authenticity sells. Whether it’s a person on a bicycle, someone walking a dog, or a group in casual conversation, these assets add a layer of relatability that makes a client feel like they could actually inhabit the space.
Our Curated Gallery of Life
While Skalgubbar set the standard, the Archiskills Cut Outs category provides a global palette to ensure your renders reflect the actual context of your project:
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Regional Diversity: For projects in South America or Africa, resources like Skalgub Brasil and Afrikut are essential. Using Northern European cut outs for a project in Luanda is a logical failure that breaks immersion.
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The Power of Greenery: Beyond people, Cutout-trees and Forest/digital allow you to layer organic depth. A high-resolution tree with a clean alpha channel (transparency) is the difference between a flat image and a deep, atmospheric environment.
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Hyper-Realism & Variation: Platforms like MrCutout and VIShopper offer vast libraries with consistent lighting, making it easier to populate large urban spaces without visual repetition.
Editor’s Tip: The “Rule of Three”
When populating your render using our resources, follow the Rule of Three:
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The Foreground Anchor: One high-detail figure (like a Studio Esinam asset) near the camera to establish immediate scale and texture.
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The Mid-ground Narrative: Small groups (from Cutoutmix or Nonscandinavia) that suggest how the space is used (e.g., sitting on a bench).
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The Background Ghost: Low-opacity figures in the distance to provide depth without drawing the eye away from the architecture.
By utilizing the curated assets on Archiskills, you aren’t just “filling space”—you are engineering a story that proves your design works for people.