The types of visual representations and 3D environmental simulations encountered today in the practice of city planning vary enormously. Hand-drawn perspectives, models and photo composites, computer simulations - and, of course, each executed to a varying level of accomplishment. So I always ask myself: Is the choice of visual representation always a conscious one? Or does the form of 3D environmental simulation have something to do with the budget, with the technical means available, with the existing or usable software? Does the choice of representation have something to do with the amount of time available to complete a task using that particular visual form? What is the role of subjective preference in the choice of a certain type of representation? Or, even better, as it is in general terms: What considerations lead to the choice of a certain type of representation?