Step-by-Step Guide for Creating 3D Walkthroughs for Real Estate
When it comes to real estate, what hooks the buyer is stunning visuals. Photos don’t work as well as they used to. Now, buyers want to “explore” the property, without actually visiting it or even stepping out of the house. And thanks to 3D technology, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based platforms, we have the perfect solution for this issue – 3D walkthroughs.
What is a 3D walkthrough?
A 3D walkthrough is a digital or virtual recreation of a real estate property (like an apartment or a store space) through which people can navigate (or “walk through”) as if they were personally inside that space. What they do is mimic the natural flow of movement inside a property, so that the overall experience is much more than regular photos.
3D walkthroughs are unlike 360-degree tours and virtual tours, as they simulate real-life movement through a space and recreate real-life environments. They often including lighting, textures, and furnishings you would normally expect to see and experience in a property.
Some common use cases of virtual walkthroughs in real estate include:
- Pre-construction visualization
- Creating immersive real estate experiences, property tours, and virtual home tours
- Making client or investor presentations more interesting
- Creating marketing materials for new projects
How to create a 3D walkthrough for real estate (step-by-step guide)
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Set and define your goals
Before starting your 3D walkthrough project, define the goals you want to achieve. The following questions will help you set clear goals:
- Is it for marketing, personal planning, or a client presentation purposes. (for customizing the experience)
- Is it for showcasing a property in its entirety or is it to focus only on specific parts of the property?
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Gather your resources and plan the layout
The next step is to collect all the essential assets you need to make the layout, like floor plans (if available), site measurements, reference images (of furniture, fixtures, finishing, etc.), client preferences, and mood boards.
All these resources will help you make an accurate 3D model of the space.
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Create the 3D model
Use the materials and assets you’ve collected in the previous step to create your 3D model, which you will need for your virtual walkthrough.
To build an effective digital model, you need a good 3D modeling software, such as SketchUp, Blender, 3ds Max, or Revit. When creating the virtual replica,
- Start with structural elements like walls, floors, and ceilings before you build anything else.
- Then you can add other architectural elements, like doors, windows, moldings, stairs, etc.
- If needed, you can add exteriors, landscaping, external lighting, etc.
Always input the accurate measurements and dimensions to ensure realism in the model.
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Furnish and decorate the interiors
After creating the basic structure, it is time to add interior design elements, like furnishings, furniture, décor, plants, artwork, etc., as they make the space feel authentic and lived-in.
Many 3D modeling software come with in-built libraries that have interior elements. Another option is to download the elements and import them into the software.
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Add materials and textures
Next, apply realistic textures and materials to the various surfaces of the model. Textures and materials like wood flooring, metallic fixtures, tiles, etc. will bring the model to life.
The final look should match the design in the real world or the mood board you created for the space.
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Set up lighting
Now that your virtual real estate model is textured, you need to set up the lighting to make it look realistic and appealing.
There are different light sources you need to add to a real estate property model, like:
- Natural lighting – to simulate sunlight based on the time of day and location.
- Artificial lighting – to simulate the light that comes from lamps, lights, bulbs, sconces, chandeliers, etc.
Don’t forget to add shadows, as it gives the viewer the illusion of depth in the model.
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Configure the camera angles and navigation
Place the virtual cameras at the appropriate angles so that it mimics the eye-level view of the scene. Such camera angles will enhance the immersiveness of the 3D model. Once that’s done, you have to determine how the viewers will navigate through the space you have created. You can either set a guided tour for the user using predefined paths or allow them to freely explore the space with free navigation.
Include interactive elements, like clickable objects, that the user can interact with for more information about the property.
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Rendering the walkthrough
To render the real estate 3D tours, use photorealistic rendering engines like V-Ray, Lumion, Foyr Neo, etc. The quality of your renders will depend on the output resolution, frame rate (of the animation), and optimization.
Higher resolutions and frame rates make the visuals clear and run smoothly. Optimization, on the other hand, is needed to ensure that the renders are of reasonable sizes so they load quickly, run smoothly, and look clear without putting a burden on resources like storage space, processing power, etc.
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Export the walkthrough
Export the virtual walkthrough in the format that is supported on the platform you will be using. For videos, you can export it as an .mp4 or .mov file. Web-based interactive 3D property tour will have to be in HTML5 or WebGL. 3D walkthrough animations are also made for virtual reality (VR) and augmenhttps://professional3dservices.com/blog/3d-model-optimization.htmlt target="_blank"ed reality (AR) apps, so they’ll have to be compatible with whatever device will run it.
What are the main elements of a good 3D walkthrough?
To produce high-quality, photorealistic, and good-looking 3D walkthroughs, they must include:
- Realistic lighting and textures so that the interactions between natural light and surfaces create a photorealistic appearance.
- Smooth camera flow for more natural transition or navigation between rooms and levels.
- High-resolution rendering for high-quality visuals that don’t result in pixilation when displayed on large screens.
- Realistic environments that help the viewer visualize the space accurately.
- Wide compatibility for effortless viewing on any device, browser, app, or VR platform.
Benefits of 3D walkthroughs in real estate
- They boost the buyer’s experience by allowing them to explore the property at their own convenience. As it is digital, buyers can experience the walkthrough wherever they are, whenever they want to, and at their own pace.
- They save time for the buyer (and, to a certain extent, the property owner) as they don’t need to travel to the property’s location for a visit.
- They increase the visibility of properties by making them stand out on websites, social media, and other real estate platforms.
- They increase a buyer’s confidence in a property as they get a realistic view, which helps them accurately visualize the space and ultimately make a purchase.
- They make the property presentation look more professional, which then leads to faster sales at better prices.
Tips for an effective virtual 3D walkthrough
- Don’t use sudden transitions or confusing paths so that the navigation feels intuitive to the user.
- Always use high-quality assets to make the visuals look natural and keep the user immersed.
- Prioritize proper lighting as it improves the visual appeal of the renders.
- Show the surroundings (outdoor views) of the property whenever possible, not just the interios. It’s to provide the user with context.
- Optimize the renders so there is a good balance between visual quality and performance (speed and file size).
Common 3D walkthrough mistakes to avoid
- Adding too many details and elements to the design. If you overload the 3D design with too many elements, it will slow down the rendering.
- Poor or unrealistic lighting (too flat or dramatic) hurts the realism of the renders.
- The viewer’s experience is very important as you need them to either purchase or invest based on what they see. Ignoring the user experience is a big BIG mistake!
- Scale the interior and exterior elements (fixtures, furniture, etc.) properly, as inaccurate proportions will only confuse the viewers (potential buyers, clients, investors).
Best software for real estate walkthroughs
| Software | Main focus | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Foyr Neo | Interior design visualization and 3D renderings. |
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| Lumion | Architectural visualization, rendering, and animation. |
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| SketchUp | 3D modeling and quick visualizations. |
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| Autodesk Revit | Building Information Modeling (BIM) and creating construction documents. |
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| Autodesk 3ds Max | Professional 3D modeling, rendering, and animation. |
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3D walkthroughs: an essential tool for real estate
3D walkthroughs are effective at giving potential buyers a complete view of properties. So, it’s no wonder that they’ve have become indispensable for real estate professionals, architects, and developers.
They are immersive experiences that boost buyer confidence and have so many other benefits that can’t be ignored. Create your own virtual walkthrough with this step-by-step guide, but you’ll need the right software and skills to create truly stunning real estate 3D tours. Or, you could simply outsource the 3D walkthrough creations to experts who can give you the best results at reasonable prices. Leaving it to the experts will save you a lot of time and effort that could otherwise be spent on your core business.
So, don’t waste time… Start creating 3D walkthroughs today to take your real estate presentations to the next level and close property deals faster.
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