Virtual Staging for Real Estate Markets?-How so Cheap? & Techniques/Software??

[architecturalimagery]

Hi All,

As most of us are in the arch-vis business creating full 3D renderings often costing several hundred dollars or more, what are your thoughts on this emerging area in the real estate market called Virtual Staging which seemingly is producing images from existing photos for typically as low as $50! even here in NY! I am asking because I recently had a client inquire about such services, where I normally would have done a traditional rendering. How is it possible to do this work for soo cheap & are you familiar with what process/technique they are utilizing? I was curious if it was just camera matching an existing photo in the viewport & just placing 3D models in Max or is it strictly 2D PS type compositing?..if so, what kind of resources/software do you think they are using for the furnishings placed in these scenes...are they 3d or just images shot from varying angles? Anyone familiar with what techniques / skills are being utilized to create these images?...granted they are not as accurate in terms of lighting & perspective as traditional renderings can be, but for the price I can see how they are an appealing alternative for existing properties...see below links & attachments as an example:

 

http://whatuexpect.com/vir.html

 

http://www.propertyeffects.com/virtual-home-staging-software.html

 

http://www.virtualhousestaging.com/

 

Thanks,

 

Bohb

[architecturalimagery]

Is no one on these forums doing this type of work?...if so, then who is? & how are they doing it & so cheaply?

[Jonathan Sanchez]

I've done this kind of work. It depends on the project, some I've had to model in 3ds then camera match, in others i have just photoshopped, or a little bit of both techniques. What I do on these little jobs is keep track of how long it takes me and charge hourly. It can be 1~3 hours, maybe less maybe more.

[Scott Schroeder]

It depends. If you get a client who can't keep the camera still or has a camera that does not include the lens information, then it can quickly become a budget burning job. As well, a lot of the builders that I have contact with are no longer going to build model homes or at the very least cut way back on the model homes. Which is why they come to me to create the viz work. So without any sort of room to photograph, it's impossible to use this technique.

 

Besides, you get what you pay for. Sure the background is photoreal, but none of the elements match the scene. There are no reflections of the windows on either of the scenes, or reflections on the floor. It looks like a bunch of CG furniture slapped into a scene. If you want it to look correct, you need to spend time on it and get a little more than 50 bucks. Shoot, for most US places, 50 bucks won't cover the cost to pay the employee one hour's of work and cover the overhead.

 

"Do it for cheap" is the phrase that is single handedly taking down this industry, not the economy, not the stocks, nothing else.

[architecturalimagery]

Thanks for the response gentlemen.

 

Yes, I agree the lighting, shadows, & reflections on the objects are not as accurate compared to doing a full 3d model of the entire space, however, for budget clients especially with an existing space that is to remain unaltered I can see the attraction. I was assuming this is done with camera matching in 3ds Max with the existing image used as a background & then 3d furnishings & accessories floated into the scene, then using some artificial light rigging to simulate the room ambiance & directional lighting...but even that process seemed like a bit of work, so then I was wondering if maybe there was some other program & library of furnishings that people were using to "place" & rotate 3d objects into a 2d image somehow which would allow the user to accomplish this task so easily, swiftly, & cheaply...I guess in the end it's really just the typical combo of a host 3d app such as Max & a bit of Photoshop...Guess I was just having a hard time understanding how it was being completed so cheaply. As I mentioned what sparked my curiosity was a prospective real estate client looking to have a marketable visualization created...yet for the going rate of $50!