In this series, members of the View Labs team will share their point of view on our digital solutions and proprietary technology. This week we chatted with Matthew Sisson-Manville, Head of View AVR.
Over the past decade, virtual staging has been a mainstay of the real estate industry, with its first usage dating back to about 2008. As technology has evolved, renderings have inched closer and closer to capturing the look and feel of real-life staging. At View Labs, we developed View AVR, a fully customizable and realistic rendering service that virtually places 3D objects such as furniture, art, animations, finishing details and more into a built, partially built, or yet-to-be-built space, and displays them within a 360° video. View Labs’ top of the line video technology offers a unique and highly interactive viewing experience that allows for a lifelike exploration of a multitude of spaces. AVR is a highly complex and detailed process that can be hard to visualize, so we decided to ask Matthew, Head of AVR, to explain how the digital rendering process works and highlight the benefits View AVR can provide.
Q: What is View AVR? What are the key steps to completing a rendering?
A: View AVR is View Labs’ ability to add photorealistic virtual staging to any property we capture. We use the imagery and scanning data captured by our robot to add virtual staging to 360° video, standard 2D video, drone video and more. Additionally, we can provide complete renderings of spaces in 360° and 2D from CAD if the location is not available to film (or not even built yet!)
Q: What is your favorite View AVR feature/step to work on?
A: The whole AVR process is pretty rewarding since it's both technical and creative. We're highly technical in the sense that we deal with a lot of data from the robot,, all while working in a unique render environment. I love doing our Captured AVR projects; it features our entire spectrum of creative and technical abilities, as well as being a multi-team collaborative effort. The production team, post-production team, and AVR team all get to work together to create a high-quality product for our clients.
Q: What is your favorite AVR project you’ve worked on?
A: I was really proud of the work we did for the Metlife One Financial Center in Boston. These were two massive floors with tons of unique furniture selections, materials, and lighting options throughout. It was a full-team effort to create all of the assets needed for this property. Also, the work done on the living wall featured in the central corridor was wonderful- I think the artist in charge of that really went above and beyond.
Q: How does AVR differ from other digital rendering concepts on the market?
A: View AVR on its own is a market-leading digital rendering concept. We create photorealistic renderings in 360° and 2D, with the flexibility to use captured spaces or work from CAD. We provide no furniture limitations and have no theoretical limits in terms of scale. We can render entire buildings or single units, whatever is needed for the project. Our use of captured robot data bolsters our artists' speed and effectiveness, which allows us to maintain competitive pricing. Those details alone would make us a top-tier competitor in the digital rendering marketplace, but what really sets us apart is our direct integration into View Labs’ other offerings. View AVR isn't a third-party solution or a tacked-on afterthought, the AVR team is involved with AVR shoots from the pre-production phase to ensure that all virtual renderings will be captured under the best possible conditions. This direct involvement allows us to work in tandem with the other teams at View Labs to not only ensure that the renderings will be the highest quality possible, but also that they will be done incredibly quickly relative to our competitors.
Q: What would you tell a prospective client that is hesitant (but interested) in investing in View AVR for their property?
A: View AVR is such an effective way to help potential tenants see themselves in a space. When looking at a property, future tenants are always trying to visualize what they can do with the space and how their furniture might be placed. View AVR takes the guesswork out of the equation and lets the tenant see the actual property with furniture and without. Our renderings are done entirely to scale, so they can see for themselves exactly how certain pieces of furniture will fit into the existing space. This gives a much stronger impression of how they can use the space, even stronger than a walkthrough of an empty unit.
Q: What should clients do in preparation for the AVR process?
A: To prepare for the AVR process, usually it's best to have any floorplans or CAD you have of the property available at the kickoff of a project. Additionally, a test-fit and some furniture selections also save a ton of time. The furniture selections can be as specific as picking out every piece of furniture by hand from existing real-world manufacturers, or as vague as a collection of reference images for us to work from as guidance. The sooner we can get all of these items, the sooner we can get to work!
Q: What capabilities do you see in the future for View AVR?
A: One of our upcoming features that I'm excited about is the moving 360° video. The ability to render properties within full, moving 360° video would allow our clients to visualize properties in a unique way.
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