Rethinking architectural visualization

The world of architectural visualization has made impressive progress in recent years. Modern technologies such as 3D rendering, augmented reality and artificial intelligence (AI) make it possible to depict buildings and urban landscapes so realistically that the difference between visualization and photography is almost indistinguishable. But despite these technical achievements, the focus is often exclusively on the buildings themselves. At smpl, we go one step further and put people at the center of your visualizations. We call this virtual photography. With a mixture of 3D visualization and AI-supported people integration, we develop vivid images that not only show buildings, but also the social life around these properties. This approach opens up new possibilities and brings numerous benefits.

The transformation of architectural visualization

Traditionally, architectural visualizations have focused on the buildings. Developers, architects and investors used detailed renderings to present planned projects and show the design of interiors, facades or landscaping. These renderings are often impressive and aesthetically pleasing, but they usually only focus on the physical building. The social life that might take place in and around these buildings is often neglected.

The approach we call virtual photography broadens this focus. Instead of merely emphasizing the aesthetics of a building, we focus on the people who are active in and around the building. By integrating realistic-looking people into the visualizations, the social interactions, the use of spaces and life in a property are visualized. The aim is to focus not on the building alone, but on life in and around the building.

People as central elements

rchitecture is more than just building structures – it creates spaces in which people work, live and interact with each other. Our decision to integrate people as a central element of your visualizations takes this fact into account. The targeted use of AI-supported techniques makes it possible to include people in various everyday situations and interactions in the architectural visualizations.

This focus on people enables potential buyers, investors and urban planners to better understand and imagine the future use of a building or urban space. The depiction of social scenes not only gives a realistic picture of what the building will look like, but also how it could be integrated into everyday life. This makes the visualizations more emotionally engaging and accessible, as the viewer is not just looking at an empty building, but a living scene.

Advantages of virtual photography

Our approach has a number of advantages that go beyond traditional architectural visualization:

1. Emotional appeal and imagination: people have a natural connection to social interactions and human activity. Integrating people into architectural visualizations creates a deeper emotional connection to the project. Buyers or investors can more easily imagine what life could be like in and around the building. They don’t just see a static building, but an animated environment that stimulates their imagination.
2. Realistic usage scenarios: The visualization of people in different everyday situations shows how spaces can actually be used. Whether it’s a lively lobby in an office building, a cozy square in the courtyard or social life in a residential area – the viewer gets a clear picture of how the space could be used later.
3. More effective marketing: For real estate developers and marketers, this type of visualization can be a decisive competitive advantage. Rather than just showing sterile, empty spaces, virtual photography offers a vivid picture of future life in the property. This can create a strong incentive for potential buyers or tenants, especially in the early stages of marketing when the project is not yet completed.
4. Promoting urban planning and social cohesion: Especially in the context of urban planning and the development of public spaces, these visualizations can help create a better understanding of how buildings affect social life and interaction in a community. This allows architects and urban planners to make more informed decisions that take into account not only the architecture but also the social aspect.

Technological basis: AI-supported personal integration

The technological basis for this new approach is the combination of advanced 3D visualization technology and AI-supported people integration. While traditional visualizations often appear static and devoid of people, AI makes it possible to insert realistic-looking people in different poses, age groups and ethnic backgrounds into the scenes. These people can be positioned to represent natural and authentic scenes of everyday life. There are literally no limits to the imagination and every moment, no matter how individual, can be portrayed.

The AI not only helps to realistically insert the people into the images, but also to make their interactions with the environment believable. This goes beyond simply placing people – it also takes into account how they move around the scene, how they interact with each other and how they affect the architecture. The result is a coherent and lively representation of the entire environment.

Future developments and possibilities

This approach is still at the beginning of its possibilities. In the future, the technologies could be further developed to enable even more detailed and interactive visualizations. For example, interactive scenarios are conceivable in which the viewer can navigate through a virtual scene and explore various usage scenarios. The use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) could also make visualizations even more immersive and realistic.

Conclusion

The human-centric approach to architectural visualization brings a breath of fresh air to an industry that has so far focused heavily on the pure representation of buildings. By placing people at the center of the visualization, architecture is presented in its social and living context. This not only enables a more emotional appeal, but also offers practical advantages for urban planning and real estate marketing. It remains exciting to see how this approach will continue to develop and change the way we perceive architecture.

You can find out more about our approach and project references on our virtual photography services page.