When producing a residential CGI, the whole process becomes so much more than an eventual selling tool.
Magenta Properties are a residential property developer based in nearby Bristol and a customer we have enjoyed working with for the past three years.
We spoke with owner, Andrew Egginton about his experience with using CGIs.
Magenta Properties have been in operation since the early 1990s, but our use of CGIs has only come to prominence in the past few years.
Prior to using CGIs we predominantly used hand drawn imagery to help us with our marketing. This was the accepted format for showcasing our portfolio of work.
I have to admit that I was slightly sceptical of using 3D animation.
The main reason was because I didn’t want our homes to look as though a computer created them and perhaps not look as natural as I would wish them to be. There is a thin line between a CGI that looks ‘ok’ and one that looks outstanding.
The CGI imagery that we now have produced looks real. So much so, we always have ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots to depict how the projects have progressed.
I have to say that a CGI image becomes part of an entire process and not just an image that is seen in brochures, websites and estate agent windows.
The difference between the imagery that we had produced previously and the way we work now, a CGI becomes an important design tool.
As a developer, I have a clear idea of materials and how the home will look, but there will be times to slightly tweak elements such as colour and materials. To have the ability to adjust after the first draft is an important part of the imagery process. It helps me get to see what the final product should look like, sometimes before the build team have fully commenced construction on site.
I see a CGI as a key part of the whole design process. To achieve full value is when the final image you are happy with becomes your reference tool throughout the project. It is so much more than a role to sell a house.
I wouldn’t say that because we have CGIs produced they help to sell our homes quicker. We used to aim to sell off-plan, but we didn’t achieve best value.
What a CGI helps to achieve in the eyes of the buyer is a sense of realism for how a future home can look. Many people can’t interpret architects drawings and stark black and white architects drawings. They need to see what the final environment would look like.
It is important for a viewer to see what the finished home will look like, otherwise it is open to interpretation.
Thanks to Andrew for his time and sharing his views of the CGI process. To view more from the Magenta Homes portfolio, click here.
