Create Fast Architectural Walkthroughs Using 3D Photospheres

3D rendering is one of the tools architects generally use to present designs to their clients. Renderings are two-dimensional representations of a building, and it allows clients to see the structure before construction. The limitation of this method is that clients won't comprehend how space feels even with furniture installed because there is no continuity between the view in front and what's behind it.

To address the limitation of 3d renderings, architectural firms with enormous resources create walkthrough presentations to immerse the client into a 3D environment. The disadvantage of this presentation method is that it takes time, and it is expensive to produce. A faster and cheaper alternative to walkthrough animation is a photosphere. Photospheres allow the user to immerse themselves in an interactive virtual environment. This tool is similar to Google Street View, in which the user has a 360-degree view from a particular vantage point.

Photospheres only need a single high-solution rendering per vantage point. A separate application converts the 2D rendering into an interactive 3D environment. Renderings must be at least in 8k resolution to get quality photosphere results.

There are free software and online tools available to transform rendering into photospheres. I use the FSPViewer to convert photospheres offline and Momento360 to convert them online. There are also several applications from google play store and apple store you can use to convert renderings into a photosphere. The advantage of using phone applications is it enables you to see the photosphere using VR goggles.