Create a Virtual Showhouse, Showroom or Model Home

How to Create a Virtual Showhouse: A Guide for Interior Designers, Architects, Home Product Companies & Real Estate Developers.

The concept of virtual showhouses is revolutionizing the way we present and experience home design and shopping experiences. By leveraging advanced technologies like 3D modeling, virtual reality (VR), and interactive tours, you can create immersive and engaging virtual spaces that showcase your designs, products, and creativity. This guide will walk you through the steps to create a stunning virtual showhouse, tailored for interior designers, architects, home product designers, home decor and lighting companies, and real estate developers.

What is a Virtual 3d Tour?

Traditional Virtual Tour:

A traditional virtual tour, such as those created using Matterport, employs 3D spherical photographs or renderings seamlessly stitched together with interactive hotspots to simulate an immersive 3D experience. Users can navigate through the space independently, exploring every corner with a high degree of detail and realism. This experience is typically designed for individual engagement, allowing users to move at their own pace, focus on areas of interest, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the space without the distractions of a group setting. The photorealism achieved in these tours ensures highly accurate product depiction and architectural details, making it an invaluable tool for interior designers, architects, real estate developers, and product manufacturers who seek to showcase properties or designs with precision and interactivity.

Metaverse Virtual Tour:

A Metaverse virtual tour is built using a scaled 3D model that users explore as avatars, creating an interactive and engaging group experience. Unlike traditional virtual tours, the Metaverse environment resembles a video game with less photorealism and a more stylized, digital aesthetic. Users can navigate the space together, interact with each other and the environment in real time, and participate in collaborative activities. While the focus is less on exact and accurate depictions of the space, the emphasis is on dynamic interactions and social engagement, making Metaverse virtual tours ideal for presentations, collaborative design sessions, and immersive experiences that prioritize connectivity and engagement over precise visual representation. This approach appeals to interior designers, architects, real estate developers, and product manufacturers looking to leverage cutting-edge technology for innovative and interactive showcases.

Scenes from an in person launch. One customer uses a Samsung touchscreen TV to view the tour, while another uses the VR goggles for an immersive experience.

Why Create a Virtual Tour?

Virtual showhomes & showrooms offer several benefits:

Wider Reach: Access a global audience without the limitations of physical location.
Cost-Effective: Save on costs associated with physical construction and maintenance.
Interactive Experience: Provide an immersive and interactive experience for potential clients and customers.
Showcase Innovation: Highlight your ability to integrate modern technologies into your design practice.

Creating a Tour - My Process

Traditional 3d Tour

Design the floor plan and exterior (or use your existing plans).
Build a detailed 3D architectural model using advanced 3D modeling software.
Add furnishings and decor to finish out the space in the desired style.
Add products for display and/or sales.
Render photorealistic images for marketing.
Render photorealistic panoramic (3d spherical) images using professional rendering software to ensure high-quality visuals.
Compile the panoramas into an immersive virtual tour using specialized virtual tour software.
Add product information, photos, sales links, etc.
Set up any additional functions such as Augmented Reality.
Export the web code package for deployment on your website.

Metaverse Tour:

Design the floor plan and exterior (or use your existing plans).
Build a detailed 3D architectural model using advanced 3D modeling software.
Process 3d Model through professional Game Engine Software.
Add product information, photos, sales links, etc.
Add any desired interactive functions, gamification or AR.
Export the project to the Metaverse host.

Traditional Virtual Tour Sample

Metaverse Virtual Tour Sample

Ways to Utilize Virtual Tours

Virtual Showhouse

A virtual showhouse is a digital representation of a home designed to showcase interior design, architecture, and home products. It allows users to explore the space online, often in 3D, providing an immersive experience that highlights the design’s aesthetic and functional aspects.

Virtual Real Estate Walkthrough

A virtual real estate walkthrough is a digital tour of a property, designed to give potential buyers a comprehensive view of the home without having to visit in person. These tours typically include 360-degree views, interactive floor plans, and detailed images of each room, enabling buyers to explore the property at their own pace.

Virtual Showrooms

Virtual showrooms are online spaces where brands and retailers can display their products in a realistic setting. These showrooms allow customers to view and interact with products in a 3D environment, often with options to customize and see how different items look in various settings.

Virtual Model Homes

Virtual model homes are digital versions of new home designs, created to give potential buyers a sense of what the finished home will look like. These tours can include detailed renderings of both the interior and exterior, showcasing different floor plans, design options, and finishes available to buyers.

Video Virtual Tours

Any Virtual Showhouse, Showroom or Model home can also have a corresponding video walkthrough.

AI asssisted design inspiration for various virtual tour ideas.

Benefits of a Virtual Home Decor Showroom

The home decor industry is highly competitive. Virtual showrooms can help smaller brands attract and engage buyers effectively.

Creating a Digital Twin of Your Showroom

A digital twin is a virtual replica of your physical showroom. By creating a digital twin, you can offer customers an online experience that mirrors your real-world space. This virtual showroom can be easily updated with new products, seasonal displays, and promotional setups without the need for physical rearrangement.

Virtual Recreation: Use 3D modeling and VR technology to recreate your showroom virtually. Capture every detail from layout and lighting to individual product displays.
Easy Updates: Update the virtual showroom with new products and designs effortlessly. No need for physical adjustments—simply modify the digital twin to reflect the latest offerings.
Cost Savings: Building and maintaining a virtual showroom is significantly more cost-effective than its physical counterpart. Save on costs associated with construction, decor changes, and maintenance while providing a high-quality shopping experience.

A Visualized Approach to Selling Home Decor

Instead of creating a tour of an actual showroom, furnish a virtual house with your products—furniture, lighting, fabric, accessories, rugs, etc.—and create a virtual tour of that space. This approach helps buyers visualize how these elements will look in a real home, aiding their purchasing decisions.

Highlight Product Details with a Virtual Tour

Incorporate small icons that users can hover over to get more details about each product, such as color, material, size, and other specifications. Include promo videos to enhance the experience. This not only showcases the product’s features but also provides an interactive and engaging way for customers to explore your offerings.

Augmented Reality Integration

Include augmented reality (AR) features so that customers can view the merchandise in their own homes. This allows them to see how the products fit and look in their actual spaces, further aiding their purchasing decisions.

Creating a Digital Twin of Your Showroom or Model Home

Virtual Recreation: Use 3D modeling and VR technology to recreate your showroom virtually. Capture every detail from layout and lighting to individual product displays.
Easy Updates: Update the virtual showroom with new products and designs effortlessly. No need for physical adjustments—simply modify the digital twin to reflect the latest offerings.
Cost Savings: Building and maintaining a virtual showroom is significantly more cost-effective than its physical counterpart. Save on costs associated with construction, decor changes, and maintenance while providing a high-quality shopping experience.

Detailed Steps to Create a Virtual Tour

Concept Development

Style & Theme: Decide on a cohesive style and theme for the architecture and the finish out of the space. Consider what will appeal to your target audience and align with current design trends.
Target Audience: Identify who you want to reach. This could include potential clients, industry peers, or consumers interested in home decor and design.

Assemble Your Design Team

Building Designer: Professional designer to create the virtual home or building.
Interior Designers: Professionals to conceptualize and design the interior spaces.
3D Modelers and Renderers: Specialists in creating detailed and realistic digital models and renderings.
Virtual Reality (VR) Experts: Experts to develop the VR experience for an immersive tour.
Graphic Designers: To create visual assets and marketing materials.
Web Designer: Once the tour is created, it will live on your website. You will need a dedicated landing page, and be able to upload the files and html to the back end of your site.

*The design and build roles can be combined. Annilee can create the entire project for you.

Understand The Necessary Software and Tools

3D Modeling Software: Tools like Blender, SketchUp, or Chief Architect are used for creating detailed 3D models.
Rendering Software: Professional rendering software such as Twinmotion, V-Ray, or Lumion are used to create high-quality photo realistic renderings and panoramic images.
VR Platforms: Develop VR experiences using professional 3d tour software and game developement engines.
AR Tools: For Augmented Reality, you’ll need a hosting platform and software to handle the models and AR experience.
Your Website: You will need your own website and dedicated landing page. Your hosting will need a robust amount of storage, as the image files are large.

Prepare Hardware

High-Performance Computers: Essential for handling large files and graphics, and Virtual Reality. Gaming computers are great for this.
Large Screen Monitors or TVs: Not everyone likes to use the VR headsets, and they are not necessary to display a tour.
VR Headsets: Devices like the Oculus or Apple Vision for testing and experiencing the virtual reality home tour.

Content Creation

Room Designs: Create detailed designs for each room, considering furniture, decor, and accessories.
3D Models: Develop high-quality 3D models of all furnishings and architectural elements.
360-Degree Tours: Create panoramic images and virtual tours for an immersive experience.
Interactive Elements: Include clickable links to product details and purchasing options.

Establish Sponsorship and Partnerships

Brand Collaborations: Partner with furniture and decor brands to feature their products.
Sponsorships: Secure sponsorships to fund the project and promote featured products.

Marketing and Promotion

Website and Social Media: Create a dedicated website and social media profiles to promote the virtual showhouse.
Community: Engage your community and build an audience.
Press Releases and Media Coverage: Engage with media outlets for coverage and press releases.
Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers to broaden your reach.

Testing and Feedback

Beta Testing: Conduct beta tests with a selected group of users to gather feedback.
User Experience Improvements: Implement feedback to enhance the user experience.

Launch

Virtual Event: Host a virtual or in person launch event to unveil the showhouse.
Ongoing Engagement: Keep the audience engaged with regular updates and interactions.

Maintenance and Updates

Technical Support: Provide ongoing technical support for the virtual showhouse.
Content Updates: Regularly update content to keep it fresh and relevant.

What is Needed to Create a Virtual Tour

Existing Space or Design:

Floor Plans and Elevations: Detailed architectural drawings, just like you would give to your contractor to build in real life. If you don’t have these, I can create them.
Style Inspiration Images: Visual references for the desired design style.
Material Selections: Specifications for materials like flooring, wall finishes, etc.
Products to Display or Sell: List of furniture, fixtures, and decor items that you want to showcase either for styling purposes or to sell.
Features Desired: Do you want to include AR, Info pop ups, Videos, etc?
Timeline: Schedule of key milestones and deadlines.
Budget: Financial plan for the project.

For a New Space:

Inspiration Images: Visuals that convey the desired aesthetic.
Number of Rooms or Spaces: List of rooms and specific functions or features. General idea of square footage.
Style of Architecture: Desired architectural style.
Style of Furnishings: Preferences for furniture and decor.
Products to Display or Sell: Specific products or brands to feature.
Features Desired: Do you want to include AR, Info pop ups, Videos, etc?
Timeline: Schedule for the design process.
Budget: Financial allocation for the project.

Pricing for Creating a Virtual Showhouse

When considering the creation of a virtual showhouse, it’s important to understand the factors that influence pricing. These factors ensure you receive a high-quality product that meets your specific needs and provides an exceptional experience for your audience. *Note* These prices are for Annilee’s services only, they do not include any additional service providers, subscriptions, website costs, equipment, marketing, etc.

Factors Influencing Pricing

Scope of the Project:
- The complexity and size of the virtual showhouse, including the number of rooms and the level of detail required, significantly impact the cost. Larger projects with intricate details will naturally require more time and resources.
Design and Modeling:
- The cost includes the work of interior designers, 3D modelers, and renderers who create detailed and realistic digital models and renderings. The more customized, detailed and realistic the models, the higher the cost.
Virtual Reality Integration:
- Incorporating VR elements involves additional expertise and technology. This includes creating immersive VR experiences and ensuring compatibility with various VR platforms.
Software and Tools:
- Creating detailed 3D models, renderings, and VR development requires high end computer hardware and professional software licensing costs.
Content Creation and Interactive Elements:
- Developing interactive elements such as clickable product details, promo videos, and augmented reality features adds value but also affects the cost. These elements enhance the user experience and provide a more engaging virtual tour.
Project Timeline:
- The timeline for completing the project can influence pricing. Faster turnaround times may require additional resources and expedited work, which can increase costs.
Ongoing Maintenance and Updates:
- Including services for regular updates and maintenance of the virtual showhouse ensures it remains fresh and relevant. This ongoing support is an additional cost to consider.

Example Pricing Structure

While exact pricing can vary, here’s a general idea of what to expect:

Basic Traditional Virtual Tour
- Includes a small number of spaces furnished with stock decor and materials. Uses 3d models provided by the client for their products.
- Estimated Cost: $5,000 – $7,500
Standard Traditional Virtual Tour
- Includes several spaces and the exterior. Furnished with mostly stock decor and materials and some customization for key items. Uses 3d models provided by the client for their products.
- Estimated Cost: $8,500 – $15,000
Premium Traditional Virtual Tour
- Includes a large number of spaces and the exterior. Furnished with custom decor and materials. Product model creation available.
- Estimated Cost: $20,000+
Metaverse Virtual Tour
- Creating a Metaverse virtual tour, showroom, or model home can vary in cost depending on the complexity and features required.
- Generally, prices can start around $10,000 and go up to $100,000 or more for high-end, fully interactive environments.

Value for Your Investment

Investing in a virtual showhouse provides numerous benefits, including wider reach, cost savings on physical construction and maintenance, and an innovative way to showcase your designs and products. The initial cost can be offset by the long-term value of engaging a global audience, enhancing your brand’s presence, and driving sales through interactive and immersive experiences.

Ready to Create a Tour for your Project?

If you’re ready to create a stunning virtual showhouse that showcases your designs and products in the most innovative way, reach out to Annilee B. Waterman today.

Annilee B Waterman is the virtual designer and rendering artist behind The 2020 Seasonal Living Designer Showhouse, and The 2024 Dallas Market Center Lighting TrendHouse. She is a Certified Professional Building Designer (CPBD) and an NCIDQ Registered Interior Designer. She has over 20 years of experience in home and light commercial design and construction.

Annilee is a Certified Professional Building Designer and Texas Registered Interior Designer with over 25 years of experience. Specializing in remote design and visualization services, Annilee caters to DIY clients and trade professionals alike, offering expert 3D modeling, rendering, and drafting support. Discover how her innovative approach and use of advanced technologies can transform your project, enabling you to visualize and execute your vision with precision and creativity.

The Seasonal Living Magazine Virtual Designer Showhouse.

Residential Design, 3d Modeling and Rendering by Annilee B Waterman. Interior finishes and decor by various designers as marked in each room.